The Old Man, His Son, and the Donkey (A Tale)

It is told that an old man wished to go to a neighboring village in the company of his son. So they took the beast and went along on foot beside it; and on the road some of the passersby began to laugh at them, because the donkey was walking along by itself, carrying neither of them on its back. So the old father mounted it, and his son walked at his side. After a short while — in time or in distance — they heard a second remark from someone passing them on the road, wondering at the father: how could he allow himself to ride the beast while leaving his son to go on his own feet? The father did not hesitate to give his place to his son and walk beside him. But