Reading Folktale 5: The Turtle and the Mouse

    

Contents

             

   
 
English Translation
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One day, a mouse went out looking for something to eat.  He found a turtle going in the same direction, so the mouse said to the turtle, "I see you living in your shell house, and it looks very difficult.  When you want to go somewhere, it must be very difficult.   Look at me.  I can go anywhere I want, and it is very easy for me."

   The turtle answered the mouse, "Yes, I live in my shell house because it is my own permanent little house.  You say you live in a very nice place, but it is not your house.  It belongs to another person and not to you.   So, you don't even have a house of your own."  So, the mouse lost his face in front of the turtle.  He could say nothing, so he ran back to his hole.  

        

     

Vocabulary:
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ກາງທາງ n. the middle of the road
ງ່າຍ adj. easy
ສະບາຍໃຈ adj. happy, contented
ຍາກ, ລຳບາກ adj. difficult
ເຕົ່າ n. a turtle
ແທ້ adv. adj. real,  really
ທາງໃດ adv. which way
ບ່ອນ n. a place
ຜູ້ອື່ນ n. the others
ພໍ້ v. to see, to meet
ຟ້າວ adj. in a hurry
ຢາກ v. to want (to); to seem to be
ແລ່ນ v. to run
ຫາກິນ v. to look for food
ເຮືອນ n. house, home
ຮູ n. hole
ໜູ n. a mouse, a rat
ໜ້າອາຍ adj. ashamed of
           
  

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