Виктор Мазанов – Tales of Wisdom. Insights from Russian Folklore (страница 13)
– So, wife, is there bread?
– There is plenty of bread, but the trough broke, and we have nothing to wash the laundry in. Go to the golden fish, bow, and ask for a new trough.
He went back to the sea; the wind rose around him:
– Fish, fish! Appear, great fish‑queen!
The golden fish arrived:
– What do you need, old man?
– Have mercy, great fish‑queen! My wife asks for a new trough.
– Very well, you will have a new trough.
The old man returned and found a brand‑new trough standing at the doorway. He entered the house jubilant, but his wife pounced on him again and scolded him:
– You fool! All you asked for was a trough! Go, bow to the fish again and ask for a new cottage, because the old one will collapse!
– Leave it, wife, why keep angering the fish?
She raged even more.
Having nothing else to do, the old man went to the sea again. The sky had turned dark, clouds covered the heavens, and the sea grew restless.
He called:
– Fish, fish! Appear, great fish‑queen!
The fish came and asked:
– What do you need, old man?
– Have mercy, great fish‑queen! My wife won’t stop nagging. She wants a new cottage because the old one will fall apart.
– Do not worry, old man. Go home and see what will happen.
He returned and was astonished: a new oak house, three stories high, with carved ornaments, stood in his yard. His wife rushed out, even angrier than before, shouting:
– You fool! You can’t use happiness! You asked for a house and think you’re done! No, go back to the fish and tell her you don’t want to be a peasant any more; you want to be a lady‑noble, so good people will obey you and bow at your waist.
– What’s wrong with you, wife? Don’t provoke the fish!
She ignored her husband’s pleas and kept berating him.
Again the old man went to the sea. Thunderclouds gathered, the wind howled, and the waves crashed.
He called:
– Fish, fish! Appear, great fish‑queen!
The fish arrived and asked:
– What do you need, old man?
He bowed and said:
– Have mercy, great fish‑queen. My wife has gone mad; she no longer wants to be a lady‑noble, she wants to be a queen of the sea, so that all seas will be under her rule and the fish will serve her.
– Do not worry, old man! Go home and see what will be.
He returned and, to his amazement, a palace of stone rose where his cottage had stood, three floors tall, with servants running in the yard, cooks in the kitchen, and his wife seated on a high throne in an expensive brocade dress, giving orders.
– Greetings, wife! – the old man said.
– You insolent fool! How dare you call me my lady‑noble, my wife? Guard! Stop catching crows! Take this man to the stables and whip him as hard as you can!
The guards seized the old man by the collar and dragged him to the stables; the grooms beat him with whips until he could barely stand. Afterwards the wife made him a janitor, gave him a broom, and ordered him to clean the yard, while she fed and watered him in the kitchen. His life became miserable: “Clean the yard all day, and if it’s dirty, go back to the stables!” He could not speak, fearing a harsher beating.
Soon the old woman grew tired of being a lady‑noble. She ordered the old man to be brought to her and said:
– Go, fool, to the golden fish and tell her I no longer want to be a lady‑noble; I want to be a queen.
The old man wanted to protest but dared not. He went to the sea again; the water was stormy, the sky black as night, the wind fierce, the waves high.
He called:
– Fish, fish! Appear, great fish‑queen!
The golden fish arrived and asked:
– What do you need, old man?
– My wife has gone mad again; she no longer wants to be a lady‑noble, she wants to be a queen.
– Do not worry! Go home—everything will be done.
He returned, and instead of his old house stood a towering palace with a golden roof, guards marching, cannons firing, a huge garden behind, and a green meadow in front where troops were assembled. The old woman, dressed as a queen, appeared on a balcony with generals and nobles, ordering a grand military parade: drums beating, music roaring, soldiers shouting “Hurrah!”
After a while the queen grew bored of being a ruler, ordered the old man to be found and presented before her. A panic spread; generals rushed, nobles ran:
– Which old man?
They barely found him in the back yard and brought him to the queen.
– Listen, fool! – she said. – Go to the golden fish, bow, and tell her you no longer want to be a queen; you want to be the mistress of the seas, so that all seas will be under your power and the fish will serve you.
The old man wanted to refuse, but the wife threatened: “If you don’t go, your head will be off!” With a heavy heart he went to the sea.
The storm raged, rain fell like a wall, waves hurled boulders onto the shore, the wind knocked him off his feet.
He shouted through the howl:
– Fish, fish! Appear, great fish‑queen!
The golden fish did not appear. He called again, louder; still nothing. He called a third time, his voice hoarse, when suddenly the sea boiled and a fish rose from the depths:
– What do you need, old man?
– My wife has gone even crazier; she no longer wants to be a queen, she wants to be the mistress of the seas, so that all seas will be under her rule and you, fish, will be at her service.
The golden fish gave no answer, turned, and sank back into the deep.
No matter how many times the old man called, the fish never answered. He returned home, and to his disbelief the palace had vanished; in its place stood a small, dilapidated cottage, his wife in a torn dress, a broken trough at her feet. They resumed their old life; the old man went back to fishing, but despite casting his net countless times, he never caught the golden fish again.
Moderation and gratitude
– The old man was content with little and generous enough to release the fish.
– The old woman, having received everything, did not value the gifts and kept demanding more.
Consequences of greed
– Each new wish pushed the wife farther from humanity: from complaints to cruelty.
– In the end she lost everything because she crossed the limits of reason.
Power of words and responsibility