The Swallow and the Crow

Once, a proud Swallow lived on a large tree. He Liked his colourful feathers and his long tail. One day, he saw a Crow and thought, ‘How dull this bird is! All his feathers are black.’ He looked at himself lovingly and admired his own feathers.

Just then, the Crow flew and sat on the same branch as the Swallow. The Swallow said, ‘All your features are black and your tail is so short.”

The Crow smiled and said, “But they help me fly” The Swallow said, “So do mine, but look at how beautiful they are!” He spread his wings and flew a little closer to the Crow. The Crow saw that the Swallow had lots of blue feathers and some white and pink ones, too. He looked at his own feathers and thought, `It’s true, the Swallow’s feathers are really colourful.’

The Crow said, “Swallow, you are right. You have lovely feathers and a long tail, but only in summer. Your beautiful feathers fall off and cannot keep you warm in winters. While you shiver, my feathers are always there. They keep me warm in the cold winters.”

Don’t be proud of something that is of little use.