"The Fisherman and His Wife" Part 2 - The Fairy Tales of Brothers Grimm

He stood before her, and said : ' Alas, Wife, art thou now King ? '

' Yes,' she said ; ' now I am King.'

He stood looking at her for some time, and then he said : ' Ah, Wife, it is a fine thing for thee to be King ; now we will not wish to be anything more.'

' Nay, husband,' she answered, quite uneasily ; ' I find the time hang very heavy on my hands. I can't bear it any longer. Go back to the Flounder. King I am, but I must also be Emperor.'

' Alas, Wife,' said the Man, ' why dost thou now want to be Emperor ? '

' Husband,' she answered, ' go to the Flounder. Emperor I will be.'

' Alas, Wife,' said the Man, ' Emperor he can't make thee, and I won't ask him. There is only one Emperor in the country ; and Emperor the Flounder cannot make thee, that he can't.'

' What ? ' said the Woman. ' I am King, and thou art but my husband. To him thou must go, and that right quickly. If he can make a King, he can also make an Emperor. Emperor I will be, so go quickly.'

He had to go, but he was quite frightened. And as he went, he thought, ' This won't end well ; Emperor is too shameless. The Flounder will make an end of the whole thing.'

With that he came to the sea, but now he found it quite black, and heaving up from below in great waves. It tossed to and fro, and a sharp wind blew over it, and the man trembled. So he stood there, and said —

' Flounder, Flounder in the sea, Prythee, hearken unto me : My Wife, Ilsebil, must have her own will, And sends me to beg a boon of thee.'

' What does she want now ? ' said the Flounder.

' Alas, Flounder,' he said, ' my Wife wants to be Emperor.'

' Go back,' said the Flounder. ' She is Emperor.'

So the man went back, and when he got to the door, he found that the whole palace was made of polished marble, with alabaster figures and golden decorations. Soldiers marched up and down before the doors, blowing their trumpets and beating their drums. Inside the palace, counts, barons, and dukes walked about as attendants, and they opened to him the doors, which were of pure gold.

He went in, and saw his Wife sitting on a huge throne made of solid gold. It was at least two miles high. She had on her head a great golden crown set with diamonds three yards high. In one hand she held the sceptre, and in the other the orb of empire. On each side of her stood the gentlemen-at-arms in two rows, each one a little smaller than the other, from giants two miles high down to the tiniest dwarf no bigger than my little finger. She was surrounded by princes and dukes.

Her husband stood still, and said : ' Wife, art thou now Emperor ? '

' Yes,' said she ; ' now I am Emperor.'

Then he looked at her for some time, and said : ' Alas, Wife, how much better off art thou for being Emperor ? '

' Husband,' she said, ' what art thou standing there for ? Now I am Emperor, I mean to be Pope ! Go back to the Flounder.'

' Alas, Wife,' said the Man, ' what wilt thou not want ? Pope thou canst not be. There is only one Pope in Christendom. That 's more than the Flounder can do.'

' Husband,' she said, ' Pope I will be ; so go at once. I must be Pope this very day.'

' No, Wife,' he said, ' I dare not tell him. It 's no good ; it 's too monstrous altogether. The Flounder cannot make thee Pope.'

' Husband,' said the Woman, ' don't talk nonsense. If he can make an Emperor, he can make a Pope. Go immediately. I am Emperor, and thou art but my husband, and thou must obey.'

So he was frightened, and went ; but he was quite dazed. He shivered and shook, and his knees trembled.

A great wind arose over the land, the clouds flew across the sky, and it grew as dark as night; the leaves fell from the trees, and the water foamed and dashed upon the shore. In the distance the ships were being tossed to and fro on the waves, and he heard them firing signals of distress. There was still a little patch of blue in the sky among the dark clouds, but towards the south they were red and heavy, as in a bad storm. In despair, he stood and said —

' Flounder, Flounder in the sea, Prythee, hearken unto me : My Wife, Ilsebil, must have her own will. And sends me to beg a boon of thee.'