Page 90 - Lavender-B-2

Birbal (bowing before the King of Persia): Your Majesty, I am honoured. I

wish to take your leave.

Narrator: Everyone in the court bade him a hearty goodbye. They were
overjoyed because Birbal praised their king and compared him to the

full moon. Birbal soon came back to his country.

Scene 2: Akbar is furiously strolling in his courtyard. Birbal comes before

him and bows. Akbar walks away.

Birbal (looking surprised): Jahanpanah, you seem upset. Have I
1
offended you in any manner?

Akbar (roaring in anger): You are my chief advisor. You are also my

close friend. But you compared the King of Persia to the full moon. You
compared me to the crescent

moon. Am I not good enough?

Birbal (sounding amused):

Jahanpanah, the King of Persia
is like the full moon because a

full moon always decreases in

size. You are like the crescent
moon because a crescent moon

grows day by day. Your powers

are ever increasing and you are
growing stronger.

Akbar (feeling very joyful and

embracing Birbal): O, Birbal! I

missed you very much.

hearty: loud and cheerful
overjoyed: very pleased about something
upset: very unhappy
offended: made someone angry
amused: found something funny
1 an Urdu word that was used to address
embracing: putting one’s arms around someone Mughal kings
tightly to show love

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