They tell and retell that there once lived in Palermo a prince who boasted that he could remake the whole world in his own way. Indeed, strange things happened in his palace. He taught his horse to eat meat, his dog chewed hay, and his donkey danced the tarantella, beating the tambourine with his hoof.
But most of all the prince was proud of his cat. Ten scientists in fluffy wigs and black robes spent ten years teaching the prince all the sciences befitting his high rank. And the prince put in even more work than ten scientists in ten years to make the cat forget that he was a cat. When the prince finally achieved what he wanted, he said to his friends:
“Come to my place for dinner tomorrow and you will see that if you really try, you can overcome nature.” My learned cat will prove this to you.
Friends accepted the invitation. One of them, a smart and quick-witted man, thought: “If we are talking about a cat, then it’s not a bad idea to stock up on a mouse just in case!” So he did.
The next day everyone gathered in the main hall of the palace. A sumptuous table was laid there. And in the middle of the table, motionless, like a wooden statue, a learned cat stood on its hind legs and held a lit candle.
When the guests sat down at the table, the servants began to bring in dishes made from meat, game and fish on gilded dishes. Such a delicious smell rose from the dishes that the guests' mouths began to water. And the cat? The cat didn't even move his whiskers. Without moving, he continued to hold the burning candle.
The prince looked around everyone with a triumphant look.
- Well, what did I tell you! - he exclaimed. – Isn’t it true that art is higher than nature!
- Of course, of course! - the delighted guests shouted. Only one of them remained silent. He placed a wide-brimmed hat decorated with feathers next to him and quietly put his mouse under it.
The mouse, feeling free, quickly stuck its sharp muzzle out from under the hat. As soon as the cat saw the mouse, he forgot everything that the prince had taught him with such difficulty. The candle flew to the side, broken glasses clinked, and the cat grabbed the mouse and ran away with it, raising its tail.
So the prince failed not only to transform the whole world, but even the cat’s nature in his own way.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru