Dear All,
In Lockwood Kipling's fascinating BEAST AND MAN IN INDIA (first published in
book form in1891, but possibly based on a series of earlier articles), the
last chapter - "Of animals and the supernatural" is prefaced with 25 lines
of blank verse from "The Seven Nights of Creation - R.K." - one of a number
of quotations from and references to Rudyard in his father's book. The
lines, which begin -
"O Hassan ! Saving Allah, there is none
More strong than Eblis."
attribute to Eblis (the chief of the evil genii rather than our Devil,
according to Lane) all the nastier aspects of creation, including ice-bound
seas, poisonous plants and "dread beasts by land and water". Has this poem
(or verse drama?) been reprinted anywhere? Not that it is very good, to
judge from the extract; but I would like to read the whole thing.
George Engle
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