Are crows unlucky?

 ANSWER: Not according to the Chinese father below:

吉凶(길흉)

“Good Fortune (吉), Bad Fortune (凶)”

 

有(유)鴉(아)集(집)庭(정)樹(수). 引(인)頸(경)而(이)鳴(명). 兒(아)叱(질)之(지).
There are (有) jackdaw crows (鴉) gathered (集) [in a] garden (庭) tree (樹), stretching out (引) [their] necks (頸) and (而) cawing (鳴). A child (兒) shouts (叱) [at] them (之).

父(부)曰(왈), 是(시)何(하)害(해)?
[His] father (父) asks (曰), “How is this [what they are doing] (是何) harmful (害)?

兒(아)曰(왈), 常(상)聞(문)人(인)言(언), 鵲(작)鳴(명)吉(길), 鴉(아)鳴(명)凶(흉). 今(금)鳴(명)者(자)鴉(아)也(야). 故(고)叱(질)之(지).
The child (兒) says (曰), [I have] always (常) heard (聞) people (人) say (言) [that when] magpies (鵲) cry (鳴), [it is] lucky (吉), [but when] jackdaw crows (鴉) cry (鳴), [it is] unlucky (凶). Now (今) those that are crying (鳴者) are jackdaw crows (鴉), so (故) [I] shouted (叱) [at] them (之).

 

父(부)曰(왈)人(인)之(지)智(지)識(식)遠(원)勝(승)於(어)鳥(조). 尙(상)不(불)能(능)預(예)知(지)吉(길)凶(흉). 而(이)況(황)鳥(조)乎(호).
The father (父) said (曰), “People’s (人之) wisdom (智識) is far (遠) superior (勝) than that (於) [of] birds (鳥), yet (尙) [people] cannot (不能) foresee (預知) good fortune (吉) [or] bad fortune (凶), much less (而況) birds (鳥乎).