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.
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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.
