【胡·译专栏第三期】双语趣史：鲁宣公与环境保护
2019/12/27 17:18:21来源：胡婧
导语 Intro
甘地曾说：“地球所提供的足以满足每个人的需要，但不足以填满每个人的欲望。” 新的一期《双语趣史》将从身边发生的一件贪心事出发，了解古人如何实现“可持续发展”，思索人与自然的关系。
Mahatma Ghandi once said, "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed." Starting from a greedy thing that has happened right before my eyes, this edition of Chinese Modern Life in History will illustrate the Chinese ancients' approach to "sustainable development" and lead us all to rethink human relationship with nature.
一天，我在小区里散步，突然瞅见在远处楼房拐角的一棵小树旁，有两个人影，其中一个低头俯身，像是在认错，另一个则昂起头，手里拿着一根木棍，不停地对着那棵树挥舞。
One day I was walking around my neighborhood when I saw in the distance two human silhouettes by a little tree at the corner of a residential building, one of them bending down as if in remorse and the other facing skyward with a wooden stick thrashing this way and that at the tree.
他们在干嘛？走进一看，被眼前的景象惊呆了。
What are they doing? As I drew nearer, I was shocked.
只见那两人，一个弯腰撑开塑料袋，一个拿着顶端带叉的木棍，身体向上一窜，便钩住了力所能及的树枝，使劲往下一扽，一只手轻快地将上面的花苞捋下来，扔进塑料袋里。
Before my eyes loomed two people. One was bending over to hold open a plastic bag and the other was jumping up to hook a flower-laden twig with the forked wooden stick in one hand, bend it downward, and pluck the buds off into the bag.
原来两人在摘槐花。他们配合默契，动作麻利，摘完一枝花，又踮着脚用木棍勾更高的树枝，那架势像是要把整棵树上的花都摘完，才肯罢手。而那棵树此时已经面目全非，树枝和树叶散落四周。不远处的另一株槐树，连主干都被折断了，“凶手”已逃之夭夭。
It turned out that the two were picking sophora flowers, a natural substance that can be used as both food and medicine. They cooperated with each other in a tacit and quick manner, sweeping their loot off one flowering twig after another and stretching up to reach yet higher. They seemed very determined to wipe all flowers off the little tree before they would stop. But now the tree was beyond recognition, with broken branches and fallen leaves scattered all around. Not far away another sophora tree even had its trunk broken in half, and the "murderer" had shown it a clean pair of heels.
看到这种不文明的行为，我不禁想到了鲁宣公。
Seeing this uncivilized behavior, I was reminded of Ji Tui.
鲁宣公是春秋时期鲁国第二十任君主，非常喜欢捕鱼。
He was the 20th monarch of the State of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period and an avid fisher.
仲夏的一天，他照常又去泗水的深潭中下网捕鱼，谁知刚下好网，就上来一个人，挥起利刃，割破渔网，把它丢在一旁。
On a midsummer day, he went fishing at a deep weir of the Sishui River. But no sooner had he cast off the net than a man came up wielding a sharp blade. He cut through the net and threw it aside.
这是谁啊，这么大胆，竟敢冲撞一国之君！
Who was this? How dare he challenge the king!
此人是鲁国大夫里革。鲁宣公一脸诧异地看着他，不知他为何阻止自己下网捕鱼，只听里革开口解释。
It was none other than Li Ge, a minister of the state. The king looked at him with surprise, puzzled at why he had done that. Then he heard him explain.
古时候，大寒过后，冬眠的动物苏醒了，开始活动，掌管川泽政令的官员（水虞）这时才计划用渔具捕大鱼，捉龟鳖，到寝庙里用它们祭祀祖宗，同时百姓也采用这种办法，这是为了帮助散发地下的阳气。
In ancient times, the officials responsible for managing government decrees on rivers and lakes would wait past the Great Cold before they began catching large fish and turtles as offerings to ancestors at the Holy Temple. Around this time hibernating animals had wakened and had started to move about. The masses also obliged with this schedule to help bring up the spirit of yang from underground.
