The Young Donkey

Once upon a time there was a king and a queen who were rich and had all they wanted except that they had no children. The queen bewailed this day and night, saying: "I am like a field on which nothing grows. "At last God granted her wish, but when the baby was born it didn't look like a human child: it was a little donkey foal. When its mother saw this she began to weep and wail¹ all all the more, saying: "she would rather have had no child at all than a donkey," and telling the servants to throw it in the river for the fish to eat. But the king said: "No, since God has given it to us it shall be my son and heir, and he shall sit on the royal throne after my death and wear the royal crown." So the baby donkey was reared and grew up, and his ears grew up nice and straight too. But he was a merry little creature, jumping about and playing, and in particular he was very fond of music; so he went to a famous minstrel and said: "Teach me your skill and make me able to play the lute² as well as you." "Oh, my dear little sir," answered the minstrel, "I think you would find that difficult; after all, sir, your fingers are not the right shape, they are much too big, and I'm afraid they'd break the strings³." But the donkey wouldn't take no for an answer-play the lute he would and he must, he was patient and worked hard, and learnt in the end to play as well as his master. One day the young gentleman was pensively⁴ taking a walk and came to a spring, and looking into its clear bright water he saw he was shaped like a donkey. This upset him so much that he set off into the world, taking only one faithful companion with him. They wandered hither and thither⁵: finally they reached a kingdom ruled by an old king who had only one daughter, but she was of great beauty. "We'll stay here," said the donkey. So he knocked at the gate and called out: "A guest has come, open up and let him in." But when they didn't open the gate he sat down, took his lute and played enchanting⁶ music on it with his two forefeet. At this the gatekeeper opened his eyes very wide, and ran to the king and said: "There's a young donkey sitting outside the gate, playing the lute like a past master." "Well, bring the musician in to see me," said the king. But when the minstrel donkey trotted⁷ in, they all burst out laughing at him. They were going to put him downstairs to eat with the servants, but this angered him and he said: "I'm no ordinary ass⁸ from any old stable, I'm of noble birth." So they said: "If that's so, then you can sit among the soldiers." "No," he said, "I want to sit beside the king." The king laughed and said good-humouredly: "Very well, it shall be as you wish, my young donkey; come and sit beside me." Then he asked: "My good young ass, how do you like my daughter?" The donkey turned his head and looked at her, then nodded and said: "Very well indeed, she is more beautiful than any girl I have seen." "Well, then you shall sit next to her," said the king. "That suits me," said the donkey, and he sat by her side and ate and drank and showed very good clean table-manners. When the noble little beast had spent some time at the king's court, he thought: What's the use, I must just ho home again. And he hung his head sadly, went to the king and asked to take his leave. But the king had become fond of him and said: "My dear donkey, what's the matter? You look as sour as a jar of vinegar. Stay with me and I'll give you whatever you want. Do you want gold?" "No," said the donkey and shook his head. "Do you want jewellery and precious things?" "No." "Do you want half of my kingdom?" "Oh no." Then the king said: "if only knew what would content you! Would you like to marry my beautiful daughter?" "Oh yes," said the good spirits, for this was exactly what he had been longing⁹ for. So a great wedding feast was held. That evening, when the bride and bridegroom were in their bedchamber, the king wanted to find out whether the donkey would behave in a gentle and well-bred manner and he ordered a servant to hide in the room. So when they had both entered the bride groom¹⁰ bolted the door, looked about him and thinking that they were all by themselves, suddenly cast off his donkey skin, and there he stood in the form of a handsome young prince. "Now you see who I am," he said to his bride, "and as you see, I was not unworthy of you." Then she was glad and kissed him and loved him with all her heart. But when morning came he jumped out of bed, put on his animal skin again, and no one would ever have guessed what its real wearer looked like. And presently along came the old king. "My word, the donkey's up and about already!" He exclaimed, and said to his daughter: " I suppose you're very sad not to have married a proper man?" "Oh no, father dea4r, I love him as if he were the handsomest of men, and I want to live with him all my life." The king was astonished, but the servant who had hidden in the bedroom came and told him everything. The king said: "That can't possibly be true." "Then keep watch tomorrow night yourself, sir, you will see it with your own eyes. And, my lord, let me tell you something: take away his skin and throw it into the fire, and then I think he will have to show himself in his true shape." "Your advice is good," said the king. And that night when they were asleep, he crept into the room, went over to the bed, and there in the moonlight lay a fine young man, with the cast-off skin on the floor beside him. So he took it away and had a blazing fire lit and the skin thrown into it, and stayed there himself until it was completely burnt to ashes. But he wanted to see what the young man would do now that he had lost his skin, so he stayed awake for the rest of the night and listened at the door. At daybreak, when the young man had slept his fill, he got up and was going to put on his donkey skin, but it was nowhere to be found. at this he took fright and said in great sorrow and alarm. "Now I must make good my escape." But when he opened the door the king was standing¹¹ there and said to him: "My son, what are you thinking of, where are you off to in such a hurry? Stay here! You are such a fine-looking man that I won't let you leave me again. I'll give you half my kingdom now, and after my death you'll get the whole of it." "Then I wish," said the young prince, "that all may end as well as it has begun; I will stay with you, sir." So the old man gave him half the kingdom and when he died a year later the prince got the rest, and another one in addition after the death of his own father; and so he lived happy and glorious.

