English Original
Once upon a time, there lived a rich King and Queen who had everything but a child. The Queen lamented day and night. At last, God granted her wish, but the child born was not human—it was a little donkey.
The Queen was horrified and wanted to drown it, but the King insisted, "Since God sent him, he shall be my son and heir." So the donkey was raised as a prince.
He grew up cheerful and loved music. Determined to learn the lute, he sought out a celebrated musician. Despite the musician's doubts about the donkey's large fingers, the donkey persevered and mastered the instrument.
One day, seeing his reflection in a well, the donkey was distressed by his form. He left home with one companion and traveled to a distant kingdom ruled by an old King with a beautiful daughter.
At the castle gate, the donkey played his lute enchantingly. The astonished doorkeeper reported to the King, who invited the musician in. Everyone laughed when a donkey entered. The donkey refused to dine with servants or soldiers, insisting on sitting by the King. Amused, the King agreed.
The King asked how the donkey liked his daughter. "I like her above measure," the donkey replied. The King then seated him next to the princess. The donkey behaved with perfect manners.
After a long stay, the donkey grew sad and asked to leave. The King, fond of him, offered gold, jewels, and half his kingdom, but the donkey refused all. Finally, the King asked, "Wilt thou have my pretty daughter to wife?" "Ah, yes!" exclaimed the donkey, becoming instantly happy.
A splendid wedding was held. That night, alone with his bride, the bridegroom threw off his donkey skin, revealing himself as a handsome royal youth. "Now thou seest who I am," he said. The princess was delighted and loved him dearly. At dawn, he put the skin back on.
The next morning, the King asked his daughter if she was sad to have a donkey for a husband. "Oh, no," she said, "I love him as if he were the handsomest man alive." A servant who had hidden in the room revealed the secret. Skeptical, the King decided to see for himself the next night.
While the couple slept, the King stole in, saw the youth, took the donkey skin, and burned it to ashes. He stayed awake to watch. In the morning, the youth discovered his skin was gone and was filled with grief, planning to escape.
As he tried to leave, the King stopped him. "Stay, my son," he said. "Thou art a handsome man. I will give thee half my kingdom now, and all of it after my death." The youth agreed to stay. A year later, the old King died, and the youth inherited the kingdom. Later, he also inherited his father's kingdom and lived in magnificence.
中文翻译
从前，有一位富有的国王和王后，他们拥有一切，唯独没有孩子。王后日夜哀叹。终于，上帝实现了她的愿望，但生下的孩子不是人类——而是一头小驴。
王后惊恐万分，想淹死它，但国王坚持说：“既然是上帝送来的，他就是我的儿子和继承人。”于是，驴被当作王子抚养长大。
他性格开朗，热爱音乐。他决心学习琵琶，于是找到一位著名的音乐家。尽管音乐家怀疑驴的大手指不适合弹奏，但驴坚持不懈，最终精通了这门乐器。
一天，驴在井中看到自己的倒影，对自己的外形感到痛苦。他带着一个忠实的伙伴离开家，游历到一个遥远的王国，那里由一位老国王统治，他有一位美丽非凡的独生女。
在城堡门口，驴用前蹄美妙地弹奏琵琶。惊讶的看门人报告了国王，国王邀请音乐家进来。当一头驴走进来时，所有人都笑了。驴拒绝与仆人或士兵一起用餐，坚持要坐在国王身边。国王觉得有趣，便同意了。
国王问驴觉得他的女儿怎么样。“我非常喜欢她，”驴回答。国王于是让他坐在公主旁边。驴举止优雅得体。
住了很长一段时间后，驴变得悲伤，请求离开。国王很喜欢他，提出给他金子、珠宝和半个王国，但驴都拒绝了。最后，国王问：“你愿意娶我美丽的女儿为妻吗？”“啊，愿意！”驴喊道，立刻变得快乐起来。
一场盛大辉煌的婚礼举行了。那天晚上，和新娘独处时，新郎脱下了驴皮，显露出他本是一位英俊的皇家青年。“现在你看到我是谁了，”他说。公主很高兴，深深地爱上了他。黎明时分，他又穿上了驴皮。
第二天早上，国王问女儿是否因为嫁给一头驴而难过。“哦，不，”她说，“我爱他，就好像他是世界上最英俊的男人一样。”一个藏在房间里的仆人揭露了这个秘密。国王将信将疑，决定第二天晚上亲自去看看。
趁这对夫妇睡着时，国王偷偷进去，看到了那位青年，拿走了驴皮，并将其烧成灰烬。他彻夜未眠地观察着。早上，青年发现驴皮不见了，满心悲伤，计划逃跑。
当他试图离开时，国王拦住了他。“留下来，我的儿子，”他说，“你是如此英俊。我现在就给你半个王国，我死后整个王国都归你。”青年同意留下。一年后，老国王去世，青年继承了王国。后来，他还继承了父亲的王国，过着辉煌的生活。