The Natural Course of Events (3)
天道（三）
1 Someday, Yao and Shun chatted in the backyard when off duty. Shun asked Yao how he governing and loving people. Yao said, “I never look down on the poor, always managing to approach them and learn about their difficulties and pain. I never desert the homeless people, always looking for houses for them. I express my mourning to the death in their funerals. Staying with the young students, I encourage them to study hard by all means. I comfort and thank those women making sacrifice for their family, such as losing personal freedom, doing heavy homework and assisting husband and teaching children.”
有一天，下了朝， 堯舜二人在一起閒聊。舜問堯如何用心在治國愛民上。堯說：「我對那些窮困無路可走的人，從來不敢輕視，總是設法接近他們，並瞭解他們的苦楚；對貧窮無家可歸的人也絕不放棄，總是設法為他們尋找安頓之所；對死去的百姓，在葬禮上也盡量流露出悲憫的感情；與青年學子們在一起時，我就採用各種方法去鼓勵他們讀書上進；對婦女們犧牲個人自由，在家相夫教子，又要負擔繁重的各類家務，我都對她們表示慰問、感謝之意。」
昔者舜問於堯曰：「天王之用心何如？」堯曰：「吾不敖無告，不廢窮民，苦死者，嘉孺子而哀婦人，此吾所以用心已。」
2 Shun said, “It is fairly good that you govern the country in these moods. However, it is far from perfection.”
舜說：「能用這樣的心態來治國算是不錯了，只不過還不夠完美。」
舜曰：「美則美矣，而未大也。」
3 Yao said, “What I should do, you think?”
堯說：「那我應該怎麼做，才算是完美呢？」
堯曰：「然則何如？」
4 “We should learn from Tao about how it managing Heaven and Earth. Under the control of the natural course of events, all things fulfill their own duties and operate cooperatively and closely in good order. Few mess and disturbance happened to them. The sun and the moon run delicately to create the four seasons, shift of day and night, and cloud and rain in time. These actions are ongoing in silence. Shouldn’t we learn vain quiet, tranquilness, loneliness and non-action from Tao?” Shun replied.
舜回答：「學學道是如何管理天地的啊！你看宇宙自然在天德的統馭下，萬物各守本分，有條不紊地，緊緊扣在一起，和諧的運作，鮮少有爭吵紛亂之情；日月的巧妙運行，適時地營造出春夏秋冬四時的變化; 日夜持續的輪替以及雲雨的滋潤等; 所有這些，都是在寂靜中默默地進行著。所以我才說，我們是不是應該學學道的虛靜，恬淡，寂寞和無為呢？」
舜曰：「天德而出寧，日月照而四時行，若晝夜之有經，雲行而雨施矣！」
5 Reflecting for a while, Yao said, “You are right, I am truly far from vain quiet, tranquilness, loneliness and non-action. Take an instance of our court, they debate and even quarrel with each other, which bother me a lot. From the viewpoint of this, your practice conforms to the natural course of events and mine only to the human affairs. ”
堯想了想，他說：「在虛靜，恬淡，寂寞及無為上，我是差遠了。光是看我們朝廷之上，各位官員議論紛紛，吵成一團的樣子就夠了。由此看來，你的修養是合於天道的，至於我，則只配歸類於人道罷了！」
堯曰：「膠膠擾擾乎！子，天之合也；我，人之合也。」
6 Dear readers, the natural course of events was admired by the ancient people and was eulogized by Yellow emperor, Emperor Yao and Emperor Shun. Their governance of country and people is nothing but follow the natural course of events.
諸位，統馭天地的道是古人們所推崇的，是被黃帝、堯、舜等所讚揚的。他們管理天下、領導百姓的方法無他，只是純粹的效法天地之道，如此而已矣！
夫天地者，古之所大也，而黃帝、堯、舜之所共美也。故古之王天下者，奚為哉？天地而已矣！