I. Translation for Reference(参考译文)

小驴儿

从前，有一对国王和王后。他们很富有，想要什么有什么，只是没孩子。王后为了这事，日夜哭泣伤心，说：“我是一块什么也不长的土地。”上帝终于满足了她的心愿，可是，孩子生下来，没有孩子样，是一头小驴。妈妈一看，越发伤心，连哭带喊地说：我宁愿不要孩子，也不要头驴儿。她叫人把小驴儿扔到河里去喂鱼，但是国王说：“不！既然上帝把它给了我们，这头小驴儿就应该是我的儿子，我的继承人。我死了之后，他就应当坐王位，戴王冠。”于是，小驴儿被抚养起来，慢慢长大了，耳朵长得也是又直又好，小驴儿总是快快乐乐的，又蹦又跳，还特别喜欢音乐。小驴儿走到有名的音乐家那里，说：“请你把你的技能教给我吧，让我弹的琵琶和你的一样好听。”音乐家回答说：“不行啊！小殿下！我想你会发觉弹琵琶太难了，你的蹄子太大，我担心你会弹断琴弦。”可是小驴儿不管音乐家怎么解释，还是相信它必须，并且能学会，它耐心，努力地学，终于像老师－－音乐家那样，弹奏得非常好。一天，小驴儿闷闷不乐若有所思地散步，走到了泉水旁边。他往水清如镜的泉水里一看，看见了自己驴子的身影。他非常伤心，就带着一个忠实的奴仆离家出走了。他们四处游荡，后来，来到了一个老国王治理的国家。国王就只有一个女儿，非常漂亮。小驴儿说：“我们就住在这里吧！”小驴儿敲敲门，大声喊起来：“有客人来了。请把门打开，让他进来。”门没开，于是，小驴儿坐下来，拿出琵琶，用两只前脚弹奏动听的音乐。守门人吃惊地瞪大了眼睛，跑到国王那儿，报告说：“门外坐着一头小驴儿，琵琶弹得像音乐家一样好听。”国王说：“那么，你把这位音乐家带进来见我。”小驴儿走进来了，人们一看见他，就爆发出一阵狂笑。他们只让小驴儿坐在下边，和仆人们一起吃饭。小驴儿生气地说：“我不是普普通通的小驴儿，是身份高贵的小驴儿。”于是，人们说：“那么，你就和士兵们坐在一起吃去吧！”“不，我要坐在国王身边。”小驴儿说，国王笑着说：“好啊！如你愿！来，到我身边来，”然后，国王问：“小驴儿，你看我的女儿怎么样？”小驴儿把脑袋转向公主，看了看，点点头说：“真不错！她美极了，我还从没见过这么美丽的姑娘呢！”国王说：“那么，你就坐在我女儿身边去吧！”“我正想这样呢！”小驴儿说着，就坐到了公主身边，又吃有喝，餐桌礼仪处处表现得文雅，高贵。高贵的小驴儿在王宫里呆了很久，心想：这样呆着可不行。我得回家去。小驴儿垂头丧气地走到国王那儿去告别。国王已经开始喜欢小驴儿了，他说：“小驴儿呀，你怎么了？脸色这么难看，留下吧，你想要什么，我给你什么。你想要金子吗？”“不！”小驴儿摇摇头说。你想要宝石和什么贵重的东西吗？”