INDIA IN PREMODERN times was often regarded by foreigners as a paradise on earth. Typically, Abdullah Wassaf, an early fourteenth century Persian writer, states:

It is asserted that paradise is in India,

Be not surprised because paradise itself

is not comparable to it.

在前現(xiàn)代化時代，印度經(jīng)常被外國人認為是地上天國。引用14世紀早期波斯語作家Abdullah Wassaf的陳述作為典型例證：

或有人言天堂在印度，

別驚訝，天堂本身無法與印度媲美。

長舌翁注：

Abdullah Wassaf是14世紀初，伊爾汗國的歷史學家和宮廷贊歌詩人。宮廷贊歌是波斯詩歌的一個特殊體例。核心就是贊揚，甚至是違心得的諂媚。其重要的著作是為蒙古西道諸王撰寫的《瓦薩甫史》。該史以辭藻華麗，歌功頌德著稱。

This was a highly chimerical image of India, but not too different from the common premodern perception of India?by foreigners. There was however another view of India by medieval foreigners, which, although it also saw India as a land of fabulous natural resources, regarded it as an uncongenial place to live in, because of its torrid climate. India, according to Khondamir, an early sixteenth century chronicler, ‘consumed the body as easily as flame melts a candle.

把印度比天堂是非常不切實際的幻想，但其他前現(xiàn)代時期外國人對印度的通常描述也差不多。但在中世紀的外國人看來，印度有不同一面。印度是一片富有資源的土地，但是他的熱帶氣候?qū)嵲诓贿m于外來人的生活。據(jù)16世紀早期編年史作者Khondamir所說，印度熱帶氣候如火融蠟燭一般摧殘著人體。

長舌翁注：

Khondamir老先生是從阿富汗西北的赫拉特移民到印度北方的德里，并在印度北方住了7年直到因（熱帶）病去世。對印度氣候的評述經(jīng)得起推敲。

Khondamir是指Ghiyāth al-Dīn Mu?ammad Khwāndamīr。此人是帖木兒王朝時期最偉大的歷史學家。其祖父也是一位重要的帖木兒王朝歷史學家。爺兩都出生在阿富汗的赫拉特，用波斯語寫作，作為一些大事件的親歷者記錄了大量一手資料。?Mu?ammad Khwāndamīr經(jīng)歷過昔班尼敗死的木鹿城會戰(zhàn)，又經(jīng)歷了老家赫拉特被波斯吞并。1528年，Mu?ammad Khwāndamīr老哥逃到喀布爾投奔巴布爾國王。后隨巴布爾從龍入關(guān)，輔佐巴布爾和胡馬雍兩位皇帝并參加了很多重要戰(zhàn)役。他自1499年開始受突厥語詩人“Alī Shīr Navā?ī”的邀請撰寫帖木兒王朝歷史人物和現(xiàn)今人物的傳記，一直撰寫歷史著作到去世。

其著作有帖木兒王朝通史（包括巴布爾和胡馬雍兩個印度皇帝）一部

完善其祖父的宗教人物歷史一部

莫臥兒王朝的建筑營造史一部

That apprehension presumably was the reason why Mahmud Ghazni decided not to annex India and rule over it, even though he had the proven military capability to do that.?

這種對熱帶病的憂慮大概是Mahmud Ghazni決定不吞并印度，并在印度以外治理印度。即使Mahmud Ghazni用武力證明吞并印度可行

長舌翁注：

這個Mahmud Ghazni可能大家都不太熟悉。但一提到“蘇丹”大家就不困了。

這位Mahmud Ghazni是伽色尼王朝的第三位君主（其實是第四位），也是人類歷史上第一個以蘇丹當皇帝名號用的狠人。他帶著波斯封臣打敗了自己合法繼位的弟弟。然后以阿富汗為核心領(lǐng)土，向西北吞并波斯文化圈的伊朗。打下了阿拉伯帝國崛起之前波斯人控制的伊拉克。逼迫阿拉伯帝國的皇帝給自己加尊號。Mahmud Ghazni已經(jīng)是埃米爾了，再往上就是阿拉伯帝國皇帝的“哈里發(fā)”尊號。阿拉伯世界就沒有再高的尊號給他了。于是哈里發(fā)把地區(qū)總督“蘇丹”銜給了Mahmud Ghazni。讓伽色尼家族世襲阿富汗總督。

這個尊號既有面子（尊號高于埃米爾），又有里子（阿富汗作為一個邊緣地區(qū)正式進入了伊斯蘭世界的認同）。起初“蘇丹”尊號是哈里發(fā)賜予，非常珍貴。后來哈里發(fā)本身一年一換，甚至到了，某一年，巴格達有四個哈里發(fā)同時在街上乞討要飯。蘇丹稱號濫發(fā)嚴重，只要是個地方領(lǐng)主就敢叫自己蘇丹。蘇丹就迅速掉價了。

