Today, we would like to share a classic Grimm’s Fairy Tale, “The Fisherman and His Wife”. This story tells the story of an encounter between a kind fisherman and his greedy wife. It tells us a simple but profound truth through a vivid plot: greed can make a person lose everything, and contentment is the key to happiness.
1. The beginning of a peaceful life: the fisherman’s encounter with the flounder
Once upon a time, there was a fisherman and his wife living in a small, dilapidated wooden shack by the sea. They led a simple life, and although they were poor, they were content. Every morning, the fisherman would take his fishing net to the sea in the hope of catching something.
One day, after casting his net, the fisherman accidentally caught a very special flounder. The fish spoke, “Honored fisherman, I am actually a prince who has been enchanted. Please release me back into the sea!” The fisherman felt sorry for the fish after hearing this, and without hesitation, he released it back into the sea.
When he got home, the fisherman told his wife about the incident. However, instead of being happy about her husband’s kindness, his wife scolded him, saying, “How could you be so stupid? You didn’t even ask for anything! If we had asked it to grant us a wish, our lives would be so much better!”
2. The first wish: from a hut to a house
At his wife’s insistence, the fisherman had to go back to the sea and shouted to the sea, “Flounder in the sea, please listen to me, my wife told me to come to you.”
Soon, the flounder swam over and asked, ‘What does your wife want?”
The fisherman whispered, ’She wants a small house.”
The flounder nodded and said, “Okay, go back, she already has it.”
When the fisherman returned home, he found that the old, broken shack was gone and replaced by a beautiful little house. The house was fully furnished with comfortable furniture, fine tableware, and a small courtyard for them to grow flowers and plants.
“That’s great!“ exclaimed the fisherman. ‘We can live well here.”
3. The second request: from a small house to a palace
However, it wasn’t long before his wife started complaining again. ’This house is too small,” she said. “I want a big palace made of stone! Go find the flatfish and let it grant my new wish.”
Although the fisherman didn’t want to, he dared not disobey his wife and went to the beach again. By now, the water was no longer clear, but a muddy yellow.
Standing on the shore, the fisherman called out, “Flounder in the sea, please listen to me, my wife told me to come to you.”
The flounder soon appeared and asked, ‘What does she want this time?”
The fisherman said helplessly, ’She wants a big stone palace.”
“Okay,” the flounder replied, ‘go back, her wish has been granted.”
Sure enough, when the fisherman returned home, a magnificent stone palace stood before him. The palace was resplendent with gold and silver, and the servants greeted them respectfully. There was also a large garden behind it, and a luxurious carriage was parked there.
“That should be enough, right?’ the fisherman asked tentatively.
But his wife just coldly replied, ”We’ll see.”
4. The third request: from a commoner to a king
A few days later, the wife made an even more outrageous request: “I want to be king! Go find the flounder and ask it to turn me into a king!”
The fisherman felt increasingly heavyhearted, but he went to the beach anyway. This time, the sea was even more murky and smelled disgusting.
Standing on the shore, the fisherman called out, ”O flounder in the sea, please listen to me. My wife told me to come to you.”
The flounder swam over and asked, “What does she want now?”
The fisherman sighed and said, ‘She wants to be king.”
The flounder smiled and said, ’Go back, she is already king.”
Sure enough, when the fisherman returned home, he saw his wife sitting in a huge palace, wearing a golden crown and holding a scepter. She was surrounded by ministers and guards.
5. The fourth request: from king to pope
However, even becoming king was not enough for his wife. The next morning she said to the fisherman, “I want to be pope! Only then will I have supreme power!”
The fisherman was completely devastated, but he still obeyed his wife and went to the beach. The sea was churning like boiling water, the sky was dark with clouds, and the wind howled as if the whole world were trembling.
The fisherman shouted in a trembling voice, “Flounder in the sea, please listen to me. My wife told me to come to you.”
The flounder asked wearily, ‘What does she want now?”
The fisherman choked as he answered, ’She…she wants to be Pope.”
The flounder was silent for a moment, and then said, ”Go back. She has already become Pope.”
When the fisherman returned home, he found that the former palace had become a church, and his wife was sitting on the highest throne, receiving the worship of everyone.
6. The fifth request: from Pope to God
Despite this, his wife was still not satisfied. The next morning, she yelled hysterically at the fisherman, “I want to be God! Only God is the omniscient and omnipotent ruler! Go tell the flounder!”
The fisherman fell to the ground in a state of shock and begged, “Please, stop making demands! This is beyond the pale!”
But the wife paid no heed, urging him angrily to hurry. The fisherman ran despairingly to the shore. The weather was at its worst: the wind was destroying the houses, the waves were swallowing the boats, and the whole earth seemed to be collapsing.
The fisherman shouted hoarsely, “Flounder in the sea, please listen to me. My wife told me to come to you.”
The flounder appeared for the last time and asked, ‘What does she want to do?”
The fisherman almost cried out, ’She…she wants to be God.”
The flounder sighed and said, ”Go back. She has now moved back into the dilapidated shack and is nothing.”
7. The end: the punishment of greed
When the fisherman returned home, he saw a familiar sight: the dilapidated shack, unchanged. His wife sat in the doorway, full of remorse, without saying a word.
From then on, they never saw the flounder again, and never had the chance to make any new wishes. The two of them could only continue to live an ordinary but hard life.
8. A message for children: Be content with what you have
Dear children, this story teaches us an important lesson: Don’t be greedy, learn to appreciate what you have and you will be truly happy. If you keep asking for more, like the fisherman’s wife, you will end up losing everything.
So in life, we should be grateful for the people and things around us, and be contented, so that we can find lasting happiness!
