1.24 [24] 景公欲誅駭鳥野人晏子諫

齊景公打算殺掉把鳥嚇飛的鄉(xiāng)下人，晏子進諫

【原文】

景公射鳥，野人駭之。公怒，令吏誅之。晏子曰：“野人不知也。臣聞賞無功謂之亂，罪不知謂之虐。兩者，先王之禁也，以飛鳥犯先王之禁，不可！今君不明先王之制，而無仁義之心，是以從欲而輕誅。夫鳥獸，固人之（飬）〔養(yǎng)〕也，野人駭之，不亦宜乎？”公曰：“善！自今已（后）〔來〕，弛鳥獸之禁，無以苛民也。”

【今譯】

景公射鳥時，一個鄉(xiāng)下人把鳥嚇飛了。景公很生氣，命令官吏把這個人殺掉。晏子說：“這個鄉(xiāng)下人不知道您在射鳥啊。我聽說賞賜無功的人叫作亂，懲罰不知情的人叫作虐。這兩件事都是先王禁止去做的，因為射鳥的緣故去觸犯先王的禁令，這是不可以的！現(xiàn)在您既不明悉先王的制度，也沒有慈愛百姓的仁義之心，所以放縱欲望輕易殺人。鳥獸本來就是人豢養(yǎng)的，鄉(xiāng)下人把它嚇飛了，不也是很正常的事嗎？”景公說：“好！從今以后解除捕殺鳥獸的禁令，不要因此而苛待百姓。”

Duke Jing was shooting birds when a peasant frightened them away. The Duke was furious and ordered an official to execute him.

Yanzi said: “The peasant is ignorant. I have heard that to reward those w ithout merit is called ‘fomenting disorder’ and to punish the ignorant is called ‘tyrannical oppression.’ Both were prohibited by the former kings. It would not be right to transgress the prohibitions of the former kings simply because of birds. But now you,my Lord,fail to understand the regulations of the former kings and you lack the mind of humaneness and righteousness. For this reason,you indulge your desires and you execute capriciously. As for birds and animals,people certainly depend on them for support; so was it not fitting that the peasant frightened them away?”

The Duke said: “Well argued. From now on,the prohibition regarding birds and animals should be relaxed,eliminating the need to be harsh to the people.”