Puss in Boots - Puss in Boots (English)

A Perrault fairy tale written in prose. The miller's third son, who inherited only a kitten from his parents, lamented his misfortune. However, the kitten was very clever, and after the father made the kitten a "pair of boots that could be worn in the bushes," the kitten put on the cat and became a hero, eventually marrying the young man to the princess. The moral at the end of the book is written as follows: "For a young man, worldly skills and negotiating skills are usually more useful than any inherited fortune," and "That the miller's son was able to capture the princess's heart so quickly and gaze upon her with lovesick eyes is proof that clothing, face, and youth are not irrelevant means of inspiring love" (translated by Akiko Niikura).

[Kubota Haniya]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

散文で書かれたペロー童話の一編。親の遺産として小猫一匹しかもらえなかった粉ひきの三男坊は、わが身の不運を嘆いた。しかし、この小猫は非常に賢く、「やぶの中に入れるような長靴を一足」つくってやると、これを履いて大活躍、ついに、この若者を王女の婿にしてしまう話。巻末の教訓には、「ふつう若者にとって、／世渡りの術とかけひき上手が／もらった財産より役に立つ」「粉ひきの息子が、これほど早く、／王女さまの心をとらえ、／恋わずらいの目でみつめられたからには、／衣裳(いしょう)や顔かたちや若さが、／恋心を吹きこむのに、／無関係な手段ではない証拠」（新倉朗子訳）と記されている。

［窪田般彌］

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