【大纪元5月30日讯】
鲁国丞相公孙仪喜欢吃鱼。国人知悉后，都争着买鱼献给他。可是，他从不领情，一律辞谢。
其弟觉得很奇怪，便问道：“你明明喜欢吃鱼，为什么却不肯接受人民的鱼呢？”
公孙仪回答说：“正因为我喜欢吃鱼，所以才不能接受。”
其弟不明所以，摇着头说：“我不明白……”
公孙仪解释道：“如果我接受人家的鱼，我便欠他一份人情。欠人人情，少不免会枉法。一旦枉法，我就会被革职。那时，就是我喜欢吃鱼，也没有人愿意献鱼给我吃了。即使我自己想买鱼吃，也买不起呢！反之，如果我一律不接受，我既可保留我丞相的职位，也可随时买鱼吃。”
The Prime Minister’s Favourite Dish
Gongsun Yi, the Prime Minister of Lu, loved to eat fish. All the people in the state knew this and were eager to offer him fish, but Gongsun Yi always refused their gifts.
“Surely you like fish,” said his younger brother in surprise. “Why won’t you accept the people’s gifts?”
“Just because I like fish,” replied Gongsun Yi,”I can’t accept them.”
His brother shook his head in confusion. “I don’t understand…”
“Well, if I accept a person’s fish, I owe him a favour,” explained Gongsun Yi. “Owing somebody a favour,” explained Gongsun Yi. “Owing somebody a favour,” explained Gongsun Yi. “Owing somebody a favour means that I may have to bend the law at times. Once I break the law, I will lose my job. At that time–even though I still like fish–nobody will bother to offer it to me. And even if I want to buy it on my own, I won’t be able to afford it. However, if I refuse the gifts of fish now, I can keep my post as Prime Minister, and I can eat fish anytime I want.”
转自：《翀仔寓言网》@(http://www.dajiyuan.com)
