活了一百萬次的貓

by Yoko Sano, 佐野洋子, 張伯翔 (Translator)

這隻活了一百萬次、威風凜凜的虎斑貓，先是陪國王打仗的貓，曾經跟隨水手航海的貓，魔術師表演的道具貓，也是陪伴小女孩的貓……不管牠是誰的貓，不管牠的主人多麼愛牠，但牠卻活得渾渾噩噩，都不知道自己為什麼而活，因為牠是不自由的。在牠生生死死的生命歷程裡，這隻無奈又漠然的貓，經歷了許多種荒謬、意外、不同的死法，不管虎斑貓的主人們在牠死時多麼傷心欲絕，貓始終不快樂，牠從未掉下一滴眼淚。因為，牠感受不到被愛與被尊重，也不懂得怎樣去愛別人。

直到有一天，牠變成了一隻誰都不屬於、只屬於自己的貓。
牠又神氣又快活，有很多傾慕者，但牠的眼裡永遠只有自己、沒有別人。有一天，牠遇到了一隻美麗不語的白貓，牠動了心，不知不覺地愛上了這一隻白貓；為了和白貓做朋友，牠開始留意對方的喜好，開始關心對方感興趣的事物，虎斑貓的生命不一樣了，牠有了愛與被愛的體驗，牠頭一次知道為什麼而活了。當牠面對白貓死亡的時候，牠寧願死去，因為對牠來說，沒有了愛，再渾渾噩噩地活一百萬次又有什麼意義呢！

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Fiction, Japanese Literature, Japan, Comics, Animals

32 pages, Unknown Binding

First published October 20, 1977

Reviews

[Manny · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you were concerned about The Big Ugly Monster and the Little Stone Rabbit , you'll be even more worried by this book. I must admit that I haven't yet tried reading it to a two year old, but here's my artist's impression of how it might play out:

ME: So what are we going to read tonight? How about the cat book?

KID: Cat who lived a million times!!!

ME: Okay. So there was this cat, a great, tiger-striped cat, and how many times did he live?

KID: Million times!

ME: He did! And when he died, what did people do?

KID: They cried!

ME: They did. But did the cat cry?

KID: No!

ME: That's right, he never cried. So let's see what happened. Who is he in this life?

KID: He's a king's cat.

ME: That's right! And they go off to fight a war. What happens to the cat?

KID: Arrow hits him.

ME: Poor cat! The arrow kills him. And what does the king do?

KID: He cries.

ME: He does. He goes home and buries the cat in the castle garden and he cries and cries. Now who is he in the next life?

KID: He's a sailor's cat.

ME: That's right! And he sails around the world in the sailor's ship. But now what happens to the cat?

KID: He falls in the water.

ME: Poor cat! The sailor fishes him out, but he's drowned. So what does he do?

KID: He cries. And he buries the cat under the tree.

ME: That's right! He buries the cat under the tree in a far-away port.

(... several lives later ...)

ME: Now who is the cat this time?

KID: He's a stray cat.

ME: That's right! He can do what he wants. He thinks he's so important because he's lived a million times. Now who's he met here?

KID: A white girl cat.

ME: He thinks the white girl cat is so pretty! But she isn't interested. How does he feel?

KID: He's sad.

ME: He is! He keeps on telling her how clever he is. Is she interested?

KID: No!

ME: That's right! She isn't interested because he only thinks about himself. But now he asks the white cat if she wants to marry him. What does she say?

KID: Yes!

ME: She says she will marry him! He's so happy. They have lots of cute kittens. The cat loves the white cat and the kittens very much. But one day what happens?

KID: White cat is dead.

ME: The white cat is dead. She was very old. What does the cat do now?

KID: He cries.

ME: That's right. He is so sad the white cat is dead, and he cries and cries for three days. And now what's happened?

KID: Cat is dead.

ME: Yes, he's dead too. And does the cat come back again?

KID: No.

ME: Why not?

