«فَسَلَّمَ عَلَى الْجُلَّاسِ وَجَلَسَ فِي أَخْرَيَاتِ النَّاسِ»
He greeted those seated and sat at the back of the gathering.
Al-jullās means the seated participants; akharyāt al-nās refers to the back ranks. The visitor’s ordinary, unassuming behaviour initially makes him easy to overlook.
This arrangement creates narrative anticipation: someone at the back may soon dominate an assembly of established literary figures.
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The Ḥulwān Maqāmah: A Literary Assembly and a Contest of Verse
«فَسَلَّمَ عَلَى الْجُلَّاسِ وَجَلَسَ فِي أَخْرَيَاتِ النَّاسِ»
He greeted those seated and sat at the back of the gathering.
Al-jullās means the seated participants; akharyāt al-nās refers to the back ranks. The visitor’s ordinary, unassuming behaviour initially makes him easy to overlook.
This arrangement creates narrative anticipation: someone at the back may soon dominate an assembly of established literary figures.