A Raven saw a Swan and desired to secure for himself the same beautiful plumage. Supposing that the Swan’s splendid white color arose from his washing in the water in which he swam, the Raven left the altars in the neighborhood where he picked up his living, and took up residence in the lakes and pools. But cleansing his feathers as often as he would, he could not change their color, while through want of food he perished.
Credits
Aesop was an ancient Greek storyteller, believed to have lived around 620–564 BCE, credited with hundreds of fables that use animals to illuminate human nature. "The Raven and the Swan" is one of his most concise moral tales, delivering its lesson — that nature cannot be overcome by imitation — in just a few striking lines.
