" "Nay, husband," said the woman, quite anxiously,
"I find time pass very heavily; I can bear it no longer; go to the
Flounder. I am King, but I must be Emperor, too."
"Alas, wife, why do you wish to be Emperor?" "Husband," said she, "go
to the Flounder. I will be Emperor." "Alas, wife," said the man, "he
cannot make you Emperor; I may not say that to the fish. There is only
one Emperor in the land. An Emperor the Flounder cannot make you! I
assure you he cannot."
"What!" said the woman, "I am the King, and you are nothing but my
husband; will you go this moment? Go at once! If he can make a king
he can make an emperor. I will be Emperor; go instantly." So he was
forced to go. As the man went, however, he was troubled in mind,
and thought to himself, "It will not end well; it will not end well!
Emperor is too shameless! The Flounder will at last be tired out."
With that he reached the sea, and the sea was quite black and thick,
and began to boil up from below, so that it threw up bubbles, and such
a sharp wind blew over it that it curdled, and the man was afraid.
Then he went and stood by it, and said--
"Flounder, Flounder, in the sea,
Come, I pray thee, here to me;
For my wife, good Ilsabil,
Wills not as I'd have her will."
"Well, what does she want, then?" asked the Flounder. "Alas,
Flounder," said he, "my wife wants to be Emperor." "Go to her," said
the Flounder; "she is Emperor already.
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