English Original
The swan is said to sing but once in its life—when it knows it is about to die. A man who had heard of this song once saw a swan for sale in the market. He bought it and took it home.
A few days later, he invited some friends to a meal. He introduced the swan and bade it sing for their entertainment, but the swan remained silent.
As time passed, the swan grew old and sensed its approaching end. It then broke into a sweet, sad song. Upon hearing it, its owner said angrily, "If this creature only sings when it is about to die, what a fool I was that day I wanted to hear its song! I ought to have wrung its neck instead of merely inviting it to sing."
中文翻译
据说，天鹅一生只歌唱一次——就在它自知死期将至之时。一个听说过这天鹅之歌的人，某天在市场上看到一只待售的天鹅，便买下带回了家。
几天后，他邀请几位朋友共进晚餐。他介绍了这只天鹅，并命令它唱歌助兴，但天鹅始终保持沉默。
时光流逝，天鹅日渐衰老，感知到生命将尽。它终于唱出了一曲甜美而哀伤的歌声。主人听到后，生气地说道：“如果这生灵只在临死前才歌唱，那我当初想听它唱歌时是多么愚蠢！我真该拧断它的脖子，而不是仅仅邀请它唱歌。”