在沙滩上
一个人对另一个人说道："好久以前，在大海高潮的时候，我用我手杖的尖端，在沙滩上写下了一行字，现在人们仍旧停下步来读这行字，他们还留神不让它被擦掉抹掉。"
另一个人说道："我也在沙滩上写了一行字，不过是在低潮的时候，辽阔大海的波涛把这行字冲刷掉了。可是请你告诉我，你写的是什么呢？"第一个人答道："我写道：我就是他这样的人。可你写的是什么呢？"第二个人说："我写道：我不过是这伟大海洋中的一滴水而已"
Upon The Sand
Said one man to another, "At the high tide of the sea, long ago, with the point of my staff I wrote a line upon the sand; and the people still pause to read it, and they are careful that naught shall erase it."
And the other man said, "And I to wrote a line upon the sand, but it was at low tide, and the waves of the vast sea washed it away. But tell me, what did you write?"
And the first man answered and said, "I wrote this: I am he who is. But what did you write?"
And the other man said, "This I wrote: I am but a drop of this great ocean."