The Stag Looking into the Pool

44. THE STAG LOOKING INTO THE POOL
A stag at a brook his thirst was regaling,
Admiring his antlers—his only great failing—
So perfectly pictured in the cool placid stream,
Absorbed by their beauty he gazed in a dream;
When he happened to spy his sharp feet and thin legs,
He exclaimed in disdain, "What horrible pegs!"
But behold! A dog and a man with a gun!
Now this trio, alas, soon ended his fun.
Making use of his legs, to his great joy he found,
They soon put between him and his foes lots of ground;
Unluckily though, he espied a thick wood,
And hastened to hide there if he possibly could,
But his antlers, so pretty, much to his dismay
Turn how e'er he would he found quite in his way,
Being caught by his horns and held fast in a tree,
"My legs, not my horns, were my best friends," said he.
Each blessing you have, before you abuse it,
Find out if you can, the best way to use it.
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