Po-i and Shu-ch`i[2]
would not allow their eyes to look on a bad
sight, or their ears to listen to a bad sound. They would not serve
a prince of whom they did not approve, or command a people
whom they did not esteem. They could not bear to dwell either
in [a court] from which a lawless government emanated, or among
lawless people. They considered living with commoners as equivalent
to sitting in dirt and charcoal while wearing court robes and
court cap. Therefore when men [now] hear the character of Po-i,
the avaricious[3]
become pure and the weak acquire determination.
When we come to Liu-hsia Hui,[4]
it is not thus. He was not
ashamed to serve an impure prince, nor would he refuse an inferior
office. When advanced to employment he did not conceal his
worth, [but] made it a point to follow[5]
the True Way. When
straitened by poverty he did not grieve; when dismissed and
left without office he did not murmur. Living with commoners
he was happy[6]
and would not leave. [He would say,] "Although
he stand by my side with breast and arms bare, or with his body
naked, how can another person[7]
defile me?" Therefore when men
[now] hear the character of Liu-hsia Hui, the mean become generous
and the niggardly become liberal.
When we come to Confucius' leaving Lu and delaying his
departure,[8]
"when it was proper to go, he went,[9]
and when it was
proper to stay, he stayed": this is the way to leave the country
of one's father and mother.[10]
Po-i among the saints was the pure one; Liu-hsia Hui was the
accommodating one; and Confucius was the temperate one.[11]
The
Ode says,[12]
Neither violent nor remiss,
Neither hard nor soft.
This speaks of moderation and harmony.
