Text - The Wishes
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ScribdTranslationsTHE WISHES
(fantastic tale)
There was an elderly couple who, although poor, had spent their entire life happily working.
and taking care of their small farm. On a very cold night, husband and wife were sitting, at the
light of their peaceful home, in love and companionship, and instead of giving thanks to God for the good and the
peace that they enjoyed, they listed the most valuable goods that others achieved, wishing
enjoy them too.
-If I instead of my little plot- said the old man-, which is of poor soil and serves no purpose except for
saddle, had Uncle Polainas' ranch!
-And if I -added his wife- instead of this one, who is standing because she hasn't been pushed,
I had our neighbor's house, which is on the first floor!
-If I -continued the husband-, instead of the donkey, which can no longer even carry a pair of saddlebags full of
smoke, I wish I had Uncle Polonias' mule!
-If I -added the woman- could kill a 200-pound pig like the neighbor! Those people, to
To have things is not to have them, but to desire them. How wonderful it would be to see one's wishes fulfilled!
As soon as she had said those words, they saw a woman coming down the chimney.
gorgeous; she was so small that her height did not reach half a yard; she wore, like a queen, a
gold crown on her head. The tunic and veil that covered her were diaphanous and made of white.
smoke, and the sparks that joyfully rose like a small burst, like little firecrackers
joyous fire, they were placed over them, splashing them with shimmering sequins. In the hand
he carried a small scepter made of gold, which ended in a dazzling carbuncle.
I am the fairy Fortunata, she said; I was passing by here, and I heard your complaints, and since you long for it so much.
to fulfill your wishes, I come to grant you the realization of three: one to you, he said to the
woman; another to you, he gave to the husband; and the third must be mutual, and in it you both have to agree; this
Lastly, I will grant it in person tomorrow at this time, as I will return, so you have time to think.
what it should be.
He just said that, a puff of smoke rose among the flames, in which the beautiful sorceress
disappeared.
I leave to your consideration the joy of a good marriage, and the number of wishes that
as suitors at the door of a minister, they besieged them. There were so many that they did not...
deciding which one to attend to, they determined to leave the final choice for the following morning, and all
the night to consult the pillow, and they started talking about other different things.
Soon the conversation turned to their fortunate neighbors.
-Today I was there; they were making blood sausage -said the husband-. But what blood sausages! It was a joy to see them.
-Who would have one of them here- replied the woman- to roast it over the coals and have it for dinner!
Just as he had said it, the most beautiful blood sausage that ever was, is, and will be appeared over the embers.
there will be in the world.
The woman stood staring at her with her mouth open and her eyes wide. But the husband got up.
desperate, and turning around the room, he would pull out his hair, saying:
-For you, who are more greedy and gluttonous than the Earth, one of the wishes has been wasted. Look
You, sir, what a woman this is! More foolish than you can imagine! This is enough to despair. I renounce you and
of the blood sausage, and I would only want it to stick to your nose!
No sooner had he said it than the pudding was already hanging in the designated spot.
Now it's the old man's turn to be amazed, and the old woman's turn to despair.
-You cursed, foul-mouthed! -she exclaimed, making futile efforts to detach the appendage.
of the noses-. If I misused my desire, at least it was to my own detriment, and not to the detriment of others;
but in sin you carry the penance, for I desire nothing, nor will I desire anything, except that it takes away my
blood sausage of the noses.
-Woman, for God's sake! And the ranch?
Nothing.
-Woman, for God's sake! And the house?
Nothing
-We will desire a mine, daughter, and I will make you a golden cover for the black pudding.
Don't even think about it.
So what, are we just going to stay as we were?
this is all my wish.
No matter how much the husband continued begging, he attained nothing from his wife, who was growing more distant by the moment.
desperate with her double nose, and barely pushing away the dog and the cat, who wanted each other
to lean on her.
When the fairy appeared the next night and they told her what their last wish was, she said to them:
You see how blind and foolish men are, believing that the satisfaction of their desires has
to make happy. Happiness is not found in the fulfillment of desires, but in not having them;
How rich is the one who has, but happy is the one who desires nothing.
