The Wasp and the Spider
Once upon a time, in a magical forest hidden in the shade of huge oak trees, there lived a patient spider. This master craftsman would weave immense webs, worked stitch by stitch, that shimmered like silver among the leaves. At the other end of the forest there reigned a haughty wasp, proud of his sharp sting and forever spreading fear among those around him. As the golden light of the sun filtered through the branches, these two opposite creatures came face to face by a twist of fate. Cleaving the air with sharp beats of his wings, the wasp settled near the silver-coloured home of the spider. "Is it with this web you have woven from feeble threads that you boast?" roared the haughty hunter.
Narrowing his eyes calmly, the spider replied, "My art rests not upon display but upon labour and patience." Enraged by this answer, the wasp wished to prove his strength by shaking his poisoned sting with pride. "With a single stroke I could tear this delicate work of yours to pieces!" he boasted. Without losing his composure at all, the spider said, "Those who trust too much in their force often overlook the traps that are laid with wit." Overcome by his fury, the wasp missed his mark and plunged with a great din straight into the centre of the web. But the threads of the web were far more sticky and exceedingly more durable than they appeared.
The more the wasp beat his wings, the more tightly the stitches wound themselves around his body. Though the haughty hunter shook his poisoned sting in rage, every stroke that came to nothing left him still more helpless. The patient spider, moving calmly along the strands of the web, swiftly wrapped his struggling rival in his silken threads. The wasp, who trusted in the strength of his muscles and in his sharp weapon, was defeated before wit and preparation. With one last sound of wings echoing in the depths of the forest, the struggles of the proud wasp came wholly to an end. Empty threats and boasts without measure always melt away before the firm order that wit and labour have built. Eat a big bite, but do not speak a big word.