Once upon a time, a king and a Queen longed for a child. They had a child but it was a baby donkey. The King ordered that he should be brought up as a prince. All the mirrors in the palace were removed, so the prince would never see that he was a donkey.
The donkey-prince grew up to be very lovable and courteous. He loved music and could even play the lute beautifully with his hooves!
One day, however, he saw his reflection in a pool and was miserable at finding that he was a donkey! He couldn’t face his family after that and decided to run away. He reached a kingdom where he learnt that the king had a beautiful daughter.
Wishing to see the princess, he sat near the palace and played his lute. The king learnt about the donkey playing a lute and, being very curious to see him, he invited him in. He asked the donkey to dine with him. When the princess came, the donkey fell in love with her!
The king was charmed with the good manners, courtesy and wisdom of the donkey. A month passed and the king was very impressed with the donkey’s behaviour. So, he suggested that he should marry the princess.
The princess was upset at having to marry a donkey, but finally accepted her father’s choice. They were married in a splendid ceremony.
That night, when the princess and the donkey went to their chamber, he took off his donkey-skin and she saw a handsome prince before her!
“This is my real identity,” said the donkey, “You are the only person who knows me.”
The princess was very happy. When her father asked her whether she liked her donkey-husband, she said that she loved him very much! The king was quite surprised to see the change in her and wondered what had made her change her opinion of the donkey.
That night, he peeped into her chamber and discovered the secret of the donkey-prince. He took away the donkey-skin and burnt it while the prince and the princess were sleeping. The donkey was worried because he couldn’t find his skin in the morning when he awoke.
The king told him that he was so delighted that he would give him half his kingdom. Soon the prince took the princess to his own kingdom and everyone who saw them was thrilled. The prince became the king of the two kingdoms and they lived happily ever after.
