The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish

An old man lived with his old woman
By the very blue sea;
They lived in a dilapidated hut
For exactly thirty years and three.
The old man caught fish with his net,
The old woman spun her yarn.
Once he cast his net into the sea—
The net came back with nothing but mud.
He cast the net a second time—
The net came back with seaweed.
He cast the net a third time,
And the net came back with a fish,
Not an ordinary fish—a golden one.
How the golden fish pleaded!
It spoke in a human voice:
"Let me go, old man, back to the sea!
I’ll pay a rich ransom for my freedom:
I’ll give you whatever you wish."
The old man was amazed and frightened:
He had fished for thirty years and three,
But never had he heard a fish speak.
He released the golden fish
And said to it kindly:
"God be with you, golden fish!
I don’t need your ransom;
Go back to the blue sea,
Swim freely in the open waters."

The old man returned to his old woman
And told her of the great wonder.
"Today I caught a fish,
A golden fish, not an ordinary one;
It spoke in our language,
Begged to go back to the blue sea,
Offered a rich ransom:
Anything I wished.
I didn’t dare take the ransom;
I let it go back to the blue sea."
The old woman scolded him:
"You fool, you simpleton!
You couldn’t even take the fish’s ransom!
You could have at least asked for a trough,
Ours is completely broken."

So he went to the blue sea;
He saw the sea was slightly stirred.
He called for the golden fish,
And the fish swam up and asked,
"What do you need, old man?"
The old man bowed and replied:
"Have mercy, lady fish,
My old woman scolded me,
She gives me no peace:
She needs a new trough;
Ours is completely broken."
The golden fish replied:
"Don’t worry, go in peace,
You shall have a new trough."

The old man returned to his old woman,
And she had a new trough.
But the old woman scolded him even more,
"You fool, you simpleton!
You begged for a trough, you fool!
What good is a trough?
Go back, you fool, to the fish;
Bow to it, and ask for a hut."

So he went to the blue sea,
(The blue sea grew troubled).
He called for the golden fish,
The fish swam up and asked,
"What do you need, old man?"
The old man bowed and replied:
"Have mercy, lady fish!
My old woman scolds me even more,
She gives me no peace:
The nagging woman wants a hut."
The golden fish replied:
"Don’t worry, go in peace,
So be it: you shall have a hut."

He went back to his hut,
But the hut was gone without a trace;
Before him stood a house with a loft,
With a brick chimney, whitewashed,
With oak, plank gates.
The old woman sat by the window,
Cursing her husband to high heaven.
"You fool, you simpleton!
You begged for a hut, you simpleton!
Go back, bow to the fish:
I don’t want to be a peasant,
I want to be a noblewoman."

The old man went to the blue sea;
(The blue sea was not calm).
He called for the golden fish.
The fish swam up and asked,
"What do you need, old man?"
The old man bowed and replied:
"Have mercy, lady fish!
My old woman is even more furious,
She gives me no peace:
She no longer wants to be a peasant,
She wants to be a noblewoman."
The golden fish replied:
"Don’t worry, go in peace."

The old man returned to his old woman.
What did he see? A tall mansion.
On the porch stood his old woman
In an expensive sable coat,
A brocade headdress on her head,
Pearls weighing down her neck,
Gold rings on her fingers,
Red boots on her feet.
Before her stood diligent servants;
She beat them, pulled their hair.
The old man said to his old woman:
"Greetings, my lady noblewoman!
I suppose your soul is now content."
The old woman shouted at him,
Sent him to serve in the stables.

A week passed, then another,
The old woman grew even more furious;
She sent the old man back to the fish.
"Go back, bow to the fish:
I no longer want to be a noblewoman,
I want to be a free queen."
The old man was frightened and pleaded:
"Woman, have you lost your mind?
You can’t walk or talk properly!
You’ll make a fool of the whole kingdom."
The old woman grew even angrier,
Slapped her husband across the face.
"How dare you, peasant, argue with me,
With me, a noblewoman?
Go to the sea, I tell you plainly;
If you don’t go, you’ll be dragged by force."

The old man went to the sea,
(The blue sea had turned black).
He called for the golden fish.
The fish swam up and asked,
"What do you need, old man?"
The old man bowed and replied:
"Have mercy, lady fish!
My old woman is rebelling again:
She no longer wants to be a noblewoman,
She wants to be a free queen."
The golden fish replied:
"Don’t worry, go in peace!
Very well! Your old woman shall be queen!"

The old man returned to his old woman.
What did he see? Royal chambers,
In the chambers he saw his old woman,
Sitting at the table as queen,
Served by boyars and nobles,
Pouring her foreign wines;
She ate printed gingerbread;
Around her stood fierce guards,
Holding axes on their shoulders.
When the old man saw this, he was terrified!
He bowed at the old woman’s feet,
Said: "Greetings, fearsome queen!
Now your soul must be content."
The old woman didn’t even look at him,
Only ordered him out of her sight.
The boyars and nobles rushed over,
Shoved the old man out by the neck.
The guards at the door ran up,
Nearly chopped him with their axes.
And the people laughed at him:
"Serves you right, old fool!
Let this be a lesson to you:
Don’t reach above your station!"

A week passed, then another,
The old woman grew even more furious.
She sent courtiers for her husband,
They found the old man and brought him to her.
The old woman said to him:
"Go back, bow to the fish.
I no longer want to be a free queen,
I want to be the mistress of the sea,
To live in the ocean,
To have the golden fish serve me
And be at my beck and call."

The old man didn’t dare argue,
Didn’t dare say a word against her.
So he went to the blue sea,
Saw a black storm on the sea:
Angry waves swelled,
Roaring and howling as they rolled.
He called for the golden fish,
The fish swam up and asked,
"What do you need, old man?"
The old man bowed and replied:
"Have mercy, lady fish!
What am I to do with the cursed woman?
She no longer wants to be queen,
She wants to be the mistress of the sea;
To live in the ocean,
To have you serve her
And be at her beck and call."
The fish said nothing,
Only splashed its tail in the water
And swam into the deep sea.
He waited long by the sea for an answer,
But got none, and returned to his old woman—
And there, before him, stood the hut again;
On the threshold sat his old woman,
And before her lay the broken trough.

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The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish

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