KID: Because it's the end of the story.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

با اجازه اساتید و صاحب‌نظران حوزه کتاب کودک و ترجمه و اینا، به نظرم این‌یکی واقعا کتاب کودک نبود.
نمیتونم متوجه این بشم که ژاپنی‌ها چه سنی رو مناسب این میدونن که با نقاشی‌های دارک موضوع مرگ و زندگی رو به این بروتالی به بچه‌هاشون یاد بدن.
با تشکر از مائده که نه تنها کتاب رو معرفی کرده بود بلکه ترجمه‌اش رو هم در دسترس قرار داده بود. (متن انگلیسی رو گذاشتم کنار کتاب اصلی و پیش بردمش.)

[Maede · Rating 4 out of 5]

این دیگه چی بود؟

هر موقع به سمت ادبیات کودک آسیای شرقی میرم واقعاً شگفت‌زده میشم! این کتاب از نویسنده‌ی ژاپنی «یاکو سانو» هم می‌تونه در لیست کتاب‌های عجیب و غریب کودک پادشاهی کنه

داستان بر اساس فلسفه‌ی بودایی رسیدن به نیروانا نوشته شده. هدف مکتب بودا رسیدن به نیروانا و رهایی از چرخه‌ی دردناک تولد و مرگه. گربه‌ی این داستان‌ها بارها و بارها متولد میشه، زندگی‌های مختلفی رو تجربه می‌کنه و می‌میره. شخصیت گربه به طور واضحی خودخواه، ناراضی و ناآرامه. چیزی که هربار می‌میره از نیروانا دور نگهش می‌داره و باعث میشه مجدد در زندگی‌ای که دوست نداره متولد بشه

یک‌بار گربه‌ی یک دزد میشه، بار دیگر گربه‌ی زنی پیر و حتی در یکی از زندگی‌هاش با شعبده‌بازی در سیرک زندگی می‌کنه. در بسیاری از این زندگی‌ها گربه مرگ‌های بسیار بدی رو تجربه می‌کنه و با درد می‌میره. تا روزی که بالاخره یک گربه‌ی خیابونی و آزاد میشه و اینجاست که تازه برای اولین‌بار بعد از یک میلیون زندگی،‌ «زندگی» رو تجربه می‌کنه

این روزها دوباره خیلی به مرگ فکر می‌کنم. شاید هر روز. بیشتر از مفهوم مرگ برای خودم به مرگ عزیزانم فکر می‌کنم و گاهی واقعاً فلجم می‌کنه. برای همین با دیدن تصویر آب‌رنگی بسیار زشت دو تا مانده به آخر کتاب گلوم رو انگار یک سنگ بزرگ بست. کتاب عجیبیه. اصلاً نقاشی‌های زیبایی نداره و داستانش سیاه و جدیه. اما اثرش روی من انکارناپذیر بود

من کتاب رو از روی نسخه‌ی چینی با گوگل ترنسلیت خوندم‌. اما نسخه‌ای از داستان رو که از ژاپنی به انگلیسی ترجمه شده رو توی کانال می‌گذارم

کتاب رو می‌تونید از اینجا دانلود کنید
Maede's Books

۱۴۰۳/۹/۵

[Dream.M · Rating 3 out of 5]

پس نتیجه میگیریم: فقط وقتی واقعا زندگی کردیم که عاشق کسی غیر از خودمون باشیم.

[Junta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend I met through Goodreads, Manny, is in the early stages of working on the development of a language learning tool called LARA (Learning and Reading Assistant), with which language learners can, for example, read the text of books in their target languages which have been marked up with magical things like a native speaker's spoken audio recording, or a translation into their own native language. Pretty cool idea, right?

I had the fortune of helping out with Manny's favourite children's book in Japanese, Hyakumankai ikita neko, or The Cat Who Lived a Million Times. If you want to hear me read out endearing phrases such as
'One day, the cat was hit by a flying arrow, and died.' or
'One day, the cat was mauled to death by a dog,' go here.

You can find an English translation of this lovely little story in one of the top reviews of this book.

