The Fisherman and the Little Fish
The little fish says, "Let me go and catch me when I'm big"; the fisherman knows the value of what is in his hand.
Tap a word to see it in Turkish · Long press to translate the whole sentence.
An old fisherman had cast his net all day and caught nothing. Toward evening a tiny fish came up in the net. The fisherman took it in his palm.
The little fish spoke: "Uncle fisherman, I'm very small, I won't fill you up. Put me back in the water; let me grow big, really big, and then come and catch me and fill your belly."
The fisherman looked at the fish and smiled. "Little friend," he said, "right now you are in my palm. If I let you go, you'll go to the bottom of the sea; you will never find me again, nor I you. A small fish in the hand is better than a big fish in the sea."
But then the fisherman paused. He looked into the fish's tiny eyes. He sighed. "Tonight I'll manage with bread and olives," he said, and put the fish back in the water. "But on one condition: when you are big and pass by this shore, say hello to me."
Years later an enormous fish was caught in the fisherman's net. When the fisherman saw it, he knew it. The fish knew him too. The fisherman opened the net. "Did you come to say hello?" The fish waved its tail and went. But from that day on the fisherman's net was never empty, because the big fish had told its whole school, "There is a good man on that shore."
Which fisherman is right? The one who knows a bird in the hand, or the one who trusts the one in the sea? Perhaps both. You decide; but first, sleep.
The tale ends here. Sleep well.
The Fisherman and the Little Fish is a children's tale from Aesop, suitable for ages 4-9 and about 2 minutes long. Read it free on Masal Merkezi, play a lullaby or nature sound in the background, tap any word to see its Turkish meaning and save it to your favorites. For similar tales browse the Aesop's Fables category.
Sign up and your favorites and reading list follow you on every device.
