This story is "Oscar Wilde's response to Hans Christian Andersen's famous story 'The Little Mermaid.'" The fisherman or the mermaid's love is so strong that they end up with death. When I am in love with someone and I take a walk with him holding his hand along the beach, I cannot think about anything and I wish time could stop. (I however, never believe "love lasts forever.")
I like a drawing "The Mermaid" by Howard Pyle in this book