The Lion and the Hare

Summary

This story revolves around a Lion who stumbles upon a sleeping Hare and is about to catch her when he sees a more tempting Hart pass by. Pursuing the Hart, he leaves the Hare behind, but after a fruitless chase, he returns to find the Hare has escaped. The Lion realizes the folly of leaving a sure thing to chase after a larger promise, acknowledging his mistake with the understanding that he lost his initial opportunity by being greedy. The moral of the story underscores the importance of valuing what one has instead of chasing uncertain gains.

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A Lion came across a Hare, who was fast asleep. He was just in the act of seizing her, when a fine young Hart trotted by, and he left the Hare to follow him. The Hare, scared by the noise, awoke and scudded away. The Lion was unable after a long chase to catch the Hart, and returned to feed upon the Hare. On finding that the Hare also had run off, he said, “I am rightly served, for having let go of the food that I had in my hand for the chance of obtaining more.”