Once upon a time there lived a king and a queen who were rich and had everything they could wish for except no children. She complained about this day and night and said, "I am like a field on which nothing grows." God finally fulfilled her wishes: but when the child was born, it did not look like a human child, but was a young donkey. When the mother saw this, her wailing and screaming really began, she would rather have had no child at all than a donkey, and said one should throw it into the water so that the fish could eat it. But the king said, "No, if God gave him, he should also be my son and heir, after my death sit on the royal throne and wear the royal crown." So the little donkey was brought up, gained weight, and his ears grew also fine up and straight up. But she was otherwise cheerful, jumped around, played and especially liked music, so that she went to a famous minstrel and said, "Teach me your art, so that I can play the lute as well as you can." “Dear sir,” answered the minstrel, “that should be difficult for you, your fingers are certainly not made for it and are far too big; I won't take care of the strings." There was no excuse, the little donkey wanted and had to play the lute, was persistent and diligent, and in the end learned it as well as his master himself. Once the young gentleman went for a thoughtful walk and came to a well, looked into it and saw the shape of his little donkey in the mirror-bright water. It was so saddened by this that it went out into the wide world and took only one faithful companion with it. They went up and down, at last they came to a kingdom ruled by an old king who had only one beautiful daughter. The donkey said, "We want to stay here," knocked at the gate and cried, "There is a guest outside, open the door so that he can come in." But when the door was not opened, he sat down, took his lute, and struck it with his own two front feet in the most lovely way. Then the doorkeeper opened his eyes violently, ran to the king and said, "Out there sits a young donkey in front of the gate, it plays the lute as well as a trained master." "Let the musician come in for me," said the king. But when a little donkey entered, everyone started laughing at the lute player. Now the little donkey was to be put down with the servants and fed, but it became unwilling and said, "I'm not a common little stable donkey, I'm a noble one." Then they said, "If that's you, then sit down with the soldiers." No,” said it, “I want to sit with the king.” The king laughed and said in good spirits, “yes, it shall be as you wish, little donkey, come to me.” Then he asked, “little donkey, as you please Do you, my daughter?" The little donkey turned his head towards her, looked at her, nodded and said, "Extremely well, she is as beautiful as I have never seen." "Well, you shall also sit next to her," said the king. "That's fine with me," said the little donkey and sat down at her side, ate and drank and knew how to behave neatly and neatly. When the noble little animal had stayed at the king's court for a good time, it thought, "What's the use of all this, you must go home again," hung his head sadly, stepped in front of the king and demanded his farewell. But the king had grown fond of it and said, "Little donkey, what is the matter with you? You look as angry as a vinegar jug: stay with me, I will give you what you ask for. Do you want gold?” “No,” said the little donkey and shook his head. "Do you want treasures and jewellery?" "No." "Do you want half my kingdom?" "Oh no." Then the king said, "If I only knew what could make you happy: do you want my beautiful daughter to be your wife?" Oh yes," said the little donkey, "I'd like to have that," was all of a sudden very cheerful and in good spirits, because that was just what he had wanted. So a great and splendid marriage was held. In the evening, when the bride and bridegroom were led into their little bedroom, the king wanted to know whether the little donkey behaved in a mannerly manner, and ordered a servant to hide himself there. When they were both inside, the bridegroom bolted the door, looked around, and just as he thought they were quite alone, he suddenly threw off his donkey's skin and stood there like a handsome, royal youth. "Now you see," said he, "who I am, and you also see that I was not unworthy of you." Then the bride was happy, kissed him and loved him with all her heart. But when morning came, he jumped up, put his animal skin back on, and no one would have guessed what kind of skin was behind it. Soon the old king also came along, "wow," he cried, "the little donkey is already awake! Are you really sad," he said to his daughter, "that you didn't get a decent man for a husband?" "Oh no, dear father, I love him as if he were the most beautiful of all, and I want him all my life keep it.” The king wondered, but the servant who had been hiding came and revealed everything to him. The king said, "That's never true." "Your advice is good," said the king, and in the evening when they were sleeping he crept in, and when he came to the bed he saw a proud youth lying there in the moonlight, and the skin lay sloughed off the earth. So he took her away and had a great fire made outside and the skin thrown in, and he stayed with it himself until it was all burned to ashes. But because he wanted to see how the robbed would do, he stayed up all night and listened. When the youth had slept well, at first light of day, he got up and wanted to put on the donkey's skin, but it was not to be found. Then he got a fright and said full of sadness and fear, "Now I must make sure that I flee." As he stepped out, the king stood there and said, "My son, where in such a hurry, what do you have in mind? Stay here, you are such a beautiful man, you shall not return from me. I'm giving you half of my kingdom now, and after my death you'll get it all." "So I wish that the good beginning also has a good ending," said the youth, "I'll stay with you." So the old man gave him half Rich, and when he died a year later he had it all, and after his father's death he had one more, and lived in all glory.