有一個技藝一流的樂師，他的小提琴演奏令人賞心悅耳，激動不已。一次，他懷着愉快的心情到森林裏去漫遊，走了一段路，覺得一個人太無聊，就自言自語地說：“一個人太沉悶了，我得找一個夥伴來。”於是，他拿起小提琴拉了起來。
頃刻間，森林裏迴盪起了他那美妙的樂聲。
一隻狼出現了，樂師看到後說道：“哎呀！是一隻狼來看我了。”狼走到他面前說：“您的琴拉得太動聽了！但願您能教教我。”樂師說：“這很容易，只要你按我的吩咐做就行了。”狼回答說：“好的，我將是一個非常善於用功的學生。”這樣，他們一起走上了小路，最後來到了一棵大樹前。這是一棵裏面空了的老櫟樹，樹幹中間裂了一條大縫。樂師對狼說：“看這兒，如果你想學拉小提琴，就把你的前腳伸進這條裂縫去。”狼按照他說的做了，樂師拾起一塊大石頭把它的兩隻前腳牢牢地卡在了裂縫裏，就像一個被銬着的囚犯。“現在，你給我乖乖地在這兒等着我回來。”樂師說完，邁着悠閒的步子揚長而去。
過了一會兒，他又自言自語地說：“一個人太沉悶了，我得再找一個夥伴來。”於是，他又拉起了小提琴，悠揚的提琴聲再次在森林裏傳了開去。接着一隻狐狸慢慢地來到了他身邊，他說道：“哎呀！來了一隻狐狸。”狐狸上前說道：“您真是一個一流的樂師，提琴拉的多棒啊！我一定要向您學習拉提琴。”樂師說：“你很快就可以學會，只要你按照我教你的去做就成。”狐狸馬上應聲道：“好的，我會按您的吩咐去做的。”他們一起上路了。當他們來到一條窄窄的小路時，樂師望了望小路兩旁高高的樹叢，然後將小路一邊的一棵矮壯的榛樹幹彎下靠近路面，用腳踩住樹尖，又彎下小路另一邊的一棵榛樹對狐狸說：“機靈的狐狸，如果你想學拉小提琴，就把你的左前爪讓我握住。”狐狸馬上伸出了左前爪，樂師將狐狸爪子綁到一棵榛樹的樹梢。“現在把你的右前爪伸過來給我。”狐狸又按樂師的吩咐做了，他將這隻爪子綁在了另一棵榛樹的樹梢，隨後放開自己的腳，兩邊的榛樹“嘩啦”向上彈了起來，狐狸也跟着被彈起，四腳張開被掛了起來，來回在空中不停地搖晃着。樂師說道：“現在你好好地呆在這兒，等着我回來。”說完，又邁着悠閒的步子揚長而去。
可是，不久他又自言自語地說：“又沉悶起來了，我得找一個夥伴。”於是，他拉起了小提琴，琴聲飄揚，跑來了一隻野兔。樂師說道：“哎呀，是隻野兔。”野兔對他說：“您不愧是一個優秀的琴師。您的琴真是拉絕了。您教我好嗎？”樂師回答說：“好吧，如果你按我的指揮來做，我就教你。”野兔馬上說道：“好的，我會是一個好學生。”然後他們一起走了很長一段時間。當來到森林裏一片開闊地帶時，樂師用一根繩子在野兔的脖子上繫好，將繩子的另一頭拴在一棵樹上，說道：“好了，靈巧的野兔，跳起來，迅速地繞樹跑二十圈。”愚蠢的野兔按樂師的吩咐跑了起來。當兔子圍着樹跑完二十圈後，它也將繫着它的繩子在樹幹上繞了二十圈，像一個被套在樹上的囚犯。跑完後，野兔興致勃勃地又拉又扯，但只要一拉，繩子將它的脖子勒得更緊。這時樂師說道：“現在等在這兒，直到我回來。”說完就走了。
再說狼被卡住後，又是拉自己的腳，又是咬樹幹，還跳起來用後腳抓石頭。花了好些時間，費了好大的勁，最後纔將腳抽出來。它憤恨到了極點，說道：“我一定要趕上那卑鄙的樂師，把他撕成碎片。”說完追了上去。狐狸看見狼從身邊跑過，叫道：“哎！狼兄，請把我放下來，那樂師用詭計把我弄成了這個樣子。”於是狼在榛樹下面忙乎起來，咬斷了兩棵樹後，它倆又一起去找那位樂師。當它們來到野兔旁邊時，野兔也叫喊要它們幫忙。它們把它解脫後，一起向它們的仇人追去。
此時，樂師爲了再找一個夥伴，他又拉起了小提琴，一個貧窮的樵夫聽到他這歡快的琴聲，興奮不已，禁不住將斧頭夾在胳膊下尋聲而來。這回，樂師看見是一個人來了，非常高興，對這位樵夫非常有禮貌，沒有用詭計作弄他，而且拉起了他最善長的曲調，直聽得那樵夫如醉如癡，心中洋溢着歡喜。就在樵夫站在旁邊凝神靜聽時，他看到狼、狐狸和野兔走上前來。從它們面部狂怒的表情，樵夫知道它們來這兒是不懷好意的，所以他站在樂師的前面，端起斧子，就像是在說：“有我這把斧子在，誰也別想傷害樂師！”這些野獸看到這情形，嚇得急忙跑回了森林。樂師此刻又爲樵夫拉起他最拿手的曲子，以答謝他爲自己鼎力相助，趕走了野獸。拉完後他與樵夫話別，繼續他的漫遊。
令人叫絕的樂師的故事英文版The Strange Musician
Once upon a time there was a strange musician who was walking through the woods all by himself, thinking about this and that. When there was nothing left for him to think about, he said to himself, "It is boring here in the woods. I am going to get myself a good companion."
