[203] When he had heard that word,
so well spoken by Sumukha,
the hunter, thrilled, his hair standing on end,
raised his joined palms in reverence to him:
"Never have I heard, nor ever seen,
a bird that speaks the speech of men —
a crooked-limbed creature uttering noble words,
pouring forth human utterance.
What, then, is this bird to you,
that you, though free, wait upon the bound one?
The birds fly off, forsaking him;
why do you alone remain behind?"
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.