This said, the bird spread its wings, and wherever it passed, the grass and flowers withered, and the place became a desert. The gardeners, in despair, asked the King if they might not kill the bird which caused the mischief; but he forbade them, on pain of death, to do it any injury. Afterward the bird came every day while he was at breakfast in the garden; and the kind voice of the Prince soon made it so tame and fearless that it would perch on his knee and eat from his hand. This familiarity enabled the Prince to observe the bird's plumage more closely, and one day he caught sight of the pin in its head. Surprised at this, he ventured to withdraw it, when the bird disappeared, and his own dear wife stood again by his side. When he had recovered a little from the joy and surprise caused by this strange event, and had welcomed his wife back, he asked her to tell how it had all happened. And Rosa, whose eyes were now fully opened to the malice and wickedness of her sisters, told him all she knew of her own adventures. When the Prince had learned the evil deeds of his sisters-in-law, he bade his guards bring these wretches before him, and condemned them both to a death suitable to their crimes. In vain did Rosa entreat him to pardon them. The King was inexorable. But when, at sunset, the criminals were being led away to execution, the Queen of Night appeared on the scene, followed by all her train; and touched by the distress of her adopted daughter, she prevailed upon the King to change the sentence he had pronounced. The two evil-doers were then offered the choice of dying a violent death, or living to witness their sister's happiness while deprived of the power of ever again being able to injure her. They chose the latter fate; and it was not long before they both died of spite and jealousy. LEGEND AND POETRY AMONG THE TURKS THE DIVAN OF THE LOVER THE EARLIEST TURKISH POEM All the universe, one mighty sign, is shown; God hath myriads of creative acts unknown: None hath seen them, of the races jinn and men, None hath news brought from that realm far off from ken. Never shall thy mind or reason reach that strand, Nor can tongue the King's name utter of that land. Since 'tis his each nothingness with life to vest, Trouble is there ne'er at all to his behest. Eighteen thousand worlds, from end to end, Do not with him one atom's worth transcend. THE BOOK OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT (BY AHMEDI)