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| Brave Fisherman អ្នកនេសាទក្លាហាន |
English version
Long ago, in a small, beautiful fishing village by the seashore, there lived a fisherman named Kla. Kla was a simple, gentle, kind-hearted, and hardworking man. Every morning, he said goodbye to his wife, then walked along the beach toward his wooden boat anchored near the shore. He would row out to sea to fish in order to support his family. Although his life was poor, Kla never complained or did anything bad. He believed that working honestly and diligently would bring happiness. Today was no different from other days—he did not catch many fish. Still, he never lost hope.
One day, the sea level rose high and the wind blew much stronger than usual. Many fishermen in the village were afraid to go out to sea, but Kla thought that if he did not fish, his family would have nothing to eat. Therefore, he decided to go fishing even though he knew it was dangerous. He rowed his boat slowly, carefully watching the surface of the water and the sky.
While he was rowing and setting his fishing net, he suddenly saw another boat being battered by the wind and about to sink. An old man was crying out for help. Seeing this, Kla did not hesitate. He quickly rowed toward the sinking boat to help, even though he knew it could endanger his own life. When he reached the boat, Kla grabbed the old man’s hand, pulled him into his own boat, and began rowing back toward shore.
Suddenly, a large, fierce shark appeared and swam after the boat, trying to eat both of them. The old man trembled with fear, but Kla remained calm. He carefully observed the shark’s weak point, then leapt onto its back. The shark panicked and swam wildly around the island, splashing water everywhere. Finally, it crashed onto the shore near a coconut tree. Without delay, Kla jumped off the shark’s back and slammed it against the coconut tree. The coconuts fell, the tree broke, and the cruel shark died.
When they reached the shore, the old man thanked Kla deeply for saving his life. He said,
“Young man, I thank you very much. I have no wealth—only my ten fingers as a sign of my gratitude.”
Kla replied,
“No big deal, grandpa. As humans, we must help one another in times of danger.” Kla even gave the old man some fish to take home for cooking.
As the old man walked home, he stopped under a large tree and revealed his true identity as a sacred spirit ( Ey Sey) . He said, “That young man truly has a kind heart. He dared to risk his own life to help others while many people only care about saving themselves. I will help him live a better life than before.”
The next morning, Kla went out fishing as usual, but to his surprise, the were more fish than ever before. He caught many fish every day. His wife regularly shared some fish with the elderly in the village, and the rest she sold at the local market. Before long, Kla had enough money to build a house and buy a new boat. From that day on, he lived a life of happiness and joy with his family.
Moral
Good deeds are never wasted; we must help one another in times of hardship.
English Meanings
- seashore 🌊: the land next to the sea
- kind-hearted ❤️: very kind and caring
- anchor (v) ⚓: to stop a boat by tying it
- row (v) 🚣: to move a boat using oars
- honestly (adv) 🤝: in a true and fair way
- diligently (adv) 💪: working very hard and carefully
- sink (v) ⬇️🌊: to go down under water
- hesitate (v) 🤔: to stop and think because you are unsure
- fierce (adj) 🦁: very strong, angry, or dangerous
- crash (v) 💥: to hit something very hard
- panic (v) 😱: to feel very scared suddenly
- reveal (v) 🔍: to show something hidden
- observe (v) 👀: to watch carefully
- gratitude (n) 🙏: feeling thankful
- sacred (adj) ✨: very special and holy
Vocabulary
- seashore 🌊 : ឆ្នេរសមុទ្រ
- kind-hearted ❤️ : មានចិត្តល្អ
- anchor (v) ⚓ : ចងយុថ្កា ចតទូក
- row (v) 🚣 : ចែវទូក
- honestly (adv) 🤝 : ដោយស្មោះត្រង់
- diligently (adv) 💪 : ដោយខិតខំប្រឹងប្រែង
- sink (v) ⬇️🌊 : លិច
- hesitate (v) 🤔 : ស្ទាក់ស្ទើរ
- fierce (adj) 🦁 : សាហាវ / កាច
- crash (v) 💥 : បុក / បាក់បែក
- panic (v) 😱 : ភ័យស្លន់ស្លោ
- reveal (v) 🔍 : បង្ហាញ / បើកបង្ហាញ
- observe (v) 👀 : សង្កេត
- gratitude (n) 🙏 : ការដឹងគុណ
- sacred (adj) ✨ : ពិសិដ្ឋ / សក្ការៈ
📄 Vocabulary Worksheet
✏️ Part A: Matching
Match the word (A) with the correct meaning (B).
A. Words
1.seashore 🌊
2.kind-hearted ❤️
3.anchor (v) ⚓
4.row (v) 🚣
5.honestly 🤝
6.diligently 💪
7.sink ⬇️🌊
8.hesitate 🤔
9.fierce 🦁
10.crash 💥
11.panic 😱
12.reveal 🔍
13.observe 👀
14.gratitude 🙏
15.sacred ✨
B. Meanings
A. to watch carefully
B. very special and holy
C. to feel very scared suddenly
D. the land next to the sea
E. to move a boat using oars
F. feeling thankful
G. to hit something very hard
H. very kind and caring
I. to show something hidden
J. working very hard and carefully
K. to stop a boat by tying it
L. to go down under water
M. very strong, angry, or dangerous
N. in a true and fair way
O. to stop and think because you are unsure
👉 Write the correct letter:
1–___ 2–___ 3–___ 4–___ 5–___
6–___ 7–___ 8–___ 9–___ 10–___
11–___ 12–___ 13–___ 14–___ 15–___
✏️ Part B: Fill in the Blanks
Use the words from the box.
(seashore, anchor, row, honestly, diligently, sink, hesitate, fierce, crash, panic, reveal, observe, gratitude, sacred, kind-hearted)
The boat will __________ if it has a hole.
She speaks __________ and tells the truth.
We can see shells on the __________.
The lion is a __________ animal.
Please __________ carefully in science class.
He did his homework __________ every day.
The captain will __________ the boat near the island.
Do not __________—make a decision.
The car may __________ if you drive too fast.
She felt __________ when she lost her child.
Tags
folktales