당나귀와 짐 🐴📦 The Ass and His Burdens ロバと荷物

 

어느 날, 한 행상이 당나귀에 소금을 가득 실어 마을로 돌아가는 길이었습니다.
강을 건너던 중, 당나귀가 미끄러져 물에 빠졌고, 짐으로 실은 소금이 물에 젖어 절반 이상 녹아버렸습니다.

당나귀가 다시 일어났을 때, 짐이 훨씬 가벼워진 것을 느끼고 속으로 매우 기뻐했습니다.

주인은 다시 마을로 돌아가 더 많은 소금을 사서 짐에 추가로 실었고, 다시 길을 나섰습니다.

그런데 이번에도 강에 도착하자마자, 당나귀는 일부러 물에 몸을 눕혔습니다.
그렇게 하면 짐이 줄어든다는 걸 알아버린 것이죠.

그러나 주인은 이 꾀를 간파하고, 세 번째로 마을로 돌아가 이번에는 스펀지를 잔뜩 실었습니다.

다시 강에 이르자 당나귀는 또다시 누웠고, 하지만 이번에는 스펀지가 물을 흡수해 짐이 이전보다 훨씬 무거워졌습니다.

📘 교훈
꾀를 너무 자주 부리면 결국 스스로에게 불이익을 부를 수 있다.

 

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THE ASS AND HIS BURDENS

A Pedlar who owned an Ass one day bought a quantity of salt, and loaded up his beast with as much as he could bear.

 

On the way home the Ass stumbled as he was crossing a stream and fell into the water.

 

The salt got thoroughly wetted and much of it melted and drained away, so that, when he got on his legs again, the Ass found his load had become much less heavy.

 

His master, however, drove him back to town and bought more salt, which he added to what remained in the panniers, and started out again.

 

No sooner had they reached a stream than the Ass lay down in it, and rose, as before, with a much lighter load.

 

But his master detected the trick, and turning back once more, bought a large number of sponges, and piled them on the back of the Ass.

 

When they came to the stream the Ass again lay down: but this time, as the sponges soaked up large quantities of water, he found, when he got up on his legs, that he had a bigger burden to carry than ever.

    You may play a good card once too often.

 

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ロバと荷物 🐴📦

ある日、ある行商人がロバに塩をたくさん積んで町から戻る途中、川を渡るときにロバがつまずいて水に落ちてしまいました。

塩は水に溶けて軽くなり、ロバは立ち上がったとき、荷物がとても軽くなっていることに気づきました。

商人は再び町へ戻って、さらに塩を買い足してロバに積み、また同じ道を進みました。

今度も川に着くと、ロバはわざと水の中に横たわりました。
また軽くなると考えたのです。

しかし商人はその策略を見抜き、今度はスポンジを大量にロバに積みました。

再び川に着いたとき、ロバはまた水に横たわりました。
しかし今回は、スポンジが水を吸ってしまい、ロバが立ち上がったときには以前よりずっと重い荷物を背負うことになりました。

📘 教訓
一度うまくいった策略でも、やりすぎれば自分に返ってくる。