Now the prince her brotherwho loved her with an exceeding lovemore than her sisterswas then newly returned from a journey and hearing her weeping and cryingcame in to her and said'What ails thee？ Tell me and conceal nought from me.'O my brother and my dear one，'answered she'if the palace be straitened upon thy fatherI will go out；and if he be resolved upon a foul thingI will separate myself from him，though he consent not to provide for me.'Quoth he'Tell me what means this talk and what has straitened thy breast and troubled thy humour.'O my brother and my dear one，'answered the princess'know that my father hath given me in marriage to a sorcererwho brought himas a gifta horse of black wood，and hath stricken him with his craft and his sorcery；butas for meI will none of himand wouldbecause of himI had never come into this world！'Her brother soothed her and comforted herthen betook himself to his father and said to him'What is this sorcerer to whom thou hast given my youngest sister in marriageand what is this present that he hath brought theeso that thou hast caused my sister to [almost]
die of chagrin？ It is not right that this should be.'
Now the Persian was standing by and when he heard the prince's wordshe was mortified thereby and filled with rageand the King said'O my sonan thou sawest this horsethy wit would be confounded and thou wouldst be filled with amazement.'Then he bade the slaves bring the horse before him and they did so；and when the princewho was an accomplished cavaliersaw it，it pleased him. So he mounted it forthright and struck its belly with the stirrup-irons；but it stirred not and the King said to the sage'Go and show him its movementthat he also may help thee to thy wish.'Now the Persian bore the prince malice for that he willed not he should have his sister；so he showed him the peg of ascent on the right side [of the horse's neck] and saying to him'Turn this pin，'left him. So the prince turned the pin and forthwith the horse soared with him into the airas it were a birdand gave not over flying with himtill it disappeared from sightwhereat the King was troubled and perplexed about his affair and said to the Persian'O sagelook how thou mayst make him descend.'But he answered'O my lordI can do nothingand thou wilt never see him again till the Day of Resurrectionfor that heof his ignorance and conceitasked me not of the peg of descent and I forgot to acquaint him therewith.'When the King heard thishe was sore enraged and bade beat the sorcerer and clap him in prisonwhilst he himself cast the crown from his head and buffeted his face and beat upon his breast. Moreoverhe shut the doors of his palaces and gave himself up to weeping and lamentationhe and his wife and daughters and all the folk of the city；and [thus] their joy was turned to mourning and their gladness changed into chagrin and sore affliction.