有贵人游僧舍，酒甜，诵唐人诗云：“因过竹院逢僧话，又得浮生半日闲”。僧闻而笑之。贵人问僧何笑？僧曰：“尊官得半日闲，老僧却忙了三日。”
——《谭概》
A Moment of Idleness
A
high official paid a visit to a monastery. The monk in charge, having been
notified of this previously, had made meticulous preparations for this
occasion. After several drinks, the official recited a Tang poem:
Passing
by the monastery I drop in to have a chat with the monk; Out
of this busy life a moment of idleness I enjoy.
The
monk laughed. When asked why he laughed, he replied, “Your Worship has enjoyed
a moment of idleness, but I’ve been busy for three days.”
Tan Gai （杨宪益、戴乃迭 译） |
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