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。于是，他认认真真地听了下去。一会儿，他听到有人说：
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。
"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?"
“昨天龙王下了命令，水中的动物，凡是有尾巴的都必须斩首。我是矍，有尾巴，非常害怕遭到杀戮，所以哭了起来。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。