Motif
failed attempt to change innate nature by imitation
failed_attempt_to_change_innate_nature_by_imitation
A motif of the Pride, Hubris, and Downfall family, within the sub-family Failed Imitations and Counterfeit Works. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
1 occurrences
1 traditions
greek
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Aesop's Fables; a new translation THE ESCAPED JACKDAW / THE FARMER AND THE FOX / VENUS AND THE CAT / THE CROW AND THE SWAN; lines 3196-3207 confidence: high
“A Crow was filled with envy on seeing the beautiful white plumage of a Swan,” and thought it came from the water where the swan bathed and swam.
The crow imitates the swan’s bathing in order to acquire white plumage, but his feathers remain unchanged and the moral explicitly distinguishes changeable habits from unchangeable nature.
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