Aesop's Fables

 

The Fox & the Crow

A crow was sitting on a branch of a tree with a piece of cheese in her beak when a fox observed her and set his wits to work to discover some way of getting the cheese. Coming and standing under the tree he looked up and said, "What a noble bird I see above me! Her beauty is without equal, the hue of her plumage exquisite. If only her voice is as sweet as her looks are fair, she ought without doubt to be queen of the birds."
The crow was hugely flattered by this, and just to show the fox that she could sing she gave a loud caw. Down came the cheese, of course, and the fox, snatching it up, said, "You have a voice, madam, I see; what you want is wits."

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The Crow and the Pitcher

A thirsty crow found a pitcher with some water in it, but so little was there that, try as she might, she could not reach it with her beak, and it seemed as though she would die of thirst within sight of the remedy. As last she hit upon a clever plan. She began dropping pebbles into the pitcher, and with each pebble the water rose a little higher until at last it reached the brim, and the knowing bird was enabled to quench her thirst.
Moral: Necessity is the mother of invention.

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The Crow and the Swan

A crow was filled with envy on seeing the beautiful white plumage of a swan, and thought it was due to the water in which the swan constantly bathed and swam. So he left the neighbourhood of the altars, where he got his living by picking up bits of meat offered in sacrifice, and went and lived among the pools and streams. But though he bathed and washed his feathers many times a day, he didn't make them any whiter, and at last died of hunger into the bargain.
Moral: You may change your habits, but not your nature.

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The Crow and the Snake

A hungry crow spied a snake lying asleep in a sunny spot, and, picking it up in his claws, he was carrying it off to a place where he could make a meal of it without being disturbed, when the snake reared its head and bit him. It was a poisonous snake, and the bite was fatal, and the dying crow said, "What a cruel fate is mine! I thought I had made a lucky find, and it has cost me my life!"

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The Crow and the Raven

A crow became very jealous of a raven, because the latter was regarded by men as a bird of omen which foretold the future, and was accordingly held in great respect by them. She was very anxious to get the same sort of reputation herself; and, one day, seeing some travellers approaching, she flew on to a branch of a tree at the roadside and cawed as loud as she could. The travellers were in some dismay at the sound, for they feared it might be a bad men; till one of them, spying the crow, said to his companions, 'It's all right, my friends, we can go on without fear, for it's only a crow and that means nothing.'
Moral: Those who pretend to be something they are not only make themselves ridiculous.

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The Swallow and the Crow

A swallow was once boasting to a crow about her birth. 'I was once a princess,' said she, 'the daughter of a king of Athens, but my husband used me cruelly, and cut out my tongue for a slight fault. Then, to protect me from further injury, I was turned by Juno into a bird.' 'You chatter quite enough as it is,' said the crow. 'What you would have been like if you hadn't lost your tongue, I can't think.'