Listen to the Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish
An old man lived with his old woman
By the bluest sea;
They lived in a dilapidated dugout
Exactly thirty years and three years.
The old man was catching fish with a net,
The old woman was spinning her yarn.
Once he threw a net into the sea, -
A net arrived with nothing but mud.
Another time he cast a net,
A net came with sea grass.
For the third time he cast the net, -
A net came with one fish,
With a difficult fish - gold.
How the goldfish prays!
He says in a human voice:
“You, elder, let me go to sea,
Dear, I will give a ransom for myself:
I’ll pay you back with whatever you want.”
The old man was surprised and frightened:
He fished for thirty years and three years
And I never heard the fish speak.
He released the goldfish
And he said a kind word to her:
“God be with you, goldfish!
I don’t need your ransom;
Go to the blue sea,
Walk there in the open space."
The old man returned to the old woman,
He told her a great miracle.
“Today I caught a fish,
Goldfish, not an ordinary one;
In our opinion, the fish spoke,
I asked to go home to the blue sea,
Bought at a high price:
I bought whatever I wanted.
I did not dare take ransom from her;
So he let her into the blue sea.”
The old woman scolded the old man:
“You fool, you simpleton!
You didn’t know how to take ransom from a fish!
If only you could take the trough from her,
Ours is completely split.”
So he went to the blue sea;
He sees that the sea is playing up a little.
A fish swam to him and asked:
“What do you want, elder?”
“Have mercy, lady fish,
My old woman scolded me,
The old man gives me no peace:
She needs a new trough;
Ours is completely split.”
The goldfish answers:
There will be a new trough for you."
The old man returned to the old woman,
The old woman has a new trough.
The old woman scolds even more:
“You fool, you simpleton!
You begged for a trough, you fool!
Is there a lot of self-interest in the trough?
Turn back, fool, you are going to the fish;
Bow to her and beg for a hut.”
So he went to the blue sea,
(The blue sea has become cloudy.)
He began to click on the goldfish,
“What do you want, elder?”
“Have mercy, lady fish!
The old woman scolds even more,
The old man gives me no peace:
A grumpy woman is asking for a hut.”
The goldfish answers:
“Don’t be sad, go with God,
So be it: you’ll have a hut.”
He went to his dugout,
And there is no trace of the dugout;
In front of him is a hut with a light,
With a brick, whitewashed pipe,
With oak, plank gates.
The old woman is sitting under the window,
For what it's worth, she scolds her husband.
“You are a fool, you are a simpleton!
The simpleton begged for a hut!
Turn back, bow to the fish:
I don't want to be a black peasant girl
I want to be a pillar noblewoman.”
The old man went to the blue sea;
(The blue sea is not calm.)
A fish swam to him and asked:
“What do you want, elder?”
The old man answers her with a bow:
“Have mercy, lady fish!
The old woman became more foolish than ever,
The old man gives me no peace:
She doesn't want to be a peasant
She wants to be a high-ranking noblewoman.”
The goldfish answers:
“Don’t be sad, go with God.”
The old man returned to the old woman.
What does he see? High tower.
His old woman is standing on the porch
In an expensive sable jacket,
Brocade kitty on the crown,
Pearls weighed down the neck,
There are gold rings on my hands,
Red boots on her feet.
Before her are diligent servants;
She beats them and drags them by the chuprun.
The old man says to his old woman:
“Hello, madam, noblewoman!
Tea, now your darling is happy.”
The old woman shouted at him,
She sent him to serve at the stables.
One week goes by, another goes by
The old woman became even more furious:
Again he sends the old man to the fish.
“Turn back, bow to the fish:
I don't want to be a pillar noblewoman,
But I want to be a free queen.”
The old man got scared and prayed:
“What, woman, have you eaten too much henbane?
You can neither step nor speak,
You will make the whole kingdom laugh."
The old woman became even more angry,
She hit her husband on the cheek.
“How dare you, man, argue with me,
With me, a pillar noblewoman? -
Go to the sea, they tell you with honor,
If you don’t go, they will lead you willy-nilly.”
The old man went to the sea,
(The blue sea has turned black.)
He began to click on the goldfish.
A fish swam to him and asked:
“What do you want, elder?”
The old man answers her with a bow:
“Have mercy, lady fish!
