The Jackdaw and the Fox

A half-famished jackdaw perched himself on a fig tree that had produced some fruit entirely out of season. He waited patiently, hoping that the figs would eventually ripen.

A fox, observing the jackdaw sitting there for so long and learning the reason behind his vigil, approached him and said, "You are indeed, sir, sadly deceiving yourself. You are indulging in a hope so strong that it may seem to offer comfort, yet it will never reward you with the enjoyment you seek."