1.25 [25] 景公所愛馬死欲誅（圉人）〔養馬者〕晏子諫

齊景公心愛的馬死去打算殺掉養馬的馬夫，晏子進諫

【原文】

景公使（圉）人養所愛馬，暴〔病〕死，公怒，令人操刀解（飬）〔養〕馬者。是時晏子侍前，左右執刀而進，晏子止〔之〕，而問于公曰：“ 〔敢問古時〕堯舜支解人，從何軀始？”公（矍）〔懼〕然曰：“從寡人始。”遂不支解。公曰：“以屬獄。”晏子曰：“ （此不知其罪而死），臣〔請〕為君數之，使知其罪，然后致之獄。”公曰：“可。”晏子數之曰：“爾罪有三：公使汝（飬）〔養〕馬而殺之，當死罪一也；又殺公之所最善馬，當死罪二也；使公以一馬之故而殺人，百姓聞之，必怨吾君；諸侯聞之，必輕吾國。汝殺公馬，使怨積于百姓，兵弱于鄰國，當死罪三也。今以屬獄。”公喟然（嘆）曰：“（夫子釋之）！（夫子釋之）！（勿傷吾仁也）。〔赦之〕。”

【今譯】

齊景公讓馬夫飼養他心愛的一匹馬，這匹馬突然暴病死了，景公很生氣，命人拿著刀去肢解養馬的馬夫。當時晏子正陪從在景公身邊，左右的人拿著刀進來，晏子制止了他們，問景公說：“冒昧地請問古時候堯舜肢解人，從誰開始的？”景公恐懼地說：“從自己開始的。”于是就放棄了肢解馬夫的打算。景公又說：“把他投入監獄治罪。”晏子說：“請讓我為您歷數他的罪行，讓他知道自己犯了什么罪，然后再送進監獄。”景公說：“可以。”晏子就歷數馬夫的罪過，說：“你的罪有三條：國君讓你養馬而你把馬養死了，這是第一條死罪；你養死的恰好是國君最喜愛的馬，這是第二條死罪；讓國君因為一匹馬而殺人，百姓聽說之后一定會怨恨國君，諸侯聽說后一定會輕視我們齊國。你養死了國君的馬，從而讓國君被百姓怨恨，讓齊國的軍隊弱于鄰國，這是第三條死罪。現在就把你送進監獄。”景公聽后長嘆一聲說：“放了他。”

Duke Jing had commissioned someone to look after his favorite horse,but the horse died after a sudden illness. The Duke was furious and ordered his men to w ield their knives and dismember the groom.

A t the time,Yanzi was in attendance before the Duke,and when the Duke’s entourage had taken hold of their knives and moved forward,Yanzi stopped them and asked the Duke: “May I ask,when Yao and Shun^[2] dismembered people in ancient times,with which part of the body did they begin?”

The Duke,frightened,said: “It is I who initiated this punishment.”

And so,they did not proceed to dismember the groom.

The Duke said: “Put him in jail.”

Yanzi said: “A llow me to list his crimes for you,my Lord,so that he may know the crimes,and afterward send the man to jail.”

The Duke said: “You may.”

Yanzi listed them by saying: “Your crime is threefold. The Duke comm issioned you to groom his horse,but you let it die—this is your first capital crime. Moreover,you allowed the best horse of the Duke to die—this is your second capital crime. And if you have caused the Duke to have a person killed because of a single horse —when the people hear of it,they w ill certainly bear resentment against our Lord; when the regional princes hear of it,they w ill certainly belittle our state. By allow ing the Duke’s horse to die you w ill cause the people’s complaint against the Duke to grow and our m ilitary strength to be w eakened w ith respect to the neighboring states —this is your third capital crime. But now,because of this,you w ill be put in jail.”

The Duke sighed and said: “Pardon him.”

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注釋

[1]The present Item 1.25 [25],narrates a story about an unjust capital punishment. The Item probably contains later interpolations that give the whole narrated episode a more dramatic tone. These interpolations,how ever,conflict w ith the natural flow of the sequence of events of the episode as a whole. A more concise,alternative version of the episode appears in Shuoyuan,9.16/72/14. It includes several lines that are marked in round brackets for deletion in the present ICS text of the YZCQ. These lines give the entire item a more consistent form and indeed seem to be integral to the original p lot. They read: “Duke Jing had a horse. His groom let it die. The Duke was furious,took up his spear,and w anted to strike him him self. Yanzi said: ‘If you do this,then he w ill die w ithout know ing his crimes. May I list them,for you,my Lord,to make him realize his crimes,and then kill him?’ Duke Jing said: ‘Agreed.’Yanzi lifted the spear and,standing in front of the stableman,said: ‘You groomed the horse for our Lord and you let it die—this crime deserves death. You make our Lord kill a stableman because of a horse—this crime again deserves death. You made our Lord kill a person because of a horse and let this become known to the four neighboring principalities—your crime again deserves death.’ The Duke said: ‘Master,please release him,please release him,do not let my humaneness be injured.’”

[2]The legendary model emperors Yao and Shun of the Golden Age of Chinese antiquity,traditionally assumed to have reigned in the second half of the third millennium BCE.