Again my old woman rebels:
She doesn't want to be a noblewoman,
She wants to be a free queen."
The goldfish answers:
“Don’t be sad, go with God!
Good! the old woman will be queen!”
The old man returned to the old woman.
Well? before him are the royal chambers.
In the chambers he sees his old woman,
She sits at the table like a queen,
Boyars and nobles serve her,
They pour her foreign wines;
She eats printed gingerbread;
A formidable guard stands around her,
They hold axes on their shoulders.
When the old man saw it, he was scared!
He bowed to the old woman's feet,
He said: “Hello, formidable queen!
Well, now your darling is happy.”
The old woman did not look at him,
She just ordered him to be driven out of sight.
The boyars and nobles ran up,
They pushed the old man backwards.
And the guards ran up at the door,
Almost chopped her up with axes.
And the people laughed at him:
“Serves you right, you old ignoramus!
From now on, science for you, ignoramus:
Don’t sit in the wrong sleigh!”
One week goes by, another goes by
The old woman became even more furious:
The courtiers send for her husband,
They found the old man and brought him to her.
The old woman says to the old man:
“Turn back, bow to the fish.
I don't want to be a free queen,
I want to be the mistress of the sea,
So that I can live in Okiyan-Sea,
So that the goldfish may serve me
And she would be on my errands.”
The old man did not dare to contradict
I didn’t dare to say a word.
Here he goes to the blue sea,
He sees a black storm at sea:
So the angry waves swelled,
That's how they walk and howl and howl.
He began to click on the goldfish.
A fish swam to him and asked:
“What do you want, elder?”
The old man answers her with a bow:
“Have mercy, lady fish!
What should I do with the damned woman?
She doesn't want to be a queen,
Wants to be the mistress of the sea;
So that she can live in Okiyan-Sea,
So that you yourself serve her
And I would have been on her errands.”
The fish didn't say anything
Just splashed her tail in the water
And went into the deep sea.
He waited for a long time by the sea for an answer,
He didn’t wait, he returned to the old woman -
Lo and behold, there was a dugout in front of him again;
His old woman is sitting on the threshold,
And in front of her is a broken trough.
Orthodox explanation of the Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish. Monk Konstantin Sabelnikov
The old man (mind) and the old woman (heart) lived by the sea for 33 years. This means that a person lived a conscious life (lived with his mind and heart) and became ready to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who died and was resurrected at the age of 33.
The old woman was spinning yarn - in this life, every person, with his thoughts, words and deeds, creates for himself a moral state of soul, which will be her clothing in eternity.
The old man was fishing - every person seeks his own good in earthly life.
One day he first pulled out a net with mud and grass, and then with a goldfish - one day a person understands the temporality of temporary life, and this helps him to believe in eternity and in God.
Fish is an ancient symbol of Christ, and gold is a symbol of grace. The fish asked to be released, although it did not need it, because it had power even over the destinies of people - the Lord calls a person to show mercy to someone, and it brings him closer to God than anything else, opens his heart to faith in Him.
The old woman made the old man first of all ask for a trough - a person, having come to faith, begins his spiritual life by cleansing his conscience from sins. Ap. Peter said to the believing Jews: “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins...” (). Unbelieving people do not have such means and do not know how to ease their conscience.
The old woman scolds the old man and calls him a “fool,” because a person acts at the behest of his heart and, as La Rochefoucauld said, the mind is always a fool of the heart. When the old man went to ask for a trough, the sea broke out - because God is displeased when a person who has believed in Him does not want to serve Him, but to use Him for his own personal purposes, even good ones.
Having received a new trough, the old woman did not thank the fish, but sent the old man with another request - believers rarely sincerely thank God for giving the opportunity to be cleansed of sins in the sacrament of Confession. Having begun church life, they, as a rule, begin to ask God for health and prosperity in the family and at work (a new hut).
Then the old woman demanded to be a noblewoman and a queen - a person begins to ask God for what serves to satisfy vanity and pride (in this case, lust for power). The Lord sometimes allows a person to receive what he asks for, so that, having received, he grows in faith in God, and then, having come to know his passions, he begins to fight them and for the sake of God renounces what feeds them.
