2.11 [36] 景公为台成又欲为钟晏子谏

齐景公修筑好高台又打算铸造大钟，晏子进谏

【原文】

景公为台，台成，又欲为钟。晏子谏曰：“君国者不乐民之哀。君不胜欲，既筑台矣，今复〔欲〕为钟，是重敛于民，民必哀矣。夫敛民之哀，而以为乐，不祥，非所以君国者。”公乃止。

【今译】

齐景公修建了一座高台，建好之后，又想铸造大钟。晏子进谏道：“当国君的人不应乐于见到百姓的哀痛。您不能克制自己的欲望，已经修筑了高台，现在又要铸造大钟，这样不断加重对百姓的征敛，百姓一定会痛苦不堪。加重百姓的赋税使他们哀痛，以此换来自己的快乐，这是不祥之兆，不是当国君的人应该做的事。”景公于是停止铸钟。

Duke Jing built a terrace and when it was completed,he wanted to cast a bell in addition.

Yanzi remonstrated and said: “He who rules a state should not delight in the people’s suffering. You,my Lord,have given free rein to your desires and have built a terrace,and now you want to have a bell cast as well; this w ill only mean oppressive taxes for the people,and they w ill certainly suffer. To compound the people’s suffering and to take delight in it is inauspicious and is not the way in which one rules a state.”

Thereupon,the Duke desisted.

注释

[1]Item 2.11 [36] ↔ Shuoyuan,9.15/72/11.