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Aesop's Fables, translated by Laura Gibbs (2002)

192. THE RAVEN, THE SWALLOW AND THE SEASONS
Perry 229 (Syntipas 03)

The swallow and the raven were quarrelling with each other about who was more beautiful. The raven said to the swallow, 'Your beauty is seen only in the springtime, and when winter comes it cannot hold out against the cold. My physique, on the other hand, holds up admirably both during the cold of winter and the summer heat.'
This fable shows that the strength and well-being of the body are superior to physical beauty or the charms of youth.

Note: For another dispute between the swallow and a raven, see Fable 213; for the proverbial association of the swallow and the springtime, see Fable 274.

Source: Aesop's Fables. A new translation by Laura Gibbs. Oxford University Press (World's Classics): Oxford, 2002.
NOTE: New cover, with new ISBN, published in 2008; contents of book unchanged.