Paragraph 5: Yo Meng (優孟) (1/2)
Yo Meng (literally, Meng the Performer, or Master Meng, but less honorific in Chinese) was a court musician who served the Chu Dukedom. Tall, both in height (8 Zhou feet, i.e., 184cm) and in talk, he often offered his advice in joking and jesting (my emphasis: this is often quoted for Sima Qian's definition of guji, or, humor). It was when Chu Zhuangwang reigned. Zhuangwang kept a pet horse and pampered it. The horse was clothed in embroidered silk, housed in magnificent lodging, lulled upon bedding, and fed with delicacy. The horse, sick of obesity, died. Zhuangwang, who made all his subjects mourn for its death, planned to bury it in a manner exclusively due a worthy courtier. All the Duke's men argued otherwise. Zhuangwang in response gave his command, "Whoever attempts to confront me with my decision shall be punished by death." The word reached Yo Meng. He went right into the court and there he wept and wailed hard and loud. Taken by surprise, Zhuangwang inquired the reason of him. Yo Meng answered, "The horse was your favorite, my Lord, and you, as the absolute ruler of such a stately dukedom, hold in hand countless riches and resources. You, however, grudge your beloved horse its due by planning for it a funeral due a mere courtier. I beg of you to grant it a decent funeral due a duke." Zhuangwang said, "How shall I proceed?" Yo Meng replied, "I suggest that my Lord have engraved jade for its bier, fine wood for its coffin and for the coffin padding. Command your strong army to dig its sepulcher; mobilize the weak civilians to carry the building materials. Have the ambassadors of Qi and Zhao on either side, of Han in front and of Wei at the back. In addition, my Lord shall bestow upon it a posthumous award of a rich fief of ten thousand households and shall order the construction of its shrine with offerings all the time ready. Then all dukes shall know how the people are dispensable to you and the horse was not." Zhuangwang then, coming to his senses, said, "How could I ever do such wrong? How can I mend?" "I suggest that my Lord grant it a proper burial due all poultry and livestock--the cooking crater for its coffin, the brass wok for its bier, dressed with spices, scented with herbs. In this manner shall it be shrouded in fire and buried in men's abdomens," Yo Meng answered. Zhuangwang then hurried the carcass to the royal kitchen, lest word of his wrong spread and stay.
*優孟，故楚之樂人也。長八尺，多辯，常以談笑諷諫。楚莊王之時，有所愛馬，衣(yi4)以文繡，置之華屋之下，席以露(lu4)床，啗以棗脯。馬病肥死，使群臣喪(sang1)之，欲以棺槨大夫禮葬之。左右爭之，以為不可。王下令曰：「有敢以馬諫者， 罪至死。」優孟聞之，入殿門。仰天大哭。王驚而問其故。優孟曰：「馬者王之所愛也，以楚國堂堂之大，何求不得，而以大夫禮葬之，薄，請以人君禮葬之。」 王曰：「何如？」對曰：「臣請以彫玉為棺，文梓為槨，楩(pian2)楓豫章為題湊， 發甲卒為穿壙(kuang4)，老弱負土，齊﹑趙陪位於前，韓﹑魏翼衛其後，廟食太牢，奉 以萬戶之邑。諸侯聞之，皆知大王賤人而貴馬也。」王曰：「寡人之過一至此乎！ 為之柰(nai4)何？」優孟曰：「請為大王六畜葬之。以壟竈為槨，銅歷為棺，齎(ji1)以薑棗， 薦以木蘭，祭以糧稻，衣(yi4)以火光，葬之於人腹腸。」於是王乃使以馬屬太官，無令天下久聞也。
**The original paragraph in Chinese is taken from: Sima Qian. Ed. Han Zhaoqi. New Translation Shiji. vol.VIII. Taipei: Sanmin, 2008. 4946-4947. (司馬遷. 韓兆琦 注譯. 新譯史記, 第八冊. 臺北市：三民, 2008. 4946-49467頁. ISBN: 978-95-14-5001-8). All translation is based upon the text and annotations thereof (4948-4949).
***All translation is mine.
