And in a moment he was no longer the King, riding among his courtiers,
but the sun, blazing high in the heavens, shining hot upon the fields
and the meadows. As he did not know how to shine, he allowed his rays to
fall too fiercely upon the world, and grass and grain were dried up and
withered, and men lamented because of the cruelty of the heat. But
Hashnu thought he was doing great things, and was very proud, until a
cloud came between him and the earth, so that his rays no longer fell
upon the fields and the cities of men.
And Hashnu said: "Lo, I am the sun, and my rays fell upon the fields and
the cities, and all acknowledge my power. But the cloud is stronger than
the sun, for it shuts off my rays from the earth."
Then, because the cloud would not go, but became heavier and blacker,
Hashnu lamented, and said:
"Ah me, ah me,
If Hashnu only the cloud could be."
And in a moment he was no longer the sun, shining fiercely upon the
earth, but the cloud, riding in the sky, shutting off the rays of the
sun, and pouring rain upon the fields and the meadows, filling the
rivers and the streams to overflowing. But he did not know how to let
down the rain wisely, and it fell too heavily, and the rivers rose high
and destroyed the fields and the cities, and the meadows were turned
into swamps, and the grain rotted in the ground, and the wind blew, and
trees were uprooted, and houses fell before it. But Hashnu cared for
none of these things, for he thought he was doing very finely indeed.
But as he looked down upon the earth he saw that a rock beside the
highway stood unmoved and firm, for all of his raining and blowing. And
he said: "For all I am strong, and can blow down trees and destroy
cities, and can pour my waters upon the earth and flood the fields and
the meadows, yet does that rock defy my power. I, Hashnu, would be
stronger than the rock!"
But the rock was unchanged, and Hashnu, lamenting, said:
"Ah me, ah me,
If Hashnu only the rock could be!"