THE SHIP WALKING ON LAND
Source
Once upon a time, there was a very unhappy king. Yet he was as rich as the sea. His daughter was beautiful as the day, and wise as a saint.
Night and day the king thought:
“I need a ship, a Ship walking on land."
Unfortunately, no one in the world was in a position to give him satisfaction.
Finally, the king had drums drummed in all the towns and villages of his country:
“Ran plan plan ran plan plan ran plan plan. You are all informed that the king will give his daughter in marriage, with seven hundred farms as a dowry, to the man who will present him with a Ship sailing on land."
At that time there lived, with her three sons, a poor old widow.
“Mother,” said the eldest of the three sons, “you have heard. Tomorrow I want to go looking for the ship, the Ship walking on land."
The next day, at dawn, the eldest left, staff in hand, a small loaf of black bread in his bag.
At ten o'clock in the morning, he sat down to eat lunch on the edge of a fountain. At this moment, a poor man happened to pass by.
“Young man, I am hungry. For the love of God and the Blessed Virgin Mary, give me a piece of your little loaf of black bread."
"Poor man, go your way. I don't have much to eat for me."
"Young man, where are you going?"
The boy shrugged his shoulders in contempt.
“I am my nose. My ass is chasing it."
"Young man, I speak to you honestly. Do like I do."
"Well, poor man, I'm going to get some goads."
"Goads you will find."
The young man finished his little loaf of black bread and left. At sunset, he stopped, starving, on the threshold of a farm.
“A piece of bread, sharecropper, please, for the love of God and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pater noster…
"Get away, lazy person."
And he threw his goad at him.
The young man picked it up.
“It’s still something to keep."
And he left again.
For a hundred days, the unfortunate man wandered the world, drinking from fountains, and eating herbs and wild fruits. When he stopped, starving, on the threshold of some farm to ask for alms, the tenant immediately shouted to him:
“Get away, lazy person."
And he threw his goad at him.
The young man picked it up.
“It’s still something to keep."
By the hundredth day, the boy had collected a hundred goads. But he hadn't found what he was looking for.
Finally, the unfortunate man returned to his mother.
"Well! My son, have you found the ship, the Ship walking on land?"
"Mother, I only found these hundred goads. Now I'm done traveling."
Source: Le Navire Marchant sur Terre, from the French book Contes populaires de la Gascogne, tome 2, published in 1886
Previous Tale: The Little Lady
Hello, my name is Vincent Celier.
I am writing translations of folk tales that I found in public domain French books, so that people who do not understand French may enjoy them too.
Once again, we have a king who would sell his beautiful daughter for one of his passions.
And once again we have a mother with three sons. The first one is not succeeding in the quest. We all know how this will end, right?
Yesterday morning, we went to a "Christmas market", where you can buy presents for your family and friends.
There is also entertainment for everybody. The two grandsons of Kati enjoyed the petting zoo, where they were goats, sheep, piglets, and rabbits.
Kati bought a beautiful dish imported from Tunisia, and I bought a pair of very good socks for my grandson Nathaneil.
And, in the afternoon, we went back to the same playground.
It was a good day!
-- Vincent Celier