The fable below comes from Bryce's First Greek Reader, which is available at the Internet Archive. I'm surprised not to have seen this fable in the other readers; this is the first time we've had this famous fable.
You'll find the story below, first in Greek, then segmented, and then interwoven with English; the title is linked to the Internet Archive page.
Κόραξ, κρέας ἁπρασας, ἐπί τινος δένδρου ἐκάθισεν· ἀλώπηξ δὲ τοῦτον ἰδοῦσα, καὶ βουληθεῖσα περιγενέσθαι τοῦ κρέατος, στᾶσα κάτωθεν ἐπῄνει αὐτόν, ὡς εὐμεγεθὲς καὶ καλὸν ὄρνεον καὶ θηρευτικὸν καὶ εὔμορφον· καὶ λέγουσα, Ὅτι ἥρμοζέ σοι βασιλέα εἶναι ὀρνέων, εἰ καὶ φωνητiκὸς ὑπῆρχες· ἀλλ' ὦ τοῖον ὄρνεον, καὶ ἄλαλον ὑπάρχεις· Ὁ δὲ κόραξ, ἀκούσας ταῦτα, καὶ χαυνωθεὶς τοῖς ἐπαίνοις, ῥίψας τὸ κρέας, μεγάλως ἐεκεκράγει· ἡ δ' ἀλώπηξ, δραμοῦσα καὶ λαβοῦσα τὸ κρέας, ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἔχεις, κόραξ, ἅπαντα, νοῦς δέ τοι λείπει.
Κόραξ, κρέας ἁπρασας,
ἐπί τινος δένδρου ἐκάθισεν·
ἀλώπηξ δὲ τοῦτον ἰδοῦσα,
καὶ βουληθεῖσα
περιγενέσθαι τοῦ κρέατος,
στᾶσα κάτωθεν
ἐπῄνει αὐτόν,
ὡς εὐμεγεθὲς καὶ καλὸν ὄρνεον
καὶ θηρευτικὸν καὶ εὔμορφον·
καὶ λέγουσα,
Ὅτι ἥρμοζέ σοι
βασιλέα εἶναι ὀρνέων,
εἰ καὶ φωνητiκὸς ὑπῆρχες·
ἀλλ' ὦ τοῖον ὄρνεον,
καὶ ἄλαλον ὑπάρχεις·
Ὁ δὲ κόραξ,
ἀκούσας ταῦτα,
καὶ χαυνωθεὶς τοῖς ἐπαίνοις,
ῥίψας τὸ κρέας,
μεγάλως ἐεκεκράγει·
ἡ δ' ἀλώπηξ,
δραμοῦσα
καὶ λαβοῦσα τὸ κρέας,
ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν·
Ἔχεις, κόραξ, ἅπαντα,
νοῦς δέ τοι λείπει.
Κόραξ ... A crow
κρέας ἁπρασας ... snatched some meat
ἐκάθισεν ... and settled down
ἐπί τινος δένδρου ... on a tree.
ἀλώπηξ δὲ ... A fox
τοῦτον ἰδοῦσα ... saw the crow,
καὶ βουληθεῖσα ... and wanted
περιγενέσθαι τοῦ κρέατος ... obtain that meat,
στᾶσα κάτωθεν ... so she stood below the crow
ἐπῄνει αὐτόν ... and praised the crow
ὡς εὐμεγεθὲς καὶ καλὸν ὄρνεον ... as a great, beautiful bird
καὶ θηρευτικὸν καὶ εὔμορφον ... and a hunter, and handsome,
καὶ λέγουσα ὅτι ... and she said that
ἥρμοζέ σοι ... "It suited you
βασιλέα εἶναι ὀρνέων ... to be king of the birds,
εἰ καὶ φωνητiκὸς ὑπῆρχες ... if you were also able to speak.
ἀλλ' ὦ τοῖον ὄρνεον ... but oh, such a fine bird you are,
καὶ ἄλαλον ὑπάρχεις ... but you are unable to speak."
Ὁ δὲ κόραξ ... And the crow,
ἀκούσας ταῦτα ... when he heard these things
καὶ χαυνωθεὶς ... and opened his mouth
τοῖς ἐπαίνοις ... at these flatteries,
ῥίψας τὸ κρέας ... he dropped the meat
μεγάλως ἐεκεκράγει ... squawking loudly.
ἡ δ' ἀλώπηξ ... And the fox
δραμοῦσα ... ran up
καὶ λαβοῦσα τὸ κρέας ... and grabbed the meat,
ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν ... and she said to the crow
Ἔχεις, κόραξ, ἅπαντα ... Crow, you have everything
νοῦς δέ τοι λείπει ... but your mind has forsaken you."
In another Greek prose version (recorded by Chambry), this is what the fox says to the crow in the end: it's about φρένες instead of νοῦς.
Ὦ κόραξ ... O crow,
καὶ φρένας εἰ εἶχες ... if you had wits,
οὐδὲν ἂν ἐδέησας ... you'd have everything you need
εἰς τὸ πάντων σε βασιλεῦσαι ... to rule over everybody.
And here's a random proverb and a random LOLCat too:
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