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 moored1 near a small island Around midnight, he seemed to hear someone weeping or talking under the water. So he listened intently, and soon he 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 alligator2 and have a tail. I am very frightened of being slaughtered3, so I am crying. You are a toad4 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 tadpole5 with a tail then, so I am weeping."
    從前，有個叫艾子的人，喜歡在海上航行。
    一天晚上，船停泊在一個小島的附近。大約半夜時分，他仿佛聽到水底下有人發(fā)出哭泣的聲音，又好像有人在說話。于是，他認(rèn)認(rèn)真真地聽了下去。一會兒，他聽到有人說：“昨天龍王下了命令，水中的動物，凡是有尾巴的都必須斬首。我是鱷，有尾巴，非常害怕遭到殺戮，所以哭了起來。你是蛤蟆，又沒有尾巴，哭什么呀?”
    一會兒，他仿佛又聽到有人回答說：“我現(xiàn)在雖然沒有尾巴，但是我害怕會追究到我蝌蚪年代的事情上去，因為那時候我是有尾巴的，所以哭泣?！?