Aesops Fables

The Miller His Son and The Ass

A Miller and Son once set out for the fair,
To sell a fine ass they had brought up with care;
And the way that they started made everyone stare.

To keep the ass fresh, so the beast would sell dear
On a pole they slung him. It surely seemed queer:
He looked, with heels up, like some huge chandelier.

One person who passed them cried out in great glee.
"Was there anything ever so silly?" said he.
"Can you guess who the greatest ass is of those three?"

The Miller at once put the brute on the ground;
And the ass, who had liked to ride t'other way round,
Complained in language of curious sound.

No matter. The Miller now made his Son ride,
While he followed after or walked alongside.
Then up came three merchants. The eldest one cried;

"Get down there, young fellow! I never did see
Such manners:--a gray-beard walks where you should be.
He should ride, you should follow. Just take that from me!"

"Dear Sirs," quoth the Miller, "I'd see you content."
He climbed to the saddle; on foot the boy went...
Three girls passed. Said one: "Do you see that old Gent?
There he sits, like a bishop. I say it's a shame,
While that boy trudging after seems more than half lame."
"Little girl," said the Miller, "go back whence you came."

Yet this young creature so worked on his mind
That he wanted no woman to call him unkind:
And he said to his Son: "Seat yourself here--behind."

With the ass bearing double they jogged on again,
And once more met a critic, who said: "It is plain
Only dunces would give their poor ass such pain.

He will die with their weight: it's a shame and a sin.
For their faithful servant they care not a pin.
They'll have nothing to sell at the fair but his skin."

"Dear me!" said the Miller, "what am I to do?
Must I suit the whole world and the world's father, too?
Yet it must end some time--so I'll see the thing through."

Both Father and Son now decided to walk,
While the ass marched in front with a strut and a stalk;
Yet the people who passed them continued to talk.

Said one to another: "Look there, if you please,
How they wear out their shoes, while their donkey takes his ease.
Were there ever, d'ye think, three such asses as these?"
Said the Miller: "You're right. I'm an ass! It is true.
Too long have I listened to people like you.
But now I am done with the whole kit and crew.

"Let them blame me or praise me, keep silent or yell,
My goings and comings they cannot compel.
I will do as I please!"...So he did--and did well.

The Moral of the Story

You will never please everyone all of the time!



Don’t we just love all the old fables and fairy tales?

Have you thought of staging a play using these old fables?

It’s so much fun. Kids absolutely love a play.

All of our Fable plays are adapted from some of the very favorites you’ve read here on the site. Now your little ones can learn by doing. Acting in a play is a very creative way of learning. Click the "learn more" link and see what great plays we've included in each collection. And remember, there's no risk. All purchases come with a money back guarantee.

Fable Plays Volume 1

Add to Cart

$5.00

Learn More


Fable Plays Volume 2

Add to Cart

$5.00

Learn More





More Rhyming Stories


More Fairy Tales





To Nursery Rhymes Fun Home from Aesops Fables





Aesops Fables

Aesops Fables * The Miller His Son and The Ass * Aesops Fables

Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.



Start Building
Your Home Library


Visit the
Kids Book Shelf



Got Thespians?

You're going to love
our new
NURSERY RHYMES
PLAYSCRIPTS



It’s a Good Day
For a Play!




What is our Bibliosaurus reading today?





DON'T MISS OUR FUN AND
FASHIONABLE
TEE SHIRT DESIGNS
FOR THE
WHOLE FAMILY