1.19 [19] 景公游寒涂不恤死胔晏子諫

齊景公巡游在寒冷的路上不撫恤沒有掩埋的死尸，晏子進諫

【原文】

景公出游于寒涂，睹死胔，默然不問。晏子諫曰：“昔吾先君桓公出游，睹饑者與之食，睹疾者與之財，使令不勞力，藉斂不費民。先君將游，百姓皆說曰：‘君當幸游吾鄉(xiāng)乎！’今君游于寒涂，據(jù)四十里之氓，殫財不足以奉斂，盡力不能周役，民氓饑寒凍餒，死胔相望，而君不問，失君道矣。財屈力竭，下無以親上；驕泰奢侈，上無以親下。上下交離，君臣無親，此三代之所以衰也。今君行之，嬰懼公族之危，以為異姓之福也?！惫唬骸叭?，為上而忘下，厚藉斂而忘民，吾罪大矣?！庇谑菙克烂h，發(fā)粟于民，據(jù)四十里之氓不服政其年，公三月不出游。

【今譯】

齊景公外出巡游，走在寒冷的路上，看見沒有掩埋的尸體默不作聲，不聞不問。晏子進諫說：“以前我們的國君桓公出去巡游的時候，看見饑餓的人就給他們食物，看見生病的人就給他們財物，派遣差役不過度征用民力，征收賦稅不虛費民財。因此桓公將要出游的時候，百姓們都說：‘請國君到我們鄉(xiāng)里巡游！’現(xiàn)在您巡游在寒冷的路上，住在周圍四十里的百姓，傾盡家財也不夠上繳賦稅，竭盡人力也不能完成勞役，百姓們又冷又餓，死后沒有掩埋的尸體一個挨著一個，但您卻不聞不問，這已經(jīng)喪失了為君之道。財富窮盡，人力枯竭，臣民不可能親近國君；驕恣放縱，奢侈腐化，國君也不可能親近臣民。國君和臣民離心離德，君臣之間不親近，這是夏、商、周三代之所以衰亡的原因?，F(xiàn)在您這樣做，我擔心公室的危亡，會變成異姓之族的福分啊?！本肮f：“好，身為國君只顧自己享樂而忘記了百姓的疾苦，加重賦稅橫征暴斂而不顧人民的死活，我的罪過太大了?！庇谑窍铝钍諗克朗?，發(fā)放糧食給百姓，并命令周圍四十里之內的百姓一年之內不必服勞役，景公三個月沒出去巡游。

W hen Duke Jing went on a pleasure excursion to Hantu and saw decomposing corpses,he kept silent and asked no questions.

Yanzi remonstrated,saying: “In the past,when our former ruler,Duke Huan,went on a pleasure excursion and saw hungry people,he gave them food,and when he saw sick people,he gave them money. His orders did not bring people to exhaustion and the taxes he collected did not burden the people too much. When our former ruler planned to go on a tour,all the people said joyfully: ‘Could we be fortunate enough that our Lord w ill pass through our district?’ But now you,my Lord,went on a pleasure excursion to Hantu,whose population consists of forty villages. They have given up their property and are unable to pay your taxes; they have exhausted their strength,and they cannot carry out your compulsory labor. The people are hungry and cold,frozen and famished; the decomposing corpses lie w ith eyes staring at each other—but you,my Lord,asked no questions and thereby failed in the way of a ruler. When means are reduced and strength is totally exhausted,then inferiors w ill have no way to feel close to their superiors. When superiors are arrogant and live extravagantly,they have no way to feel close to their inferiors. Mutual alienation between superiors and inferiors and lack of intimacy between a ruler and subjects were the reason for the decline of the Three Dynasties.^[3] If you,my Lord,now continue to act like this,then I fear that the threat against your ruling lineage w ill give rise to the fortune of a different clan.”

The Duke said: “Yes. Because I,as a superior,thought little of inferiors,I imposed heavy taxes and forgot the people. My offence is great indeed.”

Thereupon,he had the decomposing corpses collected and grain distributed among the people. The local population of the forty villages did not have to undergo compulsory labor for a whole year,and the Duke did not make any pleasure excursions for three months.

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注釋

[1]An unidentified place.

[2]Item 1.19 [19] ? Item 7.8 [178].

[3]The ancient Three Dynasties: Xia 夏 2205–1766 BCE,Shang 商 or Yin 殷 1766–1123 BCE,and Zhou 周 1122–249 BCE.