One fine day a raven found a nice piece of fresh cheese, which he
carried away to a favourite resting place on the leafy branch of a
beautiful fig-tree. Believing himself to be out of harm’s way, he was
about to eat and enjoy his booty, when he heard a well-known voice
softly calling to him,—
“Good day, dear friend Raven.”
Whence did the voice come? Lo and behold, at the foot of the fig-tree
stood Master Fox, eyeing with a greedy look the raven and the cheese.
How to obtain the latter was the thought uppermost in the mind of the
crafty fox.
Being unable to climb the tree, he resolved to trick the raven so as to
make him drop the cheese. Again Master Fox cried,—
“Good day, dear friend Raven, thou art verily the most beautiful of
birds. If all the winged creatures beneath the heavens were gathered
around thee, thou wouldst easily excel them all by reason of thy lovely
feathers. Moreover, if thou wouldst only sing then would thy song
surpass the sweetest melody of any other of thy winged companions and
thou wouldst become King of the birds.”
The sweet words sank deeply into the raven’s heart and he rejoiced at
the prospect of attaining to such undreamt-of greatness. All that he
had to do was merely to sing.
Excited with joy and pride he quickly opened his mouth and raising his
voice, he tried to sing. Alas! he only croaked; meanwhile the cheese
fell from his mouth to the ground. The greedy fox pounced upon the prey
and with a joyful cry he said,—
“Dear friend Raven, never again will I listen to the voice of other
sweet singers after hearing thy beautiful voice. Pray excuse me, if I
hasten away to finish the cheese thou hast so generously given me as a
reward for my flattery. Great indeed must be the power of pride since
it overcomes the desires of thy appetite.”
(The XIIIth Fable in R. Berachyah’s Fox Fables.)