Fables for the Frivolous/The Sycophantic Fox and the Gullible Raven

by Guy Wetmore Carryl

THE SYCOPHANTIC FOX

AND

THE GULLIBLE RAVEN

THE SYCOPHANTIC FOX

AND

THE GULLIBLE RAVEN

---

A raven sat upon a tree,
 And not a word he spoke, for
His beak contained a piece of Brie,
 Or, maybe, it was Roquefort:
  We'll make it any kind you please—
  At all events, it was a cheese.

Beneath the tree's umbrageous limb
 A hungry fox sat smiling;
He saw the raven watching him,
 And spoke in words beguiling.
  "J' admire," said he, "ton beau plumage."
  (The which was simply persiflage.)

Two things there are, no doubt you know,
 To which a fox is used:
A rooster that is bound to crow,
 A crow that's bound to roost,
  And whichsoever he espies
  He tells the most unblushing lies.

"Sweet fowl," he said, "I understand
 You're more than merely natty,
I hear you sing to beat the band
 And Adelina Patti.
  Pray render with your liquid tongue
  A bit from 'Götterdämmerung.'"

This subtle speech was aimed to please
 The crow, and it succeeded:
He thought no bird in all the trees
 Could sing as well as he did.
  In flattery completely doused,
  He gave the "Jewel Song" from "Faust."

"'J'ADMIRE,' SAID HE, 'TON BEAU PLUMAGE'"

But gravitation's law, of course,
 As Isaac Newton showed it,
Exerted on the cheese its force.
 And elsewhere soon bestowed it.
  In fact, there is no need to tell
  What happened when to earth it fell.

I blush to add that when the bird
 Took in the situation
He said one brief, emphatic word,
 Unfit for publication.
  The fox was greatly startled, but
  He only sighed and answered "Tut."

The moral is: A fox is bound
 To be a shameless sinner.
And also: When the cheese comes round
 You know it's after dinner.
  But (what is only known to few)
  The fox is after dinner, too.