The Beautiful Story Of The Samurai And The Fisherman
The story of the samurai and the fisherman is a beautiful story that offers us a surprising lesson. It all started in ancient Japan . There was a samurai there who was known for his great generosity, especially with humble people.
One day, he was given a mission to carry out in a neighboring village. Once his mission was completed and as he was about to return home, the samurai saw a fisherman with a very sad expression. It seemed to him that the latter was sobbing. He then decided to come over and ask her what was wrong.
The fisherman told him that he was about to lose his boat because he owed money to a local merchant. As he did not have enough to repay his debt, the lender had decided to confiscate his small boat as collateral. But if he lost him, he would no longer have the means to work and his family would starve to death.
The samurai listened to him attentively. His noble heart was moved by this story. Then, without the slightest hesitation, he took some money from his bag and handed it to the fisherman. ” It’s not a gift ” , he said. He didn’t think it was good to give things away as it encouraged laziness. “ This is a loan. I’ll be back in a year and you will give me back the money . I will not take any interest ”. The fisherman couldn’t believe it. He promised that he would get what he had to pay back and thanked him a thousand times for this gesture. The story of the samurai and the fisherman had just begun.
The return of the samurai
A year later, the samurai returned to the village. He hoped that the fisherman would pay him back the money he had lent him and felt great emotion when he saw him again. He hoped that his help had enabled him to improve his living conditions. It was then that the story of the samurai and the fisherman took an unexpected turn.
When the samurai looked for the fisherman at the very spot where they had met a year ago , he saw no one. He asked the other fishermen, but they did not answer him. Finally, one of them told him where the person he was looking for lived. The samurai then went to his home.
When he arrived, he found only the fisherman’s wife and his children. They swore they did not know where the debtor was. However, the samurai realized that they were lying. The fisherman was hiding in order not to reimburse him. The story of the samurai and the fisherman did not end there.
The unexpected happens
The samurai got angry. It seemed inadmissible to him that his generosity should be paid for by theft. So he began to look for the fisherman under the rocks. He finally found him near a cliff. The man was hiding.
He was terrified when he saw the samurai. He only succeeded in telling him that the fishing had been very bad and that he had no money to pay for it. “Ungrateful!” Cried the samurai. “I helped you when you needed it most! And you decided to pay me that way? ” The fisherman did not know what to say. So, burning with .
“I’m sorry,” the latter declared then. And he added the following words: “ If your hand goes up, restrain your anger; if your anger rises, restrict your hand ” . The samurai stopped. This humble man was right. The anger dissipated and the two agreed to an additional year to pay off the debt.
What the story of the samurai and the fisherman teaches
When the samurai arrived at his house, still shocked by what had happened with the fisherman, he saw light coming from his room. It was strange. It was already very late. He stealthily approached and noticed that his wife was in bed. There was, however, someone by his side. The man approached and noticed that it was a samurai.
Without hesitation, he drew his sword. He approached slowly and was about to enter to commit folly when he suddenly remembered the words of the fisherman : “ If your hand goes up, restrain your anger; if your anger rises, restrict your hand ” . Then he took a deep breath and just shouted “I’m back!”
His wife came out of the room, happy to greet him. Behind her came the samurai’s mother. “Look who’s here!” His wife told him. She had been afraid to be left alone, which is why she had asked her mother-in-law to accompany her. The samurai’s mother had donned her son’s clothes in case a thief arrived. If he saw her, he would think it was a warrior and therefore would not have approached.
The story of the samurai and the fisherman ended a year later. The samurai returned to the fishing village. The fisherman was waiting for him. He had the money and the interest because it had been a good year. Seeing him, the samurai hugged him. “Keep that money!” He told her. “You do not owe me anything. I am your debtor, ”he added.
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