Book of Documents 尚書
周書 酒誥 Zhou Shu - Announcement about Drunkenness
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王若曰：「明大命于妹邦。乃穆考文王肇國在西土。厥誥毖庶邦庶士越少正御事，朝夕曰：『祀茲酒。惟天降命，肇我民，惟元祀。天降威，我民用大亂喪德，亦罔非酒惟行；越小大邦用喪，亦罔非酒惟辜。』The king speaks to the following effect: 'Do you clearly make known my great commands in the country of Mei. When your reverent father, the king Wen, laid the foundations of our kingdom in the western region, he delivered announcements and cautions to (the princes of) the various regions, and to all his (high) officers, with their assistants, and the managers of affairs, saying, morning and evening, "At sacrifices spirits should be employed." When Heaven was sending down its favouring decree, and laying the foundations of (the eminence of) our people, (spirits) were used only at the great sacrifices. When Heaven sends down its terrors, and our people are thereby greatly disorganized and lose their virtue, this may be traced invariably to their indulgence in spirits; yea, the ruin of states, small and great, (by these terrors), has been caused invariably by their guilt in the use of spirits.
文王誥教小子有正有事：無彝酒。越庶國：飲惟祀，德將無醉。惟曰我民迪小子惟土物愛，厥心臧。聰聽祖考之遺訓，越小大德，小子惟一。
'King Wen admonished and instructed the young nobles, who were charged with office or in any employment, that they should not ordinarily use spirits; and throughout all the states, he required that such should drink spirits only on occasion of sacrifices, and that then virtue should preside so that there might be no drunkenness. He said, 'Let my people teach their young men that they are to love only the productions of the soil, for so will their hearts be good. Let the young also hearken wisely to the constant instructions of their fathers; and let them look at all virtuous actions, whether great or small, in the same light (with watchful heed).
妹土，嗣爾股肱，純其藝黍稷，奔走事厥考厥長。肇牽車牛，遠服賈用。孝養厥父母，厥父母慶，自洗腆，致用酒。
'(Ye people of) the land of Mei, if you can employ your limbs, largely cultivating your millets, and hastening about in the service of your fathers and elders; and if, with your carts and oxen, you traffic diligently to a distance, that you may thereby filially minister to your parents; then, when your parents are happy, you may set forth your spirits clear and strong, and use them.
庶士、有正越庶伯、君子，其爾典聽朕教！爾大克羞耇惟君，爾乃飲食醉飽。丕惟曰爾克永觀省，作稽中德，爾尚克羞饋祀。爾乃自介用逸，茲乃允惟王正事之臣。茲亦惟天若元德，永不忘在王家。」
'Hearken constantly to my instructions, all ye my (high) officers and ye heads of departments, all ye, my noble chiefs; when ye have largely done your duty in ministering to your aged, and serving your ruler, ye may eat and drink freely and to satiety. And to speak of greater things: when you can maintain a constant, watchful examination of yourselves, and your conduct is in accordance with correct virtue, then may you present the offerings of sacrifice, and at the same time indulge yourselves in festivity. In such case you will indeed be ministers doing right service to your king, and Heaven likewise will approve your great virtue, so that you shall never be forgotten in the royal House.'
王曰：「封！我西土棐徂邦君、御事、小子，尚克用文王教，不腆于酒。故我至于今，克受殷之命。」
The king says, 'O Feng, in our western region, the princes of states, and the young (nobles), sons of the managers of affairs, who in former days assisted king Wen, were all able to obey his lessons, and abstain from excess in the use of spirits; and so it is that I have now received the appointment which belonged to Yin.'
王曰：「封，我聞惟曰：『在昔殷先哲王迪畏天顯小民，經德秉哲。自成湯咸至于帝乙，成王畏相惟御事，厥棐有恭，不敢自暇自逸，矧曰其敢崇飲？越在外服，侯甸男衛邦伯，越在內服，百僚庶尹惟亞惟服宗工越百姓里居，罔敢湎于酒。不惟不敢，亦不暇，惟助成王德顯越，尹人祗辟。』
The king says. 'O Feng, I have heard it said, that formerly the first wise king of Yin manifested a reverential awe of the bright principles of Heaven and of the lower people, acting accordingly, steadfast in his virtue, and holding fast his wisdom. From him Tang the Successful, down to Di-Yi, all completed their royal virtue and revered their chief ministers, so that their managers of affairs respectfully discharged their helping duties, and dared not to allow themselves in idleness and pleasure; how much less would they dare to indulge themselves in drinking! Moreover, in the exterior domains, (the princes of) the Hou, Dian, Nan, and Wei (states), with their presiding chiefs and in the interior domain, all the various officers, the directors of the several departments, the inferior officers and employés, the heads of great houses, and the men of distinguished name living in retirement, all eschewed indulgence in spirits. Not only did they not dare to indulge in them, but they had not leisure to do so, being occupied with helping to complete the sovereigns virtue and make it more illustrious, and helping the directors of affairs reverently to attend to his service.
