| 1 |
小國寡民。使有什伯之器而不用﹔使民重死而不遠徙。雖有舟輿，無所乘
之，雖有甲兵，無所陳之。 |
In a little state with a small population, I would so order it,
that, though there were individuals with the abilities
of ten or a
hundred men, there should be no employment of them;
I would make the
people, while looking on death as a grievous thing,
yet not remove
elsewhere (to avoid it).
Though they had boats
and carriages, they should have no occasion
to ride in them; though they had buff coats and sharp
weapons, they
should have no occasion to don or use them. |
In a small country with few people let there be aldermen and mayors who are possessed
of power over men but would not use it. Induce people
to grieve at death but do not cause them to move to
a distance. Although they had ships and carriages,
they should find no occasion to ride in them. Although
they had armours and weapons, they should find no occasion
to don them. |
In a small country with few people let there be officers over tens and hundreds
but not to exercise power. Let the people be not afraid
of death, nor desire to move to a distance. Then though
there be ships and carriages, they will have no occasion
to use them. Though there be armor and weapons there
will be no occasion for donning them.
|
| 2 |
使民復結繩而用之。甘其食，美其服，安其居
，樂其俗。鄰國相望，雞犬之聲相聞，民至老死，不相往來。 |
I would make the people return to the use of knotted cords (instead of the written
characters). They should think their (coarse) food
sweet; their (plain) clothes beautiful; their (poor)
dwellings places of rest; and their common (simple)
ways sources of enjoyment. There should be a neighbouring
state within sight, and the voices of the fowls and
dogs should be heard all the way from it to us, but
I
would make the people to old age, even to death, not have any intercourse with
it. |
Induce people to return to [the old custom of] knotted cords and to use them
[in the place of writing], to delight in their food,
to be proud of their clothes, to be content with their
homes, and to rejoice in their customs: then in a neighboring
state within sight, the voices of the cocks and dogs
would be within hearing, yet the people might grow
old and die before they visited one another.
|
The people can return to knotted cords for their records, they can delight in
their food, be proud of their clothes, be content with
their dwellings, rejoice in their customs. Other states
may be close neighbors, their cocks and dogs may be
mutually heard, people will come to old age and die
but will have no desire to go or come. |
