有人養了一頭驢和一隻哈巴狗。驢被圈養在棚子裡，雖然不愁溫飽，有著足夠的燕麥和乾草供應，卻每天都要盡驢子應盡的本份。小狗頗會討好牠的主人，而主人則經常撫摸牠，讓牠坐在自己的膝蓋上。假如主人出外吃飯，還會想著帶一點好吃的回來，等見到小狗時給牠作為獎勵。驢子的確是工作繁重，他不僅要到磨坊裡拉磨，還要去樹林裡運木材。與哈巴狗的悠閑自在相比，驢子難免會心生嫉妒，懷有怨言。有一天，機會終於來了，驢子掙斷韁繩，跑進主人的房間，模仿哈巴狗的樣子圍著主人跳舞，又蹦又踢，不僅撞翻了桌子，還把碗碟摔得粉碎。不僅如此，驢子甚至還試圖跳到主人的膝蓋上，因為他經常看到小狗如此。僕人們見此情景，都嚇壞了，以為主人面臨著危險，於是用棍捧把驢子趕回棚裡，打了個半死。“唉！”他哭喊著，“我這不是自作自受嗎，我為什麽不滿足於自己的現狀和地位，偏要去模仿什麼哈巴狗那無用、滑稽的小丑樣呢？”

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【驢和哈巴狗的寓意】

驢和哈巴狗的這篇寓言小故事正是要告訴我們每一個人幹好自己的工作才是最重要的，每一個人的工作和性格是不一樣的，我們不能全部擁有。

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There was once a man who had a donkey and a lap-dog. The donkey was housed in the stable with plenty of oats and hay to cat and was as well off as an ass could be. The little dog was made a great pet of by his master，who fondled him and often let him lie in his lap；and if he went out to dinner, he would bring back a tit-bit or two to give him when he ran to meet him on his return The donkey ha, it is true, a good deal of work to do，carting or grinding the corn，or carrying the burdens of the farm：and ere long he became very jealous contrasting his own life of labor with the ease and idleness of the Lap-dog. At last one day, he broke his halter，and frisking into the house just as his master sat down to dinner he pranced and capered about，mimicking the frolics of the little favorite upsetting the table and smashing the crockery with his clumsy efforts. Not content with that. He even tried to jump on his master’s lap，as he had so often seen the dog allowed to do At that the servants. Seeing the danger their master was in. belabored the silly donkey with sticks and cudgels，and drove him back to his stable half dead with his beating“Alas!” he cried.“all this I have brought on myself. Why could I not be satisfied with my natural and honorable position，without wishing to imitate the ridiculous antics of that useless little Lap-dog?”