The Parable of the Three Suitors

There was once a wise and wealthy man who lived alone on a remote estate by the sea with his only daughter.

   

When it came time for the daughter to marry, and as he had no male heir, he announced he would offer his daughter’s hand to an earnest and forthright suitor upon whom, if found to be worthy, he would bestow his vast fortune. 

 

Although a number of eligible bachelors learned of the invitation, owing to the remote and distant land in which the daughter and father lived, only three had the temerity to present themselves for consideration. 

 

The first was the son of a wealthy lord from across the desert who had inherited his father’s kingdom as a young boy.  He arrived in a dazzling carriage pulled by six white steeds accompanied by a retinue of attendants and servants.  Arrayed in the finery of a prince among men, his squire announced his arrival, upon which this lord bowed deeply and addressed the wealthy man.

  

“Kind sir, my servants have labored a fortnight so I might cross the scorching desert to this foreign land that I might bid thee grant to me thy daughter’s fair hand.  I can state with certainty, no better suitor shall you ever meet in your country or any other.”

Said the father, “I see you have traveled afar and enjoy great prosperity, but pray what have you to offer my only child that she hath not already?”

 

“Sir, it is obvious you have done well in your enterprise and with your properties, but I tell you the opulence of my kingdom is of a scale which no man has witnessed.  Your daughter shall want for nothing, and my staff shall attend to her every whim.  She need not lift a fragile finger lest her hands become soiled, nor fret for even a moment lest worry crease her delicate brow.”

  

The second suitor was likewise adorned in the finery of a wealthy man, but was soaked, disheveled, and in a state of extreme anxiety. 

“And you,” said the father.  “How is it you come to me half-drown and in a state of such agitation?”

 

“Well, sire, at the midpoint of our voyage across the sea, a sudden and violent storm overtook my ship.  We thrice attempted to turn about and hasten back to the safe harbor of our origin, but the gale would not allow it.  Waves broke over the foredeck sweeping my crew overboard and leaving me alone.  Being unfamiliar with the ways of the sea, I was no match for the fierce wind and towering waves which smashed my ship into splinters and, alas, cast me into the churning brine.  It is only by the saving grace of God I am able to stand before you and retell this tale, albeit in this most wretched state.  Should I return to my land anon, certainly shall I follow the old stone road over the mountains.  Albeit twice the distance, it can hardly be fraught with such peril as I encountered crossing the tempestuous sea.”

The third suitor, also soaked but attired in the habiliments of a common laborer, kept his head bowed and his gaze lowered before these wealthy and honored men.  When summoned, he came forward and knelt before the father as the two other suitors looked upon him with contempt and pity.

  

“Pray tell, good man, by what boldness do you present yourself so unkempt to seek my daughter’s fair hand?” 

 

“My lord, I am but a humble fishermen come to beg your favor.  The great storm of which this other told likewise beset me as I oared my small fishing craft toward your shore.  Nearing land, I noticed this fellow foundering in the sea, weighed down by his heavy clothes.  When he disappeared beneath the waves, I had no choice but to dive in to rescue him.  My boat was thus carried off by the gale, leaving me to swim the rest of the way with this gentleman in tow.

 

“Clearly I have neither the wealth nor social standing of my honored brethren.  When my father passed, I took charge of the family farm at a young age.  Sadly, our crops succumbed to blight, and I was forced to seek employment as a fisherman to support my mother and two young siblings.  Truly I have naught to offer your daughter in the way of worldly comforts, my gifts consisting solely of two strong hands, a clever mind, and the skills I acquired resultant to my labors upon land and sea.  It had been my hope to one day reclaim our family’s farm and to thus earn a modest living therefrom.  Should I win your daughter’s hand, we will work hard and retire weary each day, yet grow old knowing the satisfaction of having lived our lives fully and well.”

 

The father carefully regarded each of the three suitors before again speaking.

To the first suitor he said, “Verily you have much to offer my daughter in the way of temporal luxury and comfort.  However your wealth makes you indolent and bereft of ambition and determination.  Your vision is to spoil and pamper this one like a prized goose, which is not the fate I wish for my child.  I should rather she stay unmarried and work here in my stables than grow fat and useless in a life of idle leisure.”

   

To the second suitor he said, “Nor can I entrust my daughter to one who turns and runs in the face of danger.  It is my apprehension that should trouble present itself, as it is wont to do, you would not find within yourself the fortitude, faith, and strength of character to bear the slings and arrows of such misfortune, and would thus turn your back and retreat from the myriad storms which befall a married life.” 

 

Finally, to the poor yet humble fisherman he said, “My son, your courage and determination has not only brought you here to me, but saved this one who was too weak and fearful to save himself.  That you would endanger your own life to save that of your rival further speaks to an innate courage and selflessness which bodes well for the future of my beloved who I hold in highest regard above all else I possess.  Your steadfastness will provide my only daughter not unearned luxury and ease, but a full life of trials and tribulations, hardships and labor, accomplishments and joy.  Behold, brave sir, my daughter’s hand along with all else that I own, is now thine.”