第二卷 諫下

2.1 [26] 景公藉重而獄多欲托晏子晏子諫

齊景公賦稅重而刑獄多打算把刑獄之事托付給晏子，晏子進諫

【原文】

景公藉重而獄多，拘者滿圄，怨者滿朝。晏子諫，公不聽。公謂晏子曰：“夫獄，國之重官也，愿托之夫子?！标套訉υ唬骸熬龑⑹箣腚菲涔酰縿t嬰有一妄能書，足以治之矣。君將使嬰敕其意乎？夫民無欲殘其家室之生以奉暴上之僻者，則君使吏比而焚之而已矣?！本肮徽f，曰：“敕其功則使一妄，敕其意則比焚，如是，夫子無所謂能治國乎？”晏子曰：“嬰聞與君異。今夫胡狢戎狄之蓄狗也，多者十有余，寡者五六，然不相害。今束雞豚妄投之，其折骨決皮，可立（得）〔待〕也。且夫上正其治，下審其論，則貴賤不相逾越。今君舉千鐘爵祿而妄投之于左右，左右爭之，甚于胡狗，而公不知也。寸之管無當，天下不能足之以粟。今齊國丈夫耕，女子織，夜以接日，不足以奉上，而君側皆雕文刻鏤之觀。此無當之管也，而君終不知。五尺童子，操寸之煙，天下不能足以薪。今君之左右，皆操煙之徒，而君終不知。鐘鼓成肆，干戚成舞，雖禹不能禁民之觀。且夫飾民之欲，而嚴其聽，禁其心，圣人所難也，而況奪其財而饑之，勞其力而?！仓?，常致其苦而嚴聽其獄，痛誅其罪，非嬰所知也?！?/p>

【今譯】

齊景公當政時，賦稅重而冤案多，被拘捕的人填滿了監獄，心懷怨憤的人遍布朝堂。晏子進諫，景公不聽。景公對晏子說：“監獄是國家的重要機構，我想把它托付給您去管理?！标套踊卮鹫f：“您是想讓我整頓刑獄嗎？那么我有一個會寫字的妄庸手下，完全能把這件事情辦好。您是想讓我整頓百姓的思想嗎？既然百姓不愿意損害家庭的生計來供奉暴君的不良嗜好，那么您派人把他們犯罪的案卷一個個燒掉就可以了?！本肮懿桓吲d，說：“要清理刑獄就派一個小妾，要整頓百姓反抗的思想就把他們犯罪的案卷燒掉，如果這樣的話，您又怎么談得上能夠治國呢？”晏子說：“我的看法與您不同。如今胡狢戎狄養狗，多的有十多只，少的有五六只，然而它們不會互相傷害。但如果將雞肉或者豬肉隨便扔給它們，那么它們（為了搶肉吃）馬上就會互相撕咬得皮開肉綻、筋斷骨折。而且國君端正自己的統治，百姓們懂得倫理，那么尊貴和卑賤才能各守本分而不互相逾越?，F在您拿著高官厚祿隨意賞賜給左右的親信，他們搶奪起來比胡人的狗還要激烈，而您并不知道。一寸長的管子沒有底，那么天下的糧食也裝不滿。現在齊國男子種田，女子織布，夜以繼日的勞作，也不夠供奉國君的開銷，而您周圍都是雕刻鏤畫裝飾華美的景觀。這就是沒有底的管子，而您不知道。五尺高的小孩兒，拿著一寸來長的火把引火，天下的柴草加起來也不夠燒。現在您身邊的親信都是手持火把的人，而您不知道。當鐘鼓排列奏起音樂，干戚揮動匯成舞蹈時，即便是大禹也不能禁止百姓觀賞。而且壓抑百姓的欲望，嚴格控制他們的見聞，禁錮他們的思想，這是圣人也難以辦到的事，更何況掠奪他們的財物讓他們挨餓，征用他們的勞力讓他們疲乏，長期讓他們受苦受難又嚴酷地判處他們入獄，狠心地治他們的罪，這些做法不是我所能理解的。”

Under Duke Jing,taxes were heavy and lawsuits numerous. The prison was full of detainees,and the court was filled w ith those who harbored resentments. Yanzi remonstrated,but the Duke did not pay heed.

The Duke said to Yanzi: “Handling lawsuits is an important official duty in the state. Master,I w ish to entrust you w ith it.”

Yanzi replied: “Do you,my Lord,w ish to appoint me in order to manage these law suits? Then I have a concubine^[1] who can w rite,and she w ill suffice to manage them. Or do you,my Lord,w ish to appoint me in order to manage the m inds of those who harbor resentments? Well now,since none of the people desire to destroy their family livelihood in order to comply w ith the perversities of cruel superiors,you should just order your officials to gather these lawsuits and burn them.”

Duke Jing was displeased and said: “You say that in order to manage these lawsuits I could appoint a concubine,and in order to manage the minds of those who harbor resentments,I could gather these lawsuits and burn them; then,if that is all there is,have you none of what is called ‘the ability to govern a state,’ my Master?”

Yanzi replied: “This is different from what I have heard. Well now,the Hu,Mo,^[2] Rong,and Di tribes^[3] raise their dogs in packs ranging from groups larger than ten to groups as small as five or six. Yet these dogs do not harm and maim one another. But now,tie up a chicken or a suckling pig and recklessly fling it at them,and as you stand there,you would expect them to break each other’s bones and tear each other’s skins to pieces. Likew ise,if superiors are correct in their governing and inferiors are clear as to their ranks,^[4] the honored and low ly do not overstep their boundaries. But now you,my Lord,take ranks and emoluments amounting to a thousand zhong of grain and recklessly fling them at your entourage,and they fight for them more ferociously than the dogs of the Hu tribes; you,my Duke,fail to understand all this. A ll the grain in the state could not fill an inch-long^[5] tube w ithout a bottom. But now,in the state of Qi,the men plough and the women weave all through the night until dawn,and yet this is not enough to meet the demands of their superiors. Everywhere in your surroundings,my Lord,you have the most lovely carvings and engravings—this is the tube w ithout a bottom; yet you,my Lord,certainly fail to understand all this. If a five-foot tall boy^[6] were to hold an inch-long fire-spill,^[7] then the entire realm could not supply enough firewood for the fires it would set. Yet your entire entourage,my Lord,is lighters of flames,but you persistently fail to understand all this. When bells and drums are arranged in order,and the dance of Shields and Axes^[8] is presented,even Yu^[9] could not prohibit people from watching. Likew ise,even a sage would find it difficult to refine the desires of the people and still restrict their listening and restrain their hearts; all the more so when you,my Lord,rob the people of their property and starve them,exploit their strength and tire them,regularly bring suffering upon them,are harsh in dealing w ith their lawsuits,and punish their crimes severely. This is something beyond my understanding.”

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注釋

[1]妄→妾 (JS,98/5).

[2]狢→貉 (YZCQ-ICS,11,n. 4).

[3]The Hu 胡,Mo 狢 and Di 狄 tribes were situated in the North; the Rong 戎 were situated in the West.

[4]論→倫 (JS,99/12).

[5]Cun 寸,an “inch,” approximately 2.3 centimeters,is equal to about one tenth of a chi 尺 (“a foot”),approximately 23 centimeters.

[6]Approximately 115 cm. In other words,a fairly short and young child.

[7]煙→熛 (JS,99/16).

[8]The Shields and Axes was a war dance in which the performers brandished shields and axes and m im icked a war scene. See Liji 禮記 ,19.1/100/28; Hanshi waizhuan,4.9/27/20.

[9]Emperor Yu 禹 or the Great Yu,the legendary first ruler of the Xia dynasty.