THE SHIP WALKING ON LAND
Then the youngest of the three sons spoke.
“Mother, tomorrow I want to go looking for the ship, the Ship walking on land."
The next day, at the break of dawn, the cadet left, stick 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. 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 as I do."
"Well, poor man, I'm going to get some distaffs."
"Distaffs 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 she threw her distaff 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 sharecropper immediately shouted to him:
“Get away, lazy person."
And she threw her distaff at his legs.
The young man picked it up.
"It’s still something to keep."
By the hundredth day, the boy had collected a hundred distaffs. 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 distaffs. Now I'm done traveling."
Then the last of the three sons spoke.
“Mother, tomorrow I want to go looking for the ship, the Ship walking on earth."
The next day, at dawn, the last of the three sons 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. 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."
"With pleasure, poor man. Here, eat it whole."
"Thank you, my friend. You, eat all of this."
And the poor man took from his bag a large loaf of bread, white as snow, tender as dew.
“Young man, where are you going?”
"Poor man, I am going in search of the Ship walking on land."
"Young man, lie down there and sleep. When I wake you up, you will be content."
The boy obeyed.
Source: Le Navire Marchant sur Terre, from the French book Contes populaires de la Gascogne, tome 2, published in 1886
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.
As expected, the second son did not do better than the first.
Also as expected, the younger son was good and honest toward the poor man. And he will probably be rewarded because of his good behavior.
Yesterday, in the morning, we went to one of the World's Largest Indoor Trampoline Fun Parks.
In the picture below, you can see myself and Adam, the eldest grandson of Kati. It is easy to realize that Adam is more comfortable than me on the trampoline.
We had a great time for an hour there.
In the afternoon, we went to visit an IKEA store, where we bought some small things.
That was another good day.
I am still jetlagged, but it is getting better; I almost slept normally (for me) last night. When we will fly to British Columbia next Saturday, I will be perfectly OK.
-- Vincent Celier