LARA currently has text content in English, Farsi, Icelandic, Japanese, Latin and Russian.
https://www.unige.ch/callector/lara-c...
The aim of the project moving forward is to have people create their own content—crowdsourced, online learning tools in a kind of social network. I think the idea is wonderful, and hope many more people will get on board on either side of LARA—as learners, and as creators. If you're interested in contributing as a creator, say, if you have a book or story in your native language that you've always wanted to share with more people, please get in touch with Manny.




20 March, 2019

[Flo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following this week's journey through more books on Buddhism and short stories apparently for children but more appropriate for adults who may have a bad memory, I read this famous story about a cat that lived many times without caring for the people around him and becoming more arrogant after each rebirth, until he learned to love someone besides himself. Having found freedom and love, he could finally rest. It's a touching tale and the book is beautifully illustrated.



I know that look, cat. That's me when I have to deal with people who can't talk without hugs in the middle of a sentence. I'd like some distance, human.

No Nirvana for me.


July 14, 19
* Later on my blog.

[Toshio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's the translated text from the book:


The Cat Who Lived a Million Times



There was a cat who could live for a million years.
He died a million times, and lived a million times.
He was a great tiger-striped cat.
A million people adored the cat,
And a million people cried when that cat died.
The cat never cried, not even once.

Once, the cat was a king's cat.
The cat hated the king.
The king was great at war, and was always at war.
And, he put the cat in a magnificent cage,
And took him out to war.
One day, the cat was hit by a flying arrow, and died.
The king embraced the cat and wailed during the battle.
The king stopped the war and returned to his castle.
And, he buried the cat in the castle's garden.

Once, the cat was a sailor's cat.
The cat hated the seas.
The sailor took the cat to all the seas of the world,
And all the ports of the world.
One day, the cat fell off the boat.
The cat could not swim.
The sailor hurriedly scooped up the cat with his net,
But the cat was soaked and dead.
The sailor embraced the cat which was now like a wet rag,
And wailed in a loud voice.
And, he buried the cat under the tree
In a park in a far-away port.

Once, the cat was the cat of a magician in a circus.
The cat hated the circus.
The magician put the cat inside a box every day,
And cut him in half with a saw.
Then, he removed the cat, still in one piece,
Out of the box to receive his applause.
One day, the magician made a mistake,
And really cut the cat in half.
The magician wailed in a loud voice,
Holding the two parts of the cat in each hand.
Nobody applauded him.
The magician then buried the cat behind the circus tent.

Once, the cat was a burglar's cat.
The cat hated burglars.
The burglar walked quietly through the dark town with the cat,
Just like a cat.
The burglar robbed only houses with dogs.
While the dog was barking at the cat,
The burglar opened the safes.
One day, the cat was bitten to death by the dog.
The burglar embraced the cat with the diamonds he stole,
And walked through the night town wailing in a loud voice.
Then, he went home and buried the cat in a small yard.

Once, the cat was the cat of a lonely grandmother.
The cat hated grandmothers.
The grandmother looked outside every day from a small window,
Holding the cat in her arms.
The cat was asleep all day on top of the grandmother's lap.
Time passed, and the cat died of old age.
The frail grandmother embraced the frail dead cat,
And cried all day.
The grandmother buried the cat under a tree in the yard.

Once, the cat was a little girl's cat.
The cat hated children.
The girl piggy-backed the cat, and slept clutching the cat.
When she cried, she wiped her tears on the cat's back.
One day atop the girl's back,
The holster to keep the cat secure wound around his neck,
And the cat died.
Holding the cat with the dangly neck, the girl cried all day.
And, she buried the cat under a tree in the yard.

The cat had no fear of dying.

Once, the cat wasn't anyone's cat.
He was a stray cat.
The cat was able to be his own cat for the first time.
The cat loved himself.
Since he was a great tiger-striped cat,
He became a great stray cat.

All the female cats wanted to be the cat's wife.
There were cats that gave him huge fish.
Others gave him premium mice.
Some cats brought rare catnip as a gift.
Other cats licked his tiger fur for him.
The cat said to all of them—
"I've died a million times! This is so ridiculous now!"
The cat loved himself more than anyone else.

