The morning sun cast long shadows across the cobblestone path as an old miller prepared for his weekly journey to the bustling marketplace. His weathered hands adjusted the rope around his faithful donkey’s neck while his young son gathered the last of their grain sacks. The donkey, a gentle creature with soft brown eyes and ears that twitched at every sound, stood patiently waiting for their departure.
“Come, my boy,” the miller called to his son, whose eager face reflected the excitement of market day. “Let us make our way to town and sell our grain.”
The father and son set off on foot, leading their donkey along the winding dirt road. The donkey carried nothing but its own weight, trotting contentedly beside them as birds chirped in the olive trees overhead. The air was crisp with the promise of a profitable day ahead.
Also read: A Road Shortened by a Story
They hadn’t walked far when they encountered their first group of travelers, merchants returning from an early morning trade. One of them, a portly man with a silver-trimmed coat, pointed at the trio and laughed heartily.
“Look at these fools!” he declared to his companions. “They have a perfectly good donkey, yet they choose to tire their legs walking beside it. What sense does that make?”
The other merchants joined in the laughter, shaking their heads in apparent disbelief. The miller’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and he glanced uncertainly at his son. Perhaps the merchants were right. Without a word, he helped his boy climb onto the donkey’s back.
“There,” the miller said, walking alongside the mounted child. “Now we travel more sensibly.”
But their relief was short-lived. As they approached a group of elderly women carrying baskets of vegetables, the criticism began anew. The eldest woman, her gray hair covered by a faded headscarf, wagged her finger disapprovingly at the sight of the young boy riding while his father walked.
“Shameful!” she declared, her voice carrying across the road. “In my day, children showed respect to their elders. Look at this selfish boy, comfortable on the donkey while his poor father’s feet grow sore on the stones!”
The other women murmured their agreement, casting judgmental glances that made the miller’s heart heavy with worry. What kind of father was he to allow such disrespect? Quickly, he lifted his son down and climbed onto the donkey himself, leaving the boy to walk beside him.
The donkey shifted under the miller’s weight but continued forward dutifully. Surely now they would find approval from the people they met. But as they passed a group of young mothers with their small children, new voices of criticism arose.
“How heartless!” one mother exclaimed, clutching her toddler closer to her chest. “That grown man rides in comfort while his poor child struggles to keep pace on foot. Those little legs were not meant for such long journeys!”
The miller’s face burned with shame once again. These women were right too, how could he be so thoughtless toward his own son? In desperation, he pulled the boy up behind him, and together they rode the donkey toward the market.
For a brief moment, the miller felt a sense of relief. Surely this solution would satisfy everyone they encountered. But as they neared the market square, a group of farmers blocked their path, shaking their heads in disapproval.
“Two grown people on one poor beast!” the lead farmer shouted. “Have you no mercy for that overworked animal? Look how it strains under your combined weight!”
The criticism hit the miller like a physical blow. Every solution seemed wrong, every choice brought mockery. In his mounting panic and desperate desire to please everyone, an idea formed in his mind, one that seemed reasonable in his anxious state.
“My son,” he said, climbing down from the donkey, “perhaps we should carry the donkey instead. Then no one can say we are cruel to the beast.”
Together, they fashioned a makeshift stretcher from branches and rope. The confused donkey resisted at first, but eventually allowed itself to be tied and lifted. The miller and his son each took an end of the stretcher, struggling under the awkward weight as they approached the market’s entrance bridge.
A crowd had gathered to watch this peculiar spectacle. Laughter and pointing fingers followed them as they stumbled forward, the donkey growing increasingly agitated in its unnatural position. The rope bonds loosened with each unsteady step.
As they reached the middle of the narrow bridge spanning the river below, disaster struck. The miller stumbled on the wooden planks, the stretcher tilted dangerously, and the frightened donkey broke free from its bonds. With a splash that echoed across the water, their faithful beast disappeared into the swift current below.
The miller and his son stood on the bridge, empty-handed and heartbroken, staring at the water where their donkey had vanished. The crowd’s laughter felt cruel now, and the miller finally understood the bitter truth of his situation.
The Moral Lesson
This timeless fable teaches us that it is impossible to please everyone, and in attempting to do so, we often lose what matters most. The miller’s greatest mistake was not trusting his own judgment and constantly changing course based on others’ criticism. True wisdom lies in staying true to our principles and making decisions based on our own values and circumstances, rather than seeking universal approval that will never come.
Knowledge Check
Q1: Who are the main characters in this classic fable? A1: The main characters are an old miller, his young son, and their donkey. The miller represents someone seeking approval from others, while his son follows his father’s lead throughout their journey to market.
Q2: What cultural tradition does this story represent? A2: This story is a classic fable from ancient tradition, designed to teach moral lessons through simple storytelling with animals and common people as characters.
Q3: What does the donkey symbolize in this fable? A3: The donkey symbolizes the valuable things in our lives that we risk losing when we constantly try to please others instead of trusting our own judgment and staying true to our principles.
Q4: Why did the miller keep changing how they traveled to market? A4: The miller kept changing their travel method because every group of people they encountered criticized their current approach, and he desperately wanted to avoid disapproval and please everyone they met.
Q5: What is the main moral lesson of this ancient fable? A5: The main lesson is that trying to please everyone is impossible and often leads to losing what truly matters. We should trust our own judgment rather than constantly seeking universal approval.
Q6: How does this fable apply to modern life and decision-making? A6: This fable teaches modern readers to avoid making decisions based solely on others’ opinions, to trust their own judgment, and to understand that criticism is inevitable regardless of the choices we make.
