A thirsty stag went down to a pool to drink. As he bent over the surface, he saw his own reflection in the water, and was struck with admiration for his fine spreading antlers, but at the same time he felt nothing but disgust for the weakness and slenderness of his legs. While he stood there looking at himself, he was seen and attacked by a lion, and in the chase which followed the stag soon got ahead of his pursuer, and kept his lead as long as the ground over which he ran was open and free of trees. But coming presently to a forest, he was caught by his antlers in the branches, and fell victim to the teeth and claws of his enemy. "Woe is me!" he cried with his last breath. "I despised my legs, which might have saved my life, but I gloried in my horns, and they have ruined me." What is worth most is often valued least.
一隻口渴的雄鹿走到池邊喝水，當他彎下腰接近水面時，見到自己在水中的倒影，突然對自己頭上生長的細緻鹿角感到自豪，但同時卻對自己瘦弱的腿感到嫌棄。 正當他在池邊欣賞自己的外貌時，一頭獅子發現了他，對他展開攻擊，接著便是一陣追逐，雄鹿很快地就跑在獅子前面。只要在沒有樹木的空曠土地上，雄鹿都一直跑在前面。但沒多久他跑進一片森林，鹿角被樹枝卡住，使他成為敵人口爪下的犧牲品。 「唉！我實在愚蠢！」臨死之前雄鹿喊道：「我瞧不起自己的腿，但我的腿卻能救我一命，我為頭上的角沾沾自喜，但我的角卻害死我。」 最有價值的東西往往最不被重視。 | 
