Hukumusume fairy tale collection > Foreign language (English) > Aesop’s Fables

Illustration　myi

A donkey with salt

(Aesop’s Fables)

Translation　ちいさな翻訳屋さん

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　Once upon a time, a very hot day, there was a donkey staggering by loading too heavy cargo.

　When he was crossing a bridge, he felt dizziness and fell into a river.

　Then look what happened,

　he felt his cargo suddenly getting lighter.

　Since it was salt, it all dissolved into a water.


　The next day, the owner of the donkey loaded very light cargo on donkey’s back.

　He wanted the donkey to take easy after falling into a river.

　But when the donkey saw a river nearby, he said to himself,

“If I fall again, the cargo will get lighter like yesterday.”

　Then he fell into a river on purpose.

　But the cargo has begin to absorb a water and got heavy like a rock, leaned against donkey’s body.

　Because the cargo this time was a cotton.

　A cotton becomes heavy when it absorbs a water.

　By the time donkey realized what happened, it was too late and donkey was drowned to death.



　Like this donkey who cheats,

　might will have a bad luck even it once brought him a good luck.

The end

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