3.10 [60] 景公問欲令祝史求福晏子病以常辭罪而無求

齊景公打算讓祝史祈求福運詢問晏子的意見，晏子詬病這種做法，勸景公平常多向神靈謝罪不要祈求福運

【原文】

景公問晏子曰：“寡人意氣衰，身病甚。今吾欲具珪（璋）〔璧〕犧牲，令祝宗薦之乎上帝宗（朝）〔廟〕，意者禮可以干福乎？”晏子對曰：“嬰聞之，古者先君之干福也，政必合乎民，行必順乎神；節宮室，不敢大斬伐，〔以〕無逼山林；節飲食，無多畋漁，以無逼川澤；祝宗用事，辭罪而不敢有所求也。是以神民俱順，而山川納祿。今君政反乎民，而行悖乎神；大宮室，多斬伐，以逼山林；羨飲食，多畋漁，以逼川澤。是以民神俱怨，而山川〔收〕祿，司過薦罪，而祝宗祈福，意者逆乎！”公曰：“寡人非夫子無所聞此，請革心易行?！庇谑菑U公阜之游，止海食之獻，斬伐者以時，畋漁者有數，居處飲食，節之勿羨，祝宗用事，辭罪而不敢有所求也。故鄰國忌之，百姓親之，晏子沒而后衰。

【今譯】

齊景公問晏子道：“我的精氣神衰弱，身體病得很厲害?，F在我想準備珪璧、牲畜等祭品，讓祝宗用它祭祀上帝、宗廟，心中以為用禮可以求福吧？”晏子回答說：“我聽聞，古時候的君王求福，政事一定合乎百姓的心愿，行為一定順從神靈的意志；建造宮室要節儉，不敢大量砍伐樹木，以免危害山林；飲食節制，不能過度漁獵，以免危害河流湖泊；祝宗祭祀的時候，只能向神靈謝罪而不敢有所祈求。因此神靈和百姓都很和順，山林川澤送來福祿?，F在您的政事違背百姓的心愿，行為違背神靈的意志；擴建宮室，大量砍伐樹木，危害山林；飲食過于豐盛，大量漁獵，危害了河流和湖泊。因此百姓和神靈都心懷怨恨，山林川澤收回福祿，司過之官向神靈告罪，而祝宗又來祈福，恐怕相互矛盾吧！”景公說：“沒有您我就不會聽到這些，請允許我洗心革面，改變行為。”于是廢掉了去公阜游玩的計劃，停止了海中食物的進獻，按時砍伐樹木，適度漁獵，宮室飲食都注重節約而不過多地要求，祝宗祭祀的時候，只是謝罪而不敢有所祈求。因此鄰國忌憚，百姓親附，晏子死后齊國才逐漸衰敗。

Duke Jing queried Yanzi as follows: “M y w ill power and vitality are in decline,and I am physically very ill. Now I intend to prepare sacrificial animals,the gui jade baton and the bi jade disk,and assign the Invocator and the ancestral attendant to offer them to God on High and to the spirits in the ancestors’ temple. I hope that through this Rite,I may perhaps seek good fortune.”

Yanzi replied: “I have heard that in ancient times when our former rulers sought to gain good fortune,it was necessary for their government to be in accord w ith the people and to submit to the spirits in their conduct. They were frugal w ith their palaces and did not dare to cut trees excessively and thus avoided encroaching upon the mountain forests. They were sparing in their drinking and eating,and so excessive hunting and fishing did not take place; thus,they avoided encroaching on rivers and lakes. When the Invocator and the ancestral attendant performed their service,they would ask forgiveness for guilt and did not presume to ask for anything more. That is why both the spirits and the people acceded to them,and the mountains and rivers brought blessings. But now your government,my Lord,is directed against the people,and your conduct offends the spirits. Your palaces are vast,and you cut trees excessively and thereby encroach upon the mountain forests. You drink and eat gluttonously,and you hunt and fish excessively,thereby encroaching upon rivers and marshes. Therefore,both the people and the spirits resent you,and the mountains and rivers retract their blessings. The officer in charge of fault-finding proclaims your guilt,yet the Invocator and the ancestral attendant pray for good fortune—I suppose that this is contradictory,is it not?”

The Duke said: “Were it not for you,I would never have heard this. I would like to reform my heart and change my conduct.”

Thereupon,he canceled his excursion to Gong-fu^[3] and suspended the contributions of sea food.^[4] The forests were hewn in accord w ith the seasons,and hunting and fishing was limited to set quotas. Dwellings and eating and drinking were m odest,w ithout excess. When the invocator and the ancestral attendant performed their service,they asked forgiveness for guilt w ithout presum ing to ask for anything m ore. As a result,the neighboring states stood in awe of the Duke,and his people felt kinship to him. A fter Yanzi’s death,however,the state declined.

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注釋

[1]病→對 (JS,202/1).

[2]常→當 (JS,202/1).

[3]A recreation area of Duke Jing. See above 1.18.

[4]According to the Shuoyuan,1.40/10/4,Duke Jing received a fishing contribution and then loaded it on fifty carriages and gave it as a gift to Xian Zhang.