The Shepherd and the Sea

Far away, where the mountains sloped gently down toward the coast, there lived a shepherd who owned a large flock of sheep. Every morning, even before the sun was up, he led the sheep out onto the green slopes above the sea. There they grazed in peace while he sat on a stone and listened to the waves far below. He knew every sheep by name and knew which bell belonged to which neck. He knew which ewe loved sorrel and which one preferred thyme. It was a quiet life, but it was a good life, and it was his life, just as it had been his father's life before him.

But lately the shepherd had begun to look more at the sea than at the sheep. The water lay smooth as silver all day long, and the sun glittered so beautifully on the surface that he could hardly tear his eyes away. It must be wonderful to travel out there, he thought. It must smell different far out, where no mountain blocked the wind. He watched ships come and go in the harbour below, loaded with goods from faraway lands. When they hoisted their sails, they looked like white birds rising toward the horizon. And every time a bow turned and slipped past the headland, the shepherd felt that something inside him wanted to go with it.

One evening he sat by his small fire and thought. If the sea was so calm and so beautiful, why should he stay on the hillside? He had heard that the merchants in the harbour could buy baskets full of dates for a little money. Then they sailed off with the dates and sold them dearly in another city. In that way, a poor man could become rich on a single voyage. Imagine what I could do, the shepherd whispered, if only the sea would carry me there and home again.

The next morning his mind was made up. He walked down to the village and found a neighbour who had long wished for more sheep. They sat for a while and talked, drank a cup of water from the well, and then shook hands and counted coins. Before the sun stood high in the sky the shepherd no longer owned a single lamb's tail. Instead he carried a heavy purse of silver, and in the purse jingled all his years on the hillside. He stood for a moment and watched the sheep follow the neighbour down toward the other side of the village. Some of the lambs turned their heads back toward him, as if wondering. It was a strange feeling to walk away. He was lighter than ever, and yet heavier.