This story “The story of the fisherman” is collected from the Arabic folk tales collection, named "The Arabian Nights / one thousand and one nights". This book holds some of the folktales form the Arabian Nights Entertainments. Selected and edited by Andrew Lang, these folktales are simplified and shortened, making them more suitable for children.
Vexed with having such a bad haul, when he had mended his nets, which the dead-body of the ass had broken in several places, he threw the nets for second time. In drawing the nets in he again felt a great weight, so that he thought they were full of fish. But he only found a large basket full of rubbish. He was much upset.
So saying this, he threw away the rubbish, and after having washed his nets clean of the dirt, he threw them for the third time. But the fisherman only drew in stones, shells, and mud. He was almost in despair.
He examined the jar on all sides; he shook it to see if it would rattle. But he heard nothing, and so, judging from the impression of the seal and the cover, he thought there must be something costly inside. To find out, he took his knife and with a little trouble he opened it. The fisherman turned it upside down, but nothing came out, which surprised him very much. He set it in front of him, and until he was looking at it attentively, such a thick smoke came out that he had to step back a step or two. This smoke rose up to the clouds, and stretching over the sea and the coast, formed a thick mist, which caused the fisherman much surprise. When all the smoke was out of the jar it gathered itself together, and became a thick mass in which appeared a genius, twice as large as the largest giant. When he saw such a terrible-looking monster, the fisherman would like to have run away, but he trembled so with fright that he could not move a step.
"Great king of the genie," cried the monster, "I will never again disobey you!"
At these words the fisherman took courage. He asked to the genie, "What is this you are saying, great genius? Tell me your history and how you came to be shut up in that pot."
At this, the genie looked at the fisherman haughtily. "Speak to me more civilly," he said, "before I kill you."
"Alas! why should you kill me?" cried the fisherman. "I have just freed you; have you already forgotten that?"
"No," answered the genie; "but that will not prevent me from killing you; and I am only going to grant you one favour, and that is to choose the manner of your death."
"But what have I done to you?" asked the fisherman.
"I cannot treat you in any other way," said the genie to the fisherman, “and if you would know why, listen to my story. “
In the third, I promised to make him a king, to be always near him, and to grant him three wishes every day; but that century passed away as the other two had done, and I remained in the same plight. At last I grew angry at being captive for so long, and I vowed that if anyone would release me I would kill him at once, and would only allow him to choose in what manner he should die. So you see, as you have freed me to-day, choose in what way you will die.
The fisherman was very unhappy to know that story, "What an unlucky man I am to have freed you! I beg you to spare my life."
"I have told you," said the genie, "that it is impossible. Choose quickly; you are wasting my time."
The fisherman began to think a plan.
"Yes, I was," answered the genie.
"I really cannot believe it," said the fisherman. "That pot could not contain one of your feet even and how could your whole body go in? I cannot believe it unless I see you do the thing."
Then the genie began to change himself into smoke, which, as before, spread over the sea and the coast, and which, then collecting itself together, began to go back into the pot slowly and evenly till there was nothing left outside. Then a voice came from the pot which said to the fisherman, "Well, unbelieving fisherman, here I am in the pot; do you believe me now?"
The fisherman instead of answering took the lid of lead and shut it down quickly on the pot.
"Now, O genie," he cried, "ask pardon of me and choose by what death you will die! But no, it will be better if I throw you into the sea from the place I drew you out, and I will build a house on the coast to warn fishermen who come to cast their nets here, against fishing up such a wicked genie as you are, who vows to kill the man who frees you."
At these words the genie did all he could to get out, but he could not, because of the enchantment of the lid.
"If you will take off the cover," the genie said, "I will repay you."
"No," answered the fisherman, "if I trust myself to you I am afraid you will treat me as you did before. So, forget it and stay there for a long time.”
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| The Story of the Fisherman |
The Story of the Fisherman
- Collected from "The Arabian Nights"
Once upon a time, there was a fisherman. He was so old and so poor that he could hardly manage to support his wife and three children. He went every day for fishing very early and each day he made a rule not to throw his nets more than four times. The fisherman started out one morning by moonlight and came to the sea-coast. He undressed and threw his nets, and as he was drawing them towards the bank he felt a great weight. He though he had caught a large fish and he felt very satisfied. But a moment afterwards, seeing that instead of a fish he only had the dead-body of an ass in his nets, he was much disappointed.
Vexed with having such a bad haul, when he had mended his nets, which the dead-body of the ass had broken in several places, he threw the nets for second time. In drawing the nets in he again felt a great weight, so that he thought they were full of fish. But he only found a large basket full of rubbish. He was much upset.
