The Stag and the Vine by Jean de La Fontaine

Name: The Stag and the Vine
Author: Jean de La Fontaine

A stag escapes a ruinous assault by hiding beneath a vine that forms a thick, sheltering bower. When the hunters lose him and call off their dogs, he repays the vine’s protection with ingratitude, browsing upon it. The hunters hear the rustling, return with their pack, and seize him where he had been hidden. Recognizing that he has deserved his fate, the stag calls his punishment justice and offers himself as a warning to all who profane an asylum.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1668 · Genre: Fable, Didactic Literature, Animal Fiction · 236 words

First lines

A stag, by favour of a vine, / Which grew where suns most genial shine, / And form'd a thick and matted bower / Which might have turn'd a summer shower, / Was saved from ruinous assault. / The hunters thought their dogs at fault, / And call'd them off. In danger now no more / The stag, a thankless wretch and vile, / Began to browse his benefactress o'er. / The hunters, listening the while, / The rustling heard, came back, / With all their yelping pack, / And seized him in that very place. / 'This is,' said he, 'but justice, in my case. / Let every black ingrate / Henceforward profit by my fate. ' / The dogs fell to -- 'twere wasting breath / To pray those hunters at the death. / They left, and we will not revile 'em, / A warning for profaners of asylum.[1]

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The Stag and the Vine is listed on Textopian as a fable by Jean de La Fontaine, dated 1668 CE.

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Work type: Fable
Author: Jean de La Fontaine
Date: 1668 CE
Language: English
Genres: Fable, Didactic Literature, Animal Fiction, Allegory, Moral Tale
Length: 236 words
Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

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Genres

Fable — A brief allegorical animal tale derived from the Aesopic tradition, ending with an explicit moral warning against ingratitude.
Didactic Literature — Its primary purpose is moral instruction: the stag's destruction teaches that one should not harm a benefactor or violate a refuge.
Animal Fiction — The work centers on a stag, a vine, hunters, and dogs, using animal behavior to convey human ethical faults.
Allegory — The stag represents the ungrateful person, while the sheltering vine represents a benefactor or sanctuary betrayed by the one it protects.