The Dissatisfied Man

Question

I have just finished translating "The Dissatisfied Man" in my Spanish reader (the first story was "Chicken Little", so you understand the kinds of stories in this reader). I now really understand usage of the imperfect and preterit! Anyway, the story is that this rich man has everything - fat cows, sheep & pigs, beautiful horses, good wife and good children and wonderful vineyards. But he is dissatisfied, even with God and the weather. A magical stranger grants him control of the weather for a year, and he exercises the control to get the finest-looking grapes in Extremadura .... but they are sour as vinegar. The magical stranger reappears and says, "You asked for snow, rain and sun in correct measure - but forgot the winds." Now, speaking as a gardener, if the rich man asked for rain, he would have asked for gentle wind afterwards to dry the vines ... But apparently he didn't, and I don't get the point. ??? Anyone know this story? Can you tell me the "moral"? Otherwise, I will be la lector insatisfecha
[removed]void(0);

Be very careful what you ask for - comes to mind. - ian-hill, Apr 29, 2011

Answer 1

And if he had asked for the correct wind, there would have been something else he had forgotten about. There are a lot of things going on in the world to make things work, and people are only aware of some of them. Whenever people assume that they know what they are doing and try to take control, the law of unintended consequences always strikes. Always. Of course, using this as an excuse to do nothing is often even worse.

Answer 2

I think you are all right! I went back and re-read what I had translated, and it struck me on "He was even dissatisfied with God and the weather". This is something like a tale from Greek or Germanic mythology. It is about hubris; he thought he could "hacer" better "tiempo" than the very excellent weather he had already been blessed with. At least he did not get his come-uppance as Arachne or one of the other hubris-filled ancients did! Muchas gracias, all!

I was being silly in my answer. I think Lorenzo's answer is closer to the actual moral of the story. - webdunce, May 1, 2011

It is about hubris; he thought he could "hacer" better "tiempo"...Yeah, I think that's more or less it right there... - webdunce, May 1, 2011

Answer 3

I'm thinking the point is this: if a magical stranger should appear and grant you control over the weather and should you decide to use that power to grow great grapes, don't forget to ask for the proper amount of wind, or you'll end up with sour grapes.

I mean, if I had a nickel for all the people I've seen forget to ask for the proper amount of wind on their vineyard...

rofl - 0074b507, Apr 29, 2011

Answer 4

It's not a good idea to mess with mother nature.

Answer 5

How about learning to appreciate what you have rather than seeking perfection. It sounds like the man already had more than his share of blessings in life, yet he was unsatisfied. Always seeking something more and better, but that will always fall short of perfection, leads to a life plagued with dissatisfaction and unfulfillment.

:-) - pacofinkler, Apr 29, 2011

Answer 6

What is a Spanish reader ?

Thanks.

Readers are books written to a certain reading level, Fun with Dick and Jane was one we used when I was little. - lorenzo9, May 1, 2011

Check the definition and entries for "reader" in the SpanishDict dictionary section - Lector_Constante, May 1, 2011

Answer 7

Be very careful what you ask for - comes to mind. Cos you might get exactly that.