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

320. THE CROW AND ATHENA
Perry 127 (Chambry 171 *)

The crow was making a sacrifice to Athena and invited a dog to the feast. The dog said to her, 'Why do you foolishly squander these sacrifices? The goddess clearly hates you so much that she has taken away all credibility from your omens.' The crow answered, 'That is all the more reason for me to sacrifice to her: I hope she will change her attitude towards me!'
The fable shows that people are often eager to treat their enemies well in the hopes of gaining something by it.


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.