2.9 [34] 景公猎休坐地晏子席而谏

齐景公打猎休息时坐在地上，晏子拔草当席子坐而进谏

【原文】

景公猎休，坐地而食，晏子后至，左右灭葭而席。公不说，曰：“寡人不席而坐地，二三子莫席，而子独搴草而坐之，何也？”晏子对曰：“臣闻介冑坐阵不席，狱讼不席，尸（坐）〔在〕堂（上）不席，三者皆忧也。故不敢以忧侍坐。”公曰：“（诺）〔善〕。”令人下席曰：“大夫皆席，寡人亦席矣。”

【今译】

齐景公打猎休息时，坐在地上吃饭，晏子后到，就在旁边拔了些芦苇铺在地上当席子坐。景公很不高兴，说：“我没坐席而是坐在地上，其他人也没有坐在席上，只有您拔草当席坐在上面，这是为什么？”晏子回答说：“我听闻身披甲胄的将士在军阵前不坐席，打官司的人不坐席，祭祀之尸在堂上不坐席，这三种情况都是让人忧伤的。所以我不敢带着忧伤陪坐在您身边。”景公说：“好。”于是让人铺下席子说：“大夫们都坐到席上吧，我也要坐到席上。”

During a pause in the course of a hunt,Duke Jing sat down on the ground to eat. Yanzi arrived later; the entourage tore off some reeds to make a mat for him to sit on.

The Duke was displeased and said: “I am not sitting on a mat,but on the bare ground; none of the gentlemen around me are sitting on a mat; only you,sir,have torn off some reeds to sit on. What is the meaning of this?”

Yanzi replied: “I have heard: when one puts on armor and takes one’s place in a military formation,one does not sit on a mat. In a court of law,one does not sit on a mat,and also when a body is lying in one’s house,one does not sit on a mat. A ll three cases are connected w ith troubling circumstances,thus I did not presume to serve you while sitting in a manner indicative of troubled feelings.”

The Duke said: “Well argued.” He ordered his people to spread mats on the ground and said: “All high officers are to sit on mats,and I w ill sit on a mat as well.”

注释

[1]Item 2.9 [34] ↔ Shuoyuan,17.55/150/9.