| | 庚桑楚: |
老聃之役，有庚桑楚者，偏得老聃之道，以北居畏壘之山。其臣之畫然知者去之，其妾之挈然仁者遠之，擁腫之與居，鞅掌之為使。居三年，畏壘大壤。畏壘之民相與言曰：「庚桑子之始來，吾洒然異之。今吾日計之而不足，歲計之而有餘。庶幾其聖人乎！子胡不相與尸而祝之，社而稷之乎？」 |
| Geng-sang Chu: |
Among the disciples of Lao Dan there was a Geng-sang Chu, who had got a greater knowledge than the others of his doctrines, and took up his residence with it in the north at the hill of Wei-lei. His servants who were pretentious and knowing he sent away, and his concubines who were officious and kindly he kept at a distance; living (only) with those who were boorish and rude, and employing (only) the bustling and ill-mannered. After three years there was great prosperity in Wei-lei, and the people said to one another, 'When Mr. Geng-sang first came here, he alarmed us, and we thought him strange; our estimate of him after a short acquaintance was that he could not do us much good; but now that we have known him for years, we find him a more than ordinary benefit. Must he not be near being a sage? Why should you not unite in blessing him as the representative of our departed (whom we worship), and raise an altar to him as we do to the spirit of the grain?' |
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庚桑子聞之，南面而不釋然。弟子異之。庚桑子曰：「弟子何異於予？夫春氣發而百草生，正得秋而萬寶成。夫春與秋，豈無得而然哉？天道已行矣。吾聞至人尸居環堵之室，而百姓猖狂不知所如往。今以畏壘之細民而竊竊欲俎豆予于賢人之閒，我其杓之人邪？吾是以不釋於老聃之言。」 |
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Geng-sang heard of it, kept his face indeed to the south but was dissatisfied. His disciples thought it strange in him, but he said to them, 'Why, my disciples, should you think this strange in me? When the airs of spring come forth, all vegetation grows; and, when the autumn arrives, all the previous fruits of the earth are matured. Do spring and autumn have these effects without any adequate cause? The processes of the Great Dao have been in operation. I have heard that the Perfect man dwells idly in his apartment within its surrounding walls, and the people get wild and crazy, not knowing how they should repair to him. Now these small people of Wei-lei in their opinionative way want to present their offerings to me, and place me among such men of ability and virtue. But am I a man to be set up as such a model? It is on this account that I am dissatisfied when I think of the words of Lao Dan.' |
