Section 150
The Crow and the Swan explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
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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 the meat offered in sacrifice, and went and lived...
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Public-domain original
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 the 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.
You may change your habits, but not your nature.
Public-domain original text shown for study context.
What happens here
A crow tries to become white like a swan and loses his old way of living.
Why this scene matters
This fable warns against abandoning one’s own nature to imitate another.
Characters in this scene
- Crow: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
- the Swan: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
Simple story version
The crow thinks the swan is white because of water. He lives by water but becomes hungry and unchanged.