The Human World (4)
人間世（四）
1 A carpenter called Shijun someday passed by Quyuan, a place in the State of Qi.
木匠石君有一天路過齊國一個叫曲轅的地方。
2 There was a giant tree beside the temple of Earth God. Its shade was large enough to be as a resting place for thousands of cattle; its trunk was hundreds feet in its waist circle; its top was eight feet higher than the nearby mounds. People guessed that to fell that tree was enough to make into ten more boats.
當地土地公廟旁，有一棵巨大無比的樹，其樹蔭可以供千頭牛在它樹下休息，其樹幹的腰圍有百來尺長，其樹巔比附近的山丘還高八十餘尺，一般人估計這棵樹如果砍下來，足足可以做10餘艘船。
匠石之齊，至於曲轅，見櫟社樹。其大蔽數千牛，絜之百圍，其高臨山，十仞而后有枝，其可以為舟者旁十數。觀者如市，匠伯不顧，遂行不輟。
3 The giant tree attracted many travelers. The carpenter however passed by the tree without a glance and stop.
這棵碩大無比的樹吸引了無數遊客的目光。而我們這位木匠先生卻不屑一顧的走過去，沒有停留片刻。
4 The carpenter’s apprentice was curious why his master passed by the tree without a glance and stop, because he was attracted by the big tree and thought it was a good material for carpentry.
跟著石君的徒弟覺得奇怪，因為他深深地被這棵大樹吸引，認為是件絕佳的材料。
5 The apprentice asked, “Since I have being your apprentice, I never see a tree so splendid and beautiful like this one. Why do you contemptuously disregard it?
徒弟在好奇心驅使下問他的師父說：「自從我跟你拜師學藝以來，我從沒有見過比這棵更壯觀，更優美的樹，為什麼你卻對它不屑一顧呢？」
弟子厭觀之，走及匠石，曰：「自吾執斧斤以隨夫子，未嘗見材如此其美也。先生不肯視，行不輟，何邪？」
6 Shijun kept walking and replied indifferently, “Forget it. The tree is not worth talking about. It is useless. If you use it to make boat, the boat will sink; if you use it to make coffin, the coffin will rot; if you use it to make furniture, the furniture will crack and vulnerable; if you use it to make door, the door is humid; if you use it to make beam, it is liable to eat into. In a word, it is devoid of any merit. This is why it can live so long a time. No carpenter is willing to touch it.”
石君仍然走著沒有停下來。他淡淡地回答：「算了吧！那棵樹沒有什麼好談的，它根本是一無是處。如果你用它來造船，那這艘船會沉沒；如果用來做棺材，它會很快的腐爛；做傢俱，它又不勝負荷，容易崩裂；用來做門，它會溢出許多漿汁；用來做樑柱，它容易遭蟲蛀；它是一無是處的。而也因為這樣它才能享有如此的高壽，沒有木匠打它的主意。」
曰：「已矣，勿言之矣！散木也。以為舟，則沉；以為棺槨，則速腐；以為器，則速毀；以為門戶，則液樠；以為柱，則蠹。是不材之木也。無所可用，故能若是之壽。」
7 At night, Shijun had a dream in which the big tree said to him: whom do you want to compare me with? Do you compare me with the tree of tidy texture, such as cherry tree, pear tree, orange tree, grapefruit tree or other fruit trees?
夜裡石君做了一個夢。夢中那棵大樹對他說：「你到底想將我與誰比較呢？你想拿我與那些木紋整齊的櫻桃樹、梨樹、橘子樹、柚子樹或其他的果樹比嗎？
8 How pitiful are these fruit trees. After fruiting, they have to be trimmed, after which they look ugly and lose their dignity.
這些果樹好可憐啊！每當它們結完果後，就要被人家剪枝，剪的怪模怪樣，一點尊嚴都沒有。
9 Does the value of these trees cause the miserable treatment? They often suffer because people like them. There are numerous cases that sudden misfortune happens to a man because of his talent.
這些樹是不是因為它們本身的價值才引來如此悲慘之遭遇呢？它們因為人類對它們的喜愛而屢遭摧殘; 這種因為才能而引來的橫禍，天下到處都是，不一而足。
匠石歸，櫟社見夢曰：「女將惡乎比予哉？若將比予於文木邪？夫柤梨橘柚，果蓏之屬，實熟則剝，剝則辱。大枝折，小枝泄。
10 It takes me tremendous efforts to become a tree of trash. I was also confronted with being cut down for many times, it was because I kept making efforts to live though those critical situations. I have forged this “trash kongfu” which is very useful to me.
我是經過很長時間的努力才做到成為一名廢物的。我也曾經面臨過好多次險遭砍伐的命運，是我不斷努力，終於熬過來。我練就了這一身 “廢物功”，它對我實在是有用極了。
11 If I were yet a little worth being made use of, I couldn’t live through today and grow so high and big.
如果我還有一點值得別人利用的價值，我就不可能活到今天，長的如此高大。
此以其能苦其生者也。故不終其天年而中道夭，自掊擊於世俗者也。物莫不若是。且予求無所可用久矣！幾死，乃今得之，為予大用。使予也而有用，且得有此大也邪？
12 We are the same, being created by God. Why do we criticize one another? Are you, a crap, a dying guy, appropriate to making frivolous remark about a useless tree?”
