On this Faithful John was quite delighted, and led her to the ship, and
when the King saw her, he perceived that her beauty was even greater
than the picture had represented it to be, and thought no other than
that his heart would burst in twain. Then she got into the ship, and
the King led her within. Faithful John, however, remained behind with
the pilot, and ordered the ship to be pushed off, saying, “Set all
sail, till it fly like a bird in air.” Within, however, the King showed
her the golden vessels, every one of them, also the wild beasts and
strange animals. Many hours went by whilst she was seeing everything,
and in her delight she did not observe that the ship was sailing away.
After she had looked at the last, she thanked the merchant and wanted
to go home, but when she came to the side of the ship, she saw that it
was on the deep sea far from land, and hurrying onwards with all sail
set. “Ah,” cried she in her alarm, “I am betrayed! I am carried away
and have fallen into the power of a merchant—I would die rather!” The
King, however, seized her hand, and said, “I am not a merchant. I am a
king, and of no meaner origin than thou art, and if I have carried thee
away with subtlety, that has come to pass because of my exceeding great
love for thee. The first time that I looked on thy portrait, I fell
fainting to the ground.” When the princess of the Golden Dwelling heard
that, she was comforted, and her heart was inclined unto him, so that
she willingly consented to be his wife.
It so happened, however, while they were sailing onwards over the deep
sea, that Faithful John, who was sitting on the fore part of the
vessel, making music, saw three ravens in the air, which came flying
towards them. On this he stopped playing and listened to what they were
saying to each other, for that he well understood. One cried, “Oh,
there he is carrying home the princess of the Golden Dwelling.” “Yes,”
replied the second, “but he has not got her yet.” Said the third, “But
he has got her, she is sitting beside him in the ship.” Then the first
began again, and cried, “What good will that do him? When they reach
land a chestnut horse will leap forward to meet him, and the prince
will want to mount it, but if he does that, it will run away with him,
and rise up into the air with him, and he will never see his maiden
more.” Spake the second, “But is there no escape?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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