The Fisherman Piping

A skilled fisherman, also a talented musician, took his flute and his nets to the seashore. Standing on a projecting rock, he played several enchanting tunes, hoping that the fish would be attracted by his melody and would, of their own accord, dance into the net he had placed below.

After a long wait with no success, he finally set aside his flute and cast his net into the sea. To his delight, he made an excellent haul of fish. As he watched them leaping about in the net upon the rock, he exclaimed, "O you most perverse creatures! When I piped, you would not dance, but now that I have ceased, you do so merrily."

The irony of the situation amused him, highlighting the unexpected nature of both music and fish.