FABLE LXXXIX
by Unknown · from Favourite Fables in Prose and Verse
Adapted Version
Mama Raven lived in a tall tree.
Mama Raven sat on her nest. Her nest was high in a tree. She had three eggs. The eggs were new. Mama Raven loved her eggs. She loved them very much. She kept them warm. She kept them safe. She thought about her baby birds. They would hatch soon. She was very happy. She waited for them. She waited every day.
Mama Raven thought about her babies. Her babies would be sweet. They would fly. They would sing. She smiled. She was very excited. Her babies would be big. They would be strong. She waited for them. She loved her little eggs. She loved them so much.
One day, the wind blew. The wind blew very hard. The wind was strong. The tree moved. The nest shook. Mama Raven felt worried. She felt a little scared. She sat tight on her eggs. She covered them with her body. She kept them safe. She held them close. The wind blew and blew. It blew for a long time. It blew all day.
Then the wind stopped. The sun came out. The sky was blue. The day was calm. Mama Raven was happy. She was not scared now. Her eggs were safe. She thought, "My eggs are safe." She felt very good. She felt very calm. She felt peaceful.
The next morning came. A man came to the tree. He looked up. He looked at the nest. He started to climb. He climbed the big tree. He climbed very fast. He climbed higher and higher. He came to Mama Raven's nest. He was very quick. He was very quiet.
The Man reached the nest. He took the eggs. He took all three eggs. Mama Raven was surprised. She flew away a little. She watched him. The Man put the eggs in his bag. He climbed down the tree. He walked away. He walked far away. Mama Raven looked at her nest. Her nest was empty now. It was very empty.
Mama Raven was surprised. She was very surprised. Sometimes, things happen. They happen when you feel very safe. The wind did not take eggs. The man did. This is how life can be. Life can be unexpected.
Original Story
FABLE LXXXIX.
THE COUNTRYMAN AND THE RAVEN.
A Raven, while with glossy breast,
Her new laid eggs she fondly pressed,
And, on her wicker-work high mounted,
Her chickens prematurely counted.
(A fault philosophers might blame,
If quite exempted from the same,)
Enjoyed at ease the genial day;
'Twas April, as the bumpkins say;—
The legislature called it May;
But suddenly, a wind, as high
As ever swept a winter's sky,
Shook the young leaves about her ears,
And filled her with a thousand fears,
Lest the rude blast should snap the bough,
And spread her golden hopes below.
But just at eve the blowing weather,
And all her fears, were hushed together.
"And now," quoth poor unthinking Ralph,
"'Tis over, and the brood is safe."
(For Ravens, though as birds of omen,
They teach both conjurors and old women;
To tell us what is to befall,
Can't prophesy themselves at all.)
The morning came, when neighbour Hodge,
Who long had marked her airy lodge,
And destined all the treasure there,
A gift to his expecting fair,
Climbed, like a squirrel to his dray,
And bore the worthless prize away.
MORAL.
Safety consists not in escape
From danger of a frightful shape;
Fate steals along with silent tread,
Found oftenest in what least we dread;
Frowns in the storm with angry brow,
But in the sunshine strikes the blow.
Story DNA
Moral
Safety does not come from escaping obvious dangers, as fate often strikes unexpectedly when one feels most secure.
Plot Summary
A raven sits on her nest, prematurely celebrating her future chicks. A violent storm frightens her, but when it passes, she believes her eggs are safe. Unbeknownst to her, a countryman who had been eyeing her nest climbs the tree the next morning and steals the eggs. The fable concludes with a moral about how true danger often strikes when one feels most secure, not during obvious threats.
Themes
Emotional Arc
security to loss
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Fables often served as moral instruction, popular in various cultures for teaching ethical lessons through animal characters.
Plot Beats (7)
- A raven sits on her nest, affectionately guarding her eggs and imagining her future chicks.
- The narrator comments on her premature counting of chickens, a common human fault.
- A sudden, violent windstorm arises, causing the raven immense fear that her nest and eggs will be destroyed.
- The storm eventually calms down by evening, and the raven feels relieved, believing her eggs are now safe.
- The narrator interjects that ravens, despite being birds of omen for others, cannot foresee their own misfortunes.
- The next morning, a countryman named Hodge, who had been watching the nest, climbs the tree.
- Hodge takes the eggs, which he intends as a gift for his beloved, rendering the raven's hopes and fears moot.
Characters
The Raven
A medium-sized bird with a sleek, robust body, and a glossy, iridescent black plumage that shimmers with hints of blue and purple in the light. Her form is agile and well-suited for flight and perching.
Attire: Her natural, glossy black feathers are her only 'wardrobe', appearing well-maintained and lustrous.
Wants: To protect her eggs and ensure the safety and hatching of her future brood.
Flaw: Overconfidence in the absence of immediate danger, inability to foresee future threats, a tendency to prematurely count her blessings.
She begins hopeful and protective, experiences fear during a storm, then feels a false sense of security, ultimately suffering the loss of her eggs due to an unforeseen human threat.
Fond, maternal, hopeful, easily frightened, naive, unthinking (as described by the narrator).
The Countryman
A sturdy, agile man of the countryside, likely with a weathered complexion from outdoor work. He is capable of climbing trees with squirrel-like dexterity.
Attire: Simple, durable peasant clothing suitable for climbing and outdoor labor, such as a coarse linen tunic or shirt, sturdy breeches, and perhaps a simple waistcoat, in earthy tones like brown, grey, or undyed linen.
Wants: To acquire the raven's eggs as a gift for his 'expecting fair' (fiancée or lover).
Flaw: Lack of empathy for wildlife, driven by personal gain.
He remains static, acting as the instrument of fate. He observes, plans, and executes his plan without internal change.
Observant, opportunistic, cunning, practical, unsentimental (regarding the raven's eggs).
Locations
Raven's Nest in a Tree
A high-mounted wicker-work nest, likely in a sturdy tree, with young leaves around it. The setting is a rural, temperate environment during spring.
Mood: Initially peaceful and hopeful, then fearful and turbulent, finally calm but deceptively vulnerable.
The raven's initial contentment, her fear during the storm, and the subsequent theft of her eggs by the countryman.
Countryman's Farm/Yard
Implied setting where the countryman, Hodge, resides and plans to give the raven's eggs to his 'expecting fair'. This is the home environment of the human characters.
Mood: Ordinary, domestic, with an underlying sense of human intention and casual disregard for nature's inhabitants.
Hodge's observation of the raven's nest and his decision to steal the eggs for his beloved.