When the old woman became a noblewoman, she began to beat the servants, because when a person receives honor and glory and feeds his vanity with it, his heart becomes hardened towards people. She hit the old man who tried to argue with her - because when the passion of vanity intensifies, it more subjugates the human mind.
The old woman demanded to become a queen - a person moves from the desire for fame to the desire for power. The old woman demanded power over the goldfish - Abba Dorotheos says that pride before people leads to pride before God.
The old man could not understand that his main problem was the character of his grandmother. He should have asked the goldfish to change the old woman, but he only complained about her. So a person must understand with his mind that his main problem is the passions of the heart, and, having come to faith, he must not just confess his sins (complain about the old woman), but ask God to change his heart.
The fairy tale shows what happens to people who try, with God’s help, to change their lives, but not themselves. At first, their lives really improve, but then they serve not God, but their passions, although they themselves do not notice it. If a person does not fight passions, then they fight him. The Lord said: “Whoever does not gather with Me scatters” (). Abba Dorotheos said that in spiritual life a person cannot stand still, he becomes either worse or better. There is no third. Because of pride, a person remains with nothing. Over time, he still loses earthly blessings: with retirement or illness, he loses his position and influence over people. Having lost these benefits, he understands that, having received a lot in this life for a while, he did not receive the most important thing - he did not become different.
Mikhail Semyonovich Kazinik, violinist, lecturer-musicologist, teacher, writer-publicist:
Ask any philologist teacher at school what Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin’s fairy tale about the fisherman and the fish is about? Everyone will say: “This tale is about a greedy old woman who was left with nothing.”
My dears, yet another nonsense! It is Pushkin who will waste time condemning yet another greedy old woman! This is a tale of love. About the unconditional love of an old man. It is easy to love a beautiful, generous, intelligent woman. You try to love an old, dirty, greedy old woman. And here is the evidence: I ask any philologist how the tale of the fisherman and the fish begins. Everyone tells me: “Once upon a time...”. Yes, right. “Once upon a time there lived an old man and an old woman by the very blue sea!”, right? “That’s right!” say philologists. “That’s right!” say the academics. “That’s right!” say the professors. “That’s right!” say the students. “Once upon a time there lived an old man and an old woman by the very blue sea. The old man was fishing with a seine...” Wrong! It wouldn't be Pushkin. “Once upon a time there was an old man and an old woman” - this is the most ordinary beginning of a fairy tale. Pushkin: “An old man lived with his old woman.” Do you feel the difference? Because it’s still ours! Pushkin gives the code! Our own, dear: thirty years and three years together. Flesh of the flesh! Greedy - there are such old women! Darling!
Next: where did they live? By the bluest sea. I ask philologists: where? - “Well, by the sea. Right by the sea!” Not true. By the very BLUE sea. This is Pushkin's second code. As the old woman desires, she ceases to be “hers,” and the sea changes color. Remember? “The blue sea has become cloudy and black.” The sea stops being blue.
About the fairy tale
The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish - an eternal story with instructive content
The great Russian poet, playwright and prose writer, one of the most authoritative literary figures of the 19th century, left his native country a rich fairy-tale heritage. Among the popular and beloved works of the people, the fairy tale about the fisherman and the fish ranks first. The manuscript with an instructive story was ready in 1833, and was first published in 1835 in the magazine “Library for Reading”.
The author was well acquainted with the work of the German writers the Brothers Grimm and his works often echoed the legends and tales of the German people. The tale of the fisherman and the fish has a common plot line with the Russian folk tale about a greedy old woman and is similar to the Pomeranian fairy tale “About a Fisherman and His Wife.”
A truly folk work is always divided into proverbs and quotes. The saying “staying with nothing” comes from Pushkin’s favorite work and means that you can have everything, but foolishly end up with nothing!
Alexander Sergeevich's heroes are always very remarkable, memorable and characteristic. It is recommended that you get to know them better before you start reading the tale:
Old man - a simple illiterate fisherman who lived on the seashore for thirty years and three years and lived on a meager catch. Out of the goodness of his heart, he released the fish and did not ask for anything as a ransom, but he could not control his grumpy old woman and fulfilled all her whimsical whims.
