The Wise Three Year Old Boy
A womanizing lord propositions the mother of a three year old boy, and she agrees to do what he wishes. He comes to her home, and she tells him to forestall their tryst while she feeds her son. Impatient, the man tells her to feed her son after they have done what he wants. If you knew how wise he is, the woman retorts, you wouldn't say such a thing! She cooks some rice for boy, and puts a small spoonfull in front of the child. The boy weeps and demands more, and as she gives him more and more food, he continues crying. He then turns to the lord, and says that he has never seen anyone as foolish. Astonished, the lord asks what he means, and the boy explains that his weeping and wailing is all to a purpose - so that he gets more food, because it makes him feel better, etc. - and hurts no one. But the lord, who travels the world just to fornicate with strange women, leaving his home and family behind, is actively harming himself and his soul. The lord, hearing this wisdom, embraces the child, and repents his actions.
(From Libro de los Engaños)
| Note |
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This story is sometimes referred to as 'Puer 4 annorum', when the child is four years old rather than three (in e.g. the Libro de los Engaños). It is one of a pair of 'wise child' narratives, together with Puer 5 annorum. Both focus on the remarkable wisdom of extraordinary young children, on children's appetites, and on matters of justice. Nishimura notes some relevant references and motifs: Motif: TMI J122.1 Seducer about to seduce mother of child refrains. Reference Stories: see Kathasaritsagara, chapter 124, ‘171G. Muladeva and the Brahman’s Daughter’; Kokon Chomonju, 16.25.47 ‘The servant recommends his mother to the lord Suo’; Kamasutra, 5.1 (40). Bibliography: Chauvin VIII27, Landau 21. |
| Critical Literature |
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| Nishimura (2001), Clouston (1884), Comparetti (1869), Orazi (2006) |
| Puer 3 annorum appears in the following versions and secondary versions |
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| Puer 3 annorum is narrated in the following occurrences | ||||
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| Puer 3 annorum appears in the following manuscripts |
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