你跟我一樣，我們都是老天創造出來的東西，我們為什麼要彼此批評呢？像你這樣一個即將死亡，一無是處的廢人，適合對一個一無是處的廢樹評頭論足嗎？」
且也若與予也皆物也，奈何哉其相物也？而幾死之散人，又惡知散木！」
13 The carpenter waked up and told to his apprentice about the dream. The apprentice asked, “If the tree is determined to be a useless tree, how does it become a splendid tree that is respected by all?”
木匠石君醒後，將這個夢說給他的徒弟聽。徒弟問道：「如果這棵樹立志要做一個一無是處的廢樹，它怎麼又變成一棵大家敬仰的神木呢？」
匠石覺而診其夢。弟子曰：「趣取無用，則為社，何邪？」
14 Shijun put his index finger on his lips. “Hush, lower down your voice. To escape the people who dislike tree’s uselessness, the tree stays beside the temple as a God tree. If it isn’t being the God tree, numerous people would have cut it down long time ago.
石君用食指封著嘴說：「噓，小聲點，它為了逃避那些不喜歡它這樣裝孬種的人，所以才跑到廟裡來做神木的。如果它不做神木，不知有多少人老早就將它砍倒了。
15 The tree has its own way to keep itself safe so we should not criticize it in the light of common criterion.”
這棵樹神它尋求安全的方式與眾不同，因此我們也不應該用一般凡人的標準批評它。」
曰：「密！若無言！彼亦直寄焉！以為不知己者詬厲也。不為社者，且幾有翦乎！且也，彼其所保與眾異，而以義喻之，不亦遠乎！」
16 Ziqi lived in Nanbo. Someday he toured in Shang where there was a hill. He found a very huge tree on the hill.
南伯地方有一為叫子綦的人，他有一天到一個叫商的地方去遊玩。 那兒有一座山，在山上他發現了一棵碩大無比的樹。
17 The tree shade can cover a thousand four-horse chariot. Ziqi signed, “Oh, what a tree. It must have unique characteristics.”
這棵樹的樹蔭可以容納一千輛四馬戰車同時遮蔭。子綦嘆息說：「喔！這是一棵什麼樹呀？它必定有異乎尋常的特質。」
18 Squinting closely at the tree, he found that the branches were too crooked to be used as rafter over beam of house; downward part of the tree were too twisted and texture-disordered to be used as coffin; its leaves tasted thorny to pierce lips and tongue, and smelt stink to make people faint for three days.
子綦瞇著眼仔細的觀察這棵樹。這時他才發現，這棵樹的樹枝過份彎曲，不能做為架在屋樑上托住瓦片的木條；再往下看，它的樹根盤橫交錯，紋理不齊，也不適合做棺木；嚐嚐它的葉子，舌頭嘴唇都被刺傷了；用鼻子試著聞一聞它的味道，那種刺鼻的怪味，可以令一個人神魂顛倒三天不醒。
南伯子綦游乎商之丘，見大木焉，有異：結駟千乘，將隱芘其所藾。子綦曰：「此何木也哉！此必有異材夫！」仰而視其細枝，則拳曲而不可以為棟梁﹔俯而視其大根，則軸解而不可以為棺槨﹔咶其葉，則口爛而為傷﹔嗅之，則使人狂酲，三日而不已。
19 Ziqi learnt a lesson from it and said, “The tree is really useless, for which it can live through and grow so huge. Those who practice should imitate it and learn something about surviving from it.”
子綦若有所悟的說：「這棵樹真是一無是處，可是也因為這樣，它才有機會長到如此規模。修行的人應該效法這棵大樹，學學它的求生之道。」
子綦曰：「此果不材之木也，以至於此其大也。嗟乎神人，以此不材。」
20 There was a manor belonging to Jin in the State of Song. Catalpa, fir and mulberry trees grew exuberantly in this place. When the trees grew to one and half inches in diameter, they were cut down to make monkey cage; When two to three inches, built house; when seven to eight inches, made coffin of rich or high-rank people. The trees died under axe at their vigorous age. The misfortunes befell to them because they were good material for carpentry.
宋國境內有一片地屬於一名叫荊的百姓。這塊地上的梓杉、桑樹都長的極茂盛。這些樹只有一吋半徑的，人們就砍下來做猴籠; 比較粗一點半徑大約有二至三吋的，人們就砍去做房子; 再粗些半徑達七、八吋的，富貴人家就砍去做棺木。這些樹都在盛壯之年就命喪斧下，這些遭遇都是因為他們的材質優異而造成的。
宋有荊氏者，宜楸柏桑。其拱把而上者，求狙猴之杙者斬之﹔三圍四圍，求高名之麗者斬之﹔七圍八圍，貴人富商之家求樿傍者斬之。故未終其天年，而中道之夭於斧斤，此材之患也。
21 The cattle with white dot on its forehead, the pig with too big nose and the person with piles were unqualified to be the sacrifice to the god of river. The flamen of sacrifice thought that they were unpropitious.
在祭拜河神時，額頭有白點的牛，鼻子太高的豬以及有痔瘡的人，都不適合來做犧牲品。祭司們認為這些都是不祥之物。
22 Man of wisdom doesn’t think they are unpropitious, because creature with defectiveness is lucky indeed.
可是對有智慧的人而言，這些不被考慮，有缺陷者才是最幸運的一群。
故解之以牛之白顙者，與豚之亢鼻者，與人有痔病者，不可以適河。此皆巫祝以知之矣，所以為不祥也。此乃神人之所以為大祥也。