第20章 The Farmer and the Stork 农夫和鹳

A FARMER placed nets on his newly-sown plowlands and caught a number of Cranes, which came to pick up his seed. With them he trapped a Stork that had fractured his leg in the net and was earnestly beseeching the Farmer to spare his life. "Pray save me, Master, " he said, "and let me go free this once. My broken limb should excite your pity. Besides, I am no Crane, I am a Stork, a bird of excellent character; and see how I love and slave for my father and mother. Look too, at my feathers—they are not the least like those of a Crane." The Farmer laughed aloud and said, "It may be all as you say, I only know this: I have taken you with these robbers, the Cranes, and you must die in their company."

Birds of a feather flock together.

农夫在刚播下种子的田地里布置了许多网，抓住了许多来偷吃种子的鹤。其中，有一只是鹳。鹳的腿被网折断了，他苦苦哀求农夫饶命：“拜托你，这次放了我吧，我的腿也残疾了，而且我又不是鹤，而是一只鹳，一种性情温柔的鸟。你看，我是多么热爱和孝顺我的父母，为他们辛苦奔波，你再仔细看我的羽毛，和鹤的完全不同。”农夫大笑说：“你说的话也许是对的；但我只明白一点，你和那些偷吃种子的鹤一起被抓到，那么你就必须和他们一起死。”

物以类聚，人以群分。