The Hart and the Vine

Summary

This story tells of a hart, or deer, who, during a chase, finds temporary refuge under a vine's large leaves. Initially, the hunters pass by without noticing him, leading the hart to mistakenly assume he is safe. In a moment of carelessness and ingratitude, the hart starts nibbling on the vine's tendrils. This action attracts a hunter's attention, and the hart is eventually struck by an arrow. In his final moments, the hart realizes his mistake and acknowledges that he had wronged the very plant that provided him shelter, serving as a lesson on the consequences of ingratitude and the importance of respecting those who offer us protection.

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A Hart, hard pressed in the chase, hid himself beneath the large leaves of a Vine. The huntsmen, in their haste, overshot the place of his concealment. Supposing all danger to have passed, the Hart began to nibble the tendrils of the Vine. One of the huntsmen, attracted by the rustling of the leaves, looked back, and seeing the Hart, shot an arrow from his bow and struck it. The Hart, at the point of death, groaned: “I am rightly served, for I should not have maltreated the Vine that saved me.”