once there were two mice^{1. They were friends. One mouse lived in the country; the other mouse lived in the city. After many years the Country mouse saw2 the City mouse; he said3, Do come and see me at my house in the country. So the City mouse went. The City mouse said, This food is not good, and your house is not good. Why do you live in a hole in the field4? You should come and live in the city. You would5 live in a nice house made6 of stone. You would have nice food to eat. You must come and see me at my house in the city.
The Country mouse went to the house of the City mouse. It was7 a very good house. Nice food was set9 ready for them to eat. But just as8 they began to eat they heard a great noise. The City mouse cried, Run! Run! The cat is coming! They ran10 away quickly and hid11.
After some time they came12 out. When they came out, the Country mouse said, I do not like living13 in the city. I like living in my hole in the field. For it is nicer to be poor and happy, than to be rich and afraid.}

以前，有兩只老鼠，它們是好朋友。一只老鼠居住在鄉村，另一只住在城里。不少年將來，鄉下老鼠碰到城里老鼠，它說：你必須要來我鄉下的家看看。于是，城里老鼠就去了。鄉下老鼠領著它到了一塊田地上它我們的家。它把所有最精美食物都找出來給城里老鼠。城里老鼠說：這東西不美味，你的家也不好，你為何住在田野的地洞里呢？你應該搬到城里去住，你能住上用石頭造的漂亮房屋，還會吃上美味佳肴，你應該到我城里的家看看。
鄉下老鼠就到城里老鼠的家去。房屋十分漂亮，美味的東西也為他們擺好了。可是正當他們要開始吃的時候，聽見非常大的一陣響聲，城里的老鼠叫喊起來：快跑！快跑！貓來了！他們飛快地跑開躲藏起來。
過了一會兒，他們出來了。當他們出來時，鄉下老鼠說：我不喜歡住在城里，我喜歡住在田野我的洞里。由于如此雖然貧窮但快樂自在，比起雖然富有卻要過著提心吊膽的生活來講，要好些。