In the past, there was a man named Ai Zi who was fond of sailing on the sea.
從前，有個叫艾子的人，喜歡在海上航行。
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. So he listened intently, and soon he heard someone say:
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出哭泣的聲音，又好像有人在說話。于是，他認認真真地聽了下去。一會兒，他聽到有人說:
"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?"
.“昨天龍王下了命令，水中的動物，凡是有尾巴的都必須斬首。我是矍，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?”
After a while, Ai Zi seemed to hear someone answer:
一會兒，他仿佛又聽到有人回答說:
"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."
“我現在雖然沒有尾巴，但是我害怕會追究到我蟒螞年代的事情上去，因為那時候我是有尾巴的，所以哭泣。”