(by the Brothers Grimm, adapted):
Once upon a time there were a fisherman and his wife who lived together in a little hut near the sea. Every day the fisherman went out fishing, and one day, when he pulled up his net, he had caught a large flounder.
Then the flounder said to him, "Listen, fisherman, I am not an ordinary flounder, but an mystic yogi. How will it help you to kill me? I would not taste good to you. Put me back into the water, and let me swim."
"Well," said the man, "there's no need to say more. I can certainly let a fish swim away who knows how to talk."
With that he put it back into the water, and the flounder disappeared.
Then the fisherman got up and went home to his wife in the little hut.
"Husband," said the woman, "didn't you catch anything today?"
"No," said the man. "I caught a flounder, but he told me that he was a mystic yogi, so I let him swim away."
"Didn't you ask for anything first?" said the woman.
"No," said the man. "What should I have asked for?"
"Oh," said the woman. "It is terrible living in this shack. It stinks and is filthy. You should have asked for a little cottage for us. Go back and call him. Tell him that we want to have a little cottage. He will surely give it to us."
"Oh," said the man. "Why should I go back there?"
"Look," said the woman, "you did catch him, and then you let him swim away. He will surely do this for us. Go right now."
The man did not want to go, but neither did he want to oppose his wife, so he went back to the sea.
When he arrived there it was no longer clear, but yellow and green. He stood there and said:
"O yogi! Yogi of the sea!
Come, come listen to me.
My wife, my wife Isabelle,
Wants not, wants not, what I will.
The flounder swam up and said, "What does she want then?"
"Oh," said the man, "I did catch you, and now my wife says that I really should have asked for something. She doesn't want to live in a little hut any longer. She would like to have a cottage."
"Go home," said the flounder. "She already has it."
The man went home, and his wife was standing in the door of a cottage, and she said to him, "Come in. See, now isn't this much better?"
There was a little front yard, and a beautiful little living room, and a bedroom where their bed was standing, and a kitchen, and a dining room. Everything was beautifully furnished and supplied with tin and brass utensils, just as it should be. And outside there was a little yard with chickens and ducks and a garden with vegetables and fruit.
"Look," said the woman. "Isn't this nice?"
"Yes," said the man. "This is quite enough. We can live here very well."
"We will think about that," said the woman.
Then they ate something and went to bed.
Everything went well for a week or two, and then the woman said, "Listen, husband. This cottage is too small. The yard and the garden are too little. The flounder could have given us a larger house. I would like to live in a large stone palace. Go back to the flounder and tell him to give us a palace."
"Oh, wife," said the man, "the cottage is good enough. Why would we want to live in a palace?"
"I know why," said the woman. "Now you just go. The flounder can do that."
"Now, wife, the flounder has just given us the cottage. I don't want to go back so soon. It may make the flounder angry."
"Just go," said the woman. "He can do it, and he won't mind doing it. Just go."
The man's heart was heavy, and he did not want to go. He said to himself, "This is not right," but henpecked as he was, he went anyway.
When he arrived at the sea the water was purple and dark blue and gray and dense, and no longer green and yellow. He stood there and said:
"O yogi! Yogi of the sea!
Come, come listen to me.
My wife, my wife Isabelle,
Wants not, wants not, what I will.
"What does she want then?" said the flounder.
"Oh," said the man sadly, "my wife wants to live in a stone palace."
"Go home. She's already standing before the door," said the flounder.
Then the man went his way, thinking he was going home, but when he arrived, standing there was a large stone palace. His wife was standing on the stairway, about to enter.
Taking him eagerly by the hand, she said, "Come inside."
He went inside with her. Inside the palace there was a large front hallway with a marble floor. Numerous servants opened up the large doors for them. The walls were all white and covered with beautiful tapestry. In the rooms there were chairs and tables of pure gold. The beds were covered with fine silk and linens. The rooms and chambers all had carpets. Food and the very best preparation overloaded the tables until they almost collapsed. Outside the house there was a large courtyard with stalls for horses and cows. Furthermore there was a magnificent garden with the most beautiful flowers and fine fruit trees and a pleasure forest a good half mile long, with elk and deer and hares and everything that anyone could possibly want.
"Now," said the woman, "isn't this nice?"
"Oh, yes" said the man. "This is quite enough. We can live in this beautiful palace and be satisfied."
"We'll think about it," said the woman. "Let's sleep on it." And with that they went to bed.
The next morning the woman woke up first. It was just daylight, and from her bed she could see the magnificent landscape before her. Her husband was just starting to stir when she poked him in the side with her elbow and said, "Husband, get up and look out the window. Look, couldn't I be queen over all this land?"
"Oh, wife," said the man, "why would we want to be queen? I don't want to be king."
"Well," said the woman, "even if you don't want to be king, I want to be queen."
"Oh, wife," said the man, "why do you want to be queen? I don't want to tell him that."
"Why not?" said the woman, "Go there immediately. I must be queen."
So the man, saddened because his wife wanted to be queen, went back.
"This is not right, not right at all," thought the man. He did not want to go, but he went anyway.
When he arrived at the sea it was dark gray, and the water heaved up from below and had a foul smell. He stood there and said:
"O yogi! Yogi of the sea!
Come, come listen to me.
My wife, my wife Isabelle,
Wants not, wants not, what I will.
