Tales of the Seven Sages

Japanese: 七賢人物語 - しちけんじんものがたり

It is one of the frame stories of the European Middle Ages. Some scholars say it originated in India, but the oldest surviving version is an Arabic work from the 8th century. A prince, entrusted to the care of the Indian sage Sindibad, is called back by his father, the king, who has remarried, and the sage who read his horoscope tells him that his life is in danger if he does not maintain absolute silence for seven days. When the prince returns to the palace, the young new queen approaches him, but he wordlessly rejects her. The queen resents this and confesses to the king that the prince had tried to assault her, and the king orders the prince to be executed, but seven sages appear one after another and tell the parable of ``a man in power who is led astray by blindly believing the words of a woman.''

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

ヨーロッパ中世の枠物語の一つ。インド起源を説く学者もあるが，現存最古のものは8世紀のアラビア語作品である。インドの賢者シンディバッドに託された王子が，再婚した父王に呼び戻されることとなって，星占いをした賢者に，7日間絶対の沈黙を守らぬと命が危ないと告げられる。王宮に戻った王子は若い新女王に言い寄られ無言のままはねつける。これを恨んだ女王は王子が女王に乱暴を働こうとしたと王にざんげんし，王は王子を死刑に処することを命じるが，7人の賢者が次々と出て来て〈女性の言を盲信して誤まる権力者〉のたとえ話を物語る。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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