In the past, there was a man named Ai Zi who was fond of sailing on the sea.
从前，有个叫艾子的人，喜欢在海上航行。
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.
一天晚上，船停泊在一个小岛的附近。大约半夜时分，他仿佛听到水底下有人发出哭泣的声音，又好像有人在说话。
So he listened intently, and soon he heard someone say:
于是，他认认真真地听了下去。一会儿，他听到有人说:
“Yesterday the Dragon King issued an order that all living creatures with tails in water are to be beheaded.
.“昨天龙王下了命令，水中的动物，凡是有尾巴的都必须斩首。
I am an alligator and have a tail. I am very frightened of being slaughtered, so I am crying.
我是矍，有尾巴，非常害怕遭到杀戮，所以哭了起来。
You are a toad and don’t have a tail. What are you weeping for?”
你是蛤蟆，又没有尾巴，哭什么呀?”
After a while, Ai Zi seemed to hear someone answer:
一会儿，他仿佛又听到有人回答说:
“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.”
“我现在虽然没有尾巴，但是我害怕会追究到我蟒蚂年代的事情上去，因为那时候我是有尾巴的，所以哭泣。”