The
Enchanted Fish
There
once was a fisherman who lived with his wife in a small hut close by the
seaside The fisherman used to go fishing every day. One day, as he sat in his
boat with his rod, looking at the sparkling waves and watching his line, all of
a sudden his float was dragged away deep into the water. He quickly started to
reel in his line and managed to pull out a huge fish. “Wow! This will feed us
for days.”Much to his surprise, the fish started to talk and said,”Pray, let me
live! I am not a real fish; I am an enchanted prince. Put me in the water
again, and let me go! Have mercy o’ kind fisherman.” The astonished fisherman
quickly threw him back, exclaiming, “I don’t want to hurt a talking fish! Go
on! Go where you came from.”
When
the fisherman went home to his wife, he told her everything that had happened
and how, on hearing it speak, he had let it go again.”Didn’t you ask it for
anything?” said the wife.”No, I didn’t, what should I have asked for?” replied the fisherman.
“I
am surprised you don’t realize what you should have asked for. We live very
wretchedly here, in this nasty dirty hut. We are poor and I am so miserable.
You should have asked for a nice cozy cottage. Now go back and ask the fish
that we want a snug little cottage”, said his wife.
“O
enchanted beautiful fish!
Hear
my plea!
My
wife wants not what I want,
And
she won’t give up till she has her own will,
So
come forth and help me!”
The
fish immediately came swimming to him, and said,”Well, what is her will? How
can I help your wife?””Ah!” said the fisherman, “she says that when I had
caught you, I ought to have asked you for something before I let you go. She
does not like living in our little hut, and wants a snug little cottage.””Go
home , then, “said the fish,”She is already in the cottage!”So the fisherman
went home and saw his wife standing at the door of a nice trim little
cottage.”Come in, come on in! Look at the beautiful cottage we have.”Husband,
there is not enough room for us in the cottage, go back to the fish and tell
him to make me an emperor.” “Wife,”said ought to be happy with what the fish
has given us and not be greedy.””Nonsense!” said the wife;”The fish will do it
very willingly, I know. Go along and try!” with a heavy heart the fisherman
went to the middle of the sea and said.
“O
enchanted beautiful fish!
Hear
my plea!
My
wife wants not what I want,
And
she won’t give up till she has her own will,
So
come forth and help me!”
“What
would she have now?” said the fis. “Ah!” said the fisherman, “she wants to be
an emperor.” “Go home, “said the fish; “She is an emperor already.”
So
he went home and he saw his wife sitting on a very lofty throne made of solid
gold, with a great crown on her head full two yards high. And on each side of her
stood her guards and attendants in a row. The fisherman went up to her and said,
“Wife, are you an emperor?””Yes”, said she, “I am an emperor.””Ah!”said the
man, as he gazed upon her, “What a fine thing it is to be an
emperor!””Husband,” said she, “it is good to be an emperor.” They were happy
for a while.
Then
a time came when she was not able to sleep all night for she was thinking what
she should ask next. At last, as she was about to fall asleep, morning broke,
and the sun rose. “Ha!” thought she, as she woke up and looked at it through
the window, “after all I cannot prevent the sun from rising.” At this thought
she was very angry, and wakened her husband, and said,” Husband, go to the fish
and tell him I must be Lord of the sun and the moon.” The fisherman was half
asleep, but the thought frightened him so much that he fell out of the bed.
“Alas, wife!”said he,”cannot you be happy with being such a powerful emperor?”
“No,”
said she, “I am very uneasy as long as the sun and the moon rise without my
permission. Go to the fish at once!” “I don’t think this is a good idea,” said
the fisherman but his wife wouldn’t listen to him.”Why don’t you just go and ask
the fish to make me the Lord of everything,” she said.
Then
the man went shivering with fear. As he was going down to the shore a dreadful
storm arose. The trees and the very rocks shook and the sky became black with
stormy clouds. There were great black wafes, swelling up like mountains with
crowns of white foam upon their heads. Unfortunately the fisherman did not have
any choice, so he got onto his boat and rowed to the middle of the sea and
cried out as loud as he could:
