A wild donkey once met a tame donkey feeding on a hillside. The wild donkey was thin and small. He spent his life out of doors, sheltering as best he could in the cold weather and eating the sparse hill grass all the year around. He sometimes had to walk miles to find fresh water and at night there was always danger from prowling wolves.
The tame donkey was sleek and fat. During the summer he fed on the rich meadow grass while in winter he was given corn and hay to eat. There was always a pail of fresh water for him to drink and at night he was shut safely in a stable.
“How lucky you are,” said the wild donkey, “I wish I could live like you.”
A few days later the wild donkey was once more foraging on the hillside. Looking down he saw the tame donkey walking slowly along the road, carrying a heavy load of wood. As he watched, the tame donkey paused to snatch at a thistle growing by the roadside, immediately his driver began to shout and to beat him with a stick.
有一次，一头野驴遇到一头家驴正在半山腰吃草。野驴长得又瘦又小，一直在野外生活，天冷得自己找地方躲避，一年到头靠吃山上稀疏的草填饱肚子。有的时候，为了找水喝，他要走上几英里远。晚上还得提防伺机出没的狼，很是危险。
家养的驴子喂得很好，胖乎乎的。夏天吃的是牧场肥美的草，冬天主人给他喂的是谷物和干草。总有一桶干净水等着他喝。到了晚上，主人把它关在马厩里，很安全。
“你可真幸运啊，”野驴说，“我真想像你那样过日子。”
几天以后，野驴又来到山上觅食。他往山下一看，看见家养的驴正慢吞吞地走在路上，背上驮着重重的木头。家驴停下来去吃路边的一棵蓟草，主人立马吼叫起来，拿着棍子打了上去。
-sparse [spɑːs] adj. 稀疏的
-prowl [praʊl] v. (动物为捕猎等)徘徊潜行
-sleek [sliːk] adj. (动植物)喂养得好的
-pail [peɪl] n. 桶；一桶的量
人们总是艳羡他人得到的东西，却看不到其背后的付出。