The Musical Donkey
A donkey sneaks into a field to eat crops with a jackal, but his singing alerts the villagers, resulting in a severe beating.
Once upon a time, there was a washerman who had a thin donkey. The donkey worked hard every day, carrying clothes to the river. But the donkey wasn’t happy with the food he got, so at night, he would sneak into nearby fields to eat crops.
One night, in the field, the donkey met a jackal, and they became friends. Together, they went looking for food and found a field full of watermelons. They enjoyed the tasty watermelons and decided to return every night to eat more.
One day, after eating, the donkey felt so happy that he wanted to sing. The jackal warned him, "If you sing, the villagers will hear you and come to beat us! You should keep quiet." But the donkey didn’t listen and insisted on singing.
The jackal realized the donkey wouldn’t stop, so he quickly ran away to hide in the bushes, far from the field. The donkey stayed behind and started singing loudly.
As soon as the villagers heard the donkey’s loud song, they rushed to the field. They found the donkey and beat him badly with sticks. Hurt and unable to move, the donkey finally dragged himself back to the jackal. The jackal came out of hiding and said, "I warned you not to sing, but you didn’t listen."
The donkey felt sorry and realized he should have listened to his friend's advice.
Audio available for B1 version
Once upon a time, there was a washerman who had a thin donkey.
The donkey worked hard every day, carrying clothes to the river.
But the donkey wasn’t happy with the food he got, so at night, he would sneak into nearby fields to eat crops.
One night, in the field, the donkey met a jackal, and they became friends.
Together, they went looking for food and found a field full of watermelons.
They enjoyed the tasty watermelons and decided to return every night to eat more.
One day, after eating, the donkey felt so happy that he wanted to sing.
The jackal warned him, "If you sing, the villagers will hear you and come to beat us!
You should keep quiet."
But the donkey didn’t listen and insisted on singing.
The jackal realized the donkey wouldn’t stop, so he quickly ran away to hide in the bushes, far from the field.
The donkey stayed behind and started singing loudly.
As soon as the villagers heard the donkey’s loud song, they rushed to the field.
They found the donkey and beat him badly with sticks.
Hurt and unable to move, the donkey finally dragged himself back to the jackal.
The jackal came out of hiding and said, "I warned you not to sing, but you didn’t listen."
The donkey felt sorry and realized he should have listened to his friend's advice.
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Word Finder
Washerman:
A person who washes clothes for others.Donkey:
A four-legged animal used to carry loads.Sneak:
To move quietly without being noticed.Crops:
Plants grown by farmers for food.Jackal:
A wild animal like a small wolf.Villagers:
People who live in a small town or village.Warned:
Told someone to be careful of danger.Insisted:
Strongly said something again and again.Realized:
Understood something clearly after thinking.Advice:
Helpful suggestion or idea to solve a problem.
Understanding Questions
- What job did the donkey do for the washerman?
- Why did the donkey go to the fields at night?
- What kind of food did the donkey and the jackal find in the field?
- What did the jackal warn the donkey about when he wanted to sing?
- What happened to the donkey when he started singing loudly?
Reflection Questions
- Why did the donkey want to sing after eating the watermelons?
- Why do you think the donkey ignored the jackal's warning not to sing?
- How do you think the donkey felt when the villagers started beating him?
- What lesson do you think the donkey learned from this experience? How could he have avoided getting into trouble?
- How can we apply the lessons from this story in our lives, especially about considering the consequences of our actions and valuing the advice of our friends and family?
Fable Quotes
Every moment awaits its right time and perfect place.
When we ignore wise counsel, we invite undesired outcomes.
Ignorance of advice is an invitation to misfortune.
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