The Fisherman and His Wife
There was once upon a time a fisherman and his wife, who lived together in a little hut near the sea, and every day he went down to fish. There he sat with his rod, and looked out upon the blank water; and this he did for many a long day. One morning the line went to the bottom, and, when he drew it up, a great Flounder was hooked at the end. The Flounder said to him, “Let me go, I pray you, fisherman; I am not a real fish, but an enchanted prince. What good shall I do you if you pull me up? I shall not taste well; put me back into the water, and let me swim.”
“Ah,” said the man, “you need not make such a palaver, a fish which can speak I would rather let swim,” and, so saying, he put the fish into the water, and as it sunk to the bottom it left a long streak of blood behind it. Then the fisherman got up, and went back to his wife in their hut.
“Have you caught nothing to-day, husband?” said she. “Oh!” he replied, “I caught a flounder, who said he was an enchanted Prince; so I threw him again into the sea to swim.”
“Did you not wish first?” she inquired. “No!” said he.
“Ah!” said the wife, “that is very unlucky; is one to remain in this hovel for ever? You might have wished for a better hut at least. Go again and call him; tell him we choose to have a better hut, and for certain you’ll get it.”
“Ah!” replied he, “how shall I manage that?” “Why,” said his wife, “you must catch him again, and before you let him swim away he will grant what you ask: be quick.” The man was not much pleased, and wished his wife further; but, nevertheless, he went down to the sea. When he came to the water, it was green and yellow, and looked still more blank; he stood by it and said,
“Flounder, Flounder in the sea,
Hither quickly come to me;
For my wife, dame Isabel,
Wishes what I scarce dare tell!”
Then the fish came swimming up, and said, “What do you want with me?” “Oh!’ said the man, “I was to catch you again; for my wife says I ought to have wished before. She won’t stay any longer in her hovel, and desires a cottage.”
“Go home again,” said the Flounder, “she has it already.” So the fisherman departed, and there was his wife, no longer in the dirty hovel, for in its place stood a clean cottage, before whose door she sat upon a bench. She took him by the hand, saying, “Come in now and see: is not this much better?” So in they went, and in the cottage there was a beautiful parlour, and a fine fireplace, and a chamber where a bed stood; there were also a kitchen and a store-room, with nice earthen ware, all of the best; tinware and copper vessels, and every thing very clean and neat. At the back was a large yard, with hens and chickens; as well as a nice garden, full of fruit trees and vegetables. “See!” said the wife, “is not this charming?”
“Yes,” said her husband, “so long as it blooms you will be very well content with it.”
“We will consider about that,” she replied, and they went to bed.
Thus eight to fourteen days passed on, when the wife said, “Husband, the hut is far too narrow for me, and the yard and garden are so small; the flounder may very well give us a larger house. I wish to live in a large stone palace; go, then, to the flounder, and ask him to give us a castle.”
“Ah, wife!” said he, “the cottage is good enough; why should you choose to have a castle?”
“Go along!” she replied. “the flounder will soon give you that.”
“Nay, wife,” he said, “the flounder gave us the cottage at first, but when I go again he will perhaps be angry.”
“Never you mind,” said she; “he can do what I wish for very easily, and willingly; go and try.” The husband was vexed at heart, and did not like going, and said to himself, “This is not right.” But at last he set off.
When he came to the sea, the water was quite clouded and deep blue coloured, and black and thick: it looked green no longer, yet it was calm. So he went and said,
“Flounder, Flounder in the sea,
Hither, quickly come to me,
For my wife, dame Isabel,
Wishes what I scarce dare tell.”
“Now, then, what do you want?” said the Flounder. “Oh,” said the man, half-frightened, “she wants to live in a great stone castle.” “Go home, and see it at your door,” replied the fish.