Old woman - the wife of an old fisherman. She scolded her husband, shut him up for letting go of the goldfish, and forced the poor fellow to beg from the sorceress for more and more miracles. The old woman’s appetites grew, and the queen’s soft chair was already too cramped for her. The granny decided to become the mistress of the sea and subjugate the generous fish.
gold fish - a mythical character and a magical collective image. It can be called a lucky ticket that the old man pulled out as a reward for years of hard work and Christian humility. Neither the old fisherman nor the stupid old woman could properly manage the chance that Mother Nature gave them. They could have received everything they needed for a prosperous old age, but both were left broke.
Every child should know Pushkin’s fairy tales from childhood, and parents, through bedtime reading, can instill the main human values in the child’s developing character. The works of the great writer will help fathers and mothers, grandparents, in poetic form, to convey to children the richness of the Russian language and the versatility of the literary heritage.
Living lacquer miniature in illustrations for a fairy tale story
Folk artists from the villages of Palekh and Fedoskino drew ideas for creativity from the works of national poets. Ordinary papier-mâché bases were covered with varnish paints and, with the help of filigree painting, scenes from Russian national fairy tales were conveyed. A high degree of craftsmanship made it possible to display the authors' fantasies and handmade wonders on a simple piece of pressed paper.
Who among us has not been familiar with “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” since childhood? Some people read it in childhood, others first became acquainted with it after seeing a cartoon on TV. The plot of the work is undoubtedly familiar to everyone. But not many people know about how and when it was written. It is about the creation, origins and characters of this work that we will talk in our article. We will also consider modern adaptations of the fairy tale.
Who wrote the fairy tale about and when?
The fairy tale was written by the great Russian poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin in the village of Boldino on October 14, 1833. This period in the writer’s work is usually called the second Boldin autumn. The work was first published in 1835 on the pages of the magazine “Library for Reading”. At the same time, Pushkin created another famous work - “The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights.”
History of creation
Even in his early days, A. S. Pushkin began to be interested in folk art. The tales he heard in his cradle from his beloved nanny remained in his memory for the rest of his life. In addition, later, already in the 20s of the 19th century, the poet studied folklore in the village of Mikhailovskoye. It was then that ideas for future fairy tales began to appear.
However, Pushkin turned directly to folk stories only in the 30s. He began to try his hand at creating fairy tales. One of them was the fairy tale about the goldfish. In this work, the poet tried to show the nationality of Russian literature.
For whom did A. S. Pushkin write fairy tales?
Pushkin wrote fairy tales at the peak of his creativity. And initially they were not intended for children, although they immediately became part of their reading circle. The tale of the goldfish is not just fun for children with a moral at the end. This is, first of all, an example of creativity, traditions and beliefs of the Russian people.
However, the plot of the tale itself is not an exact retelling of folk works. In fact, little of Russian folklore was reflected in it. Many researchers argue that most of the poet’s fairy tales, including the tale of the goldfish (the text of the work confirms this), were borrowed from German fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm.
Pushkin chose the plot he liked, remade it at his own discretion and put it in poetic form, without caring how authentic the stories would be. However, the poet managed to convey, if not the plot, then the spirit and character of the Russian people.
Images of the main characters
The fairy tale about the goldfish is not rich in characters - there are only three of them, but this is enough for an exciting and instructive plot.
The images of the old man and the old woman are diametrically opposed, and their views on life are completely different. They are both poor, but they reflect different aspects of poverty. So, the old man is always selfless and ready to help in trouble, because he himself has been in the same position more than once and knows what grief is. He is kind and calm, even when he is lucky, he does not take advantage of the fish’s offer, but simply lets it go free.
The old woman, despite the same social position, is arrogant, cruel and greedy. She pushes the old man around, harasses him, constantly scolds him and is always dissatisfied with everything. For this she will be punished at the end of the fairy tale, left with nothing.
However, the old man does not receive any reward, because he is unable to resist the will of the old woman. For his humility he did not deserve a better life. Here Pushkin describes one of the main features of the Russian people - long-suffering. It is precisely this that does not allow us to live better and more peacefully.
The image of the fish is incredibly poetic and imbued with folk wisdom. She acts as a higher power, which for the time being is ready to fulfill desires. However, her patience is not unlimited.
The tale about the old man and the goldfish begins with a description of the blue sea, near the shore of which an old man and an old woman have been living in a dugout for 33 years. They live very poorly and the only thing that feeds them is the sea.
