Hukumusume fairy tale collection > Story Top > Aesop’s Fables

The beauty contest of the birds

(Aesop’s Fables)

Translation　ちいさな翻訳屋さん

Make Origami ( ORIGAMI CLUB) Crow　　　Peacock　　　Swan

Japanese　←→　Japanese ＆ English　←→　English

　It happened so long ago.

　One day God decided to hold the beauty contest of the birds,

and the winner shall be a king of all birds.

　All the birds fussed over it. They said to each other,

“After all you are the most beautiful, peacock.”

“Well, the swan has some style!”

“No, a king of the birds has to be good at singing. I think the spring bird is going to win.”

　Such a big fuss they’ve made. Each one of them tried their best to become beautiful, cleaned themselves and preened their fine feathers in a river.

　Only a jackdaw didn’t join the group.

　He didn’t enjoy at all.

　He knew he wasn’t a good-looking, can’t sing, and the color was so ugly. Nothing of him was worth participating in the contest.

　As he flew over the river feeling so sad, he found many feathers scattered on the ground. He said to himself,

“I have an idea. I’m going to fool everybody with these feathers.”

　He picked up those colorful feathers attached them to his body trying to decorate himself.


　Now, the contest begins.

　God couldn’t take his eyes off of the jackdaw.

“What a beautiful and rare bird that is. I think I should make him the winner.”

　The jackdaw felt so grateful for knowing himself is the winner. He was so pleased, kneeled to the God.

　Then some bird got angry.

“Give me back my feather, you wicked jackdaw!”

said the bird and jumped on the jackdaw, pricked him so hard and took his feather out of jackdaw’s body.

　The other birds did the same to jackdaw, took each one of their feather out of his body.

　Finally the jackdaw became dirtier and uglier than ever.


　Soon you’ll be exposed as a fake, if you take from others.

　Adornments that do not belong to you can lead to humiliation.

　That’s the moral of Click here to read a story.

The end

One-point advice
“A spring bird” is also known as “A Japanese bush warbler” or “A Cettia diphone”.

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