Zito the Magician

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- Miroslav Holub

To amuse His Royal Majesty he will change water into wine. Frogs into
footmen. Beetles into bailiffs. And make a Minister out of a rat. He
bows, and daisies grow from his finger tips. And a talking bird sits
on his shoulder.

There.

Think up something else, demands His Royal Majesty.
Think up a black star. So he thinks up a black star.
Think up dry water. So he thinks up dry water.
Think up a river with straw bands. So he does.

There.

Then along comes a student and asks: Think up sine alpha greater than one.

And Zito grows pale and sad: Terribly sorry. Sine is between
plus one and minus one. Nothing you can do about that.
And he leaves the great royal empire,
quietly weaves his way through the throng of courtiers,
to his home in a nutshell.

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