Aggada -- Translations into English; Bible. Old Testament -- Legends; Jewish legends; Midrash -- Translations into English
Though every species in the animal world was created during the last
two days of the six of creation,[169] yet many characteristics of
certain animals appeared later. Cats and mice, foes now, were friends
originally. Their later enmity had a distinct cause. On one occasion
the mouse appeared before God and spoke: "I and the cat are partners,
but now we have nothing to eat." The Lord answered: "Thou art
intriguing against thy companion, only that thou mayest devour her. As
a punishment, she shall devour thee." Thereupon the mouse: "O Lord of
the world, wherein have I done wrong?" God replied: "O thou unclean
reptile, thou shouldst have been warned by the example of the moon, who
lost a part of her light, because she spake ill of the sun, and what
she lost was given to her opponent.[170] The evil intentions thou didst
harbor against thy companion shall be punished in the same way. Instead
of thy devouring her, she shall devour thee." The mouse: "O Lord of the
world! Shall my whole kind be destroyed?" God: "I will take care that a
remnant of thee is spared." In her rage the mouse bit the cat, and the
cat in turn threw herself upon the mouse, and hacked into her with her
teeth until she lay dead. Since that moment the mouse stands in such
awe of the cat that she does not even attempt to defend herself against
her enemy's attacks, and always keeps herself in hiding.[171] Similarly
dogs and cats maintained a friendly relation to each other, and only
later on became enemies. A dog and a cat were partners, and they shared
with each other whatever they had. It once happened that neither could
find anything to eat for three days. Thereupon the dog proposed that
they dissolve their partnership. The cat should go to Adam, in whose
house there would surely be enough for her to eat, while the dog should
seek his fortune elsewhere. Before they separated, they took an oath
never to go to the same master. The cat took up her abode with Adam,
and she found sufficient mice in his house to satisfy her appetite.
Seeing how useful she was in driving away and extirpating mice, Adam
treated her most kindly. The dog, on the other hand, saw bad times. The
first night after their separation he spent in the cave of the wolf,
who had granted him a night's lodging. At night the dog caught the
sound of steps, and he reported it to his host, who bade him repulse
the intruders. They were wild animals. Little lacked and the dog would
have lost his life. Dismayed, the dog fled from the house of the wolf,
and took refuge with the monkey. But he would not grant him even a
single night's lodging; and the fugitive was forced to appeal to the
hospitality of the sheep. Again the dog heard steps in the middle of
the night. Obeying the bidding of his host, he arose to chase away the
marauders, who turned out to be wolves. The barking of the dog apprised
the wolves of the presence of sheep, so that the dog innocently caused
the sheep's death. Now he had lost his last friend.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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