《战国策·齐策·邹忌讽齐王纳谏》英译

2011-1-2 21:44| 发布者: sisusirjacky| 查看: 6431| 评论: 0|来自: 英文巴士

摘要: 谢百魁译

Zou Ji Prevailed upon the King of Qi to Welcome Remonstrance

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Zou Ji, more than eight chi^① in stature, was handsome and smart. One morning when he had put on his dress and headgear, he looked in the mirror and asked his wife, “who is more handsome, I or Mr. Xu in the north of the town?”

“You are very handsome,” she replied. “How can Xu compare with you?”

Xu was a good-looking man in the State of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />Qi. Zou, not convinced of his wife’s comments, asked his concubine, “Who is more handsome, I or Mr. Xu?”

“How can Xu be your equal?” she answered.

The next day a guest came to see him. In their talks Zou inquired, “Who is more handsome, I or Mr. Xu?”

“Xu is not so well-favored as you.” said the guest.

On the third day Mr. Xu came to visit him. Zou looked at him closely and admitted that he could not match him. Later he contemplated himself in the mirror, and knew that Xu was by far his superior. At night he lay in bed and thought aloud, “My wife told me that I was handsome, because she was partial to me. My concubine told me the same, because she feared me. My guest echoed the praise, because he wanted to ask me a favour.”

Then he went to the court and was granted an audience by the King. He said, "I know for certain that I am not as personable as Mr. Xu. But my wife who was partial to me, my concubine who feared me and my guest who wanted to ask me a favour all alleged that I was the more handsome of the two. Since the State of Qi has a territory a thousand li^② in circumference and possesses a hundred and twenty towns, your harem and eunuchs all flatter you, your courtiers all fear you, and people within the limits of the country all seek your favours. So I should say that Your Highness must be kept in the dark about the truth of the State."

“Well said,” remarked the King. Then he issued an edict: “Any one, be he a courtier, an official or a commoner, shall receive a higher reword, if he criticizes us to our face, a moderate reward if he remonstrates with us by letter, and a lower reward if he expresses in public places his dissent or casts reproaches upon us, provided that they come to our ear.”

As soon as the edict came out, the subjects vied in making remonstrance to the King, and the palace presented a scene of crowded marketplace. A few months later, this became rather occasional. With the lapse of only one year, those who wished to say something already found that nothing was left to them to add.

At this news the states of Yan, Zhao, Han, and Wei all paid homage to the State of Qi. This was what was called “victory won at court”.

From the Warring States Records

①“尺”in Chinese, the classical criterion of length;

②“里”in Chinese, the classical criterion of length.

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