The Farmer's Snare

Geese and cranes were eating the farmer's crops, so he laid snares to trap them.
There was a stork who also got caught in the snare, and she begged the farmer to let her go. "I'm not a crane," she said, "I'm a stork, and I've never eaten from your fields. I am the most gentle and mild of birds. I take care of my parents too; they are depending on me."
The farmer just laughed. "I know who and what you are," he said, "but I caught you with those thieving birds, and you'll share their punishment as well."


Inspired byMille Fabulae et Una, a collection of Latin fables that I've edited, free to read online. I am not translating the Latin here; instead, I am just telling a 100-word version of the fable.
Notes: This is fable 470 in the book, which is Perry 194. The legend of storks caring for their parents is part of the bestiary tradition.



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