Then he took his fiddle from his back, and played a tune that sounded through the trees.
Before long a wolf came trotting through the thicket toward him.
"Ah, a wolf is coming. I have no desire for him," said the musician, but the wolf came nearer and said to him, "Ah, dear musician, you play very well. I too would like to learn to play."
"You can learn quickly," answered the musician. "You will only have to do what I tell you."
"Oh, musician," said the wolf, "I will obey you like a pupil obeys his teacher."
The musician told him to come along with him, and when they had walked some distance together, they came to an old oak tree. It was hollow inside and split up the middle.
"Look," said the musician, "if you want learn to play the fiddle, put your forepaws into this crack."
The wolf obeyed, and the musician quickly picked up a stone, and with one blow wedged his two paws so firmly that he had to stay lying there like a prisoner.
"Wait here until I return," said the musician, and went on his way.
After a while he again said to himself, "It is boring here in the woods. I will get myself another companion."
He took his fiddle and again played into the woods. Before long a fox came creeping through the trees toward him.
"Ah, a fox is coming," said the musician. "I have no desire for him."
The fox came up to him and said, "Oh, dear musician, you play very well. I too would like to learn to play."
"You can learn quickly," said the musician. "You will only have to do what I tell you."
"Oh, musician," answered the fox, "I will obey you like a pupil obeys his teacher."
"Follow me," said the musician, and when they had gone some distance together, they came to a footpath with tall saplings on both sides. There the musician stood still, and from one side he bent a young hazelnut tree down to the ground and put his foot on the end of it. Then he bent down another young tree from the other side, and said, "Now little fox, if you want to learn something, give me your left front paw."
The fox obeyed, and the musician tied his paw to the left stem. "Little fox," he said, "now give me your right paw."
He tied this one to the right stem. After making sure that the knots in the cord were tight enough, he let go. The trees sprang upright and jerked the little fox upward, leaving him hanging there struggling in the air.
"Wait here until I return," said the musician, and went on his way.
Once again he said to himself, "It is boring here in the woods. I will get myself another companion. So he took his fiddle, and music sounded through the woods. Then a little hare came jumping toward him.
"Ah, a hare is coming," said the musician. "I do not want him."
"Oh, dear musician," said the hare, "You play very well. I too would like to learn to play."
"You can learn quickly," said the musician. "You will only have to do what I tell you."
"Oh, musician," replied the little hare, "I will obey you like a pupil obeys his teacher."
When they had gone some distance together, they came to an aspen tree in a clearing in the woods. The musician tied a long string around the little hare's neck, then tied the other end of the string to the tree.
"Now quickly, little hare, run twenty times around the tree," shouted the musician, and the little hare obeyed. When he had run around twenty times, he had wound the string twenty times around the trunk of the tree, and the little hare was caught. The more the hare tugged and pulled, the more the string cut into his tender neck.
"Wait here until I return," said the musician, and went on his way.
The wolf, in the meantime, had pushed and pulled and bitten at the stone, and had worked so long that he freed his feet from the crack. Full of anger and rage he rushed after the musician, wanting to tear him to pieces.
When the fox saw him running by, he began to wail, crying out with all his might, "Brother wolf, come help me. The musician has tricked me."
The wolf pulled down the trees, bit the cord in two, and freed the fox, who went with him to take revenge on the musician. They found the tied-up hare, whom they rescued as well, then all together they set forth to find their enemy.
The musician had played his fiddle once again as he went on his way, and this time he had been more fortunate. The sound reached the ears of a poor woodcutter, who instantly, whether he wanted to or not, stopped working and, with his ax under his arm, came toward the musician to listen to the music.
"At last the right companion is coming," said the musician, "for I was seeking a human being, not wild animals." And he began to play so beautifully and delightfully that the poor man stood there enraptured, his heart filled with pleasure.
While he was thus standing there, the wolf, the fox, and the hare approached. He saw well that they had evil intentions, so he raised his shining axe and placed himself before the musician, as if to say, "Anyone who wants to harm him beware, for he will have to deal with me."
Then the beasts took fright and ran back into the woods. The musician, however, played one more tune for the man to thank him, and then went on his way.
令人叫絕的樂師的故事讀後感這個故事告訴我們，知音難遇，樂師在漫遊的途中遇到狼、狐狸和兔子，他們都不是真正的能夠欣賞樂師拉奏小提琴的人，所以樂師才捉弄他們。當樂師遇到樵夫，他知道這纔是他真正的知音，於是樂師願意用心的爲樵夫拉奏小提琴。知音是珍貴的，如果我們能夠遇到一個真正懂自己的人，一定要珍惜。
