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The young fisherman went out in his boat every evening and threw his nets into the water.

When the wind blew away from the land, he caught nothing, or very little,

and rough waves met him as he came back.

But when the wind blew to the land, the fish came in from the deep sea and went into his nets.

And he took them and sold them in the town.

One evening the net was so heavy that he could hardly pull it up into the boat.

He laughed and said, perhaps I have caught all the fish in the sea,

or perhaps I have caught some strange and fearful thing which men will want to see,

and pay money to see.

He pulled and pulled.

The net came nearer and nearer to the boat.

At last it came to the top of the water.

There were no fish in it.

There was no strange or fearful thing, but only a mermaid lying asleep.

Her hair was like gold.

Each hair was like a thread of gold.

Her body was silver and pearl.

She was so beautiful that the young fisherman was filled with wonder.

He took her up in his arms.

When he touched her, she gave a cry of fear.

She opened her eyes, which were of the deepest, deepest blue, and tried to escape.

But he held her and would not let her go.

When she saw that she could not escape, she began to weep.

Please, please let me go.

She said, I am the daughter of the king of the sea.

I am his only daughter.

He has only me, and he is very old and alone.

The young fisherman answered, I'll let you go only if you make a promise.

Promise me that, whenever I call you, you will come and sing to me.

The fish love to listen to the song of the people of the sea, so they will come into my nets,

and my nets will be full.

Will you really let me go if I promise that, cried the mermaid?

Yes, I will let you go, said the young fisherman.

So she made the promise.

He opened his arms and she went down into the water.

The young fisherman went out in his boat every evening.

He called to the mermaid, and she came up out of the water and sang to him.

She sang to him about the people of the sea as they moved from cave to cave carrying the

young ones with them.

She sang about the palace of the king with its roof of clear blue jewels and its floor of pearl.

She sang about the gardens of the sea, where the sea plants wave in the water and bright

sea flowers grow on the rocks, and the fishes are like birds moving among them.

And, as she sang, the big fish came in from the deep sea to listen to her, and the young

fisherman threw his nets around them and caught them.

When his boat was full, the mermaid went down into the sea.

The mermaid never came near him so that he might touch her.

He tried to catch her, but she went down into the water and he did not see her again that

day.

Each day the sound of her voice became sweeter in his ears.

It became so sweet that he forgot his nets and took no care of his boat.

The fish went by, but he took no notice of them.

He sat in his boat and listened.

He listened as darkness came round him, and the moonlight was like silver on his brown arms.

One evening he called to her, little mermaid, little mermaid, I love you.

Take me for your husband, because I love you.

But the mermaid answered, no, you have a soul, the soul of man which God has given him.

If you can send away your soul, I shall love you.

The young fisherman said, what uses my soul to me?

I can't see it, I can't touch it.

Certainly I'll send it away.

He gave a cry of joy and held out his arms.

I'll send my soul away, and you shall be my wife, and will live together in the deepest

part of the sea.

And you'll show me all the wonderful things that you sang about.

The little mermaid laughed with pleasure and hid her face in her hands.

But how shall I send my soul away, cried the fisherman?

Tell me how I can do it, and it shall be done.

I don't know, said the little mermaid.

The people of the sea have no souls.

She went down into the sea looking sadly at him.

Early the next morning, when the sun was just rising behind the hills, the young fisherman

went to the priest's house and called.

Come in, said the priest.

Father, said the young fisherman, I am in love with one of the people of the sea.

But because of my soul, I can't marry her.

Tell me how I can send my soul away from me, because I don't need it.

What use is my soul to me?

I can't see it, I can't touch it, I don't know it.

The priest answered, Foolish man, the soul was given to us by God.

There is nothing on earth which is worth more to you than your soul.

It is worth all the gold and jewels of the kings.

It is a fearful thing to lose your soul.

And as for the people of the sea, they are lost, they have no souls.

They are like beasts, which do not know right from wrong.

