1.19 [19] 景公游寒涂不恤死胔晏子谏

齐景公巡游在寒冷的路上不抚恤没有掩埋的死尸，晏子进谏

【原文】

景公出游于寒涂，睹死胔，默然不问。晏子谏曰：“昔吾先君桓公出游，睹饥者与之食，睹疾者与之财，使令不劳力，藉敛不费民。先君将游，百姓皆说曰：‘君当幸游吾乡乎！’今君游于寒涂，据四十里之氓，殚财不足以奉敛，尽力不能周役，民氓饥寒冻馁，死胔相望，而君不问，失君道矣。财屈力竭，下无以亲上；骄泰奢侈，上无以亲下。上下交离，君臣无亲，此三代之所以衰也。今君行之，婴惧公族之危，以为异姓之福也。”公曰：“然，为上而忘下，厚藉敛而忘民，吾罪大矣。”于是敛死胔，发粟于民，据四十里之氓不服政其年，公三月不出游。

【今译】

齐景公外出巡游，走在寒冷的路上，看见没有掩埋的尸体默不作声，不闻不问。晏子进谏说：“以前我们的国君桓公出去巡游的时候，看见饥饿的人就给他们食物，看见生病的人就给他们财物，派遣差役不过度征用民力，征收赋税不虚费民财。因此桓公将要出游的时候，百姓们都说：‘请国君到我们乡里巡游！’现在您巡游在寒冷的路上，住在周围四十里的百姓，倾尽家财也不够上缴赋税，竭尽人力也不能完成劳役，百姓们又冷又饿，死后没有掩埋的尸体一个挨着一个，但您却不闻不问，这已经丧失了为君之道。财富穷尽，人力枯竭，臣民不可能亲近国君；骄恣放纵，奢侈腐化，国君也不可能亲近臣民。国君和臣民离心离德，君臣之间不亲近，这是夏、商、周三代之所以衰亡的原因。现在您这样做，我担心公室的危亡，会变成异姓之族的福分啊。”景公说：“好，身为国君只顾自己享乐而忘记了百姓的疾苦，加重赋税横征暴敛而不顾人民的死活，我的罪过太大了。”于是下令收敛死尸，发放粮食给百姓，并命令周围四十里之内的百姓一年之内不必服劳役，景公三个月没出去巡游。

W hen Duke Jing went on a pleasure excursion to Hantu and saw decomposing corpses,he kept silent and asked no questions.

Yanzi remonstrated,saying: “In the past,when our former ruler,Duke Huan,went on a pleasure excursion and saw hungry people,he gave them food,and when he saw sick people,he gave them money. His orders did not bring people to exhaustion and the taxes he collected did not burden the people too much. When our former ruler planned to go on a tour,all the people said joyfully: ‘Could we be fortunate enough that our Lord w ill pass through our district?’ But now you,my Lord,went on a pleasure excursion to Hantu,whose population consists of forty villages. They have given up their property and are unable to pay your taxes; they have exhausted their strength,and they cannot carry out your compulsory labor. The people are hungry and cold,frozen and famished; the decomposing corpses lie w ith eyes staring at each other—but you,my Lord,asked no questions and thereby failed in the way of a ruler. When means are reduced and strength is totally exhausted,then inferiors w ill have no way to feel close to their superiors. When superiors are arrogant and live extravagantly,they have no way to feel close to their inferiors. Mutual alienation between superiors and inferiors and lack of intimacy between a ruler and subjects were the reason for the decline of the Three Dynasties.^[3] If you,my Lord,now continue to act like this,then I fear that the threat against your ruling lineage w ill give rise to the fortune of a different clan.”

The Duke said: “Yes. Because I,as a superior,thought little of inferiors,I imposed heavy taxes and forgot the people. My offence is great indeed.”

Thereupon,he had the decomposing corpses collected and grain distributed among the people. The local population of the forty villages did not have to undergo compulsory labor for a whole year,and the Duke did not make any pleasure excursions for three months.

注释

[1]An unidentified place.

[2]Item 1.19 [19] ↔ Item 7.8 [178].

[3]The ancient Three Dynasties: Xia 夏 2205–1766 BCE,Shang 商 or Yin 殷 1766–1123 BCE,and Zhou 周 1122–249 BCE.