The Queen lamented over this
day and night, and said, "I am like a field on which nothing grows." At
last God gave her her wish, but when the child came into the world,
it did not look like a human child, but was a little donkey. When the
mother saw that, her lamentations and outcries began in real earnest; she
said she would far rather have had no child at all than have a donkey,
and that they were to throw it into the water that the fishes might
devour it. But the King said, "No, since God has sent him he shall be my
son and heir, and after my death sit on the royal throne, and wear the
kingly crown." The donkey, therefore, was brought up and grew bigger,
and his ears grew up beautifully high and straight. He was, however, of
a merry disposition, jumped about, played and had especial pleasure in
music, so that he went to a celebrated musician and said, "Teach me thine
art, that I may play the lute as well as thou dost." "Ah, dear little
master," answered the musician, "that would come very hard to you, your
fingers are certainly not suited to it, and are far too big.
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