1.25 [25] 景公所爱马死欲诛（圉人）〔养马者〕晏子谏

齐景公心爱的马死去打算杀掉养马的马夫，晏子进谏

【原文】

景公使（圉）人养所爱马，暴〔病〕死，公怒，令人操刀解（飬）〔养〕马者。是时晏子侍前，左右执刀而进，晏子止〔之〕，而问于公曰：“ 〔敢问古时〕尧舜支解人，从何躯始？”公（矍）〔惧〕然曰：“从寡人始。”遂不支解。公曰：“以属狱。”晏子曰：“ （此不知其罪而死），臣〔请〕为君数之，使知其罪，然后致之狱。”公曰：“可。”晏子数之曰：“尔罪有三：公使汝（飬）〔养〕马而杀之，当死罪一也；又杀公之所最善马，当死罪二也；使公以一马之故而杀人，百姓闻之，必怨吾君；诸侯闻之，必轻吾国。汝杀公马，使怨积于百姓，兵弱于邻国，当死罪三也。今以属狱。”公喟然（叹）曰：“（夫子释之）！（夫子释之）！（勿伤吾仁也）。〔赦之〕。”

【今译】

齐景公让马夫饲养他心爱的一匹马，这匹马突然暴病死了，景公很生气，命人拿着刀去肢解养马的马夫。当时晏子正陪从在景公身边，左右的人拿着刀进来，晏子制止了他们，问景公说：“冒昧地请问古时候尧舜肢解人，从谁开始的？”景公恐惧地说：“从自己开始的。”于是就放弃了肢解马夫的打算。景公又说：“把他投入监狱治罪。”晏子说：“请让我为您历数他的罪行，让他知道自己犯了什么罪，然后再送进监狱。”景公说：“可以。”晏子就历数马夫的罪过，说：“你的罪有三条：国君让你养马而你把马养死了，这是第一条死罪；你养死的恰好是国君最喜爱的马，这是第二条死罪；让国君因为一匹马而杀人，百姓听说之后一定会怨恨国君，诸侯听说后一定会轻视我们齐国。你养死了国君的马，从而让国君被百姓怨恨，让齐国的军队弱于邻国，这是第三条死罪。现在就把你送进监狱。”景公听后长叹一声说：“放了他。”

Duke Jing had commissioned someone to look after his favorite horse,but the horse died after a sudden illness. The Duke was furious and ordered his men to w ield their knives and dismember the groom.

A t the time,Yanzi was in attendance before the Duke,and when the Duke’s entourage had taken hold of their knives and moved forward,Yanzi stopped them and asked the Duke: “May I ask,when Yao and Shun^[2] dismembered people in ancient times,with which part of the body did they begin?”

The Duke,frightened,said: “It is I who initiated this punishment.”

And so,they did not proceed to dismember the groom.

The Duke said: “Put him in jail.”

Yanzi said: “A llow me to list his crimes for you,my Lord,so that he may know the crimes,and afterward send the man to jail.”

The Duke said: “You may.”

Yanzi listed them by saying: “Your crime is threefold. The Duke comm issioned you to groom his horse,but you let it die—this is your first capital crime. Moreover,you allowed the best horse of the Duke to die—this is your second capital crime. And if you have caused the Duke to have a person killed because of a single horse —when the people hear of it,they w ill certainly bear resentment against our Lord; when the regional princes hear of it,they w ill certainly belittle our state. By allow ing the Duke’s horse to die you w ill cause the people’s complaint against the Duke to grow and our m ilitary strength to be w eakened w ith respect to the neighboring states —this is your third capital crime. But now,because of this,you w ill be put in jail.”

The Duke sighed and said: “Pardon him.”

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注释

[1]The present Item 1.25 [25],narrates a story about an unjust capital punishment. The Item probably contains later interpolations that give the whole narrated episode a more dramatic tone. These interpolations,how ever,conflict w ith the natural flow of the sequence of events of the episode as a whole. A more concise,alternative version of the episode appears in Shuoyuan,9.16/72/14. It includes several lines that are marked in round brackets for deletion in the present ICS text of the YZCQ. These lines give the entire item a more consistent form and indeed seem to be integral to the original p lot. They read: “Duke Jing had a horse. His groom let it die. The Duke was furious,took up his spear,and w anted to strike him him self. Yanzi said: ‘If you do this,then he w ill die w ithout know ing his crimes. May I list them,for you,my Lord,to make him realize his crimes,and then kill him?’ Duke Jing said: ‘Agreed.’Yanzi lifted the spear and,standing in front of the stableman,said: ‘You groomed the horse for our Lord and you let it die—this crime deserves death. You make our Lord kill a stableman because of a horse—this crime again deserves death. You made our Lord kill a person because of a horse and let this become known to the four neighboring principalities—your crime again deserves death.’ The Duke said: ‘Master,please release him,please release him,do not let my humaneness be injured.’”

[2]The legendary model emperors Yao and Shun of the Golden Age of Chinese antiquity,traditionally assumed to have reigned in the second half of the third millennium BCE.