A certain man who had an Ass and a Mule loaded them both up one day and set out upon a journey. So long as the road was fairly level, the Ass got on very well: but by and by they came to a place among the hills where the road was very rough and steep, and the Ass was at his last gasp. So he begged the Mule to relieve him of a part of his load: but the Mule refused. At last, from sheer weariness, the Ass stumbled and fell down a steep place and was killed. The driver was in despair, but he did the best he could: he added the Ass's load to the Mule's, and he also flayed the Ass and put his skin on the top of the double load. The Mule could only just manage the extra weight, and, as he staggered painfully along, he said to himself, “I have only got what I deserved: if I had been willing to help the Ass at first, I should not now be carrying his load and his skin into the bargain.”
有一个人有一头驴和一头骡子，有一天，他让他们两个都驮上了重物出门旅行。开始的时候，路途平坦，驴表现良好，但是后来，他们来到了山边，路变得崎岖不平，而且还很陡，驴便喘不上气来了。他恳求骡子帮他分担一部分重物，但是骡子拒绝了。最后，由于体力耗尽，驴脚下踉跄，从一个陡坡上滚了下去，摔死了。主人很难过，却也只能尽力而为，他把驴身上驮的东西放到了骡子身上，然后又把驴的皮剥了下来，将那皮罩在了两份重物之上。骡子只能勉强支撑，他一路脚步蹒跚，自言自语道：“我这是活该。如果一开始同意帮助驴，我现在就不用背着他的负担和他的皮了。”