The Raven and the Fox
Mr Raven was perched upon a limb,
And Reynard the Fox looked up at him;
For the Raven held in his great big beak,
A morsel the Fox would go far to seek.
Said the Fox, in admiring tones: “My word!
Sir Raven, you are a handsome bird.
Such feathers! If you would only sing,
The birds of these woods would call you King.”
Mr Raven was perched upon a limb,
And Reynard the Fox looked up at him;
For the Raven held in his great big beak,
A morsel the Fox would go far to seek.
Said the Fox, in admiring tones: “My word!
Sir Raven, you are a handsome bird.
Such feathers! If you would only sing,
The birds of these woods would call you King.”
– Jean de La Fontaine
Summary in Hindi
एक दिन एक बड़ा कौआ (RAVEN) पेड़ की डाल पर बैठा था। उसकी चोंच में खाने का एक टुकड़ा था। नीचे ज़मीन पर एक लोमड़ी (FOX) आई। उसने ऊपर देखा और कौए की चोंच में खाना देखा।
लोमड़ी सोचने लगी – “अगर मुझे यह टुकड़ा मिल जाए तो कितना अच्छा होगा।”
फिर उसने चतुराई से कौए की चापलूसी शुरू कर दी। वह बोली – “वाह कौए भाई! तुम कितने सुंदर हो। तुम्हारे पंख कितने चमकदार हैं। अगर तुम गाना गाओगे तो जंगल के सारे पक्षी तुम्हें अपना राजा बना देंगे।”
कौआ यह सुनकर खुश हो गया। उसने सोचा – “सच में मैं बहुत अच्छा गा सकता हूँ।” जैसे ही उसने गाने के लिए चोंच खोली, टुकड़ा नीचे गिर पड़ा।
लोमड़ी ने तुरंत खाना उठाया और हँसते हुए बोली – “धन्यवाद कौए भाई! यही तो मैं चाहती थी।”
कौआ मूर्ख बन गया और लोमड़ी को खाना मिल गया।
LET US DO
Let us do these activities before we read.
I) We know that frogs croak. Did you know that ravens also croak?
Answer: Yes, ravens also make a croaking sound, similar to frogs. Ravens have different types of calls, including deep, throaty croaks. They use these sounds to communicate with each other, mark their territory, and attract mates.
II) Which animal is shown to be cunning in stories? Circle the correct answer.
(a) tiger (b) fox (c) bear
Answer: (b) fox
LET US DISCUSS
I. Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct option.
Answer:
(1) Stanza 1
(i) Mr Raven is a bird.
(ii) The name of the fox is Reynard.
(iii) Mr Raven had a piece of food in his beak.
(2) Stanza 2
(i) The Fox calls the Raven a good-looking bird.
(ii) The Fox asks the Raven to sing.
(iii) The Raven and the Fox live in the woods.
(3) Stanza 3
(i) The Raven forgot that he croaked.
(ii) The Raven opened its beak to sing.
(iii) The food fell down.
(4) Stanza 4
(i) The Fox laughed at the Raven.
(ii) It is not wise to be too proud of oneself.
(iii) The Raven learnt a lesson.
II. Match the words in Column A with their meanings in Column B.
Check your answers with your teacher and classmates.
| Column A | Column B | Answer |
|---|
| 1. perched | (I) a small piece of food | (IV) sat on a branch |
| 2. morsel | (II) looked with interest at something | (I) a small piece of food |
| 3. seek | (III) feeling that you are better than others | (V) to look for something |
| 4. pride | (IV) sat on a branch | (III) feeling that you are better than others |
| 5. eyed | (V) to look for something | (II) looked with interest at something |
| 6. limb | (VI) a smaller area of forest with similar kinds of trees | (VII) branch of a tree |
| 7. woods | (VII) branch of a tree | (VI) a smaller area of forest with similar kinds of trees |
LET US THINK AND REFLECT
Answer: The Raven was fooled by flattery. We should not be proud or easily influenced by praise.
II) Read the following lines and answer the questions that follow.
Sir Raven, you are a handsome bird.
Such feathers! If you would only sing,
The birds of these woods would call you King.
(i) ‘Such feathers’ refer to __________________ feathers.
A. shiny and beautiful
B. black and dull
C. grey and long
D. short and unattractive
Answer: (i) ‘Such feathers’ refer to shiny and beautiful feathers.
(ii) Why would the birds of the woods call the Raven ‘King’?
Answer: The birds of the woods would call the Raven ‘King’ if he sang well because the Fox is flattering the Raven, suggesting that his singing would make him the most admired and honored bird in the woods.
(iii) Why does the Fox address the Raven as ‘Sir’?
Answer: The Fox addresses the Raven as ‘Sir’ to flatter him and make him feel important, which is part of the Fox’s trick to get the Raven to sing.
III) Why does the Raven forget that his voice is just a croak?
Answer: The Raven forgets that his voice is just a croak because he is flattered by the Fox’s praise and becomes too proud, thinking he can sing well.
IV) How does Reynard make the Raven sing?
Answer: Reynard makes the Raven sing by flattering him and praising his appearance, which leads the Raven to open his beak and sing.
V) Why does Reynard say that pride is not wise?
Answer: Reynard says that pride is not wise because it can lead to foolish actions. The Raven’s pride made him ignore the reality of his singing ability, resulting in embarrassment.
VI) Give one reason why the teaching is quite a surprise.
Answer: The teaching is quite a surprise because the Raven, despite being clever and knowing he croaks, falls for the Fox’s flattery and ends up losing his food. The lesson shows how easily pride and vanity can lead to foolish mistakes.
LET US LEARN
I) Write the rhyming words from the poem. One has been done for you.
Answer:
STANZA 1
(i) limb – him
(ii) king – sing
STANZA 2
(i) word – bird
(ii) wood – good
STANZA 3
(i) joke – croak
(ii) pride – side
STANZA 4
(i) know – show
(ii) wise – surprise
II) Study the underlined words in the poem.
1. For the Raven held in his great big beak.
The words ‘big’ and ‘beak’ begin with the same /b/ sound.
2. The song of sweet birds.
The words ‘song’ and ‘sweet’ begin with the same /s/ sound.
ALLITERATION – it is a repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. When two or more words together begin with the same sound, it is called alliteration.
अनुप्रास अलंकार – यह शब्दों के आरंभ में व्यंजन ध्वनियों की पुनरावृत्ति है। जब दो या दो से अधिक शब्द एक साथ, एक ही ध्वनि से आरंभ होते हैं, तो उसे अनुप्रास अलंकार कहते हैं।
Now, pick another example of alliteration from Stanza 2.
Answer: In Stanza 2, another example of alliteration is “woods would.”
III) Choose the correct opposites from the box given below and complete the table. There are two extra words that you will not need.
Words Box: wise, happy, humility, flew, remembered, notice, dim, cried, silly
| WORDS | OPPOSITES |
|---|
| perched | flew |
| forgot | remembered |
| foolish | wise |
| pride | humility |
| laughed | cried |
| ignore | notice |
| glow | dim |
Use any four words from the table to make sentences:
perched – The bird perched on the tree.
forgot – I forgot my pencil at home.
foolish – It is foolish to run in the rain without shoes.
pride – She takes pride in her drawing.
laughed – The children laughed at the funny clown.
ignore – Do not ignore your homework.
glow – The stars glow at night.