(continued in the comment below)

[Valkyrie Vu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muốn hét lên một câu : BÌA CỦA NHÃ NAM LÀM ĐẸP MÊ TƠI CUỐNG CUỒNG . Thật muốn sưu tầm một kho tàng picture book như vầy để mốt đọc cho con , từ giờ đến lúc đó tự đọc cũng được ahihi .

Well chuyện về chú mèo triệu kiếp thì có lẽ đã quen thuộc quá rồi . Chú mèo kiêu ngạo , yêu bản thân mình hơn tất thảy , sống qua một triệu kiếp , được yêu thương và khóc than bởi rất nhiều người khi chú chết đi nhưng chú vẫn không khóc lấy một lần. Cho tới khi chú yêu một nàng mèo trắng hơn chính bản thân mình . Chú ra đi bên nàng và ko bao giờ tái sinh nữa . Câu chuyện chỉ đơn giản có vậy nhưng mình thấy xúc động . Và buồn . Chả hiểu tại sao , chắc tại mình tánh kỳ :))

[Chantal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely watercolor art about a cat with a million lives. I liked this story, at first I had to get into the story, but then I loved it. I found the end rather sad, but that is life.

This book is in the 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up challenge I am doing.

[tig :3]

oh i’m sobbing!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was originally published in Japanese and is in fact in its 56th printing. This is the first time that it has been translated into English. It has been recommended by the Japanese National Committee for Children's Welfare.

It is a wonderful story about a cat with many lives, being born again and again to owners that he doesn't like and he is also fairly arrogant, until he meets a little white cat......

The illustrations are done in watercolor and are just beautiful.

[Harir Heidary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Loved it. I just loved it and can't say anything else.

[Amanda Artist Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully crafted story, much deeper than the colourful pictures let on.
A cat lived and died a million times, was loved dearly by someone a million times, and every time someone wept for his death, but never once did the cat weep...😿
(The rest you'll have to read for yourself.)

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

My god this book is fucked up. The first half describes all the gruesome deaths this mean, ungrateful cat goes through (which include strangling, getting cut in half and being bitten to death by a dog) and how heartbroken all his owners were, and the second half talks about how he falls in love with this personality-free white cat and settles down and has kids and then she dies and he cries for three days straight and then lies down next to her and dies, too. And is never reincarnated again, presumably because he's learned his lesson about loving someone other than himself, yadda yadda yadda.

Basically, this is not a book I would read to actual children unless I wanted to inflict lasting psychic pain on them.

[Thương · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nghe "Bên bờ hồ Baikal" rồi đọc chuyện con mèo thấy muốn đập đầu vô gối vì chơi ngu tự ngược đãi tâm trạng trong một tối Chủ Nhật xinh đẹp ;_;

[Javier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pequeña historia acerca de, como puede adivinarse, un gato que ha vivido (y muerto) un millón de veces. Podría tomarse como un simbolismo para el camino que lleva por el Samsara al Nirvana.
Tal vez no sea la lectura más apropiada para niños pequeños; al menos para aquellos con una crianza occidental. Al fin y al cabo, como bien señalaba Miguel Serrano, los hindúes encarnan 5000 veces; los de este lado del mundo, solo una.

[Setsuna · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A book for not only children but also adults"-a line written in the Japanese picture book of The Cat That Lived a Million Times in the comment and review section. This book is touching, depressing, but heart warming at the same time. It shows cruelness and bittersweetness at the same time. One of my favorite books, it makes one think about life. Sano Yoko is truly a gifted author.

[เฟย · Rating 5 out of 5]

เรื่องของแมวน้อยตัวหนึ่ง ที่เกิดมาแล้ว 100 หมื่นชาติ แต่มันไม่เคยพอใจเจ้านายคนไหนของมันเลย
นิทานเด็กว่าด้วยปรัชญาเรื่องความรัก ที่ผู้ใหญ่หลายคนอ่านแล้วน้ำตาซึม
อ่านจบทำให้เห็นคุณค่าของตัวเองเมื่อมีความรัก

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous translation of a wonderful Buddhist Japanese children's story.

