The Stag Seeing himself in the Water

A stag gazes into a clear, still flood and admires the large branching horns on his head, while despising his thin, spindle-like legs. He considers his antlers glorious enough to overtop the copse, but calls his legs a disgrace. When a bloodhound pursues him, he runs into the thickest forest to escape. His slender legs are swift and could have saved his life, but his admired horns catch and hold him back wherever he goes. Forced to surrender, he curses the antlers that nature gives him each year. The fable teaches that people often value beauty too highly and scorn what is useful, though what seems beautiful may lead to ruin while what seems contemptible may be lifesaving.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1668 · Genre: Fable, Didactic Literature, Moral Tale · 272 words

First lines

Beside a placid, crystal flood, / A stag admired the branching wood / That high upon his forehead stood, / But gave his Maker little thanks / For what he call'd his spindle shanks. / 'What limbs are these for such a head! -- / So mean and slim! ' with grief he said. / 'My glorious heads o'ertops / The branches of the copse; / My legs are my disgrace. ' / As thus he talk'd, a bloodhound gave him chase. / To save his life he flew / Where forests thickest grew. / His horns, -- pernicious ornament! -- / Arresting him where'er he went, / Did unavailing render / What else, in such a strife, / Had saved his precious life -- / His legs, as fleet as slender. / Obliged to yield, he cursed the gear / Which nature gave him every year.

• Open reader

Similar titles

• The Eye Of The Master by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Fox And The Grapes by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Raven And The Fox by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Dog That Dropped The Substance For The Shadow by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Horse Wishing To Be Revenged Upon The Stag by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Miser Who Had Lost His Treasure by Jean De La Fontaine

Genres

• Fable — The poem uses talking-animal characterization, a brief illustrative plot, and an explicit moral about valuing usefulness over beauty.
• Didactic Literature — Its central purpose is instruction: the stag's fate teaches readers not to despise practical qualities while admiring superficial ones.
• Moral Tale — The narrative presents a cautionary consequence for vanity and misplaced judgment, ending with a clearly stated ethical lesson.
• Narrative Poetry — The work tells a complete story in rhymed verse, moving from the stag's self-admiration to pursuit, entrapment, and realization.

Tags

fable · verse narrative · moral allegory · seventeenth-century French literature · French poetry · Aesopic tradition · stag · bloodhound chase · forest · riverbank · reflection in water · antlers

What this Textopian page supports

The Stag Seeing himself in the Water is listed on Textopian as a fable by Jean de La Fontaine, dated 1668 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Fable
• Author: Jean de La Fontaine
• Date: 1668 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Fable, Didactic Literature, Moral Tale, Narrative Poetry, Animal Tale
• Length: 272 words
• Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for The Stag Seeing himself in the Water by Jean de La Fontaine
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
• Readability and classroom-planning context
• Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

More by Jean de La Fontaine

• To Monseigneur the Dauphin (1668)
• The Grasshopper and the Ant (1668)
• The Raven and the Fox (1668)
• The Frog that Wished to be as Big as the Ox (1668)
• The Two Mules (1668)
• The Wolf and the Dog (1668)
• The Heifer, the Goat, and the Sheep, in Company with the Lion (1668)
• The Wallet (1668)
• All works by Jean de La Fontaine