Section 4
The Fox and the Crow explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
Excerpt preview
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...
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Public-domain original
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."
Public-domain original text shown for study context.
What happens here
A fox flatters a crow into singing so she drops the cheese he wants.
Why this scene matters
This fable matters because it warns that flattery can make people give up what they have.
Characters in this scene
- The Fox: The trickster who uses praise to get food.
- The Crow: The bird whose vanity makes her lose the cheese.
Simple story version
A crow has cheese. A fox praises her voice, so she opens her beak to sing and drops the cheese.