A herring once decided to swim right around the world. "I'm tired of the North Sea," he said. "I want to find

out what else there is in the world." So he swam off south into the deep Atlantic. He swam and swam far, far away from the seas he knew, through the warm waters of the equator and on down into the south Atlantic. And all the time he saw many strange and wonderful fish that he had never seen before. Once he was nearly eaten by a shark. And once he was nearly electrocuted by an electric eel. And once he was nearly stung by a stingray. But he swam on and on. Round the tip of Africa and into the Indian Ocean, and he passed by devilfish and sailfish and sawfish and swordfish and bluefish and blackfish and mudfish and some fish, and he was amazed by the different shapes and sizes and colors. On he swam into the Java Sea. And he saw fish that leapt out of the water and fish that lived on the bottom of the sea and fish that could walk on their fins. And on he swam through the Coral Sea where the shells of millions and millions of tiny creatures had turned to rock and stood as big as mountains. But still he swam on into the wide Pacific. He swam over the deepest parts of the ocean where the water is so deep that it is inky black at the bottom and the fish carried lanterns over their heads and some have lights on their tails. And through the Pacific he swam and then he turned north and headed up to the cold Siberian Sea where huge white icebergs sailed past him like mighty ships, and still he swam on and on and into the frozen Arctic Ocean where the sea is forever covered in ice. And on he went past Greenland and Iceland and finally he swam home into his own North Sea. All his friends and relations gathered around and made a great fuss of him. They had a big feast and offered him the very best food they could find, but the herring just yawned and said, "I've swum around the entire world. Ive seen everything there is to see and I have eaten more exotic and wonderful dishes than you could possibly imagine." And herefused to eat anything. Then his friends and relations begged him to come home and live with them. But he refused. "I've been everywhere there is and that old rock is too dull and small for me." And he went off and lived on his own.

And when the breeding season came, he refused to join in the spawning, saying, "I've swum around the entire world. And now I know how many fish there are in the world. I can't be interested in herrings anymore.Eventually, one of the oldest of the herrings swam up to him and said, "Listen, if you don't spawn with us, some herrings eggs will go unfertilized and will not turn into healthy young herrings. If you don't live with your family, you'llmake them sad and if you don't eat, you'll die."

But the herring said, "I don't mind. Ive been everywhere there is to go, Ive seen everything there is to see, and

now I know everything there is to know."The old fish shook his head. "No one has ever seen everything there is to see," he said. "Nor known everything there is to know.""Look," said the herring, "I've swum through the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Java Sea, the Coral Sea, the Great Pacific Ocean, the Siberian Sea, and the frozen Arctic. Tell me, what else is there for me to see or know?""I don't know," said the old herring. "But there may be something."Well just then, a fishing boat came by, and all the herrings were caught in a net and taken to market that very day. And a man bought the herring and ate it for his supper, and he never knew that it had swum right around the world and had seen everything there was to see, and knew everything there was to know.



　　从前，有一条青鱼决心要环游世界。"我已经厌倦了北海，"他说，"我想知道世界其它地方有些什么东西。"于是他往南游向深深的大西洋。他游啊，游啊，游得离他熟悉的海洋很远了，游过了赤道附近的温暖水域，又继续往南游，进入南大西洋。一路上，他看到了很多他以前从来没见过的稀奇古怪的鱼。有一次，他差一点被鲨鱼吃掉；还有一次，他差一点被一条电鳗电死；又有一次，他差一点被一条黄貂鱼刺伤。

　　可他还是继续不停地往前游，游过非洲顶端，进入印度洋。形形色色的鱼从他身边游过，有章鱼、旗鱼、锯鳐、箭鱼、竹荚鱼、黑鲸、泥鱼等等，他惊异于各种鱼类的不同形状、形体和颜色。他继续游到了爪哇海，见到了能跃出水面的鱼，生活在海底的鱼，可以用鳍走路的鱼。他继续向前游到了珊瑚海，在那里，有成千上万的微小生物的壳变成了岩石，堆积如山。

可他还是继续向前游到了宽阔的太平洋，他游过了太平洋最深的部分，那里的水是如此之深，以至于海底是一片漆黑，有些鱼头顶上提着灯笼，有些鱼尾巴上点着灯。游过了太平洋，他向北游往寒冷的西伯利亚海，那里巨大的白色冰山像艘巨轮从他身边漂过。他还是继续往前一直游，游到了冰冷的北冰洋，那里的海面常年被冰块覆盖着。他继续前进，游过了格林兰岛和冰岛，最后，他游回了北海--他的老家。

　　他所有的亲戚朋友都来了，围着他问长问短。他们设宴款待他，把他们能找到的最好的食物端出来请他品尝，可青鱼只是打了个哈欠，说："我游遍了整个世界。我见识过了世界上所有的东西，我尝过的奇珍异馐多得、好得超出了你们的想象。"他拒绝吃任何东西。后来他的亲戚朋友恳求他回去和他们同住，可他拒绝了。"我什么地方都去过了，那块破旧的岩石太阴暗了，要我去住也太小了。"说完他就走了，一个人住。

　　当繁殖季节来临时，他拒绝参加产卵活动，说："我游遍了整个世界。现在我知道了世界上的鱼有多少种，我不可能再对青鱼感兴趣了。"

　　最后，一条年长的青鱼游到他面前，说："听着，如果你不和我们一起产卵的话，有些青鱼卵就不能受精，就不能孵出健康的小青鱼。如果你不和你的家人住在一起，你会伤了他们的心。而且，如果不吃东西你会死的。"

　　可是青鱼说："我不在乎。能去的地方我都去过了，能见得到的东西我也都见过了，现在，我是无所不知了。"

　　老青鱼摇摇头，说："没有人见识过世界上的一切，也没有人无所不知。"

"你看，"青鱼说，"我游过了北海、大西洋、印度洋、爪哇海、珊瑚海、太平洋、西伯利亚海，还有冰天雪地的北冰洋。请你告诉我，我还有什么要看、还有什么要知道的吗？"

"我不知道，"老青鱼说："不过总会有什么是你没见过、不知道的吧。"

　　正在这时，一条捕鱼船开了过来，所有的青鱼被一网打尽，当天就被送到了市场。一个人买走了那条青鱼，把他当晚餐吃了。这个人永远也不会知道他吃掉的这条青鱼曾经环游过世界、见识过世界上的一切、对世界上的东西无所不知。


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