“不！”“你想要我的半个国家吗？”“不，哪里的话。”然后，国王说：“我真想知道，我怎么才能让你满意高兴，你想要我那漂亮懂得女儿做妻子吗？”“是的，那正是我所希望的，”小驴儿说。小驴儿一下子高兴起来。因为，这正是他长期以来的愿望。于是，他们举行了隆重盛大的婚宴。那天晚上，新郎和新娘进了卧房。国王想知道小驴儿是不是那么温雅，体贴，有教养，就派了一个仆人藏在新房里。他们夫妇走进新房，新郎把门插上栓。他向四下看了看，以为只有他们两个人呢，一下子就把驴皮脱了下来，站在那里，变成了一个漂亮的王子。他说：“喂！看看我是谁？明白了吧，我配得上你。”于是，新娘高兴起来，吻了他，真心实意地爱他。可是到了早上，他飞身起了床，又披上了驴皮。没有人猜得到，驴皮里的人是什么样子。这时，老国王走过来，说：“喂！小驴儿已经睡醒了吧！”他大喊着，对女儿说：“我想，你嫁给了一个不合适的人，一定难过吧！”公主说：“不，亲爱的爸爸，他是世界上最俊美的男人，我爱他。我一辈子都和他生活在一起。”国王非常吃惊，那个藏起来的仆人走过来，把他看到的一切告诉了国王。国王说：“这是不可能。”“那么，国王，你今天晚上亲自去看看，就会明白了。国王，你要把那驴皮拿走，扔到火里，我想这样一来，他就必须露出真面目了。”“这是个好主意！”国王说。晚上，人们都睡着了，国王悄悄地溜进了新房，他走到床边，借着月光看见了一个仪表堂堂的年轻人，脱掉的驴皮放在地上。国王拿起驴皮，叫人升起火，把驴皮扔进去烧了，他在旁边看着，一直看到驴皮烧成灰。国王想看看年轻人丢失了驴皮怎么办，后半夜一直没睡，听听有什么动静。早晨，年轻人睡醒了，起床来想穿驴皮，可是，怎么也找不着。他吓得要死，非常难过地说：“哎呀！我只好逃了。”年轻人打开门，国王正站在面前，对年轻人说：“我的孩子，你有心事吗？你这么急急忙忙要到哪儿去？留在我这儿吧！你是个英俊的男子汉，我不会让你离开的，我现在把半个王国给你，我死了后，全留给你。”于是，国王把半个国家给了年轻人。一年后，岳父国王死了。整个国家都归年轻人所有。年轻人的生父死了以后，他又继承了父亲的王位。他过着幸福美满的生活。



 New Words and Expressions 生词和词组

royal adj. 王的,皇室的

throne n. 宝座

pensively adv. 闷闷不乐地

spring n. 泉水

faithful adj. 忠实的

hither and thither adv. 到处

enchanting adj. 令人喜欢的

ass n. 驴

minstrel n. 乐人

bride n. 新娘