One day an old man goes fishing. He casts the net twice, but both times it brings only sea mud. The third time the old man is lucky - a goldfish gets caught in his net. She speaks in a human voice and asks to let her go, promising to make her wish come true. The old man did not ask the fish for anything, but simply let it go.
Returning home, he told everything to his wife. The old woman began to scold him and told him to go back and ask the fish for a new trough. The old man went and bowed to the fish, and the old woman received what she asked for.
But this was not enough for her. She demanded a new home. The fish granted this wish too. Then the old woman wanted to become a noblewoman. The old man went to the fish again, and again she fulfilled her wish. The fisherman himself was sent by his evil wife to work in the stable.
But this was not enough. The old woman ordered her husband to go again to the sea and ask to make her queen. This wish also came true. But this did not satisfy the old woman’s greed. She again called the old man to her and ordered him to ask the fish to make her the queen of the sea, and she herself would serve on her errands.
The fisherman conveyed his wife’s words. But the fish did not answer, just splashed its tail and swam into the depths of the sea. He stood by the sea for a long time, waiting for an answer. But the fish did not appear again, and the old man returned home. And there an old woman was waiting for him with a broken trough, sitting by an old dugout.
Plot source
As noted above, the fairy tale about the fisherman and the goldfish has its roots not only in Russian, but also in foreign folklore. Thus, the plot of this work is often compared to the fairy tale “The Greedy Old Woman,” which was included in the collection of the Brothers Grimm. However, this similarity is very distant. The German authors focused all their attention in the tale on the moral conclusion - greed does not lead to good, you need to be able to be content with what you have.
The action also takes place on the seashore, but instead of a goldfish, the role of wish-granter is played by a flounder, which later turns out to also be an enchanted prince. Pushkin replaced this image with a goldfish, symbolizing wealth and good luck in Russian culture.
The tale of the goldfish in a new way
Today you can find many adaptations of this tale in a new way. They are characterized by a change in time. That is, from the old days the main characters are transferred to the modern world, where there is also a lot of poverty and injustice. The moment of catching a goldfish remains unchanged, just like the magical heroine herself. But the old woman’s desires change. Now she already needs an Indesit car, new boots, a villa, a Ford. She wishes to be blonde with long legs.
In some adaptations, the end of the story also changes. A fairy tale may end with a happy family life of an old man and an old woman, 40 years younger. However, such an end is rather the exception than the rule. Usually the ending is either close to the original or tells about the death of an old man or woman.
conclusions
Thus, the fairy tale about the goldfish still lives and remains relevant. This is confirmed by her many alterations. Sounding in a new way gives it new life, but the problems laid down by Pushkin remain unchanged even in alterations.
These new versions tell all about the same characters, the same greedy old woman, and the obedient old man, and the wish-fulfilling fish, which speaks of the incredible skill and talent of Pushkin, who managed to write a work that remains relevant after almost two centuries.
Page 1 of 2
An old man lived with his old woman
By the bluest sea;
They lived in a dilapidated dugout
Exactly thirty years and three years.
The old man was catching fish with a net,
The old woman was spinning her yarn.
Once he threw a net into the sea -
A net arrived with nothing but mud.
Another time he cast a net -
A net came with sea grass.
For the third time he cast the net -
A net came with one fish,
With not just a simple fish - a gold one.
How the goldfish prays!
He says in a human voice:
"Let me go to sea, old man!
Dear, I will give a ransom for myself:
I'll buy you anything you want."
The old man was surprised and frightened:
He fished for thirty years and three years
And I never heard the fish speak.
And he said a kind word to her:
"God be with you, goldfish!
I don’t need your ransom;
Go to the blue sea,
Walk there in the open space."
He told her a great miracle:
"Today I caught a fish,
Goldfish, not an ordinary one;
In our opinion, the fish spoke,
I asked to go home to the blue sea,
Bought at a high price:
I bought whatever I wanted
I didn’t dare take a ransom from her;
So he let her into the blue sea."
The old woman scolded the old man:
"You fool, you simpleton!
You didn’t know how to take ransom from a fish!
If only you could take the trough from her,
Ours is completely split."
So he went to the blue sea;
He sees that the sea is a little rough.
