Dedicated to Monsieur and Madame Delaquerrière, with text by Armand Silvestre. The Fisherman and the Water Nymph is a miniature symphonic poem in D major. According to mythology, the water nymph would lure fishermen with her beauty and singing. Legends differ as to the fate of the fisherman or sailor: in some versions, the nymph gains or loses her immortality; in others, she falls in love with the mortal and bears his child. The moral of Silvestre’s text suggests that fishermen should beware of the seductive charms of this supernatural creature.

The flowing arpeggios suggest the shimmering movement of water, while lyrical passages evoke the seductive call of the nymph. The drama between the human and supernatural worlds is reflected in the sudden harmonic shifts and virtuosic figurations, which give the music both an alluring and unsettling character. E. & C. 2248.