"Oh! Fortune," the fisherman cried, "do not trifle you with me, a poor fisherman, who can hardly support his family!"
So saying this, he threw away the rubbish, and after having washed his nets clean of the dirt, he threw them for the third time. But the fisherman only drew in stones, shells, and mud. He was almost in despair.
Then the fisherman threw his nets for the fourth time. When he thought he had a fish he drew them in with a great deal of trouble. There was no fish however, but he found a yellow pot, which by its weight seemed full of something, and he noticed that it was secure and sealed with lead, with the impression of a seal. He was delighted. "I will sell it to the founder," the fisherman said; "with the money I shall get for it I shall buy a measure of wheat."
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| The Story of the Fisherman |
He examined the jar on all sides; he shook it to see if it would rattle. But he heard nothing, and so, judging from the impression of the seal and the cover, he thought there must be something costly inside. To find out, he took his knife and with a little trouble he opened it. The fisherman turned it upside down, but nothing came out, which surprised him very much. He set it in front of him, and until he was looking at it attentively, such a thick smoke came out that he had to step back a step or two. This smoke rose up to the clouds, and stretching over the sea and the coast, formed a thick mist, which caused the fisherman much surprise. When all the smoke was out of the jar it gathered itself together, and became a thick mass in which appeared a genius, twice as large as the largest giant. When he saw such a terrible-looking monster, the fisherman would like to have run away, but he trembled so with fright that he could not move a step.
"Great king of the genie," cried the monster, "I will never again disobey you!"
At these words the fisherman took courage. He asked to the genie, "What is this you are saying, great genius? Tell me your history and how you came to be shut up in that pot."
At this, the genie looked at the fisherman haughtily. "Speak to me more civilly," he said, "before I kill you."
"Alas! why should you kill me?" cried the fisherman. "I have just freed you; have you already forgotten that?"
"No," answered the genie; "but that will not prevent me from killing you; and I am only going to grant you one favour, and that is to choose the manner of your death."
"But what have I done to you?" asked the fisherman.
"I cannot treat you in any other way," said the genie to the fisherman, “and if you would know why, listen to my story. “
The monster started to tell his story--I rebelled against the king of the genie. To punish me, he shut me up in this pot of copper, and he put on the leaden cover his seal, which is enchantment enough to prevent my coming out. Then he had the pot thrown into the sea. During the first period of my captivity I vowed that if anyone should free me before a hundred years were passed, I would make him rich even after his death. But that century passed, and no one freed me. In the second century I vowed that I would give all the treasures in the world to my deliverer; but he never came.
In the third, I promised to make him a king, to be always near him, and to grant him three wishes every day; but that century passed away as the other two had done, and I remained in the same plight. At last I grew angry at being captive for so long, and I vowed that if anyone would release me I would kill him at once, and would only allow him to choose in what manner he should die. So you see, as you have freed me to-day, choose in what way you will die.
The fisherman was very unhappy to know that story, "What an unlucky man I am to have freed you! I beg you to spare my life."
"I have told you," said the genie, "that it is impossible. Choose quickly; you are wasting my time."
The fisherman began to think a plan.
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| The Story of the Fisherman |
"Since I must die," the fisherman said, "before I choose the manner of my death, I conjure you on your honor to tell me if you really were in that pot?"
"Yes, I was," answered the genie.
"I really cannot believe it," said the fisherman. "That pot could not contain one of your feet even and how could your whole body go in? I cannot believe it unless I see you do the thing."
Then the genie began to change himself into smoke, which, as before, spread over the sea and the coast, and which, then collecting itself together, began to go back into the pot slowly and evenly till there was nothing left outside. Then a voice came from the pot which said to the fisherman, "Well, unbelieving fisherman, here I am in the pot; do you believe me now?"
The fisherman instead of answering took the lid of lead and shut it down quickly on the pot.
"Now, O genie," he cried, "ask pardon of me and choose by what death you will die! But no, it will be better if I throw you into the sea from the place I drew you out, and I will build a house on the coast to warn fishermen who come to cast their nets here, against fishing up such a wicked genie as you are, who vows to kill the man who frees you."
At these words the genie did all he could to get out, but he could not, because of the enchantment of the lid.
Then the genie tried to get out by cunning.
"If you will take off the cover," the genie said, "I will repay you."
"No," answered the fisherman, "if I trust myself to you I am afraid you will treat me as you did before. So, forget it and stay there for a long time.”
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