到了本書所評述的歷史時期（13世紀-16世紀），蒙古人給西道諸王下屬所有部落首領(lǐng)都封了埃米爾。城市總督都能叫蘇丹。有黃金家族血統(tǒng)的貴族都是米兒咱。從設(shè)拉子到大玉孜，真是千王逐鹿康居城。而同時期，東道諸王后裔在察哈爾和科爾沁，稱王的蒙古貴族，不過二十家。

Similarly, Timur also decided against occupying India—although he swept through a good part of North India, plundering its wealth and slaughtering its people, he remained in India only for about six months, and quickly sped back to his home in Central Asia, heeding the advice of one his top nobles, who warned him: ‘If we establish ourselves permanently therein, our race will degenerate and our children will become like the natives of those regions, and in a few generations their strength and valour will diminish.’

同時，帖木兒也不準備占領(lǐng)印度，即使他拿下來了一大塊被印度的土地。帖木兒掠奪了北印度的財富，殺戮了北印度的人民。帖木兒只在印度待了6個月，然后快速返回中亞老家。帖木兒聽從了他首席貴族的勸告（兀魯伯別吉？）：如果我們永久地留在印度，我們的蒙古-突厥血血性純度會降低。我們的子孫會越來越像印度的原住民。幾代人之后，我們后代的堅強和勇猛會喪失殆盡。

長舌翁注：

這話應(yīng)驗了。帖木兒蘭的子孫巴布爾建立了莫臥兒帝國。巴布爾的子孫到最后狂嫖濫賭，抽大煙。天天沉迷于打獵、宮廷宴游和男寵。把一個帝國整的只剩德里一個市。

These views about the debilitating effect of Indian climate were highly exaggerated, just as the contrary views about India as a paradise were highly exaggerated. But Indian climate did certainly have an enervating effect on its people, as is evident from the fact that all the invaders who settled in India were in turn, after a couple of centuries, defeated and displaced by fresh invaders—Arabs by Ghaznavids, Ghaznavids by Ghuris, Ghuris by Mughals, and Mughals by Persians and Britishers

這些對印度氣候能虛弱人體效力的詆毀是異?？鋸垺６鴮τ《热缤焯玫馁澝酪彩侨绱丝鋸埖《鹊臍夂蚩隙〞沟糜《染用駟适Щ盍?。有一例證可以說明：入侵印度并定居的侵略者最終，無論過去了多少世紀，總會被擊敗并被新的入侵者替代。

阿拉伯入侵者被伽色尼王朝的波斯化突厥人替代。伽色尼王朝被古爾王王的波斯化突厥人取代。古爾王朝被莫臥爾王朝取代。莫臥爾最后被波斯人和英國人的夾擊下被代替。

長舌翁吐槽：

作者把朝代和人種混用。用古爾王朝代替德里蘇丹國的統(tǒng)治，實在有失妥當。

But why did some invaders choose to settle down in India, while others disdained to do so? The crucial factor in this seems to have been that the invaders who chose India as home were mostly those who had been driven out of their homeland—or were in imminent danger of being driven out—by their more aggressive neighbours. They were taking refuge in India as much as invading it.

但為什么要寫入侵人選擇在印度定居，而另一些入侵者覺得搶完就走？有一個至關(guān)重要的因素。留在印度的入侵者并把印度當家的入侵者，很多是被從老家驅(qū)逐或者有巨大被從老家驅(qū)逐（被他們更有侵略性的鄰居們）的入侵者。他們一邊入侵印度一邊拿印度當避難所。

These migrant invaders chose India presumably because they saw it as a soft target, and also because of its reputation for fabulous riches. But why did the medieval Indian kingdoms, many of them ruled by Rajputs renowned for their martial valour, succumb so abjectly to Turks, even though the armies of the rajas were invariably much larger than those of Turks? And then again why were Turks so easily routed by Mughals, and Mughals in turn by Persians and Britishers? Why did each new invader rout the previous invader? India had never in its several millenniums long history prevailed over invaders, except in a couple of minor cases. Why?

這些入侵者很可能視印度為好打的軟柿子并且也為了印度豐富的資源。但為什么中世紀印度邦國們直接向突厥人投了。很多邦國是由于武德充沛的拉杰普特族統(tǒng)治的。很多邦國王公的軍隊比突厥人的軍隊多很多。突厥人也被后來的莫臥爾王朝打爆了。最后莫臥爾王朝被波斯人和英國人一塊打爆。

為什么新來到入侵者能打爆舊入侵者。

印度在其幾千年的漫長歷史中基本沒有打敗過入侵者，只有幾次例外。這是為什么？

預(yù)告下一回內(nèi)容：

為什么印度王公打不過入侵者。