Le Maître chat ou le Chat botté

Un meunier ne laissa pour tous biens à ses trois enfants qu’un moulin, un âne et un chat. Le partage fut bientôt fait. Ni le notaire ni le procureur ne furent appelés. Ils auraient bientôt mangé tout le pauvre patrimoine.

There was a miller, who left no more estate to the three sons he had, than his Mill, his Ass, and his Cat. The partition was soon made. Neither the scrivener nor attorney were sent for. They would soon have eaten up all the poor patrimony.

L’aîné eut le moulin, le second l’âne, et le plus jeune n’eut que le chat.

The eldest had the Mill, the second the Ass, and the youngest nothing but the Cat.

Le pauvre garçon était bien triste d’avoir un si pauvre lot.

The poor young fellow was quite comfortless at having so poor a lot.

“Mes frères,” disait-il, “pourront gagner leur vie honnêtement en travaillant ensemble ; mais pour moi, quand j’aurai mangé mon chat et que je me serai fait un manchon de sa peau, il faudra que je meure de faim.”

“My brothers,” said he, “may get their living handsomely enough, by joining their stocks together; but for my part, when I have eaten up my Cat, and made me a muff of his skin, I must die with hunger.”

Le chat, qui entendait tout cela, mais qui faisait semblant de ne rien savoir, lui dit d’un air grave et sérieux :

The Cat, who heard all this, but made as if he did not, said to him with a grave and serious air:

“Ne vous affligez point ainsi, mon bon maître ; vous n’avez qu’à me donner un sac et à me faire faire une paire de bottes pour aller dans les broussailles, et vous verrez que vous n’êtes pas si mal partagé que vous le croyez.”

“Do not thus afflict yourself, my good master; you have only to give me a bag, and get a pair of boots made for me, that I may scamper thro’ the dirt and the brambles, and you shall see that you have not so bad a portion of me as you imagine.”

Quoique le maître du chat ne comptât pas beaucoup là-dessus, il l’avait pourtant vu faire tant de tours de souplesse pour prendre des rats et des souris, comme lorsqu’il se pendait par les pieds ou qu’il se cachait dans la farine en faisant le mort, qu’il ne désespéra pas tout à fait d’être secouru dans sa misère.

Tho’ the Cat’s master did not build very much upon what he said, he had however often seen him play a great many cunning tricks to catch rats and mice; as when he used to hang by the heels, or hide himself in the meal, and make as if he were dead; so that he did not altogether despair of his affording him some help in his miserable condition.

Lorsque le chat eut ce qu’il avait demandé, il se botta très bravement et, mettant son sac à son cou, il en tint les cordons avec ses deux pattes de devant et s’en alla dans une garenne où il y avait grand nombre de lapins.

When the Cat had what he asked for, he booted himself very gallantly; and putting his bag about his neck, he held the strings of it in his two fore paws, and went into a warren where was great abundance of rabbits.

Il mit du son et du liseron dans son sac et, s’étendant comme s’il eût été mort, il attendit que quelque jeune lapin, encore peu instruit des ruses du monde, vînt se fourrer dans son sac pour manger ce qu’il y avait mis.

He put bran and sow-thistle into his bag, and stretching himself out at length, as if he had been dead, he waited for some young rabbit, not yet acquainted with the deceits of the world, to come and rummage his bag for what he had put into it.

À peine fut-il couché qu’il eut ce qu’il voulait ; un jeune lapin étourdi entra dans son sac, et le maître Chat, tirant aussitôt les cordons, le prit et le tua sans miséricorde.

Scarce was he lain down, but he had what he wanted; a rash and foolish young rabbit jumped into his bag, and Monsieur Puss, immediately drawing close the strings, took and killed him without pity.

Tout fier de sa proie, il s’en alla au palais et demanda à parler au Roi. On le fit monter aux appartements de Sa Majesté, où, ayant fait une grande révérence, il lui dit :

Proud of his prey, he went with it to the palace, and asked to speak with his Majesty. He was shewed up stairs into the King’s apartment, and, making a low reverence, said to him:

“Voici, Sire, un lapin de garenne que Monsieur le Marquis de Carabas” (c’était le nom qu’il lui prit envie de donner à son maître) “m’a chargé de vous présenter de sa part.”

“I have brought you, sir, a rabbit of the warren which my noble lord the Marquis of Carabas” (for that was the title which Puss was pleased to give his master) “has commanded me to present to your Majesty from him.”