The poem tells an interesting story about a raven and a cunning fox named Reynard. One day, Mr Raven sits perched upon a tree branch in the woods. He is holding a delicious morsel of food firmly in his large beak. Reynard the Fox looks up and notices the prize. He desires to have the food and quickly thinks of a clever plan to get it.
The fox knows that he cannot climb the tree to reach the bird. Therefore, he decides to use sweet flattery. Speaking in admiring tones, Reynard addresses the bird respectfully as 'Sir Raven'. He praises the raven's appearance, saying that he is a handsome bird with beautiful feathers. The fox then tells the raven that if he could also sing a sweet song, all the birds in the forest would gladly honor him as their King.
Mr Raven is completely fooled by the fox's false praise. Blinded by foolish pride, he forgets that his voice is merely a harsh croak. Eager to prove his singing talent and become the king of the woods, the raven opens his beak wide. As soon as his beak opens, the piece of food drops from the tree and falls right toward the waiting fox.
Reynard laughs with delight at his easy success. He tells the raven that this painful experience is a valuable lesson. The fox advises him to ignore sweet words that make him feel overly proud, because pride is truly unwise. Through this fable, students learn that one should be careful around people who offer false praise, because flatterers usually flatter only to serve their own selfish interests.