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hares and lions and hyænas and other game, whereat he rejoiced and went to meet them and saluted them. They wished him health and safety and he wished them the like; after which they alighted and going each to her chamber, put off their soiled clothes and donned fair linen. Then they came forth and demanded the game: so they[1] brought out some thereof for slaughter, keeping the rest by them in the palace, and Hassan girt himself and fell to slaughtering for them, whilst they sported and made merry, mightily rejoiced to see him standing amongst them [restored to health and spirits].
When they had made an end of slaughtering, they addressed themselves to make ready somewhat for their morning meal, and Hassan, coming up to the eldest princess, kissed her head and on like wise did he with the rest, one after another. Whereupon said they to him, ‘Indeed, O our brother, thou humblest thyself to us passing measure and we marvel at the excess of the affection thou showest us. But God forbid that thou shouldst do this thing, which it behoves us rather to do with thee, seeing thou art a man and insomuch worthier than we, who are of the Jinn.’[2] Thereupon his eyes ran over with tears and he wept sore; so they said to him, ‘What ails thee to weep? Indeed, thou troublest our lives with
- ↑ Quære the servants.
- ↑ In the mythology of the Muslims, the Jinn are always subordinated to mankind, in the matter of abstract worthiness, although practically so much more powerful. See antè, p. 119. According to the Koran, when God made Adam, he commanded the angels to prostrate themselves to him, in token of worship, and they all did so, except Iblis, whose disobedience was punished by expulsion from heaven. “And when we said to the angels, ‘Prostrate yourselves to Adam,’ they prostrated themselves, save only Iblis, who refused and magnified himself and became of the misbelievers.”—Koran ii. 32. Hence mankind are held to be worthier in God’s sight even than the angels and (a fortiori) than the Jinn.
