水中仙女和珍珠（简体） 托尔斯泰着 江铭辉翻译
图：仙女问：「这样过了多久，你才会停止？」那人答:「当我把海水舀干时，我才会停止。」
一个人坐在小船上航行，将一颗宝贵的珍珠掉到海里。这人回到岸上，拿起水桶，开始舀起海水往岸上泼。一连三天，他不厌倦地舀起和倾倒。
第四天，一个水中仙女从水中出来问道:「你为什么一直在舀水？」
那人回答说:「一直在舀水，因为我丢了一颗珍珠。」
水中仙女又问：「这样过了多久，你才会停止？」
那人答道:「当我把海水舀干时，我才会停止。」
因此水中仙女回到深水处，带来那颗相同的珍珠，还给那个人。
译者评论：有志者，事竟成，只要是对的，努力以赴，就连神仙也会感动，愚公移山，就是一个很好的借镜。
The Water Sprite and the Pearl
A man was sailing in a boat, and dropped a precious pearl into the sea. The man returned to land, and took a pail, and began to scoop up the water and pour it on the shore. For three days unweariedly he scooped and poured.
On the fourth day a Water Sprite came up out of the water, and asked, "Why are you scooping?"
The man replied, "I am scooping because I have lost a pearl."
The Water Sprite asked, "Are you going to stop before long?"
The man replied, "When I have scooped the sea dry,
then I shall stop."
Then the Water Sprite returned into the depths, and brought up the very same pearl, and gave it to the man.