Narrative Summary

In this poem from Jami's Haft Awrang, a crow is captivated by the graceful, elegant strut of a partridge and spends several days chasing after it, straining to imitate its beautiful gait. The crow never masters the partridge's walk, and in the effort it forgets its own natural manner of moving, ending up able to walk like neither bird.

Moral and Literary Meaning

• Folly of Imitation: The tale warns against abandoning one's authentic nature in the pursuit of imitating another.
• Double Loss: In straining after what is not proper to it, the crow forfeits both the coveted skill and its own original ability.
• Authenticity over Mimicry: True worth comes from cultivating one's own God-given nature rather than counterfeiting the manner of others.