Story No. 23

A weak fisherman caught a strong fish in his net, but he had no strength to hold it. The fish overpowered him, snatched the net from his hands, and swam away. A servant went to fetch water from the stream; the stream came instead and swept the servant off! Every other time the net brought back a fish; this time the fish went off and took the net. The other fishermen were sorry for him and scolded him: such a catch fell into your net, and you didn't know how to keep it. He said: Brothers, what could I do? It wasn't my day for good fortune, and the fish still had life left to live. A fisherman without luck catches nothing in the Tigris, and a fish whose time hasn't come won't die on dry land.