The Crow and the Swan

One of the most famous and well known stories of the Aesop’s Fables collection is the story called “The Crow and the Swan”. In this old Aesop’s Fables story, a silly crow was ashamed of his color and wants to be white like the swan. How will it get white feathers? Read on about the story….

Story:

A crow is born with the blackest of feathers. He looked dark and he was ashamed of his color. He once saw a swan and he thought its feathers were gorgeous. They looked as white as the purest of snow and shined in the sun’s rays.

The crow decided that the swan was the most beautiful of all the birds in the land. After all, his feathers were the purest white.

The crow asked the swan, “Good Morning, Mr. Swan. Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

The swan said, “Sure. Mr. Crow. Please feel free to ask me.”

The crow asked, “Are you always in the water?”

The swan said, “Yes, for most of the day. I spend hours washing my feathers.”

The crow said, “Ah ok. And what else do you do with the rest of your day?”

The swan said, “Well, I eat green shoots and grass. I eat the weeds and the plants in the pond. That is all that I do.”

The crow thanked the swan and decided, “If I do exactly as the swan does, I will also become white and beautiful!”

The craw began to swim in the lake every day. He dived into the lake and ate the moss in the bottom of the pond. He ate only the weeds and washed himself a hundred times a day. His feathers however remained as black as ever.

The weeds he ate did not agree with him and he only got sick and became very thin. One day he overheard a swan say to another swan, “The crow looks so beautiful with its shiny black wings and its even color. I am so ugly and am so plain and white.”

Moral of the Story:

“A change of habits will not alter nature. Accept yourself for who you really are.”

Questions and Answers on “The Crow and the Swan”

Who are the main characters of the story?
Why is the crow sad?
What advice does the swan give to the crow?
What is the moral of the story?