尚书 The Book of
History -- 《说命下-- Charge to Yue III》(James Legge
英译)(3)
王曰：“呜呼！说，四海之内1，咸仰朕德2，时乃风3。股肱惟人4，良臣惟圣5。昔先正保衡作我先王6，乃曰‘予弗克俾厥后惟尧舜7，其心愧耻8，若挞于市9。’一夫不获10，则曰‘时予之辜11’。佑我烈祖12，格于皇天13。尔尚明保予14，罔俾阿衡专美有商15。惟后非贤不乂16，惟贤非后不食17。其尔克绍乃辟于先王18，永绥民19。”
The king said,
'Oh! Yue, that all within the four seas look up to my virtue is
owing to you. As his legs and arms form the man, so does a good
minister form the sage (king). Formerly, there was the first
premier of our dynasty, Bao-heng, who raised up and formed its
royal founder. He said, "If I cannot make my sovereign like Yao or
Shun, I shall feel ashamed in my heart, as if I were beaten in the
market-place." If any common man did not get (all he should
desire), he said, "It is my fault." (Thus) he assisted my
meritorious ancestor, so that he became equal to great Heaven. Do
you give your intelligent and preserving aid to me, and let not
A-heng engross all the good service to the House of Shang. The
sovereign should share his government with none but worthy
officers. The worthy officer should accept his support from none
but the proper sovereign. May you now succeed in making your
sovereign a (true) successor of the founder of his line, and in
securing the lasting happiness of the people!'
说拜稽首曰：“敢对扬天子之休命20”。
Yue did obeisance
with his head to the ground, and said, 'I will venture to respond
to. and display abroad, your Majesty's excellent
charge.'
【注释】
1.四海：犹言天下。《尔雅》“九夷、八狄、七戎、六蛮，谓之四海。”古谓中国四境皆有海环之，故称中国为海内，外国为海外。
2.咸：皆也。仰：敬慕之。《史记》“孔子虽无位，其道可尊，使万世景仰。”德：行道而有得于心也。德政也。
3.时：是也。风：教化也。（教化：谓以教育之力使人感化也。）
4.股肱：比喻左右辅助得力的人。《左传》“君之卿佐，是谓股肱。”《尚书·益稷》“帝曰：臣作朕股肱耳目。”
5.良臣：谓良善辅弼之臣也。良，善也，贤也。《尚书·说命上》“梦帝赉予良弼”。圣：修养、人格造乎至极之地谓之圣。
6.先正：先贤也。正，谓贤者。保衡：即阿衡，商官名，伊尹为之。[疏]“阿衡保衡，非常之人官名，盖当时特以此名号伊尹也。”作：兴起也。《易》“圣人作而万物睹”。
7.弗克：不能也。俾：使也。厥：其也。后：君也。尧舜：古盛德之君，唐尧与虞舜也。皆以揖让有天下，为君主之极则，故诵君王必称尧舜。
8.愧：羞惭也。《孟子》“仰不愧于天”。耻：羞惭。《孟子》“人不可以无耻”。
9.挞：打也，笞也。市：街市也。（市朝：古者刑人于市，爵人于朝，言为公众之地，人所指目也。《论语》“吾力犹能肆诸市朝”。
10.一夫：犹言一人也。《尚书·君陈》“无求备于一夫”。不获：没得收获也。获，得也。《孟子》“耕者之所获”。
11.时：是也。辜：罪也。《尚书·大禹谟》“与其杀不辜”。
12.佑：助也。烈祖：有功烈之祖。《尚书·汤诰》“伊尹乃明言烈祖之成德”。
13.格：感动。皇天：大天也。
14.尚：庶几。明：清明。此谓明鉴也。《庄子》“鉴明则尘垢不止”。今人称人识见之高曰明镜，或曰明鉴。保：全之也，佑也。《诗》“天保定尔”。
15.阿衡：即伊尹。专美：独得美名。
16.后：君也。贤：多才也，有善行也。《尚书·咸有一德》“任官惟贤材”。乂：治也。《尚书·尧典》“有能俾乂”。
17.不食：无饮食之养。食，人所以养口腹之物也。《尚书·益稷》“暨稷播奏庶艰食鲜食”。
18.克：能也。绍：继也。《尚书·盘庚上》“绍复先王之大业”。辟：君也。先王：先代之王也。
19.绥：安也。《诗》“福履绥之”。
20.敢：勇也，无所畏惮也。对扬：言答君命而宣扬其意于众也。天子：古称天以治人，故谓有统治之权者为天之元子。休命：美善之天命也。休，美善也，庆也。《尚书·太甲中》“实万世无疆之休”。命，天命也。天道之流行而赋于物者，有物必有则，如命令也。
