English Original
The gods once disputed whether a living being could change its nature. Jupiter said "Yes," but Venus said "No." To settle the argument, Jupiter transformed a cat into a maiden and gave her to a young man as his wife.
The wedding took place, and the couple sat down to the feast. "See," Jupiter said to Venus, "how gracefully she behaves. Who could tell she was a cat just yesterday? Surely her nature has changed?"
"Wait a moment," Venus replied, and released a mouse into the room. The moment the bride saw it, she leaped from her seat and tried to pounce on the mouse.
"Ah, you see," said Venus, "Nature will out."
中文翻译
众神曾争论一个生灵能否改变其本性。朱庇特说“能”，维纳斯说“不能”。为了解决争论，朱庇特将一只猫变成了一位少女，并把她许配给一位年轻人为妻。
婚礼如期举行，新人入席参加婚宴。朱庇特对维纳斯说：“看，她举止多么得体。谁能想到昨天她还只是一只猫？她的本性肯定已经改变了吧？”
“稍等片刻，”维纳斯答道，随即往房间里放出了一只老鼠。新娘一看到老鼠，立刻从座位上跳起来，试图猛扑过去。
“啊，你看，”维纳斯说，“本性难移。”