English Original
A fisherman cast his net into the sea. When he drew it up, it contained nothing but a single sprat. The little fish begged to be put back into the water.
"I'm only a little fish now," it said, "but I shall grow big one day. Then, if you come and catch me again, I shall be of some use to you."
But the fisherman replied, "Oh, no, I shall keep you now. If I put you back, should I ever see you again? Not likely!"
中文翻译
一位渔夫将网撒入海中。当他收网时，发现网里除了一条小鲱鱼外，别无他物。小鱼恳求渔夫把它放回水里。
“我现在只是一条小鱼，”它说，“但总有一天我会长大。到那时，如果你再来抓我，我就会对你有用了。”
但渔夫回答说：“哦，不，我现在就要留下你。如果我放你回去，我还能再见到你吗？不太可能！”