中國古代故事賞析：不死之藥

There was, a man who came to the palace of the State of Chu and gave the guard a kind of medicine for immortality to be presented to the king.

As the guard held the medicine in both hands and walked towards the inner palace, he met an archer of the bodyguard. The archer asked him: "Is what you hold in hands edible?"

The guard answered: "Of course, it is."

Upon hearing this, the archer snatched the medicine, stuffed it into his mouth and swallowed it.

The King of Chu was very angry. He ordered to have the archer beheaded. The archer said:

"It is not my fault but the fault of the guard, because he told me 'It is edible.' "

Then he continued: "This is a medicine for immortal life. Now I have taken it, but I am going to be killed by Your Majesty. Then, the so-called medicine for immortal life will become `a medicine hastening death', won't it? The man who presented this medicine was trying to deceive Your Majesty."

Finally he said: "If today Your Majesty should kill me, an innocent man, then people would say: `The King would rather be deceived than believe his own bodyguard.'"

While the King of Chu heard this, he felt that there was something in what the archer said, so he let him go.

有一個人來到楚國王宮，把一種長生不死的藥交給守衛官，請他敬獻給國王。

守衛官捧著藥朝內宮走去，迎面碰上衛隊的一個弓箭手。弓箭手問他：“你手里捧的東西，人可以吃嗎?”

守衛官回答：“人可以吃。”

弓箭手聽了，一把奪過藥，塞到嘴里就吞了下去。

楚王非常生氣，下令將這個弓箭手斬首。弓箭手說：“這不是我的過錯，而是守衛官的過錯，因為他回答我‘人可以吃。”

又說：“這是不死之藥，現在我吃了，反而要被大王處死;那么，這不死之藥，不就成了‘催死之藥了嗎?這是獻藥的人在欺騙大王呀!”

最后說：“今天，如果大王殺了我這個無罪的人，那么眾人就會說:‘大王寧愿被人欺騙，也不愿意相信自己的衛士。”

楚王聽了，覺得這些話有點道理，就把弓箭手放了。

There was, a man who came to the palace of the State of Chu and gave the guard a kind of medicine for immortality to be presented to the king.

As the guard held the medicine in both hands and walked towards the inner palace, he met an archer of the bodyguard. The archer asked him: "Is what you hold in hands edible?"

The guard answered: "Of course, it is."

Upon hearing this, the archer snatched the medicine, stuffed it into his mouth and swallowed it.

The King of Chu was very angry. He ordered to have the archer beheaded. The archer said:

"It is not my fault but the fault of the guard, because he told me 'It is edible.' "

Then he continued: "This is a medicine for immortal life. Now I have taken it, but I am going to be killed by Your Majesty. Then, the so-called medicine for immortal life will become `a medicine hastening death', won't it? The man who presented this medicine was trying to deceive Your Majesty."

Finally he said: "If today Your Majesty should kill me, an innocent man, then people would say: `The King would rather be deceived than believe his own bodyguard.'"

While the King of Chu heard this, he felt that there was something in what the archer said, so he let him go.

有一個人來到楚國王宮，把一種長生不死的藥交給守衛官，請他敬獻給國王。

守衛官捧著藥朝內宮走去，迎面碰上衛隊的一個弓箭手。弓箭手問他：“你手里捧的東西，人可以吃嗎?”

守衛官回答：“人可以吃。”

弓箭手聽了，一把奪過藥，塞到嘴里就吞了下去。

楚王非常生氣，下令將這個弓箭手斬首。弓箭手說：“這不是我的過錯，而是守衛官的過錯，因為他回答我‘人可以吃。”

又說：“這是不死之藥，現在我吃了，反而要被大王處死;那么，這不死之藥，不就成了‘催死之藥了嗎?這是獻藥的人在欺騙大王呀!”

最后說：“今天，如果大王殺了我這個無罪的人，那么眾人就會說:‘大王寧愿被人欺騙，也不愿意相信自己的衛士。”

楚王聽了，覺得這些話有點道理，就把弓箭手放了。