There is no life after death for them in heaven.

Father, said the young fisherman.

Once in my net, I caught the daughter of the king of the sea.

She is more beautiful than the morning star and whiter than the moon.

For her body, I would give my soul.

For her love, I would give my hope of heaven.

Tell me what I ask and let me go in peace.

Away, away, cried the priest and drove him away from the door.

The young fisherman went into the city.

When the merchant saw him coming, they called to him and said,

What have you got to sell?

I will sell my soul, he answered.

What uses it to me?

The merchants laughed at him.

What uses it to us?

It isn't worth a penny.

Sell is your body to be a slave, but don't talk about your soul.

It's worth nothing to us.

The young fisherman thought, This is very strange.

The priest tells me that the soul is worth all the gold in the world.

But the merchants say that it isn't worth a penny.

He went out of the city and came down to the seashore and began to wonder what he should do.

At midday, he remembered one of his friends who had told him about a witch.

He ran along the sand and came to the cave in which she lived.

Her magic told her that he was coming.

And she laughed and let down her red hair and stood at the opening of her cave.

What do you want?

She cried as he came running towards her.

I can give you anything you want, but everything has its price.

I want only a little thing, said the young fisherman.

But the priest was angry when I asked him for it and drove me away.

It's only a little thing, but the merchants have laughed at me.

So I have come to you, although men say that you are bad.

Whatever your price is, I will pay it.

What do you want, said the witch, coming nearer to him?

I want to send my soul away from me, answered the young fisherman.

The witch hid her face.

Pretty boy, pretty boy, she said.

That is a fearful thing to do.

He laughed.

My soul is no use to me, he answered.

I can't see it. I can't touch it.

I don't know it.

What will you give me if I tell you?

Ask the witch, looking down at him with her beautiful eyes.

Five pieces of gold and my nets and the house that I live in and the boat that I sail.

Only tell me how to lose my soul and I'll give you all that I have.

She laughed.

I'm a witch, so I can have all the gold and silver that I want.

Well then, what shall I give you? What shall I do?

She put her thin white hand on his head and she smiled at him as she spoke.

You must dance with me, pretty boy, she said.

Only that? Nothing but that, cried the young fisherman.

Only that, she answered, and she smiled at him again.

Then, at sunset, in some secret place, we shall dance together, he said.

And, after we have danced, you will tell me the thing that I wish to know.

No, she said, not at sunset, but when the moon is full.

Tonight, you must come to the top of the mountain.

It is the witch's meeting place, and he will be there.

Who is he? asked the young fisherman.

Who is this person of whom you speak?

Go tonight and stand near the tree on the top of the mountain and wait for me.

When the moon is full, I will be with you and will dance together on the grass.

But will you promise to tell me how I may send my soul away from me?

She moved out into the sunlight and it shone on her red hair.

I promise, she answered.

You are the best of witches, cried the young fisherman, and I'll dance with you tonight on the top of the mountain.

He took off his cap and bowed to her.

Then he ran back to the town filled with joy.

The witch watched him as he went.

Then she went into her cave.

She looked at herself in her mirror.

He ought to have been mine, she said.

I am as beautiful as she.

That evening, when the moon had risen, the young fisherman climbed to the top of the mountain and stood under the branches of the tree.

The sea lay far down below, bright in the moonlight, and the shadows of the fishing boats moved in the little bay.

At midnight, the witches came flying through the air.

Phew, they cried as they came down to the ground.

What is this smell?

We smell someone here whom we do not know.

The young witch came last of all.

Her long red hair flowed out behind her.

Then she came down to the ground.

She wore a dress of gold and a little green cap.

Where is he? Where is he?

Cried the witches when they saw her.

She laughed and ran to the tree and took the fisherman by the hand.

She led him out into the moonlight and began to dance.

They danced round and round, and the young witch jumped so high that he could see her red shoes.

Then there was the sound of a horse.

But no horse could be seen. He felt afraid.