1
列傳第六十四孝義下
Biographies 64: Filial Acts (Part 2)
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滕曇恭陶季直沈崇傃荀匠吉翂甄恬趙拔扈韓懷明褚修張景仁陶子鏘成景雋李慶緒謝藺殷不害司馬暠張昭
Teng Yan'gong, Tao Jizhi, Shen Chongsu, Xun Jiang, Ji Yin, Zhen Tian, Zhao Ba, Hu Hanming, Chu Xiu, Zhang Jingren, Tao Zishao, Cheng Jingjun, Li Qingxu, Xie Lin, Yin Buhai, Sima Hao, and Zhang Zhao
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時有徐普濟者,長沙臨湘人。 居喪未葬,而鄰家火起,延及其舍。 普濟號慟伏棺上,以身蔽火。 鄰人往救之,焚炙已悶絕,累日方蘇。
At that time there was a man named Xu Puji, from Linxiang in Changsha. He was still in mourning and had not yet buried the dead when a neighbor's house caught fire and the blaze spread to his home. Puji cried out in grief and threw himself on the coffin, shielding it with his own body. Neighbors rushed to pull him away, but he had already been burned into unconsciousness and did not come to for several days.
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又有建康人張悌,家貧無以供養,以情告鄰富人。 富人不與,不勝忿,遂結四人作劫,所得衣物,三劫持去,實無一錢入己。 縣抵悌死罪。 悌兄松訴稱:「與弟景是前母子,後母唯生悌,松長不能教誨,乞代悌死。」 景又曰:「松是嫡長,後母唯生悌。 若從法,母亦不全。」 亦請代死。 母又云:「悌應死,豈以弟罪枉及諸兄。 悌亦引分,乞全兩兄供養。」 縣以上讞,帝以為孝義,特降死,後不得為例。
There was also Zhang Ti of Jiankang, whose family was too poor to support their dependents; he appealed to a wealthy neighbor for help. When the rich man refused, Zhang Ti could not contain his anger and banded with four others to rob. His three accomplices took all the clothing; not a single coin went into his own pocket. The county sentenced Zhang Ti to death. Zhang Ti's elder brother Song petitioned the court: "My brother Jing and I are sons of our father's first wife; our stepmother bore only Ti. As the eldest son I failed to guide him properly—I beg to die in his stead." Jing added: "Song is the legitimate eldest son, and our stepmother bore only Ti. If the law is enforced, our mother will be left without a son as well." He too asked to die in Ti's place. Their mother said: "Ti deserves to die—how can a younger brother's crime drag all his elder brothers into it? Zhang Ti accepted his guilt and begged that both elder brothers be spared so they could support the family." The county forwarded the case to the throne. The emperor judged it an act of filial devotion and specially commuted the death sentence, with the proviso that this should not set a precedent.
5
陶季直,丹陽秣陵人也。 祖湣祖,宋廣州刺史。 父景仁,中散大夫。
Tao Jizhi was a native of Moling in Danyang. His grandfather Minzu had served as Governor of Guangzhou under the Liu Song. His father Jingren held the rank of Master of Leisurely Discourse.
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季直早慧,湣祖甚愛異之,嘗以四函銀列置於前,令諸孫各取其一。 季直時年四歲,獨不取,曰:「若有賜,當先父伯,不應度及諸孫,故不取。」 湣祖益奇之。
Jizhi was precocious, and Minzu favored him greatly. Once the grandfather set out four boxes of silver and told each grandson to take one. Jizhi was only four and alone refused. He said, "If there is a gift, it should go to my father and uncles first, not to the grandsons—so I will not take one." Minzu was all the more astonished by the boy.
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五歲喪母,哀若成人。 初母未病,令於外染衣,卒後,家人始贖。 季直抱之號慟,聞者莫不酸感。 及長好學,澹于榮利,徵召不起,時人號曰聘君。 後為望蔡令,以病免。
When he was five his mother died, and he mourned with the grief of a grown man. Before his mother fell ill she had sent clothes out to be dyed; only after her death did the family redeem them. Jizhi clutched the garments and wailed until all who heard him were moved to tears. As he grew he devoted himself to learning, cared little for rank or profit, and declined every summons to office; contemporaries called him the Reclusive Gentleman. He later served as Magistrate of Wangcai but resigned because of illness.
