Kabanata Kabanata 18 · _Good Men in Seclusion--Duke of Chow to His Son_

"In the reign of the last king of the Yin dynasty," Confucius said,

"there were three men of philanthropic spirit:--the viscount of Wei,

who withdrew from him; the viscount of Ki, who became his bondsman;

and Pi-kan, who reproved him and suffered death."

Hwui of Liu-hia, who filled the office of Chief Criminal Judge, was

thrice dismissed. A person remarked to him, "Can you not yet bear to

withdraw?" He replied, "If I act in a straightforward way in serving

men, whither in these days should I go, where I should not be thrice

dismissed? Were I to adopt crooked ways in their service, why need I

leave the land where my parents dwell?"

Duke King of Ts[']i remarked respecting his attitude towards Confucius,

"If he is to be treated like the Chief of the Ki family, I cannot do it.

I should treat him as somewhere between the Ki and Mang Chiefs.--I am

old," he added, "and not competent to avail myself of him."

Confucius, hearing of this, went away.

The Ts[']i officials presented to the Court of Lu a number of female

musicians. Ki Hwan accepted them, and for three days no Court was held.

Confucius went away.

Tsieh-yu, the madman[33] of Ts[']u, was once passing Confucius,

singing as he went along. He sang--

"Ha, the ph[oe]nix! Ha, the ph[oe]nix!

How is Virtue lying prone!

Vain to chide for what is o'er,

Plan to meet what's yet in store.

Let alone! Let alone!

Risky now to serve a throne."

Confucius alighted, wishing to enter into conversation with him; but

the man hurried along and left him, and he was therefore unable to get

a word with him.

Ch[']ang-tsue and Kieh-nih[34] were working together on some ploughed

land. Confucius was passing by them, and sent Tsz-lu to ask where the

ford was.

Ch[']ang-tsue said, "Who is the person driving the carriage?"

"Confucius," answered Tsz-lu.

"He of Lu?" he asked.

"The same," said Tsz-lu.

"He knows then where the ford is," said he.

Tsz-lu then put his question to Kieh-nih; and the latter asked, "Who

are you?"

Tsz-lu gave his name.

"You are a follower of Confucius of Lu, are you not?"

"You are right," he answered.

"Ah, as these waters rise and overflow their bounds," said he, "'tis

so with all throughout the empire; and who is he that can alter the

state of things? And you are a follower of a learned man who withdraws

from his chief; had you not better be a follower of such as have

forsaken the world?" And he went on with his harrowing, without

stopping.

Tsz-lu went and informed his Master of all this. He was deeply

touched, and said, "One cannot herd on equal terms with beasts and

birds: if I am not to live among these human folk, then with whom else

should I live? Only when the empire is well ordered shall I cease to

take part in the work of reformation."

Tsz-lu was following the Master, but had dropped behind on the way,

when he encountered an old man with a weed-basket slung on a staff

over his shoulder. Tsz-lu inquired of him, "Have you seen my Master,

sir?" Said the old man, "Who is your master?--you who never employ

your four limbs in laborious work; you who do not know one from

another of the five sorts of grain!" And he stuck his staff in the

ground, and began his weeding.

Tsz-lu brought his hands together on his breast and stood still.

The old man kept Tsz-lu and lodged him for the night, killed a fowl

and prepared some millet, entertained him, and brought his two sons

out to see him.

On the morrow Tsz-lu went on his way, and told all this to the Master,

who said, "He is a recluse," and sent Tsz-lu back to see him again.

But by the time he got there he was gone.

Tsz-lu remarked upon this, "It is not right he should evade official

duties. If he cannot allow any neglect of the terms on which elders

and juniors should live together, how is it that he neglects to

conform to what is proper as between prince and public servant? He

wishes for himself personally a pure life, yet creates disorder in

that more important relationship. When a gentleman undertakes public

work, he will carry out the duties proper to it; and he knows

beforehand that right principles may not win their way."

Among those who have retired from public life have been Peh-I and

Shuh-Ts[']i, Yu-chung, I-yih, Chu-chang, Hwui of Liu-hia, and

Shau-lien.

"Of these," said the Master, "Peh-I and Shuh-Ts[']i may be

characterized, I should say, as men who never declined from their

high resolve nor soiled themselves by aught of disgrace.

"Of Hwui of Liu-hia and Shau-lien, if one may say that they did

decline from high resolve, and that they did bring disgrace upon

themselves, yet their words were consonant with established

principles, and their action consonant with men's thoughts and wishes;

and this is all that may be said of them.

"Of Yu-chung and I-yih, if it be said that when they retired into

privacy they let loose their tongues, yet in their aim at personal

purity of life they succeeded, and their defection was also successful

in its influence.

"My own rule is different from any adopted by these: I will take no

liberties, I will have no curtailing of my liberty."

The chief music-master went off to Ts[']i. Kan, the conductor of the

music at the second repast, went over to Ts[']u. Liau, conductor at

the third repast, went over to Ts[']ai. And Kiueh, who conducted at

the fourth, went to Ts[']in.

Fang-shuh, the drummer, withdrew into the neighborhood of the Ho. Wu

the tambourer went to the Han. And Yang the junior music-master, and

Siang who played on the musical stone, went to the sea-coast.

Anciently the Duke of Chow, addressing his son the Duke of Lu, said,

"A good man in high place is not indifferent about the members of his

own family, and does not give occasion to the chief ministers to

complain that they are not employed; nor without great cause will he

set aside old friendships; nor does he seek for full equipment for

every kind of service in any single man."

There were once eight officials during this Chow dynasty, who were

four pairs of twins, all brothers--the eldest pair Tah and Kwoh, the

next Tuh and Hwuh, the third Ye and Hia, the youngest Sui and Kwa.

[Footnote 33: He only pretended to be mad, in order to escape being

employed in the public service.]

[Footnote 34: Two worthies who had abandoned public life, owing to the

state of the times.]

BOOK 19.