Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern — Volume 02
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Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern — Volume 02
Literature -- Collections
The party therefore turned thither and journeyed on, and it was the
right way. They took that route, and continued their course the same day
and the next night until they had traversed a wide tract of country. And
as they were proceeding, one day, they came to a pillar of black stone,
wherein was a person sunk to his arm-pits, and he had two huge wings,
and four arms; two of them like those of the sons of Adam, and two like
the forelegs of lions, with claws. He had hair upon his head like the
tails of horses, and two eyes like two burning coals, and he had a third
eye, in his forehead, like the eye of the lynx, from which there
appeared sparks of fire. He was black and tall; and he was crying out,
Extolled be the perfection of my Lord, who hath appointed me this severe
affliction and painful torture until the day of resurrection! When the
party beheld him, their reason fled from them, and they were stupefied
at the sight of his form, and retreated in flight; and the Emeer Moosà
said to the sheykh 'Abd-Es-Samad, What is this? He answered, I know not
what he is. And the Emeer said, Draw near to him, and investigate his
case: perhaps he will discover it, and perhaps thou wilt learn his
history. The sheykh 'Abd-Es-Samad replied, May God amend the state of
the Emeer! Verily we fear him.--Fear ye not, rejoined the Emeer; for he
is withheld from injuring you and others by the state in which he is. So
the sheykh 'Abd-Es-Samad drew near to him, and said to him, O thou
person, what is thy name, and what is thy nature, and what hath placed
thee here in this manner? And he answered him, As to me, I am an 'Efreet
of the Jinn, and my name is Dáhish the son of El-Amash, and I am
restrained here by the majesty, confined by the power, [of God,]
tormented as long as God (to whom be ascribed might and glory!) willeth.
Then the Emeer Moosà said, O sheykh 'Abd-Es-Samad, ask him what is the
cause of his confinement in this pillar. He therefore asked respecting
that, and the 'Efreet answered him, Verily my story is wonderful, and
it is this:
[The Evil Spirit narrates to them his history, being part of
the famous war between Solomon and the Jinn.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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