黄元振·《百氏昭忠录·岳飞分赐沉香》英译

王一日，以沉香分属官，各得一块，而黄机密所得最小；以为不均，复以一裹分之，而机密所得复小，王怃然。机密曰：“某以一身从军，虽得香，无所用之。”王乃曰：“某旧日亦爱烧香，瓦炉中烧柏香耳。后来亦屏之。大丈夫欲立功业，岂可有所好耶！”众有愧色。

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Yue Fei Distributing Aloeswood Incense

One day General Yue Fei distributed aloeswood incense to his officers, and each of them got a share of it. Because the archivist in charge of secret documents, Huang Zong, took the smallest part, Yue Fei thought it was an unfair division. He distributed another parcel of aloeswood incense to everybody. Huang Zong, took the smallest part, Yue Fei thought it was an unfair division. He distributed another parcel of alosewood incense to everybody. Huang Zong still got the smallest one which Yue Fei considered far from satisfactory.

“I have devoted my life to the service of the military,” said Huang Zong. “Though I have alosewood incense, it is useless to me.”

“I used to like burning joss-sticks,” said Yue Fei. “In fact, I used to burn the common cypress kind in an earthenware censer, but I have since given it up. A person who is filled with ambition should away do service to his country first. How can he think about personal interests all the time?” At this everyone felt ashamed.