should awake. Shams al-Nahar asked him, "Whither goest thou?";
and he answered, "To my father's house, and I plight thee my
troth that I will come to thee once in every week." But she wept
and said, "I conjure thee, by Allah the Almighty, take me with
thee whereso thou wendest and make me not taste anew the
bittergourd[FN#23] of separation from thee." Quoth he, "Wilt thou
indeed go with me?" and quoth she, "Yes." "Then," said he, "arise
that we depart." So she rose forthright and going to a chest,
arrayed herself in what was richest and dearest to her of her
trinkets of gold and jewels of price, and she fared forth, her
handmaids recking naught. So he carried her up to the roof of the
palace and, mounting the ebony horse, took her up behind him and
made her fast to himself, binding her with strong bonds; after
which he turned the shoulder-pin of ascent, and the horse rose
with him high in air. When her slave-women saw this, they
shrieked aloud and told her father and mother, who in hot haste
ran to the palace-roof and looking up, saw the magical horse
flying away with the Prince and Princess. At this the King was
troubled with ever-increasing trouble and cried out, saying, "O
King's son, I conjure thee, by Allah, have ruth on me and my wife
and bereave us not of our daughter!" The Prince made him no
reply; but, thinking in himself that the maiden repented of
leaving father and mother, asked her, "O ravishment of the age,
say me, wilt thou that I restore thee to thy mother and father?":
whereupon she answered, "By Allah, O my lord, that is not my
desire: my only wish is to be with thee, wherever thou art; for I
am distracted by the love of thee from all else, even from my
father and mother." Hearing these words the Prince joyed with
great joy, and made the horse fly and fare softly with them, so
as not to disquiet her; nor did they stay their flight till they