The Raven Wishing to Imitate the Eagle

La Fontaine’s fable shows a raven watching the bird of Jove carry off a mutton and deciding that he can perform the same feat. Though weaker, the raven is equally greedy and confidently selects the fattest, finest sheep in a flock, praising it as a perfect meal before landing on it. The sheep’s great weight and thick fleece trap the raven’s claws, preventing him from flying away. The shepherd catches and cages the raven, then gives him to his children as a toy. The moral warns that a lesser thief fares badly when copying a greater one: people should know their own limits, since an example that is safe for the powerful may destroy the weak.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1668 · Genre: Fable, Didactic Literature, Animal Allegory · 357 words

First lines

The bird of Jove bore off a mutton, / A raven being witness. / That weaker bird, but equal glutton, / Not doubting of his fitness / To do the same with ease, / And bent his taste to please, / Took round the flock his sweep, / And mark'd among the sheep, / The one of fairest flesh and size, / A real sheep of sacrifice -- / A dainty titbit bestial, / Reserved for mouth celestial. / Our gormand, gloating round, / Cried, 'Sheep, I wonder much / Who could have made you such. / You're far the fattest I have found; / I'll take you for my eating. ' / And on the creature bleating / He settled down. Now, sooth to say, / This sheep would weigh / More than a cheese; / And had a fleece / Much like that matting famous / Which graced the chin of Polyphemus; [1] / So fast it clung to every claw, / It was not easy to withdraw. / The shepherd came, caught, caged, and, to their joy, / Gave croaker to his children for a toy.

• Open reader

Similar titles

• The Frog That Wished To Be As Big As The Ox by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Raven And The Fox by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Grasshopper And The Ant by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Lion And The Ass Hunting by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Members And The Belly by Jean De La Fontaine
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Genres

• Fable — The work is a short animal tale designed to convey an explicit moral lesson: one should recognize one's own limits and avoid blindly copying more powerful figures.
• Didactic Literature — Its closing maxims directly instruct readers about self-knowledge, imitation, theft, and the dangers of following another's example without considering unequal abilities.
• Animal Allegory — The eagle and raven function as symbolic figures whose contrasting strength and fate represent different human capacities, ambitions, and social positions.
• Moral Tale — The raven's failed attempt to seize a sheep creates a cautionary narrative in which foolish greed and overreaching lead to humiliation and captivity.

Tags

animal fable · verse fable · moral allegory · raven · eagle · sheep · shepherd · children · pastoral flock · bird of Jove · greed · imitation

What this Textopian page supports

The Raven Wishing to Imitate the Eagle is listed on Textopian as a fable by Jean de La Fontaine, dated 1668 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Fable
• Author: Jean de La Fontaine
• Date: 1668 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Fable, Didactic Literature, Animal Allegory, Moral Tale, Satire
• Length: 357 words
• Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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• Work identity for The Raven Wishing to Imitate the Eagle by Jean de La Fontaine
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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More by Jean de La Fontaine

• To Monseigneur the Dauphin (1668)
• The Grasshopper and the Ant (1668)
• The Raven and the Fox (1668)
• The Frog that Wished to be as Big as the Ox (1668)
• The Two Mules (1668)
• The Wolf and the Dog (1668)
• The Heifer, the Goat, and the Sheep, in Company with the Lion (1668)
• The Wallet (1668)
• All works by Jean de La Fontaine