雙語詩歌翻譯|劉基-《工之僑為琴》

《工之僑為琴》是浙江青田人劉基所著的寓言故事，作于元朝末年。文章用“托物諷喻”的手法，揭露了當時的封建統(tǒng)治者崇古非今的不良風氣，寄喻了盲目守舊，勢必阻礙改革，摧殘人才，扼殺社會生機的道理。

《工之僑為琴》 劉基

工之僑得良桐焉，斫而為琴，弦而鼓之，金聲而玉應(yīng)，自以為天下之美也，獻之太常。使國工視之，曰：“弗古！”還之。工之僑以歸，謀諸漆工，作斷紋焉；又謀諸篆工，作古窾焉；匣而埋諸土，期年出之，抱以適市。貴人過而見之，易之以百金，獻諸朝。樂官傳視，皆曰：“希世之珍也！”工之僑聞之，嘆曰：“悲哉，世也！豈獨一琴哉？莫不然矣！而不早圖之，其與亡矣?！彼烊ィ胗阱蹿ぶ?，不知其所終。

Gong Ziqiao Making a Lute
Liu Ji

Gong Zhiqiao, having come by a piece of excellent paulownia wood, cut it into a lute and furnished it with strings. A pluck at it would produce a harmony of the ring of gold and the tinkle of jade. He thought it to be the best in the world. So he presented to the ritual office. The latter had it examined by the prominent musicians of the country, who, nevertheless, commented: "Not ancient!" And the lute was returned to him.
Gong took the lute back and contrived with a painter to make some cracks on it and then with a calligrapher to carve some hieroglyphs on it. Afterwards he put it in a case, which he buried in the earth. One year later he took out the lute and brought it for sale in the market. A dignitary who saw it bought it for a hundred taels of gold and presented it to the Court. The original official musicians passed it around, looking at it with great admiration, exclaiming, "It is indeed a marvelous rarity on earth!"
Hearing this, Gong said with a sigh, "Alas, this deplorable world! Is that only the unhappy experience of a lute? The same is true of all and sundry. If I do not devise my escape sooner, I shall suffer misfortune in the same way." So he went into the Dangming Mountains, and no one knew how he ended his life.