伯夷、叔齊兄弟二人生於紂王之時，周武王弔民伐罪，兄弟並馬而諫，謂不可以臣伐君，致天下禍亂。武王曰：「紂王寵妲己，斫朝涉之脛，剖孕婦之腹，荒淫無道，殘賤百姓，天下共棄，誠乃獨夫。吾誅此一夫拯民於水火之中，何禍亂之有？」遂滅紂而改國號曰周。伯夷叔齊恥食周粟，乃於首陽山忍餓而死，民至今稱其義，而知恥者焉。
恥躬不逮，恥是自己很不好意思自己這麼做；躬就是自己；不逮，就是不能做得到這個事情。說我什麼事情，我也可以做得到；這怕做不到這就是恥。恥，就是很羞恥的；羞恥，就是覺得很不好意思，很慚愧。
這伯夷、叔齊，他們是古來一個叫孤竹君的兒子；孤竹君也是一個作國王的。那麼本來這個王位可以傳給伯夷；伯夷不作，說我不要作皇帝，就跑了。伯夷跑了，叔齊也跑，兩個人都不作國王。你看古來人就拿這個國王都不願意作，都要跑，不和人爭。
那麼他們兄弟兩個人以後都跑了；跑了，在路上又遇到一起了。這個伯夷說：「咦！你……，你來幹什麼？」叔齊他說：「那你來幹什麼啊？」「哦！我不願意做皇帝。」「你不願意做皇帝；我就願意做皇帝了嗎？」兩個人就這麼不願意做皇帝。那好了，我們兩個人就去打遊擊去了；打遊擊，就是各處去跑。
「伯夷、叔齊兄弟二人生於紂王之時」，是殷朝那個商湯王的後人。那個時候，殷紂王是很壞的一個皇帝，最壤，所以「周武王弔民代罪」：弔，就是去弔慰，弔慰就是去安慰安慰這個人民。因為老百姓受的苦太多了，他到那去說：「哎呀！你們真苦。」就安慰老百姓，對老百姓說很多好話。伐罪，伐是討伐，討伐這個有罪的人，有罪的人就是紂王。
「兄弟並馬而諫」：這兩個不願意做國王的，把王位讓給旁人；現在有人去想搶這個王位，他們兩個人認為是很不對了，所以兩個人並馬而諫。兩個人都騎著馬，到那下了馬。
「謂不可以臣伐君」：武王那時候是臣，紂王是君；武王是諸侯，諸侯是臣，紂王是君。兄弟倆說不可以臣伐君，以你這臣的地位，你去討伐這個君這是不對的。在那個時候這個天下，三分的天下，有其二，周文王已經有其二了，有兩份了。這個紂王就有一份，但是這個文王，還不去打這個紂王。以後他兒子去，那麼所以周朝是很有德性的。「致天下禍亂」：他說你以臣伐君，將來你的臣又伐你，這天下就禍亂了。你不可以這麼幹的。
「武王曰」：武王就說了。「紂王寵妲己」：紂王現在什麼都不知道，只知道有一個姐己——他那個最愛的妃子；那個女人，他就最寵信的。寵，就是寵信，寵信他那個女人。怎樣呢？他這個女人叫他幹什麼他就幹什麼！「斫朝涉之陘」：什麼叫斫朝涉之陘？我以前跟你們講過了。你們記得嗎？
這就是以前紂王和他太太，在那個摘星樓；為什麼叫摘星樓？可以把星星摘下來。那個樓很高的，那個時候是很高，叫摘星樓，天天到那去望；望整個朝歌城——那時叫朝歌城——到朝歌城整個去看。
在那個時候，有兩個人，那時候不是好像現在，有柏油路。那時候路上有水。這一個老年人和一個年輕的都是男人，在這水裡就走。這個老年人走，就揚眉吐氣的，很精神的樣子；這個年輕的呢，在這個水裡這麼一走，就凍得打顫顫了。他們在那摘星樓看得清清楚楚的。
待續 |
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Text:
Bai Yi and Shu Qi were brothers who lived at the time of King Zhou of Yin. When King Wu of Zhou set out to avenge the people and punish the wrongdoing (of King Zhou of Yin), they went on horseback to remonstrate with him and say that a subject should not subjugate his sovereign and bring about chaos in the country.
King Wu replied, "King Zhou is infatuated with his concubine Da Ji. He has sliced open the shins of citizens and ripped open the wombs of pregnant women. His lust is unbridled,and he robs and abuses the people. He is rejected by gods and humans alike. He is one man alone, and by riding against this one man, I can save the people who are as if drowning and burning. How is this causing chaos?"
After that he went on to destroy King Zhou and change the name of the dynasty from Yin to Zhou. Bai Yi and Shu Qi were ashamed to eat the grain of the state of Zhou and retired to Shouyang Mountain where they starved to death. To this day they are praised for their righteousness and sense of shame.
Commentary:
"Afraid lest their actions not equal their words" means feeling ashamed if one cannot live up to one's words. Perhaps you said you could do something, but then you aren't able to do it. You feel embarrassed and remorseful. Bai Yi and Shu Qi were the sons of King Guzhu. Bai Yi was supposed to inherit his father's position as king, but he didn't want to be the king, so he left. When Bai Yi left, Shu Qi also left. Neither of them wanted to be the king. In the ancient times, people were unwilling to be the king. They ran away and didn't contend with others. The two brothers met up with each other on the road, and Bai Yi asked his brother, "What are you doing here?"
His brother said, "Well, what are you doing here?"
"I don't want to be the king," replied Bai Yi.
"You don't want to be king; do you think I want to be king?"
"You don't either? Then let's both of us rove about together."
Bai Yi and Shu Qi were brothers who lived at the time of King Zhou of Yin. They were descendants of King Tang of Shang. King Zhou of Yin was a despicable king. So that's when King Wu of Zhou set out to avenge the people and punish the wrongdoing (of King Zhou of Yin,). He wanted to comfort the people, because they had undergone too much suffering. At that point the two brothers who had declined the throne for themselves, and who thought it was not right for someone to seize the throne by force as King Wu was intending to do, went on horseback to see King Wu. When they arrived, they dismounted and knelt before King Wu to remonstrate with him not to punish King Zhou and say that a subject could not subjugate his sovereign and bring about chaos in the country. At that time King Wu was merely a minister, a feudal lord, whereas King Zhou was the King. They said that for a feudal lord to subjugate his king was wrong. Although King Wen had the support of two-thirds of the populace, and only one-third supported King Zhou, King Wen did not attack King Zhou. Later on his son (King Wu) attacked King Zhou of Yin, and so later the Zhou Dynasty was a very virtuous one. But at that time the two brothers counseled King Wu, saying, "If you as a minister subjugate your king, in the future you will be subjugated by your minister, and there will be chaos and disaster in the country. You cannot do this."
King Wu replied, "King Zhou is infatuated with his concubine Da Ji. He doesn't care about anyone but her. He loves and believes only in that woman. He'll do whatever she says. For example, he has sliced open the shins of citizens. I talked about this before. Do you all remember? Every day King Zhou and his wife would stand in Zaixing Tower (Star-plucking Tower, so named because the tower was very tall), and gaze out at the entire city.
In those days the roads were not paved with asphalt as they are today. Sometimes the roads were covered with puddles of water. One day they saw an old man and a young man wading in the water. The old man looked hale and hearty, while the young man was shivering from the cold. They could see these two people very clearly from the tower.
To be continued |
