English Original
Once upon a time, in northern India, there was a herd of village deer. They were used to being near villages, where they were born and raised. They knew they had to be very careful around people, especially at harvest time when farmers trapped and killed any deer that came near.
During harvest, the village deer stayed in the forest all day, venturing near the village only under the cover of night. Among them was a beautiful young doe with soft reddish-brown fur, a fluffy white tail, and large, bright eyes.
That season, a young mountain buck had strayed into the same low forest. One day, he saw the beautiful doe and was immediately infatuated. He knew nothing about her but imagined himself deeply in love, captivated by her appearance. He even dreamed of her, though she was unaware of his existence.
After a few days, the buck decided to introduce himself. As he walked into the clearing where she grazed, he was entranced and could not look away. He began, "Oh, my sweet beauty, as lovely as the stars and as bright as the moon, I confess I am deeply—" Just then, his hoof caught on a root. He tripped, fell, and splashed face-first into a mud puddle! The doe was flattered and smiled, but inwardly thought him rather silly.
Unbeknownst to the deer, a clan of tree fairies lived in that part of the forest. They had been watching the buck secretly admire the doe. When he walked out, began his speech, and fell into the mud, the fairies laughed uproariously. "What fools these animals are!" they cried. But one wise fairy did not laugh. "Perhaps this is a warning of danger for this young fool," he said.
The buck was slightly embarrassed but saw no warning. From then on, he followed the doe everywhere, constantly praising her beauty and declaring his love. She paid little attention.
When night fell, it was time for the doe to go down to the village. People along the path knew deer passed by at night and set traps. That night, a hunter waited, hidden behind a bush.
The doe set out carefully. The mountain buck, still singing her praises, went right along with her. She stopped and said, "My dear buck, you are not experienced around villages. You don't know how dangerous humans are. The village and the path to it can mean death for a deer, even at night. Since you are young and inexperienced"—she thought to herself, "and foolish"—"you should not come with me. Stay in the safety of the forest."
At this, the tree fairies applauded, though the deer could not hear them.
The young buck ignored her warning. "Your eyes look so lovely in the moonlight!" he said, continuing to walk with her. "If you won't listen, at least be quiet!" she replied. So infatuated was he that he could not control his thoughts, but he finally fell silent.
Soon, they approached where the hunter hid. The fairies saw him and became agitated and frightened for the deer's safety. They fluttered nervously among the branches but could only watch.
The doe smelled the hidden man and feared a trap. Thinking to save herself, she let the buck go first, following a little way behind.
When the hunter saw the unsuspecting mountain buck, he shot his arrow, killing him instantly. The terrified doe turned and fled back to the forest clearing as fast as she could.
The hunter claimed his kill. He lit a fire, skinned the deer, cooked some venison, and ate his fill. Then he threw the carcass over his shoulder and carried it home to feed his family.
Seeing this, some fairies cried. As they watched the hunter cut up the once-noble buck, some felt sick. Others blamed the careful doe for leading him to slaughter.
But the wise fairy who had given the first warning said, "It was the excitement of infatuation that killed this foolish deer. Such blind desire brings false happiness at first but ends in pain and suffering."
The moral is: Infatuation leads to destruction.
中文翻译
从前，在印度北部，有一群村鹿。它们习惯待在村庄附近，在那里出生和长大。它们知道必须对人类非常小心，尤其是在收获季节，农民会设陷阱杀死任何靠近的鹿。
收获时节，村鹿白天都待在森林里，只在夜幕掩护下才冒险靠近村庄。其中有一头美丽的年轻母鹿，长着柔软的红棕色皮毛、蓬松的白尾巴和一双又大又亮的眼睛。
那个季节，一头年轻的山中雄鹿误入了同一片低地森林。一天，他看到了美丽的母鹿，立刻为之倾倒。他对她一无所知，却仅因她的外貌就想象自己深陷爱河。他甚至梦见了她，尽管她根本不知道他的存在。
几天后，雄鹿决定自我介绍。当他走进母鹿吃草的空地时，他被迷住了，无法移开视线。他开口说道：“哦，我亲爱的美人，如星辰般可爱，如明月般明亮，我向你坦白，我深深地——”就在这时，他的蹄子被树根绊住。他绊了一跤，摔倒在地，脸扑通一声溅进了泥潭！母鹿受宠若惊，笑了笑，但心里觉得他相当愚蠢。
鹿儿们不知道，那片森林里住着一群树精灵。他们一直看着雄鹿偷偷爱慕母鹿。当他走出来，开始表白，然后摔进泥潭时，精灵们哄堂大笑。“这些哑巴动物多傻啊！”他们喊道。但一位睿智的精灵没有笑。他说：“也许这是对这个年轻傻瓜的危险警告。”
雄鹿有点尴尬，但没把这当作任何警告。从那以后，他到处跟着母鹿，不断赞美她的美丽，宣称自己爱她。母鹿很少理会。
夜幕降临时，母鹿该下山去村庄了。沿途的人们知道鹿会在夜间经过，于是设下陷阱。那天晚上，一个猎人躲在灌木丛后等待着。
母鹿小心翼翼地出发了。山中雄鹿仍然对她赞不绝口，紧紧跟着她。她停下来对他说：“亲爱的雄鹿，你对村庄周围没有经验。你不知道人类有多危险。村庄和通往村庄的路，即使在夜晚也能给鹿带来死亡。既然你这么年轻，没有经验”——她心里想，“而且愚蠢”——“你不该跟我来。待在安全的森林里吧。”
听到这话，树精灵们鼓掌称赞，尽管鹿儿们听不见。
年轻的雄鹿无视她的警告。“你的眼睛在月光下看起来真可爱！”他说着，继续和她一起走。“如果你不听我的，至少安静点！”她回答。他如此痴迷，以至于无法控制自己的思绪，但终于闭上了嘴。
不久，他们接近了猎人藏身的地方。精灵们看到了猎人，变得焦虑不安，为鹿的安全感到害怕。他们在树枝间紧张地飞来飞去，但只能眼睁睁看着。
母鹿闻到了隐藏的人的气味，害怕有陷阱。为了自救，她让雄鹿走在前面，自己跟在后面一段距离。
猎人看到毫无戒心的山中雄鹿，射出了箭，立刻杀死了他。受惊的母鹿转身以最快的速度逃回了森林空地。
猎人获取了他的猎物。他生起火，剥了鹿皮，煮了些鹿肉，吃饱了。然后他把鹿的尸体扛在肩上，带回家给家人吃。
看到这一幕，一些精灵哭了。看着猎人肢解曾经高贵的雄鹿，一些精灵感到恶心。另一些则责怪谨慎的母鹿把他引向了屠宰场。
但那位最先发出警告的睿智精灵说：“是迷恋的兴奋杀死了这头愚蠢的鹿。这种盲目的欲望起初带来虚假的幸福，但最终以痛苦和苦难告终。”
寓意是：迷恋导致毁灭。