English Original
In the past, there was a man named Ai Zi who was fond of sailing on the sea.
One night, Ai Zi had his boat moored near a small island. Around midnight, he seemed to hear someone weeping or talking under the water. He listened intently and soon heard someone say: "Yesterday the Dragon King issued an order that all living creatures with tails in water are to be beheaded. I am an alligator and have a tail. I am very frightened of being slaughtered, so I am crying. You are a toad and don't have a tail. What are you weeping for?"
After a while, Ai Zi seemed to hear someone answer: "Though I have no tail now, I am afraid that I may be traced back to the time when I was a tadpole with a tail then, so I am weeping."
中文翻译
从前，有个叫艾子的人，喜欢在海上航行。
一天晚上，他将船停泊在一个小岛附近。大约半夜时分，他仿佛听到水底下有哭泣或说话的声音。他凝神细听，很快听到一个声音说：“昨天龙王下了命令，水中有尾巴的生物都要被斩首。我是鳄鱼，有尾巴，非常害怕遭到杀戮，所以哭泣。你是蛤蟆，又没有尾巴，哭什么呢？”
过了一会儿，艾子仿佛又听到一个声音回答说：“我现在虽然没有尾巴，但我害怕他们会追究到我曾是蝌蚪的时候，那时我可是有尾巴的，所以我哭泣。”