The crow and the fox

No. 9 on the route

A crow as black as a moonless night

seized his opportunity at a Beugen farmhouse.

Where a number of cheeses were left to mature,

the crow took one away to taste.

In a tree near the Felt, sitting high,

the bird began to feast on the cheese.

But there came the fox, who had not yet eaten

He too was eager to fill his belly.

"Dear crow, dear friend," the little fox spoke politely,

'oh how beautifully your feathers shine again.

'I don't think any other animal lives in the forest

that is so beautiful, I truly believe that.

And the crow, with the cheese still clutched in its beak,

liked the flattery of the fox very much.

''The most beautiful thing,'' said the fox, ''is definitely your voice anyway.

Rarely have I heard a song so sugary sweet.'

'Dear Crow, will you surprise me with a song,

That your beautiful voice once again rings through the woods?

Blinded by flattery, the crow then began to scratch

And the cheese that fell right into the fox's maw.

© 2021 Geurt Franzen

after a fable by La Fontaine