Tree on Hill (4)
山木(四)
1 Confucius was surrounded by a mob in a place between the state of Chen and the state of Cai. It had been seven days for him not to eat cooked food. In this dangerous moment, an old man called Ren paid a visit to comfort him.
孔子在陳蔡兩地之間被亂民包圍，困在那兒己經七天沒有吃熱食了。大公任知道了，立刻專程去探望孔子。
孔子圍於陳蔡之間，七日不火食。
2 Seeing Confucius, Ren said, “You almost be killed by the mob.”
大公任一見面就說：「你差點就遇害身亡了，是嗎?」
大公任往吊之，曰：「子幾死乎？」
3 Confucius embarrassed and replied, “Yes. Almost.”
孔子一臉尷尬地說：「是啊！真是好險。」
4 Ren asked again, “Being a master, are you afraid of death too?”
大公任又說：「莫非，你也怕死嗎？」
曰：「然。」「子惡死乎？」
5 Confucius answered, “Of course. Being a man, there is no exception, everyone afraid of death.”
孔子說：「當然，只要是人，沒有不怕死的。」
6 Taking this opportunity, Ren intended to convey more knowledge about religion and philosophy to this master, since Confucius was against such intangible ideas and insisted that people don’t know life, not to mention death.
大公任立刻抓住這個機會，想讓這位大師，多接觸一些宗教及哲學方面的知識。我們這位大師很排斥看不見，摸不到的宗教及哲學觀念。他主張“不知生，焉知死”。
7 Ren said, “Let me teach you how to escape the threats of hardship and death.
大公任說：「讓我來教你如何避開苦難及死亡的威脅吧！
曰：「然。」任曰：「予嘗言不死之道。
8 There is a big bird called Yidai. It looks silly. Its flying range is limit and skill is so-so. Its nest is built as close to other birds as possible, though there is noisier.
東海有一隻大鳥叫意怠。這隻鳥看起來笨笨地，牠的飛行技術不佳飛行距離也不長。築巢時，牠儘量找與大家緊鄰的地方，雖然吵些，也不敢離得太遠。
9 When flying it never dare to be the first one. On the way flying back it daren’t be the last. It always seeks for protection in the group. When eating, it daren’t scramble for food, so it always eats the remains of other’s.
在飛行時，牠從來不敢飛在前頭。在回家的路上，牠不敢落在後面。牠總是躲在眾鳥之中，以尋求保護。吃東西時，牠不敢跟別的鳥兒爭，總是獨自揀著吃其他鳥兒所吃剩下的食物。
10 Hence, it never is left alone; and there is no one intends to hurt him.
因為這樣牠永遠不會落單，也永遠不曾受到傷害。
東海有鳥焉，名曰意怠。其為鳥也，翂翂翐翐，而似無能；引援而飛，迫脅而棲；進不敢為前，退不敢為後；食不敢先嘗，必取其緒。
11 A straight tree always is the first one to be felled down. Well where water is sweeter is the first one to become dry. Sir, you go around to publicize your knowledge to the ignorant people and give them big surprise. Your adorned virtue makes the common people eclipse before you. You shine around as if the moon and the sun were followed you. Your image is too prominent which brings you disaster.
軀幹筆直的樹，總是第一棵被砍倒。水質甘美的井，也是第一口被吸乾。孔先生，你到處遊歷奔走，向那些無知的百姓宣揚你的學問，令他們大感吃驚。你盡力修飾你的美德，使得一般人在你面前顯得汙穢。你在人們面前光芒四射，好像日月都跟著你走似的。由於你的形象太突出了，所以為自己帶來了災禍。
是故其行列不斥，而外人卒不得害，是以免於患。直木先伐，甘井先竭。子其意者飾知以驚愚，修身以明汙，昭昭乎如揭日月而行，故不免也。
12 I heard from Laotse: ‘He who is conceited will not do himself credit; he who is intoxicated with his success will come to ruin; he who rests on his fame will suffer from losses’. In other word, he who brags of himself is not recorded on the book of merits; he who is very successful will lose his reputation at last; successful man will eventually retreat from the life stage.
我聽老子說，“自伐者無功，功成者墮，名成者虧”。換句話說，就是自吹自擂的人，功勞簿上不會有他的名字。功勞卓越者終有失去光環的一天。功成名就的人也有退出歷史舞臺的時候。
13 There are few people in the world who would like to give up fame and success and willing to be an earthling.
天底下肯放棄功名，甘心成為一名凡夫俗子者，實在是太少了。
昔吾聞之大成之人曰：『自伐者無功，功成者墮，名成者虧。』孰能去功與名而還與眾人！
14 Tao disperses everywhere but it never sports itself. Virtue’s influence goes far but it never cares reputation.
我們看“道”。祂無處不在，卻從來不刻意彰顯自己。德的影響力更是無遠弗屆，可是祂卻從不在乎名聲。
15 A man of perfect practice always asks himself to be an honest and sincere earthling. Sometime, he is like a fool and been treated unfairly, but he doesn’t care. He often reminds himself not to be a man under limelight. Power and nobility are vainness that he is eager to abstain from.
修行完備的人總是告誡自己，要誠誠懇懇地做一名平凡的人，有時吃些小虧，像個傻子似的也無所謂。他時時提醒自己，要避免成為公眾人物，所謂的權貴更是他避之惟恐不及的虛位。
16 Don’t live for fame and success. Thus you won’t remark others and others surely won’t remark you. The man of perfect virtue seeks to be the unknown. He knows that it is bad for a man to be famous and it is bad for a pig to be fat.”
不要為求功名而活，這樣你就不會去批評別人，別人當然也不會批評你。德行完備的人是不求出名的。他們知道人怕出名，豬怕肥的道理。」
道流而不明，居得行而不名處；純純常常，乃比於狂；削跡捐勢，不為功名。是故無責於人，人亦無責焉。至人不聞，子何喜哉！」
17 Keeping nodding, Confucius said, “Well! Very good.”
孔子聽完，頻頻點頭說道：「好！說的好！」
18 The next day, leaving all relatives, friends and students, he went to an obsolete and remote place to live an isolated life. His clothes are plain and his food is simple. After some time, the animals around his house got used to his existence. Animals and he stayed together peacefully without disturbing each other.
第二天他擺脫掉所有的親戚、朋友、學生等，跑到一處荒郊野外去過離群索居的日子; 穿著樸素，飲食簡單。一段時間過後，周遭的飛禽走獸，也都習慣了他的存在，人畜之間和平相處，互不侵擾。
孔子曰：「善哉！」辭其交游，去其弟子，逃於大澤，衣裘褐，食杼栗，入獸不亂群，入鳥不亂行。
19 Animals could accept him. Thus society of human naturally didn’t expel and provoke him.
既然連百獸都能接受他，那麼人類社會自然也不會排擠，或侵犯他了。
鳥獸不惡，而況人乎！