Aesop

The Sick Stag

Summary

This story is about a stag that becomes ill and lies down in a quiet part of its pasture. While it is sick, numerous companions visit to check on its health. However, each visitor takes some of the food meant for the stag, leaving it without enough to sustain itself. As a result, the stag dies not from the illness it suffered but from starvation due to the depletion of its resources by the well-meaning yet thoughtless visitors. The tale serves as a lesson on the importance of considering the needs of others and the potential consequences of selfish actions, even when intentions are good.

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A sick stag lay down in a quiet corner of its pasture-ground. His companions came in great numbers to inquire after his health, and each one helped himself to a share of the food which had been placed for his use; so that he died, not from his sickness, but from the failure of the means of living.

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