【英文原文】

The Story of Creation

God created the mule1) and told him，“You will be Mule，working constantly from dusk2) to dawn3)，carrying heavy loads on your back．You will eat grass，and you lack intelligence．You will live for ４０years．”The mule answered，“To live like this for ４０years is too much．Please，give me no more than ２０．”And it was so．
Then God created the dog and told him，“You will hold vigilance4) over the dwellings of Man．To him you will be his greatest companion．You will eat his table scraps5) and live for２５years．”The dog responded，“Lord，to live ２５years as a dog is too much．Please，no more than １０years．”And it was so．
God then created the monkey and told him，“You are Monkey．You shall swing from tree to tree，acting like an idiot．You will be funny，and you shall live for ２０years．”The monkey responded，“Lord，to live ２０years as the clown of the world is too much．Please，Lord，give me no more than １０years．”And it was so．
Finally，God created Man and told him，“You are Man，the only rational being that walks the earth．You will use your intelligence to have mastery over the creatures of the world．You will dominate6) the earth an d live for ２０years．”The man responded，“Lord，to be Man for only ２０years is too little．Please，Lord，give me the２０years the mule refused，the １５years the dog refused，and the ten years the monkey rejected．”And it was so．So God made Man to live２０years as a man，then marry and live ２０years like a mule，working and carrying heavy loads on his back．Then，Man is to have children and live １５years as a dog，guarding his house and eating the leftovers after they empty the pantry7)．Then，in his old age，to live １０years as a monkey，acting like a clown to amuse his grand children．