蚊子和獅子 伊索著 江銘輝翻譯
圖：當蚊子與獅子戰鬥時，蚊子不知遠處正有一個蜘蛛網等著它。
一隻蚊子飛到獅子前面，對獅子說:「至少我並不怕你，你也不比我強。你知道什麼是你具有的實力嗎？你可用你的爪子抓，用你的牙齒咬，但這些可能是女人在吵架時用的。我再說一遍，總之我比你強。如果你懷疑的話，讓我們戰鬥看誰戰勝。
這隻蚊子已經發起嗡嗡的號角，貼近獅子的身體，叮著獅子的鼻孔和臉部其他沒毛的地方。獅子嘗試用牠的爪子撕裂蚊子、重擊它，直到自己受到嚴重的折磨，精疲力盡。蚊子終於戰勝了獅子，在四周吹起嗡嗡的勝利歌曲，飛走了。但是離開不久之後，它被蜘蛛網纏住了，然後被一隻蜘蛛吃了，它十分感嘆自己的命運，說：「災禍是我造成的！我，既然可以發動戰爭戰勝巨大的野獸，但卻被這隻微不足道的昆蟲（蜘蛛）所毀滅。」
譯者評論：知己知彼百戰不怠，得意忘形，疏於防範，常招來橫禍。文中這隻蜘蛛因知道獅子的弱點、自己的長處，所以獅子雖然號稱百獸之王，仍然不是它的對手。反過來說；當它戰勝百獸之王時，以為自己了不起，過於自負，忘記眼前的災禍，陷落死亡的境界。中國有一句話：螳螂捕蟬，黃雀在後，只顧眼前的利益，忘記潛在的危機，就是這個道理。
The gnat and the lion
A gnat came and said to a lion, "1 do not the least fear you, nor are you stronger than I am. For in what does your strength consist? You can scratch with your claws, and bite with your teeth , so can a woman in her quarrel. I repeat that I am altogether more powerful than you; and if you doubt it, let us fight and see who will conquer." The gnat, having sounded his horn, fastened itself upon the Lion, and stung him on the nostrils and the parts of the face devoid of hair. The lion, trying to crush him, tore himself with his claws, until he punished himself severely. The gnat thus prevailed over the lion, and, buzzing about in a song of triumph, flew away. But shortly afterwards he became entangled in the meshes of a cobweb, and was eaten by a spider. He greatly lamented his fate, saying, "Woe is me! that I, who can wage war successfully with the hugest beasts, should perish myself from this spider, the most inconsiderable of insects!"