A fish swam to him and asked:
"What do you want, old man?"
"Have mercy, lady fish,
My old woman scolded me,
The old man gives me no peace:
She needs a new trough;
Ours is completely split."
The goldfish answers:
"Don't be sad, go with God.
There will be a new trough for you." The old man returned to the old woman,
The old woman has a new trough.
The old woman scolds even more:
"You fool, you simpleton!
You begged for a trough, you fool!
Is there a lot of self-interest in the trough?
Turn back, fool, you are going to the fish;
Bow to her and beg for a hut."
So he went to the blue sea
(The blue sea has become cloudy).
He began to click on the goldfish.
"What do you want, old man?"
The old man answers her with a bow:
"Have mercy, lady fish!
The old woman scolds even more,
The old man gives me no peace:
A grumpy woman is asking for a hut."
The goldfish answers:
"Don't be sad, go with God,
So be it: you will have a hut."
He went to his dugout,
And there is no trace of the dugout;
In front of him is a hut with a light,
With a brick, whitewashed pipe,
With oak, plank gates.
The old woman is sitting under the window,
What the world stands on scolds her husband:
"You're a fool, you're a simpleton!
The simpleton begged for a hut!
Turn back, bow to the fish:
I don't want to be a black peasant girl,
I want to be a pillar noblewoman." The old man went to the blue sea
(Restless blue sea).
He began to click on the goldfish.
A fish swam to him and asked:
"What do you want, old man?"
The old man answers her with a bow:
"Have mercy, lady fish!
The old woman became more foolish than ever,
The old man gives me no peace:
She doesn't want to be a peasant
She wants to be a high-ranking noblewoman."
The goldfish answers:
"Don't be sad, go with God."
What does he see? High tower.
His old woman is standing on the porch
In an expensive sable jacket,
Brocade kitty on the crown,
Pearls weighed down the neck,
There are gold rings on my hands,
Red boots on her feet.
Before her are diligent servants;
She beats them and drags them by the chuprun.
The old man says to his old woman:
"Hello, madam noblewoman!
Tea, now your darling is happy."
The old woman shouted at him,
She sent him to serve at the stables.
On the sea, on the ocean, on an island on Buyan, there was a small dilapidated hut: in that hut lived an old man and an old woman. They lived in great poverty; The old man made a net and began to go to the sea and catch fish: this is how he got his daily food. One day the old man threw out his net, began to pull, and it seemed so difficult to him that it had never happened before: he could barely pull it out. He looks, and the network is empty; I only caught one fish, but it was not an ordinary fish—a gold one. The fish begged him in a human voice: “Don’t take me, old man! Let it be better in the blue sea; I myself will be useful to you: I’ll do whatever you want.” The old man thought and thought and said: “I don’t need anything from you: go for a walk in the sea!”
He threw the goldfish into the water and returned home. The old woman asks him: “Have you caught much, old man?” - “Yes, just one goldfish, and he threw it into the sea; She prayed strongly: let her go, she said, into the blue sea; I’ll be of use to you: I’ll do whatever you want! I felt sorry for the fish, did not take a ransom from it, and released it freely.” - “Oh, you old devil! A great fortune fell into your hands, but you couldn’t even control it.”
The old woman got angry, scolded the old man from morning to evening, did not give him peace: “If only I could beg bread from her!” After all, soon there will be no dry crust; What are you going to eat? The old man could not stand it and went to the goldfish for bread; came to the sea and shouted in a loud voice: “Fish, fish. Stand with your tail in the sea and your head towards me.” The fish swam to the shore: “What do you want, old man?” - “The old woman got angry and sent for bread.” - “Go home, you will have plenty of bread.” The old man returned: “Well, old woman, is there any bread?” - “There is plenty of bread; but here’s the problem: the trough is split, there’s nothing to wash the clothes in; go to the goldfish and ask for something new.”
The old man went to the sea: “Fish, fish! Stand with your tail in the sea and your head towards me.” A goldfish swam: “What do you want, old man?” - “The old woman sent it, she’s asking for a new trough.” - “Okay, you will have a trough.” The old man returned, just at the door, and the old woman pounced on him again: “Go,” he said, “to the goldfish, ask him to build a new hut; You can’t live in ours, and look what will fall apart!” The old man went to the sea: “Fish, fish! Stand with your tail in the sea and your head towards me.” The fish swam, stood with its head towards him, its tail in the sea and asked: “What do you want, old man?” - “Build us a new hut; The old woman swears and doesn’t give me peace of mind; I don’t want, he says, to live in an old hut: just in case it’s all falling apart!” - “Don’t bother, old man! Go home and pray to God, everything will be done.”
