Ivan Krylov
Eagle and Hens

An Eagle was once flying in the sky
But suddenly (I don't know why)
He landed on a barn to rest.
Although the barn is not
A proper roost
For an eagle, but it
Might be, I don't know what...
Perhaps, he wanted just to boost
This farm, or there was no other seat,
Like an oak,
Or a rock
Made of granite.
Well, anyway, he rested there a bit
And then flew over the yard
To sit
Just on another barn.

Looking at this, a Hen
Said to her friend,
"My dear, tell me then,
What for all they
So much esteem and
Tribute pay
To eagles. Why?!
From a barn to barn,
That far,
I often fly
Myself. 'Tis such
A stupid thing
To honor this Eagle that much;
He has two legs, two wings,
Two eyes,
Like us,
And even he flies
Like us.
And you just witness that
Eagle's flight
It is not any better
Than hen's.
And, thus,
And hence,
As the fact of a matter,
Indeed,...
The Eagle listen to it
And finally said,
"In general, you're right
Sometimes the eagle's flight
Is even lower than
That of a hen,
And yet,
(Please notice that)
A Hen, however hard she tries,
Still cannot reach the skies".

____
Dear reader, remember this:
When talents you've to judge,
It would be amiss,
To count their weak sides
And grudge.
Instead, an'expert discovers
Their gifts and powers
And after that decides
About their different heights.

Translated by Vladimir Gurvich