乾隆中，大吏有不悦其属员者，上询之，以书生对。上曰：“是胡害？朕亦一书生也。”大吏悚服。呜呼，大哉斯言！是其炳六籍、训万祀矣。
嘉庆二十二年春，吾杭夏进士之京师，将铨县令，纡道别余海上。相与语，益进，啐然愉，谡然清，论三千年史事，意见或合或否，辄哈然以欢。余曰：“是书生，非俗吏。”海上之人以及乡之人皆曰：“非俗吏！”之京师，京师贵人长者识余者，皆识进士，亦必曰非俗吏也。
虽然，固微窥君，君若惧人之訾其书生者，又若有所讳夫书生者，暴于声音笑貌焉。天下事，舍书生无可属。真书生又寡，有一于是，而惧人之訾已而讳之耶？且如君者，虽百人訾之，万人訾之，啮指而自誓不为书生，以喙自卫，哓哓然力辩其非书生，其终能肖俗吏之所为也哉？为之而不肖愈见其拙回护其拙势必书生与俗吏两无所据而后已。噫！以书生之声音笑貌，加之以拙，济之以回护，终之以失所据。果尔，则进士之为政也，病矣！
新妇三日，知其所自育；新官三日，知其所与。予识进士十年，既庆其禄之及，于吾里有光，而又恐其信道之不笃，行且一前而一却也。于其行，恭述圣训，以附古者朋友赠行之义。
On the
Departure of the Jinshi Scholar Xia Gong Zizhen
In the mid-Qianlong period, there
was a high official who was dissatisfied with one of his subordinates. When the
emperor asked him why, the official replied that the man was just a bookman. The
emperor said, “What is wrong with being a bookman? I am one myself.” The
official was stunned. Ah! What a marvelous pronouncement! Outshining all the
six classics, it will be treasured for generations to come.
In the spring of the
twenty-second year of Jiaqing [1817] the jinshi
scholar Xia Huang who came from my hometown to Hangzhou, made a detour to
Shanghai to bid me farewell while on his way to the capital to receive his
appointment as County Magistrate. As we talked, I found that he had become more
advanced in his learning than before. This was reflected in his appearance—he looked
pleasant and refined. In our discussion of the events of three thousand years
of Chinese history we sometimes agreed and sometimes did not, but always we
exchanged smiles of appreciation. I remarked, “This is a true bookman, not a
common official.” People in Shanghai and the country folk also said that he was
not a common official. When he arrived in the capital, the eminent men with
whom I am acquainted all got to know Xia as well and all concurred that he was
not a common official.
Though this was the case,
watching him closely, I detected that he harbored fears that others would
despise him for being a bookman, and that he was uncomfortable about being
called a bookman. All this is revealed in his tone and his mien. Affairs of
state should be entrusted to none other than bookmen. True bookmen are few, and
here is one—why then should he fear the disdain of others, or resent being
called a bookman? Even if a man like Xia, when faced with the accusation of a
hundred or even ten thousand people, were to bit his finger to swear that he is
no bookman and defend himself vigorously, he would never be able to behave like
a common official. If he tries and yet falls short, the more inept will he
appear. Should he defend his ineptitude, he would lack conviction as either a
bookman or a common official. Alas. Compounding ineptitude with the tone and
deportment of a bookman and then going so far as to defend himself, he would
end by losing his ground. If it were truly to come to this, what a handicap it
would be to his ability to perform the duties of his office!
Within three days after her
wedding, we know whether a bride is capable of running the household; within
three days of taking up his post, we know whether an official is capable of
carrying out his duties. I have known Scholar Xia for ten year. I am very happy
that he had honored our hometown by his appointment and yet I feared that he
would not be firm in the faith, that he might hesitate on the way forward. And
so before he left I respectfully recited the emperor’s words to him, in line
with that charge given us by the ancients to proffer a few words to a friend as
a parting gift.
（Janice Wickeri 译） |
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