Perry 509. The Peacock complains to Juno about his Voice. This famous fable about Hera (Juno) is based on the close association between Hera and the peacock; it was her special animal. Notice that Zeus was in the habit of punishing animals who asked for special endowments, but Hera does not punish the peacock. Instead, she tries to teach him a lesson.
Text by G. F. Townsend. Illustration by Walter Crane.
JUNO AND THE PEACOCK. The peacock made complaint to Juno that, while the nightingale pleased every ear with his song, he himself no sooner opened his mouth than he became a laughingstock to all who heard him.
The Goddess, to console him, said, "But you far excel in beauty and in size. The splendor of the emerald shines in your neck and you unfold a tail gorgeous with painted plumage."
"But for what purpose have I," said the bird, "this dumb beauty so long as I am surpassed in song?"
"The lot of each," replied Juno, "has been assigned by the will of the Fates — to thee, beauty; to the eagle, strength; to the nightingale, song; to the raven, favorable, and to the crow, unfavorable auguries. These are all contented with the endowments allotted to them."