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A dancing cat

(Japanese classical stories)

Translation　ちいさな翻訳屋さん

Japanese  ・ English　・　Japanese＆English

　A long time ago, there lived an old woman who played the Shamisen and loved her cat.

　One day, she came up with an idea to teach how to dance to her cat.

 She set an iron pot on the fireplace and let the cat sit in the pot.

　Then she put a bit of charcoal fire in the fireplace and heated the iron pot not until the cat burnt her foot.

 As the pot got hotter, the cat stood up despite herself,

　and immediately started to move her hands and legs as if she danced to the Shamisen music that the old woman began to play.

“Yes, you are good. Very good.”

　When the cat raised her hand, the old woman strummed the Shamisen. When the cat jumped, the old woman plunked, and when the cat lowered her hands and foot,

　the old woman thrummed very well.

　As they practiced little by little, the cat finally remembered the melody of the Shamisen,

　and the cat could dance by herself without being in the iron pot.

　Also the cat sang along the melody.

　♪Meow, mew, meow.

　It was so pretty.

　The reputation of this dancing cat was soon spread,

　and people asked to show the dance of the cat from all over the place.

　♪ ping, ping, pong, pop

　♪ Mew, meow, meow.

　However, because the cats danced so well, some people got jealous and started to say,

“The cat is a monster.”

　Since then, the old woman stopped to show the cat dancing, just enjoyed herself.

The end

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