"What does she want then," said the flounder.
"Oh," said the man, "she wants to be queen."
"Go home. She is already queen," said the flounder.
Then the man went home, and when he arrived there, the palace had become much larger, with a tall tower and magnificent decorations. Sentries stood outside the door, and there were so many soldiers, and drums, and trumpets. When he went inside everything was of pure marble and gold with velvet covers and large golden tassels. Then the doors to the great hall opened up, and there was the entire court. His wife was sitting on a high throne of gold and diamonds. She was wearing a large golden crown, and in her hand was a scepter of gold and precious stones. On either side of her there stood a line of maids, ready to attend her.
"Oh, wife, are you now queen?"
"Yes," she said, "now I am queen."
He stood and looked at her, and after thus looking at her for a while he said, "Wife, it is very nice that you are queen. Now we don't have to wish for anything else."
"No, husband," she said, becoming restless. "Time is on my hands. I cannot stand it any longer. Go to the flounder. I am queen, but now I must become empress."
"Oh, wife" said the man, "Why do you want to become empress?"
"Husband," she said, "go to the flounder. I want to be empress."
"Oh, wife," said the man, "he cannot make you empress. I cannot tell the flounder to do that. He cannot do that."
"What!" said the woman. "I am queen, and you are my husband. I am ordering you to go there immediately. If he can make me queen then he can make me empress. I want to be and have to be empress. Go there immediately."
So he had to go. As he went on his way the frightened man thought to himself, "This is not going to end well. To ask to be empress is shameful. The flounder is going to get tired of this."
With that he arrived at the sea. The water was all black and dense and boiling up from within. A strong wind blew over him that curdled the water. He stood there and said:
"O yogi! Yogi of the sea!
Come, come listen to me.
My wife, my wife Isabelle,
Wants not, wants not, what I will.
"What does she want then?" said the flounder.
"Oh, flounder," he said, "my wife wants to become empress."
"Go home," said the flounder. "She is already empress."
Then the man went home, and when he arrived there, the entire palace was made of polished marble with alabaster statues and golden decoration. Soldiers were marching outside the gate, blowing trumpets and beating drums. Inside there were courtiers walking around like servants. They opened the doors for him, which were made of pure gold. He went inside where his wife was sitting on a high throne made of one piece of gold, and she was wearing a large golden crown, all set with diamonds and gems. In the one hand she had a scepter, and in the other the imperial orb. Bodyguards were standing in two rows at her sides. Many subjects were standing before her.
The man went and stood among them and said, "Wife, are you empress now?"
"Yes," she said, "I am empress."
He stood and looked at her, and after thus looking at her for a while, he said, "Wife, it is very nice that you are empress."
She sat there as stiff as a tree, neither stirring nor moving.
Then he said, "Wife, be satisfied now that you are empress. There is nothing else that you can become."
"I have to think about that," said the woman.
Then they both went to bed, but she was not satisfied. Her desires would not let her sleep. She kept thinking what she wanted to become next.
The man slept well and soundly, for he had run about a lot during the day, but the woman could not sleep at all, but tossed and turned from one side to the other all night long, always thinking about what she could become, but she could not think of anything.
Then the sun was about to rise, and when she saw the early light of dawn she sat up in bed and watched through the window as the sun came up.
"Aha," she thought. "Could not I cause the sun and the moon to rise?"
"Husband," she said, poking him in the ribs with her elbow, "wake up and go back to the flounder. I want to become God."
The man, who was still mostly asleep, was so startled that he fell out of bed. He thought that he had misunderstood her, so, rubbing his eyes, he said, "Wife, what did you say?"
"Husband," she said, "I cannot stand it when I see the sun and the moon rising, and I cannot cause them to do so. I will not have a single hour of peace until I myself can cause them to rise."
She looked at him so gruesomely that he shuddered.
"Go there immediately. I want to become God."
"Oh, wife," said the man, falling on his knees before her, "the flounder cannot do that. He can make you queen and empress, but I beg you, be satisfied and remain empress."
Anger fell over her. Her hair flew wildly about her head. Tearing open her bodice she kicked him with her foot and shouted, "I cannot stand it! I cannot stand it any longer! I am empress, and you are my husband. Go there immediately! "
He put on his trousers and ran off like a madman.
The frightened man felt sick all over, and his knees and legs were shaking, and the wind was blowing over the land, and clouds flew by as the darkness of evening fell. Leaves blew from the trees, and the water roared and boiled as it crashed onto the shore. Such a storm was raging that he could hardly stand on his feet. Houses and trees were blowing over. The mountains were shaking, and boulders were rolling from the cliffs into the sea. The sky was as black as pitch. There was thunder and lightning. In the sea there were great black waves as high as church towers and mountains, all capped with crowns of white foam. Full of despair he stood there and yelled:
"O yogi! Yogi of the sea!
Come, come listen to me.
My wife, my wife Isabelle,
Wants not, wants not, what I will.
"What does she want then?" said the flounder.
"Oh," he said, in half a whisper, "she wants - she wants to become God."
"Go home. She is sitting in her little hut as before."
One should be satisfied with whatever he achieves by his previous destiny, for discontent can never bring happiness. A person who is not self-controlled will not be happy even with possessing the three worlds." -SB 8.19.24