Grimms fairy tales The Fisherman and His Wife
the fisherman and his wife from Grimm’s
fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
translated by Edgar Taylor and Marian
Edwardes this LibriVox recording is in
the public domain read by Bob Neufeld
fishermen who lived with his wife in a
pigsty closed by the seaside the
fishermen used to go out all day long
efficient than one day as he sat on the
shore with his rod looking at the
sparkling waves and watching his line
all of a sudden his float was dragged
away deep into the water and in drawing
it up he pulled out a great fish but the
fish said pray let me live I am NOT a
real fish I am an enchanted Prince put
me in the water again and let me go the
ho said the man you need not make so
many words about the matter I will have
nothing to do with a fish that can talk
so swim away sir as soon as you please
then he put him back into the water when
the fish darted straight down to the
bottom and left a long streak of blood
behind him on the wave
when the fisherman went home to his wife
in the pigsty he told her how he had
caught a great fish and how it had told
him that it was an enchanted Prince and
how one hearing it speak he had let it
go again
did you not ask it for anything said the
wife we live very wretchedly here in
this nasty dirty pigsty do go back and
tell the fish we want a snug little
cottage a fisherman did not much like
the business however he went to the
seashore and when he came back there the
water looked all yellow and green and he
stood at the water’s edge and said o man
of the sea hearken to me my wife Isabel
will have her own will and hath sent me
to beg a boon of thee then the fish came
swimming to him and said well what is
her will what does your wife want ah
said the fisherman she says that when I
had caught you I ought to have asked you
for something before I let you go she
does not like living any longer in the
pigsty and wants a snug little cottage
go home then said the fish she is in the
cottage already so the man went home and
saw his wife standing at the door of a
nice trim little cottage come in come in
said she is not this much better than
the filthy pigsty we had and there was a
parlour and a bedchamber in a kitchen
and behind the cottage there was a
little garden planted with all sorts of
flowers and fruits and there was a
courtyard behind full of ducks and
chickens ah said the fisherman how
happily we shall live now we will try to
do so at least said his wife everything
went right for a week or two and then
Dame ilsabill said husband there is not
near room enough for us in this cottage
the courtyard in the garden are a great
deal too small I should like to have a
large
stone castle to live in go to the fish
again and tell him to give us a castle
wife said the fisherman I don’t like to
go to him again for perhaps he will be
angry we ought to be easy with this
pretty cottage to live in nonsense said
the wife he will do it very willingly
I know go along and try the fisherman
once but his heart was very heavy when
when he came to the sea it looked blue
and gloomy though it was very calm and
he went close to the edge of the waves
and said o man of the sea hearken to me
my wife ilsabill will have her own will
but hath sent me to beg a boon of thee
well what does she want now said the
fish ah said the man dolefully my wife
wants to live in a stone castle go home
then send the fish she is standing at
the gate of it already so away went the
fisherman and found his wife standing
before the gate of a great castle see
said she is not this grand with that
they went into the castle together and
found a great many servants there and
the rooms all richly furnished and full
of golden chairs and tables and behind
the castle was a garden and around it
was a park half a mile long full of
sheep and goats and hares and deer and
in the courtyard were stables and cow
houses well said the man now we will
lift chair ‘fl and happy in this
beautiful castle for the rest of our
lives perhaps we may said his wife but
let us sleep upon it before we make our
minds to that so they went to bed
the next morning went Dame ilsabill
awoke it was broad daylight and she
jogged the fishermen with her elbow and
said get up husband and bestow yourself
for we must be king of all the land wife
wife said the man why should we wish to
be the king I will not be the king then
I will said she but wife said the
fisherman
how can you be king the fish cannot make
you a king husband said she say no more
about it but go and try I will be king
so the man went away quite sorrowful to
think that his wife should want to be
king this time the sea looked a dark
gray color and was overspread with
curling waves and the ridges of foam as
he cried out o man of the sea hearken to
me my wife ilsabill will have her own
will and hath sent me to beg a boon of
thee
well what would she have now said the
fish alas said the poor man my wife
wants to be king go home said the fish
she is king already
then the fisherman went home and as he
came close to the palace he saw a troop
of soldiers and heard the sound of drums
and trumpets and when he went in he saw
