-
曰、以和爲貴、無忤爲宗。人皆有黨。亦少達者。以是、或不順君父。乍違于隣里。然上和下
睦、諧於論事、則事理自通。何事不成。
I.
Harmony
is
to
be
cherished,
and
opposition
for
opposition's
sake
must
be
avoided
as
a
matter
of
principle.
Men
are
often
influenced
by
partisan
feelings,
except
a
few
sagacious
ones. Hence
there are some who disobey their lords
and fathers,
or who
dispute
with
their
neighboring
villages.
If
those
above
are
harmonious
and
those
below
are
cordial,
their
discussion will be guided by a spirit
of conciliation, and reason shall naturally
prevail. There
will be nothing that
cannot be accomplished.
二曰、
篤敬三寶。々々者佛法僧也。則四生之終歸、萬國之禁宗。何世何人、非貴是法。人鮮
尤
惡。能敎従之。其不歸三寶、何以直枉。
II. With
all our heart, revere the three treasures. The
three treasures, consisting of Buddha, the
Doctrine, and the Monastic Order, are
the final refuge of the four generated beings, and
are
the supreme objects of worship in
all countries. Can any man in any age ever fail to
respect
these teachings? Few men are
utterly devoid of goodness, and men can be taught
to follow
the teachings. Unless they
take refuge in the three treasures, there is no
way of rectifying their
misdeeds.
三曰、承詔必謹。君則天之。臣則地之。天覆臣載。四時順行
、萬気得通。地欲天覆、則至懐
耳。是以、君言臣承。上行下靡。故承詔必愼。不謹自敗
。
III. When an imperial
command is given, obey it with reverence. The
sovereign is likened to
heaven, and his
subjects (yatsuko) are likened to earth. With
heaven providing the cover and
earth
supporting it, the four seasons proceed in orderly
fashion, giving sustenance to all that
which
is
in
nature.
If
earth
attempts
to
overtake
the
functions
of
heaven,
it
destroys
everything.
Therefore when the sovereign speaks, his subjects
must listen; when the superior
acts,
the inferior must follow his examples. When an
imperial command is given, carry it out
with
diligence.
If
there
is
no
reverence
shown
to
the
imperial
command,
ruin
will
automatically result.
四曰、群卿百寮、以禮爲本。其治民之本、要在禮乎、上不禮、而下非齊。下無禮、以必有罪。
是以、群臣禮有、位次不亂。百姓有禮、國家自治。
IV. The ministers (machikimitachi) and
functionaries (tsukasatsukasa) must act on the
basis
of decorum, for the basis of
governing the people consists of decorum. If the
superiors do not
behave with decorum,
offenses will ensue. If the ministers behave with
decorum, there will
be no confusion
about ranks. If the people behave with decorum,
the nation will be governed
well on its
own.
五曰、絶饗棄欲、明辨訴訟。其百姓之訟、一百千事。一日尚爾、況乎累歳。頃治訟者、得利
爲常、見賄廳讞。便有財之訟、如右投水。乏者之訴、似水投石。是以貧民、則不知所由。臣
道亦於焉闕。
V.
Cast
away
your
ravenous
desire
for
food
and
abandon
your
covetousness
for
material
possessions. If a
suit is brought before you, render a clear-cut
judgment. ... Nowadays, those
who are
in the position of pronouncing judgement are
motivated by making private gains, and
as a rule, receive bribes. Thus the
plaints of the rich are like a stone flung into
water, while
those of the poor are like
water poured over a stone. Under these
circumstances, the poor will
be denied
recourse to justice, which constitutes dereliction
of duty of the ministers (yatsuko).
六曰、懲惡勸善、古之良典。是以无匿人善、見
-
< br>悪必匡。其諂詐者、則爲覆二國家之利器、
爲絶人民之鋒劔。亦佞媚者、對上則好
説下過、逢下則誹謗上失。其如此人、皆无忠於君、无
仁於民。是大亂之本也。
VI. Punish that which is evil
and encourage that which is good. This is an
excellent rule from
antiquity. Do not
conceal the good qualities of others, and always
correct that which is evil
when
it
comes
to
your
attention.
Consider
those
flatterers
and
tricksters
as
constituting
a
superb weapon for the overthrow of the
state, and a sharp sword for the destruction of
people.
Smooth-tongued adulators love
to report to their superiors the errors of their
inferiors; and to
their
inferiors,
castigate
the
errors
of
their
superiors.
Men
of
this
type
lack
loyalty
to
the
sovereign
and have no compassion for the people. They are
the ones who cause great civil
disorders.
七曰、人各
有任。掌宜
-
不濫。其賢哲任官、頌音則起。姧者有官、禍亂則
繁。世少生知。剋
念作聖。事無大少、得人必治。時無急緩。遇賢自寛。因此國家永久、
社禝勿危。故古聖王、
爲官以求人、爲人不求官。
VII. Every man must be given his
clearly delineated responsibility. If a wise man
is entrusted
with
office,
the
sound
of
praise
arises.
If
a
wicked
man
holds
office,
disturbances
become
frequent. ...
In
all
things,
great
or
small,
find
the
right
man,
and
the
country
will
be
well
goverened. On all occasions, in an
emergency or otherwise, seek out a wise man, which
in
itself is an enriching experience.
In this manner, the state will be lasting and its
sacerdotal
functions will be free from
danger. Therefore did the sage kings of old seek
the man to fill the
office, not the
office for the sake of the man.
八曰、群卿百寮、早朝晏退。公事靡監。終日難盡。是以、遲朝不逮于急。早退必事不盡。
VIII.
The ministers
and
functionaries
must
attend the court early in
the morning
and retire
late.
The
business
of
the
state
must
not
be
taken
lightly.
A
full
day
is
hardly
enough
to
complete work, and if the
attendance is late, emergencies cannot be met. If
the officials retire
early, the work
cannot be completed.