A blind ass¹, which had undertaken a long journey, wandered from the road into a forest. As the night came on, our foolish fellow went so far into the thicket²（灌木丛） that it couldn't move either backward or forward; and even one who had eyes would have been unable to get out of that difficulty. But an owl³, by good luck, happened to be in the neighbourhood, and offered to act as a guide to the ass.

 

We all know how well owls⁴ see at night. Hills, hillocks, ditches, precipices⁵（悬崖） - all these our owl distinguished⁶ as if it had been daylight, and, by daybreak, it had made its way with the ass to the level road. Now, how could any one part with such a guide? So the ass entreated⁷（恳求） the owl not to desert it, and de termined to visit the whole world in the owl's company.  

 

Our owl seated itself like a lord on the back of the ass, and the two friends began to continue their journey, But did it prosper⁸? No. The sun had scarcely begun to glow in the morning sky, when a greater than nocturnal（夜的） darkness did everything from the owl's eyes, But our owl is obstinate⁹（顽固的）, it directs the ass at random¹⁰.

 

"Take care!" it cries, "We shall tumble into a pool, if we go to the right."

 

There was really no pool on the right, but on the left there was even worse.

 

"Keep more to the left-another pace to the left!"

 

And, the owl and the ass fell into the ravine（山涧，峡谷） together.

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