his wife sitting on a throne of gold and
diamonds with a golden crown upon her
hand and on each side of her stood six
fair maidens each a head taller than the
other
well wife said the fisherman are you
King yes said she I am King and when he
had looked at her for a long time he
said Oh wife what a fine thing it is to
be king now we shall never have anything
more to wish for as long as we live I
don’t know how that may be said she
never is a long time I am king it is
true but I began to be tired of that and
I think I should like to be Emperor alas
wife why should you wish to be Emperor
said the fisherman husband said she go
to the fish I say I will be Emperor ah
wife replied the fisherman the fish
cannot make an emperor I am sure and I
should not like to ask him for such a
thing I am King said Isabelle and you
are my slave so go at once
so the fisherman was forced to go any
mothered as he went along this will come
to no good it is too much to ask the
fish will be tired at last and then we
shall be sorry for what we have done
he soon came to the seashore and the
water was quite black and muddy not a
mighty whirlwind blew over the waves and
bro them about butts he went as near as
he could to the water’s brink and said o
man of the sea hearken to me my wife
ilsabill will have her own will and hath
sent me to beg a boon of thee what would
she have now said the fish ah said the
fisherman she was to be Emperor go home
said the fish she is Emperor already
so he went home again and as he came
near he saw his wife Isabelle sitting on
a very lofty throne made of solid gold
with a great crown on a head full two
yards high then on each side of her
stood her guards and attendants in a row
each one smaller than the other from the
tallest giant down to a little dwarf no
bigger than my finger and before her
stood princes and Dukes and Earls and
the fisherman went up to her and said
wife are you Emperor
yes said she I am Emperor ah said the
man as he gazed upon her what a fine
thing it is to be Emperor husband said
she why should we stop at being Emperor
I will be Pope nest Oh
wife wife said he how can you be Pope
there is but one Pope at a time in
Christendom husband said she I will be
Pope this very day
but replied the husband the fish cannot
make you Pope What nonsense said she if
he can make me an emperor he can make me
a pope go and try him
so the fishermen went but when he came
to the shore the wind was raging and the
sea was tossed up and down in boiling
waves and the ships were in trouble and
rolled fearfully upon the tops of the
billows in the middle of the heavens
there was a little piece of blue sky but
towards the south all was red as if a
dreadful storm was rising at this sight
the fisherman was dreadfully frightened
and he trembled so that his knees
knocked together but still he went down
near to the shore and said o man of the
sea hearken to me my wife ilsabill will
have her own will and hath sent me to
beg a boon of thee what does she want
now said the fish ah cried the fisherman
my wife wants to be Pope go home said
the fish she is Pope already
then the fisherman went home and found
Isabelle sitting on a throne that was
two miles high and she had three great
crowns on a head and around her stood
all the pomp and power of the church and
on each side of her were two rows of
burning lights of all sizes the greatest
as large as the highest and biggest
tower in the world and the lease no
larger than a small rush light
wife said the fisherman as he looked at
all this greatness are you Pope yes said
she I am Pope well wife replied he it is
a grand thing to be Pope and now you
must be easy for you can do nothing
greater I will think about that said the
wife then they went to bed and Dame Ilze
bell could not sleep all night for
thinking what she should be next
at last as she was dropping asleep
morning broke and the Sun rose Oh
thought she as she woke up and looked at
it through the window after all I cannot
prevent the Sun rising at this thought
she was very angry and wakened her
husband and said husband go to the fish
and tell him I must be lord of the Sun
and Moon the fisherman was half asleep
but the thought frightened him so much
that he started and fell out of bed alas
wife said he cannot you be easy with
being Pope no said she I am very uneasy
as long as the Sun and Moon rise without
my leave go to the fish at once then the
man went shivering with fear then as he
was going down to the shore a dreadful
storm arose so that the trees and the
very rocks struck when all the heavens
became black with stormy clouds and the
lightnings played and the thunders
rolled and you might have seen in the
sea great black waves swelling up like
mountains with crowns of white foam upon
their heads
and the fishermen crept towards the sea
and cried out as well as he could
oh man of the sea hearken to me my wife
Isabel will have her own will and hath
sent me to beg a boon of thee what does
she want now said the fish ah said he
she wants to be lord of the Sun and Moon
go home said the fish to your pigsty
again and there they live to this very
day
and of the fisherman and his wife