The old man returned - in his yard there was a new hut, made of oak, with carved patterns. An old woman runs out to meet him, more angry than ever, swearing more than ever: “Oh, you old dog! You don't know how to use happiness. You begged for a hut and, tea, you think - you did the job! No, go back to the goldfish and tell her: I don’t want to be a peasant, I want to be a commander, so that good people will listen to me and bow to the waist when they meet.” The old man went to the sea and said in a loud voice: “Fish, fish! Stand with your tail in the sea and your head towards me.” A fish swam, stood in the sea with its tail and its head towards him: “What do you want, old man?” The old man answers: “The old woman doesn’t give me peace of mind, she’s completely gone crazy: she doesn’t want to be a peasant, she wants to be a commander.” - “Okay, don’t bother! Go home and pray to God, everything will be done.”
The old man returned, and instead of a hut there was a stone house, built on three floors; servants are running around the yard, cooks are knocking in the kitchen, and an old woman in an expensive brocade dress sits on high chairs and gives orders. “Hello, wife!” - says the old man. “Oh, you such an ignoramus! How dare you call me, the commander, your wife? Hey people! Take this little guy to the stables and whip him as painfully as possible.” The servants immediately came running, grabbed the old man by the collar and dragged him into the stable; The grooms began to treat him with whips, and they treated him so much that he could barely rise to his feet. After that, the old woman appointed the old man as a janitor; She ordered him to be given a broom so that he could clean the yard, and to give him food and water in the kitchen. It’s a bad life for an old man: you clean the yard all day, and if it’s unclean, go to the stables! “What a witch! - the old man thinks. “Happiness was given to her, but she buried herself like a pig, she doesn’t even consider me a husband!”
No more or less time passed, the old woman got tired of being a commander, demanded the old man to come to her and ordered: “Go, old devil, to the goldfish, tell her: I don’t want to be a commander, I want to be a queen.” The old man went to the sea: “Fish, fish! Stand with your tail in the sea and your head towards me.” A goldfish swam: “What do you want, old man?” - “Why, my old woman is more foolish than ever: she doesn’t want to be a commander, she wants to be a queen.” - “Don’t bother! Go home and pray to God, everything will be done.” The old man returned, and instead of the previous house, a high palace stood under a golden roof; The sentries walk around and throw out their guns; behind there is a large garden, and in front of the palace there is a green meadow; The troops are gathered in the meadow. The old woman dressed up as a queen, stepped out onto the balcony with the generals and the boyars and began to review and parade the troops: the drums were beating, the music was thundering, the soldiers were shouting “hurray!”
No more or less time passed, the old woman got tired of being a queen, and ordered to find the old man and present him before his bright eyes. There was a commotion, the generals were fussing, the boyars were running: “What kind of old man?” They found him forcibly in the backyard and took him to the queen. “Listen, old devil! - the old woman tells him. Go to the goldfish and tell her: I don’t want to be a queen, I want to be the mistress of the sea, so that all the seas and all the fish will obey me.” The old man was about to refuse; where are you going? If you don’t go, head off! Reluctantly the old man went to the sea, came and said: “Fish, fish! Stand with your tail in the sea and your head towards me.” There is no goldfish! The old man calls another time - again no! He called for the third time - suddenly the sea became noisy and agitated; it was bright and clean, but here it turned completely black. A fish swims to the shore: “What do you want, old man?” - “The old woman became even more foolish; he no longer wants to be a queen, he wants to be the mistress of the sea, to rule over all the waters, to command over all the fish.”
The goldfish said nothing to the old man, turned and went into the depths of the sea. The old man turned back, looked and couldn’t believe his eyes: the palace was gone, and in its place stood a small dilapidated hut, and in the hut sat an old woman in a tattered sundress. They began to live as before, the old man again took up fishing; but no matter how often I threw nets into the sea, I could not catch any more goldfish.