8
時劉彥節、袁粲以齊高帝權盛,將圖之。 彥節素重季直,欲與謀。 季直以袁、劉儒者,必致顛殞,固辭不赴。 俄而彥節等敗。
At that time Liu Yanjie and Yuan Can, seeing how powerful the Qi founder had become, were plotting against him. Yanjie had long held Jizhi in high regard and wanted him in on the plot. Jizhi judged Yuan and Liu to be scholarly men who would only bring ruin on themselves, and firmly refused to join them. Soon afterward Yanjie and his allies were destroyed.
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齊初為尚書比部郎,時褚彥回為尚書令,素與季直善,頻以為司空司徒主簿,委以府事。 彥回卒,尚書令王儉以彥回有至行,欲諡「文孝公」。 季直曰:「文孝是司馬道子諡,恐其人非具美,不如文簡。」 儉從之。 季直又請為彥回立碑,始終營護,甚有吏節。 再遷東莞太守,在郡號為清和。 後為鎮西諮議參軍。
Early in the Qi dynasty he became a director in the Secretariat's revenue section. Chu Yanhui, then Secretariat Director and an old friend, repeatedly named him chief clerk under the Ministers of Works and Education and entrusted him with bureau affairs. After Yanhui died, Secretariat Director Wang Jian, citing his exemplary conduct, proposed the posthumous title Duke Wenxiao. Jizhi objected: "Wenxiao was Sima Daozi's posthumous title—that man hardly deserved full praise. Wenjian would be more fitting." Jian accepted his advice. Jizhi also arranged for a stele to be raised for Yanhui and saw the project through from start to finish, displaying admirable administrative integrity. He was promoted to Administrator of Dongguan, where he earned a reputation for fair and gentle governance. He later served as staff adviser to the Defender of the West.
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齊武帝崩,明帝作相,誅鋤異己。 季直不能阿意取容,明帝頗忌之,出為輔國長史、北海太守。 邊職上佐,素士罕為之者,或勸季直造門致謝,明帝留以為驃騎諮議參軍,兼尚書左丞,遷建安太守。 為政清靜,百姓便之。
After Emperor Wu of Qi died, Emperor Ming took power as regent and purged his rivals. Jizhi would not flatter to please, and Emperor Ming grew wary of him, posting him out as chief clerk to the Defender of the State and Administrator of Beihai. A senior frontier post was seldom given to men of humble birth; some urged Jizhi to pay a courtesy call at court. Instead the emperor kept him on as staff adviser to the Rapid Cavalry General and concurrent Left Assistant Director of the Secretariat, then made him Administrator of Jian'an. His rule was quiet and fair, and the people prospered under it.
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梁台建,為給事黃門侍郎,常稱仕至二千石始願畢矣,無為久預人間事,乃辭疾還鄉里。 梁天監初,就拜太中大夫。 武帝曰:「梁有天下,遂不見此人。」 十年,卒於家。 季直素清苦絕倫,又屏居十餘載,及死,家徒四壁,子孫無以殯斂,聞者莫不傷其志事云。
When the Liang regime was established he became Attendant Gentleman at the Yellow Gate. He had often said that reaching the two-thousand-bushel rank was all he had ever wanted, and that he should not linger in worldly affairs; he then pleaded illness and returned home. Early in the Tianjian era he was appointed Grand Master of Palace Counsel at home. Emperor Wu remarked, "Now that Liang holds the realm, we still do not see this man at court." In the tenth year he died at home. Jizhi had always lived in utter austerity and had kept to seclusion for more than a decade. When he died his house was bare to the walls and his descendants could not afford a proper burial; all who heard mourned both the man and his ideals.
