consent not to make provision for me; and my Lord will provide."
Quoth he, "Tell me what meaneth this talk and what hath
straitened thy breast and troubled thy temper." "O my brother and
my dear one," answered the Princess, "Know that my father hath
promised me in marriage to a wicked magician who brought him, as
a gift, a horse of black wood, and hath bewitched him with his
craft and his egromancy; but, as for me, I will none of him, and
would, because of him, I had never come into this world!" Her
brother soothed her and solaced her, then fared to his sire and
said, "What be this wizard to whom thou hast given my youngest
sister in marriage, and what is this present which he hath
brought thee, so that thou hast killed[FN#9] my sister with
chagrin? It is not right that this should be." Now the Persian
was standing by and, when he heard the Prince's words, he was
mortified and filled with fury and the King said, "O my son, an
thou sawest this horse, thy wit would be confounded and thou
wouldst be amated with amazement." Then he bade the slaves bring
the horse before him and they did so; and, when the Prince saw
it, it pleased him. So (being an accomplished cavalier) he
mounted it forthright and struck its sides with the shovel-shaped
stirrup-irons; but it stirred not and the King said to the Sage,
"Go show him its movement, that he also may help thee to win thy
wish." Now the Persian bore the Prince a grudge because he willed
not he should have his sister; so he showed him the pin of ascent
on the right side of the horse and saying to him, "Trill this,"
left him. Thereupon the Prince trilled the pin and lo! the horse
forthwith soared with him high in ether, as it were a bird, and
gave not overflying till it disappeared from men's espying,
whereat the King was troubled and perplexed about his case and
said to the Persian, "O sage, look how thou mayest make him