English Original
A man owned an ass and a lovely lapdog.
The ass lived in a stable with plenty of oats and hay to eat, just like any other ass. The lapdog, however, knew many tricks and was a great favorite of his master.
The master seldom went out to dine or sup without bringing back a treat for the dog, who would jump about him pleasantly. The ass, on the contrary, had much work to do: grinding corn at the mill, carrying wood from the forest, or hauling burdens from the farm. He often complained about his hard fate, contrasting it with the lapdog's life of luxury and idleness.
Finally, one day, the ass broke his chain and ran into his master's house. He kicked up his heels and jumped about as best he could. Next, he tried to jump around his master as he had seen the lapdog do, but he broke the table and smashed all the dishes on it to pieces. He then tried to lick his master and jumped upon his back.
The servants, hearing the strange noise and fearing for their master's safety, quickly came to his aid. They drove the ass back to his stable with kicks and beatings. As he returned to his stall, beaten nearly to death, the ass cried out sadly, "I have brought it all on myself! Why could I not have been contented to labor with my companions, instead of wishing to be idle all day like that useless little lapdog?"
中文翻译
一个人养了一头驴和一只可爱的哈巴狗。
驴住在马厩里，有充足的燕麦和干草吃，和其他驴没什么两样。然而，哈巴狗却会很多把戏，深得主人宠爱。
主人外出吃饭时，很少不给狗带些好吃的回来。这时，狗就会在主人身边欢快地跳跃。相反，驴却有很多活要干：在磨坊推磨、从森林里驮木材、或从农场运货物。他常常抱怨自己命苦，把自己的境遇与哈巴狗安逸懒惰的生活作对比。
终于有一天，驴挣断了缰绳，跑进了主人的房子。他尽力地乱踢乱跳。接着，他试图模仿哈巴狗的样子围着主人跳跃，却踢坏了桌子，把上面的碗碟摔得粉碎。然后他又试图去舔主人，并跳到了主人的背上。
仆人们听到奇怪的声响，担心主人的安全，急忙赶来帮忙。他们连踢带打地把驴赶回了马厩。驴回到畜栏时已被打得半死，他悲伤地哭喊道：“这都是我自作自受！我为什么就不能满足于和同伴们一起劳作，而非要渴望像那只无用的小哈巴狗一样整天游手好闲呢？”