The fisherman went away, and lo! where formerly his house stood, there was a great stone castle; and his wife called to him from the steps to come in, and, taking him by the hand, she said, “Now let us look about.” So they walked about, and in the castle there was a great hall, with marble tables, and there were ever so many servants, who ushered them through folding doors into rooms hung all round with tapestry, and filled with fine golden stools and chairs, with crystal looking-glasses on the walls; and all the rooms were similarly fitted up. Outside the house were large courtyards, with horse and cow stalls, and wagons, all of the best, and besides a beautiful garden filled with magnificent flowers and fruit trees, and a meadow full a mile long, covered with deer, and oxen, and sheep, as many as one could wish for. “Is not this pretty?” said the wife. “Ah,” said her husband, “so long as the humour lasts you will be content with this, and then you will want something else.”
“We will think about that,” said she, and with that they went to bed.
The next morning the wife woke up just as it was day, and looked out over the fine country which lay before her. Her husband did not get up, and there she stood with her arms a-kimbo, and called out, “Get up, and come and look here at the window; see, shall I not be Queen over all the land? Go, and say to the Flounder, “We choose to be King and Queen.” “Ah, wife,” said he, “why should I wish to be King?” “No,” she replied, “you do not wish, so I will be Queen. Go, tell the Flounder so.”
“Oh why do you wish this? I cannot say it.”
“Why not? go off at once; I must be Queen.” The husband set out quite stupefied, but she would have her way, and when he came to the sea it was quite black-looking, and the water splashed up and smelled very disagreeably. But he stood still, and repeated,
“Flounder, Flounder in the sea,
Hither quickly come to me,
For my wife, dame Isabel,
Wishes what I scarce dare tell.”
“What does she want now?” asked the Flounder. “Ah!” said he, “she would be Queen.” “Go home, she is so already,” replied the fish. So he departed, and when he came near the palace he saw it had become much larger, with a great tower and gateway in front of it; and before the gate stood a herald, and there were many soldiers, with kettledrums and trumpets. When he came into the house he found everything made of the purest marble and gold; with magnificent curtains, fringed with gold. Through the hall he went in at the doors where the great court apartment was, and there sat his wife upon a high throne of gold and diamonds; having a crown of gold upon her head, and a sceptre of precious stones in her hand; and upon each side stood six pages, in a row, each one a head taller than the other. Then he went up, and said, “Ah! wife, are you Queen now?” “Yes,” said she, “now I am Queen!” There he stood looking for a long time. At last he said, “Ah, wife, how do you like being Queen? Now we have nothing else to choose.” “No, indeed!” she replied, “I am very dissatisfied; time and tide do not wait for me; I can bear it no longer, Go then to the flounder; Queen I am; now I must be Pope.” “Ah, wife! what would you? Pope thou canst not be, the Pope is the head of Christendom, the Flounder cannot make you that.”
“I will be Pope,” replied the Wife, and he was obliged to go, and, when he came to the shore, the sea was running mountains high, and the sky was so black that he was quite terrified, and began to say in a great fright,
“Flounder, Flounder in the sea,
Quickly, quickly come to me,
For my wife, dame Isabel,
Wishes what I scarce dare tell.”
“What now?” asked the Flounder. “She wants to be Pope,” said he. “Go home, and find her so,” was the reply.
So he went back, and found a great church, in which she was sitting upon a much higher throne, with two rows of candles on each side, some as thick as towers, down to those no bigger than rushlights, and before her footstool were Kings and Queens kneeling. “Wife,” said he, “now be contented: since you are Pope, you cannot be any thing else.” “That I will consider about,” she replied, and so they went to bed; but she could not sleep for thinking what she should be next. Very early she rose and looked out of the window, and, as she saw the sun rising, she thought to herself, “Why should I not do that?” and so she shook her husband, and called out to him, “Go, tell the Flounder I want to make the sun rise.” Her husband was so frightened that he tumbled out of bed, but she would hear nothing, and he was obliged to go.
When he got down to the sea a tremendous storm was raging, and the ships and boats were tossing about in all directions. Then he shouted out, but still he could not hear his own words,
“Flounder, Flounder in the sea,
Quickly, quickly come to me,
For my wife, dame Isabel,
Wishes what I scarce dare tell.”
“What would she have now?” said the Fish. “Ah!” he replied, “she wants to be Ruler of the Universe.”
“Return, and find her back in her hovel,” replied the Flounder.
And there the fisherman and his wife remained for the rest of their days.
