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    The Fisherman and his Soul
    The Fisherman and his Soul
    The Fisherman and his Soul
    Ebook46 pages

    The Fisherman and his Soul

    By Oscar Wilde

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    "The Fisherman and His Soul" by Oscar Wilde delves into the theme of sacrifice and the complexities of the human soul. The tale follows a young fisherman who falls in love with a mermaid, leading him to make a fateful decision. To be with his love, he seeks to rid himself of his soul, embarking on a journey that unravels profound insights into the nature of desire, morality, and spiritual connection. Wilde crafts a thought-provoking narrative, exploring the consequences of separating oneself from one's soul in pursuit of earthly desires. The story serves as a captivating exploration of the eternal struggle between the material and the spiritual, with Wilde's signature wit and symbolism woven throughout.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherInteractive Media
    Release dateJan 19, 2019
    ISBN9781787360051
    Author

    Oscar Wilde

    Oscar Fingal O'Flaherty Wills Wilde was born in Dublin in 1854. He studied at Trinity College Dublin and then at Magdalen College Oxford where he started the cult of 'Aestheticism', which involves making an art of life. Following his marriage to Constance Lloyd in 1884, he published several books of stories ostensibly for children and one novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891). Wilde's first success as a playwright was with Lady Windemere's Fan in 1892. He followed this up with A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest, all performed on the London stage between 1892 and 1895. However Wilde's homosexual relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas was exposed by the young man's father, the Marquis of Queensbury. Wilde brought a libel suit against Queensbury but lost and was sentenced to two year's imprisonment. He was released in 1897 and fled to France where he died a broken man in 1900.

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      Book preview

      The Fisherman and his Soul - Oscar Wilde

      cover.jpg

      Oscar Wilde

      orna03.jpg

      Oscar Wilde

      The Fisherman

      and his Soul

      Published by Sovereign

      This edition first published in 2019

      Copyright © 2019 Sovereign

      All Rights Reserved

      ISBN: 9781787360051

      Contents

      THE FISHERMAN AND HIS SOUL

      THE FISHERMAN AND HIS SOUL

      TO H.S.H.

      ALICE, PRINCESS

      OF MONACO

      Every evening the young Fisherman went out upon the sea, and threw his nets into the water.

      When the wind blew from the land he caught nothing, or but little at best, for it was a bitter and black-winged wind, and rough waves rose up to meet it. But when the wind blew to the shore, the fish came in from the deep, and swam into the meshes of his nets, and he took them to the market-place and sold them.

      Every evening he went out upon the sea, and one evening the net was so heavy that hardly could he draw it into the boat. And he laughed, and said to himself, ‘Surely I have caught all the fish that swim, or snared some dull monster that will be a marvel to men, or some thing of horror that the great Queen will desire,’ and putting forth all his strength, he tugged at the coarse ropes till, like lines of blue enamel round a vase of bronze, the long veins rose up on his arms. He tugged at the thin ropes, and nearer and nearer came the circle of flat corks, and the net rose at last to the top of the water.

      But no fish at all was in it, nor any monster or thing of horror, but only a little Mermaid lying fast asleep.

      Her hair was as a wet fleece of gold, and each separate hair as a thread of fine gold in a cup of glass. Her body was as white ivory, and her tail was of silver and pearl. Silver and pearl was her tail, and the green weeds of the sea coiled round it; and like sea-shells were her ears, and her lips were like sea-coral. The cold waves dashed over her cold breasts, and the salt glistened upon her eyelids.

      So beautiful was she that when the young Fisherman saw her he was filled with wonder, and he put out his hand and drew the net close to him, and leaning over the side he clasped her in his arms. And when he touched her, she gave a cry like a startled sea-gull, and woke, and looked at him in terror with her mauve-amethyst eyes, and struggled that she might escape. But he held her tightly to him, and would not suffer her to depart.

      And when she saw that she could in no way escape from him, she began to weep, and said, ‘I pray thee let me go, for I am the only daughter of a King, and my father is aged and alone.’

      But the young Fisherman answered, ‘I will not let thee go save thou makest me a promise that whenever I call thee, thou wilt come and sing to me, for the fish delight to listen to the song of the Sea-folk, and so shall my nets be full.’

      ‘Wilt thou in very truth let me go, if I promise thee this?’ cried the Mermaid.

      ‘In very truth I will let thee go,’ said the young Fisherman.

      So she made him the promise he desired, and sware it by the oath of the Sea-folk. And he loosened his arms from about her, and she sank down into the water, trembling with a strange fear.

      Every evening the young Fisherman went out upon the sea, and called to the Mermaid, and she rose out of the water and sang to him. Round and round her swam the dolphins, and the wild gulls wheeled above her head.

      And she sang a marvellous song. For she sang of the Sea-folk who drive their flocks from cave to cave, and carry the little calves on their shoulders; of the Tritons who have long green beards, and hairy breasts, and

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