当鸟兽开始孕育，鱼鳖已经长大的时候，掌管捕猎鸟兽禁令的官员（兽虞）勒令禁止用网捕捉鸟兽，只允许刺取鱼鳖，并把它们制成夏天吃的鱼干，这是为了帮助鸟兽生长。
When the birds and animals began to breed and the fish and turtles had grown up, the officials in charge of bans on hunting would prohibit the use of nets for birds and animals. It was only permissible to spear fish and turtles and dry them for summer consumption. This would help the birds and animals to thrive.
当鸟兽长大，鱼鳖开始孕育的时候，水虞便禁止小鱼网的使用，只允许设陷阱捕鸟兽，以满足宗庙和庖厨的需要，这是为了储存物产，以备享用。
By the time the birds and animals had grown up and the fish and turtles had started to breed, small fish nets would be banned and animal traps would be allowed so that the needs of ancestral temples and cooks could be met. This was to store meat for winter use.
除此之外，山林间不允许砍伐新生的树枝，在水边也不能割取幼嫩的草木，捕鱼时禁止捕小鱼，捕兽时要留下小鹿和小驼鹿，捕鸟时要保护雏鸟和鸟蛋，捕虫时要避免伤害蚂蚁和蝗虫的幼虫，这是古人的教导，为了保障万物繁衍生息。
In addition, young tree branches in the mountains were not allowed to be cut down, nor young plants along the waters’ edge to be cut off. Fishers were forbidden to catch young fish. Fawns and young moose should be spared when catching game. Young birds and bird eggs should be protected when catching birds. Ants and grasshopper larvae should not be harmed when catching insects. This is what the ancients taught us, and so it was done to ensure the reproduction of all living things.
现在正当鱼类孕育之时，却不等它们长大，就下网捕捉，真是贪心不足啊！
Now is the time for the fish to breed. How greedy it would be to net them before they could grow!
听了这些话，宣公非但没有生气，还十分大度地说：“我有过错，里革便纠正我，不是很好的吗？这是一挂很有意义的网，让我认识到古代治理天下的方法，把网交给主管官吏收藏好，使我永远不忘里革的规谏。“
After hearing these words, the king, rather than being angry, said magnanimously, "Isn't it very good to have Li Ge correct my mistakes? This is a very meaningful net. It has made me realize the ancient methods of governing the state. I shall give the net to the competent officials for safekeeping, so that I will never forget Li Ge's advice. "
就在这时，又有一个人开口了：“保存这个网，还不如将里革安置在身边，这样就更不会忘记他的规谏了。”
At this moment, another person spoke, “Instead of preserving this net, it would be better to place Li Ge beside Your Majesty, so that his advice will less likely be forgotten.”
说话人是在身旁扶持鲁宣公的乐师，名叫存。
The speaker was a musician by the name of Cun, who served the king by his side.
这个故事题为《里革断罟匡君》，出自中国最早的一部国别体史书——《国语》，距今大约有两千多年的历史了。
This story originally comes from Guo Yu, China’s first collection of historical events and stories by state dating to more than 2,000 years ago.
如今，我们对生物界的认识早已远远超越古人，可各种破坏自然的行为屡禁不止，从几吨重的大象和鲸鱼，到街角的小树，无一能逃脱人类贪婪的“魔掌”。
Today, our knowledge of the natural world far exceeds that of the ancients, but still all kinds of destructive behavior persist. From as colossal as elephants and whales to as small as a little tree around a street corner, very few can escape the "clutches” of human greed.
生态保护不应该仅仅是几句口号，更不应该限定在千里之外人迹罕至的雪山森林，而是要求我们从自身做起，保护身边的环境。
Nature conservation should not merely end up chanted as some slogans or confined to lands hardly accessible thousands of miles away; it also requires us to be aware of our own actions and protect the environment around us.
同时，我们也不能忽视故事中里革的直言不讳和鲁宣公的开明大度。
In addition, let us not overlook the candid spirit in Li Ge and the king’s enlightened state of mind.
愿每一个人都以古代先贤为榜样，让绿水青山永驻心间！
May all follow the examples of Chinese ancients and hold Mother Nature near and dear to our hearts.
（感谢清梦smile为本文提供历史素材和专业见解。）
(A million thanks to Crystal for providing historic fodder and professional insight as reflected herein.)
（欢迎各界朋友对本专栏提宝贵意见和建议！）
(Any comments or suggestions are welcome!)