我聞亦惟曰：『在今後嗣王，酣，身厥命，罔顯于民祗，保越怨不易。誕惟厥縱，淫泆于非彝，用燕喪威儀，民罔不衋傷心。惟荒腆于酒，不惟自息乃逸，厥心疾很，不克畏死。辜在商邑，越殷國滅，無罹。弗惟德馨香祀，登聞于天；誕惟民怨，庶群自酒，腥聞在上。故天降喪于殷，罔愛于殷，惟逸。天非虐，惟民自速辜。』」
'I have heard it said likewise, that the last successor of those kings was addicted to drink, so that no charges came from him brightly before the people, and he was (as if) reverently and unchangingly bent on doing and cherishing what provoked resentment. Greatly abandoned to extraordinary lewdness and dissipation, for pleasure's sake he sacrificed all his majesty. The people were all sorely grieved and wounded in heart; but he gave himself wildly up to drink, not thinking of restraining himself. but continuing his excess, till his mind was frenzied, and he had no fear of death. His crimes (accumulated) in the capital of Shang: and though the extinction of the dynasty (was imminent), this gave him no concern, and he wrought not that any sacrifices of fragrant virtue might ascend to Heaven. The rank odour of the people's resentments, and the drunkenness of his herd of creatures, went loudly up on high, so that Heaven sent down ruin on Yin, and showed no love for it - because of such excesses. There is not any cruel oppression of Heaven; people themselves accelerate their guilt, (and its punishment).
王：「封，予不惟若茲多誥。古人有言曰：『人無於水監，當於民監。』今惟殷墜厥命，我其可不大監撫于時！
The king says, 'O Feng, I make you this long announcement, not (for the pleasure of doing so); but the ancients have said, "Let not men look into water; let them look into the glass of other people." Now that Yin has lost its appointment, ought we not to look much to it as our glass, (and learn) how to secure the repose of our time?
予惟曰：「汝劼毖殷獻臣、侯、甸、男、衛，矧太史友、內史友、越獻臣百宗工，矧惟爾事服休，服采，矧惟若疇，圻父薄違，農夫若保，宏父定辟，矧汝，剛制于酒。』
I say to you, Strenuously warn the worthy ministers of Yin, and (the princes) in the Hou, the Dian, the Nan, and the Wei domains; and still more your friends, the great Recorder and the Recorder of the Interior, and all your worthy ministers, the heads of great Houses; and still more those whom you serve, with whom you calmly discuss matters, and who carry out your measures; and still more those who are, as it were, your mates; your Minister of War who deals with the rebellious, your Minister of Instruction who is like a protector to the people, and your Minister of Works who settles the boundaries; and above all, do you strictly keep yourself from drink.
厥或誥曰：『群飲。』汝勿佚。盡執拘以歸于周，予其殺。又惟殷之迪諸臣惟工，乃湎于酒，勿庸殺之，姑惟教之。有斯明享，乃不用我教辭，惟我一人弗恤弗蠲，乃事時同于殺。」
'If you are informed that there are companies that drink together, do not fail to apprehend them all, and send them here to Zhou, where I may put them to death. As to the ministers and officers of Yin who were led to it and became addicted to drink, it is not necessary to put them to death (at once); let them be taught for a time. If they follow these (lessons of mine), I will give them bright distinction. If they disregard my lessons, then I, the One man, will show them no pity. As they cannot change their way, they shall be classed with those who are to be put to death.'
王曰：「封，汝典聽朕毖，勿辯乃司民湎于酒。」
The king says, 'O Feng, give constant heed to my admonitions. If you do not rightly manage the officers, the people will continue lost in drunkenness.'
本作品在全世界都属于公有领域，因为作者逝世已经超过100年，并且于1923年1月1日之前出版。
English translation: James Legge
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