Stories/ 子不语/ Thirteen Cats

Thirteen Cats

十三猫同日殉节

SourceZibuyu (What the Master Would Not Discuss)
AuthorYuan Mei
EraQing dynasty · Qianlong 54 (1789)
Writtenc. 1788
MonsterLove
Thirteen cats of different colours circle an open coffin crying with their heads raised while untouched fish and rice sit on the floor
Illustration generated by AI, based on the ancient Chinese text.

The father of Censor Wang of Jiangning had an old concubine, over seventy, who kept thirteen cats. She loved them like sons, and each had a milk-name, and they came when called.

In the fifty-fourth year of the Qianlong reign the old lady died, and the thirteen cats circled the coffin and cried piteously. They were fed fish and rice, and wept and would not eat. Three days without food, and they all died together.

Original classical Chinese text · 原文

乾隆己酉,老奶奶亡,十三猫绕棺哀鸣。喂以鱼飧,流泪不食,饿三日,竟同死。

Complete text of 《十三猫同日殉节》, Zibuyu juan 23 — four sentences, and no comment from Yuan Mei at all.

Source. From Zibuyu (What the Master Would Not Discuss) (子不语), by Yuan Mei , c. 1788. The original text is in the public domain; this English rendering and the accompanying notes are original work.

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