[Ruby Tombstone Lives! · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read a hardcopy of this but a kind reader, Toshio, provided a beautiful English translation in his review here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I'm still sobbing.

[Lê Tuyền ICHI · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cười lăn lộn với câu chuyện ngắn...rồi chợt lặng lại với đoạn cuối.
Câu chuyện cực ngắn, mà chiều sâu khôn kể.

Con mèo đã từng sống một triệu lần, cũng từng chết một triệu lần.
Mèo ghét cay ghét đắng những người chủ, dù là vị vua, chủ rạp xiếc, bà cụ, bé gái... Tất cả đều khóc rống lên trước cái chết của mèo, và họ chôn mèo trong một góc nhỏ của khu vườn.

Một ngày kia, mèo gặp mèo trắng, mèo không còn nói "Ta đã từng chết một triệu lần". Mèo muốn ở bên cạnh mèo trắng. Những đứa con nhỏ xinh ra đời, chúng lần lượt khôn lớn và rời đi. Mèo có một kiếp sống trọn.

Mèo trắng chết, mèo đã khóc một triệu lần,...

"Trời sáng, rồi lại tối, mèo cứ khóc mãi, cho đến một hôm mèo không còn khóc nữa."

...và

"Mèo đã yên nghỉ bên cạnh mèo trắng."

"Mèo không bao giờ còn sống lại một lần nào nữa."

Thật đẹp và sâu sắc <3

[HsiaoTing · Rating 4 out of 5]

哼哼別以為我不知道你在宣揚結婚生子人生才完整的狗屁理論哼哼

[Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple y bello.

[Anomaly]

I read the English translation of this through Toshio's review, and based on what I've read of the story in general it seems to be accurate. I'd have loved to read the book and experience the pictures, but good luck finding the English version anywhere and I am a sad little monolingual carrot. (Why a carrot? Why not?!)

This story popped up on my radar when I finally tracked down the story Spike recounts in the finale of Cowboy Bebop. I'd known for years it was based on something from the real world, but back in the day I didn't have access to half as many research methods. (How did we survive in our isolated little bubbles of ignorance in the early 2000s and prior? I can barely remember how it felt, yet a majority of my life was spent with little internet access.) It slipped from my mind, then scurried back during my most recent rewatch... and now here I am.

I'm not sure how I feel about this story. There are so many ways to take it, from the cat being ungrateful to the cat being agitated with a lack of freedom and sick of dealing with negligent owners. His beautiful female cat is so bland and indifferent to him, yet she's what makes him happy. Maybe it's a statement about how true happiness isn't what others perceive but rather having what the heart truly desires. Or maybe it's just about a cat who, as Spike says: "died a million deaths, revived, and lived a million lives."

Either way, I found it interesting. But no star rating, since I didn't read the official English translation so I can't exactly "grade" the contents of this particular book.

[Mimona Masarwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, I thought it was an ordinary short story for kids, but at the end it was sad plus it does have a good storyline for a short story!
loved the illustration pictures in the book, they were beautifully done:)

[Atisak Chuengpattanawadee · Rating 5 out of 5]

หนึ่งในนิทานภาพที่เปลี่ยนตวามเข้าใจในนิทานภาพของเราไปตลอดกาล
เนื้อหาลึกซึ้ง เศร้า และอิ่มเอม
เป็นนิทานภาพที่บอกเล่าถึงความรัก ความตาย. การเวียนว่ายตายเกิด และความสิ้นสุด!!!
อ่านแล้วมีน้ำตารื้น

[Khue Dinh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Đọc cái này với Hà ở đường sách.

[Oscar Ho · Rating 4 out of 5]

To live is to love.

[Kimiya Safaei · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe whatever made for children has a deeper meaning found only by adults,and if they learn them there is no way better for a child to learn and observe that good behavior in their parents.
Here is a good example of power of love,no better lesson for anyone in the whole universe than to love truely.

[Mackenzie B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t read after dark… I am SOBBING!!!!