2.5 [30] 景公冬起大臺之役晏子諫

齊景公冬天興起修建大臺的勞役，晏子進諫

【原文】

晏子使于魯，比其返也，景公使國人起大臺之役。歲寒不已，〔役之〕凍餒（之）者鄉有焉，國人望晏子。晏子至，已復事，公（乃）〔延〕坐，飲酒樂，晏子曰：“君若賜臣，臣請歌之。”歌曰：“庶民之言曰：‘凍水洗我，若之何？太上靡散我，若之何？’”歌終，喟然（嘆而）流涕。公就止之曰：“夫子曷為至此？殆為大臺之役夫！寡人將速罷之。”晏子再拜，出而不言，遂如大臺，執樸鞭其不務者，曰：“吾細人也，皆有盍廬，以避燥濕，君為一臺而不速成，何為？”國人皆曰：“晏子助天為虐。”晏子歸，未至，而君出令趣罷役，車馳而人趨。仲尼聞之，喟然嘆曰：“古之善為人臣者，聲名歸之君，禍災歸之身。入則切磋其君之不善，出則高譽其君之德義。是以雖事惰君，能使垂衣裳，朝諸侯，不敢伐其功。當此道者，其晏子是耶！”

【今譯】

晏子到魯國出使，等他往回走的時候，齊景公下令讓國都附近的百姓開始修建大臺。到了寒冬季節還沒有修好，參與修建大臺的饑寒交迫的百姓每個鄉都有，國都附近的百姓都盼望著晏子回來。晏子回到國都，向景公匯報了出使的情況，景公請晏子坐下，飲酒為樂，晏子說：“您如果賜我飲酒，那我請求為您獻歌一曲。”于是唱道：“百姓的話說：‘冰冷的水呀澆在我身上，怎么辦？不仁的上天摧殘我，怎么辦？’”唱完之后，晏子長嘆一聲，淚流滿面。景公靠近晏子勸慰他說：“您為什么傷心到這種地步？大概是因為修建大臺的事情吧！我這就下令停止修建它。”晏子拜了兩拜，出去之后一言不發，直奔修建大臺的工地，拿起木棍抽打那些不干活的人，說：“我們這些微不足道的百姓都有房屋居住，以避免燥熱和潮濕，國君修建一個大臺而不盡快為他修好，這是為什么？”國都的百姓們都說：“晏子幫著國君做壞事。”晏子回家，還沒到，景公就已下令停止修建大臺，于是車馬人群都很快散開了。孔子聽說這件事后，感慨地說：“古時候善于做臣子的人，把好名聲留給國君，把災禍歸咎于自身。進入朝堂就幫助國君改正缺點，離開朝堂就極力贊譽國君的美德和仁義。因此即使侍奉的是不賢的國君，但仍然能讓他做到無為而治，讓四方諸侯來朝，但他又不夸耀自己的功勞。能承擔這種道義的人，也就是晏子了！”

Yanzi was sent on a mission to Lu. Before his return,Duke Jing had conscripted the people of his state for a labor project to build a large terrace. The w intry cold at the end of the year was unrelenting,and conscripted laborers from all the villages were freezing and hungry. The people looked to Yanzi for salvation.

When Yanzi arrived and finished reporting on the completion of his mission,the Duke invited him to sit down to have a drink and entertain himself.

Yanzi said,“If you,my Lord,grant me permission,I would like to sing a song,” and he sang:

The words of the simple people say:

‘Freezing water washes us,

what can we do about it?

The Supreme Ruler disperses us;

what can we do about it?’

A t the end of the song,he sighed heavily and wept. The Duke moved toward Yanzi to stop him and said: “Master,how have you come to this? Perhaps it is because of the conscript labor at the large terrace? I w ill discontinue it immediately.”

Yanzi bowed tw ice. A fterwards,he left w ithout saying a word and went to the site of the large terrace. He seized a cane and flogged those who did not attend to their work and said: “We are slight people,and we all have our own small cottages,where we can shut ourselves up to escape the heat and the damp. Our Lord wants one terrace built and it is not finished promptly. What is the reason for this?”

A ll the people of the state said: “Yanzi is helping Heaven to inflict cruelties.”

W hile Yanzi was on his way back,the Duke issued an order to immediately discontinue the conscript labor. Chariots hastened forward and people rushed away.

When Confucius heard about this,he heaved a deep sigh and said: “Those in ancient times who were good as ministers ascribed fame to their rulers’ credit and ascribed disaster to their own discredit. When they entered for an audience,they reprimanded their rulers for doing what was not good,but upon exiting they praised them highly for their virtue and righteousness. For that reason,even when they served negligent rulers,they made it possible for the rulers to let their clothes hang down loosely, and when they summoned the regional princes for an audience to their court,they did not presume to boast of their own achievements. Yanzi is indeed someone who undertook that very way—is he not?”

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注釋

[1]A metaphor for the effortless way in w hich the legendary em perors such as the Yellow Emperor and Yao and Shun achieved perfect rulership. See Zhouyi 周易,66/82/5.