252
on thee a glance of the eye.’ And Tuhfeh kissed her hand. Then the tables were removed and they sat talking.
Presently up came the kings of the Jinn from every side and kissed the earth before the queen and stood in her service; and she thanked them for this, but stirred not for one of them. Then came the Sheikh Aboultawaïf Iblis (God curse him!) and kissed the earth before her, saying, ‘O my lady, may I not be bereft of these steps!’[1] ‘O Sheikh Aboultawaïf,’ answered she, ‘it behoveth thee to thank the bounty of the Lady Tuhfeh, who was the cause of my coming.’ ‘True,’ answered he and kissed the earth. Then the queen fared on [towards the palace] and there [arose and] alighted upon the trees an hundred thousand birds of various colours. Quoth Tuhfeh, ‘How many are these birds!’ And Queen Wekhimeh said to her, ‘Know, O my sister, that this queen is called Queen Es Shuhba and that she is queen over all the Jinn from East to West. These birds that thou seest are of her troops, and except they came in this shape, the earth would not contain them. Indeed, they came forth with her and are present with her presence at this circumcision. She will give thee after the measure of that which hath betided thee[2] from the first of the festival to the last thereof; and indeed she honoureth us all with her presence.’
Then the queen entered the palace and sat down on the
