The Stag at the Pool

One warm summer day, a thirsty stag went down to a refreshing pond to drink. As he bent over the surface, he saw his own reflection in the water and was struck with admiration for his fine antlers. At the same time, he felt nothing but disgust for the weakness and slenderness of his legs.

While he stood there looking at himself, a lion advanced from the forest. The lion crouched to attack, but the stag leapt away across the meadow. In the chase which ensued, the stag easily maintained a distance from his pursuer. The stag kept his lead as long as the ground over which he ran was open and free of trees. But as he approached a wooded area, his antlers became entangled in the branches. The lion quickly caught up with him, and the stag fell victim to the teeth and claws of his enemy. “Woe is me!” the stag cried with his last breath. “I despised my legs, which might have saved my life, but I reveled in my horns, and they have proved my ruin.”