The River Fish and the Sea Fish
Once upon a time, this tale unfolded on a bountiful shore where silver streams met the clear seas. A haughty river fish, gliding in the embrace of the sweet waters, boasted endlessly about the brilliance of its scales. In that place, where the vast waves foamed calmly, a seasoned sea fish from the deep seas was swimming as well. The dwellers of two different realms met eye to eye for the first time in that warm pool where the current crossed so sweetly. As the rays of the sun filtered down, the world beneath the waters would begin to glisten like an enchanting marble palace. The river fish, with a languid air, puffed up its fins and cast a boastful glance at the sea fish that was watching it.
"My lineage comes from the icy crystal springs upon the highest peak of those lofty mountains," it said with pride. "Far from the salt that fouls the water, I possess a peerless flavour and an unshakeable dignity." "You salt water creatures, on the other hand, are wretched things tossed about among the fierce waves." Faced with this misplaced boasting, the sea fish calmly drew a deep breath and smiled. "Nobility is measured not by barren words but by true worth displayed, my friend from the river," it replied. "It is easy to be king in your own little pool, but real merit becomes clear in the great market."
The river fish grew furious at this answer and claimed that it was a delicacy worthy of palaces. Just then the net of an experienced fisherman drawing near the shore was slowly spread over the spot where the currents joined. Both fish suddenly found themselves inside the net and were laid out side by side upon the stall. The wealthiest cooks of the market bought the sea fish with purses of gold and carried it to a magnificent banquet table. The river fish, however, was pushed aside on an ordinary stall for a few copper coins and abandoned to loneliness. The haughty fish, which had thought itself a giant in its own shallow waters, learned with pain that true worth cannot be won with empty talk. A person's true worth appears not in their own praises, but in the hard trials of life. An empty sack does not stand upright.