Once a mouse couple settled in a barn and lived happily ever after. They had plenty of everything: rice, wheat, millet, and beans. There were only children missing. They began to ask the gods, and then a mouse-girl was born to them. She grew up and turned into a mouse of dazzling beauty. In the entire mouse kingdom of Japan there was no more beautiful bride. Her parents began to look for her groom, but who knows! Will you find a mate for such a beauty among the mice?
“Our daughter is the first beauty in Japan,” reasoned the father and mother. “So she needs to find the best groom.”
They thought and thought about who was the best, the most powerful in the world, and decided that it was the sun. It lives high in the sky and illuminates the entire earthly world.
The father and mother took their daughter with them and went to heaven. They come to the sun, bow low and say:
- Oh the sun! You are the most powerful. We ask you to take our daughter as your wife.
The sun smiled welcomingly and answered:
- Thank you for the offer, only there is another groom in the world, he is more powerful than me.
“More powerful than you?” the father was surprised. -Who is this?
- Cloud! - the sun answers. “No matter how hard I try to shine, I can’t break through the cloud.”
- That's it! There is nothing to do, the father of the mouse sent his wife and daughter home, and he himself went to the cloud. He comes and says:
- Cloud! You are the most powerful thing in the world. Please take our daughter as your wife!
- Thank you for the offer. Only there is another groom in the world, he is more powerful than me.
-More powerful than you? - the father was surprised. -Who is this?
- Wind! - the cloud answers. “He blows and drives me wherever he wants.”
- That's it!
The mouse's father shook his head and went into the wind. He comes and says:
- Oh the wind! You are the most powerful in the world! We ask you, take our daughter as your wife!
- Thank you for the offer. Only there is another groom in the world, he is more powerful than me.
-More powerful than you? - the father was surprised. - Who is this?
- Wall! - the wind answers. “No matter how much I blow, I can’t knock it over.”
- That's it!
The father scratched the mouse behind the ear and slowly walked towards the wall.
He comes and says:
- Oh wall! You are the most powerful in the world! We ask you, take our daughter as your wife!
- Thank you for the offer. Only there is another groom in the world, he is more powerful than me.
-More powerful than you? - the father was surprised. -Who is this?
- Yes, any mouse! - the wall answers. - No matter how strong I am, mice freely gnaw their holes in me. I can't do anything about them.
- That's it! - exclaimed the mouse's father, this time even more amazed. He clapped his hands with pleasure and said, “How come I didn’t notice before that we are the most powerful beings in the world.” Well, thank you, wall. And with a proud look he went home. Soon the parents gave their daughter in marriage to a neighboring mouse. The young people lived together happily and happily. They revered their parents, and they had many children, so the mouse family in the barn is still thriving and long live.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru