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客有过主人者，见其灶直突，傍有积薪。客谓主人：“更为曲突，远徙其薪。不者，且有火患。”主人嘿然不应。俄而家果失火。邻里共救之，幸而得息。于是杀牛置酒，谢其邻人：灼烂者在于上行，余客以功次座。而不录言曲突者。人谓主人曰：“乡使听客之言，不费牛酒，终无火患。今论功而请宾，曲突徙薪之恩泽，焦头烂额为上客耶？”主人乃寤而请之。 ——《汉书》 Who
Deserved the Place of Honour? A
man passing a friend’s house noticed that the kitchen chimney was straight, and
a pile of fuel was stacked beside the stove. “You
had better build another chimney with a bend in it,” he advised the
householder. “and move that fuel away, otherwise it may catch fire.” But
the master of the house ignored his advice. Later
the house did catch fire; but luckily the neighbours came and helped to put it
out. Then that family killed an ox and prepared wine to express their thanks to
the neighbours. Those who had received burns were seated in the places of
honour, and the rest according to their merit; but no mention was made of the
man who had advised them to build a new chimney. “If
you had taken that man’s advice,” someone said to the master of the house, “you
could have saved the expense of the ox and wine, and avoided a fire. Now you are
entertaining your friends to thank them for what they did. But is it right to
ignore the man who advised you to rebuild the chimney and move the firewood,
while you treat those who received burns as guests of honour?” Then
the master of the house realize his mistake, and invited the man who had given
him good advice. The
Han Dynasty History
（杨宪益、戴乃迭 译） |
