Leafing through this story is journeying through a delectable mix of fairy tale, myth and the adventures of the Arabian Nights thrown in together. A fantastical myth and love story ( of the forbidden love types ) with multiple layers of allegory and allusion , this one could well have been written as a poem , for its beautifully lilting descriptions and richly nuanced layers of meanings.
A fisherman falls madly in love with a mermaid , and after several efforts, finally finds a way to discard his Soul so he may descend to marry her and be a part of the Sea-folk. After three blissful years , he finally yields to the entreaties of his Soul , which calls to him once every year , to go see a dancing maiden ( Remember, mermaids don't have legs ! ) . But things are in for a turn now , especially since he had refused to give his Heart to the Soul, when they had separated. As always, this piece is not bereft of Wildean gems. Sample this : " Thou art one who in time of death pours water into a broken vessel" or "For a truth pain is the Lord of this world, nor is there any one who escapes from its net" and "Bitter,bitter was his joy , and full of strange gladness was his pain." The story is however less frequented by the usual Wildean aphorisms of philosophical wittiness , which is my personal favorite thing about Wilde , but plentifully abounds in the richness of imaginative description and fantasy . An imaginary visual treat, nonetheless !!! (less)
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