雙語詩歌翻譯|《古代寓言·千里馬》

劉向（約公元前77年-公元前6年），原名更生，字子政，西漢楚國彭城人，祖籍秦泗水郡豐縣，漢朝宗室，先祖為豐縣劉邦異母弟劉交。劉向是西漢經(jīng)學(xué)家、目錄學(xué)家、文學(xué)家、史學(xué)家，其散文主要是秦疏和校讎古書的敘錄。劉向的詩詞全集： 《鄭同北見趙王》 《人有賣駿馬者》 《吳王欲伐荊》 《南轅北轍》 《荊軻刺秦王》 《千金求馬》 《葉公好龍》 《齊桓公登門訪士》

《古代寓言·千里馬》

古之君人，有以千金求千里馬者，三年不能得。

涓人言于君曰：“請求之?！?/p>

君遣之，三月得千里馬，馬已死，買其首五百金，反以報(bào)君。

君大怒曰：“所求者生馬，安事死馬，而捐五百金?！?/p>

涓人對曰：“死馬且買之五百金，況生馬乎？天下必以王為能市馬，馬今至矣?！?/p>

于是不能期年，千里之馬至者三。

——《戰(zhàn)國策》

Buying a Good Horse

There was a king who was willing to pay a thousand pieces of gold for a horse that could run a thousand li without stopping. For three years he tried in vain to find such a steed.

Then someone offered: “l(fā)et me look for a horse for your Majesty.”

Then king agreed to this.

After three months this man came back, having spent five hundred pieces of gold on a horse's skull.

The king was most enraged.

“I want a live horse!” he roared. “What use is a dead horse to me? Why spend fiver hundred pieces of gold on nothing?”

But the man replied: “If you will spend five hundred pieces of gold on a dead horse, won't you give much more for a live one? When people hear of this, they will know you are really willing to pay for a good horse, and will quickly send you their best.”

Sure enough, in less than a year the king succeeded in buying three excellent horses.

--Warring States Anecdotes