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沈崇傃字思整,吳興武康人也。 父懷明,宋兗州刺史。 崇傃六歲丁父憂,哭踴過禮。 及長,事所生母至孝,家貧,常傭書以養。 天監二年,太守柳惲辟為主簿。 崇傃從惲到郡,還迎其母,未至而母卒。 崇傃以不及侍疾,將欲致死,水漿不入口,晝夜號哭,旬日殆將絕氣。 兄弟謂曰:「殯葬未申,遽自毀滅,非全孝道也。」 崇傃心悟,乃稍進食。 母權瘞,去家數里,哀至輒之瘞所,不避雨雪。 每倚墳哀慟,飛鳥翔集。 夜恒有猛獸來望之,有聲狀如歎息者。 家貧無以遷厝,乃行乞經年,始獲葬焉。 既而廬於墓側,自以初行喪禮不備,復以葬後更行服三年。 久食麥屑,不噉鹽酢,坐臥于單薦,因虛腫不能起。 郡縣舉至孝。 梁武聞,即遣中書舍人慰勉之,乃詔令釋服,擢補太子洗馬,旌其門閭。 崇傃奉詔釋服,而涕泣如居喪。 固辭不受官,乃除永寧令。 自以祿不及養,哀思不自堪,未至縣,卒。 荀匠字文師,潁陰人,晉太保勖九世孫也。 祖瓊,年十五復父仇于成都巿,以孝聞。 宋元嘉末度淮,逢武陵王舉義,為元凶追兵所殺,贈員外散騎侍郎。 父法超,仕齊為安復令,卒官。 匠號慟氣絕,身體皆冷,至夜乃蘇。 既而奔喪,每宿江渚,商侶不忍聞其哭聲。
Shen Chongsu, courtesy name Sizheng, was a native of Wukang in Wuxing. His father Huaiming had been Governor of Yanzhou under the Liu Song. At six Chongsu lost his father and mourned with weeping and stamping that exceeded the prescribed rites. As he grew he served his birth mother with the utmost devotion. The family was poor, and he often copied documents for hire to support her. In the second year of Tianjian the prefect Liu Yun appointed him chief clerk. Chongsu accompanied Yun to the prefecture and set out to bring his mother there, but she died before they could reunite. Grieving that he had not been there to nurse her, Chongsu nearly starved himself to death: he took no food or drink and wailed day and night until after ten days he was close to expiring. His brothers told him, "The funeral has not yet been arranged—if you destroy yourself now you will not have fulfilled your filial duty." Chongsu took their words to heart and slowly began to eat again. His mother was given a provisional burial several li from home. Whenever grief overwhelmed him he went to the grave, heedless of rain or snow. Each time he leaned on the mound and wailed, birds would fly down and circle above him. At night wild beasts would come and watch him, making sounds like sighs. Too poor to give her a proper burial, he begged for a full year before he could afford one. He then built a mourning hut beside the tomb. Judging that the first mourning had been incomplete, he observed another three years of mourning after the burial. For a long time he ate only wheat bran and took no salt or vinegar, sitting and sleeping on a single mat until he swelled with edema and could not stand. The local authorities recommended him for supreme filial devotion. When Emperor Wu heard of it he sent a palace attendant to comfort him, then ordered him to end mourning, appointed him Groom of the Heir Apparent, and honored his household. Chongsu obeyed the edict and ended mourning, but wept as if he were still in bereavement. He firmly declined the appointment and was instead made Magistrate of Yongning. He felt that his salary had come too late to support his mother, and grief overwhelmed him; he died before reaching the county seat. Xun Jiang, courtesy name Wenshi, was from Yingyin and a ninth-generation descendant of the Jin Grand Tutor Xun Xu. His grandfather Qiong at fifteen avenged his father's death in the Chengdu market and won renown for filial devotion. Late in the Yuanjia era he crossed the Huai, encountered the Prince of Wuling's uprising, and was killed by the crown prince's pursuers; he was posthumously made Supernumerary Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary. His father Fachao served the Qi as Magistrate of Anfu and died in office. Jiang wailed until he stopped breathing and his whole body went cold; only at night did he come to. He then hurried to the funeral, sleeping each night on the riverbank; merchants could not bear the sound of his weeping.
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梁天監元年,其兄斐為郁林太守,征俚賊,為流矢所中,死於陣。 喪還,匠迎于豫章,望舟投水,傍人赴救,僅而得全。 及至,家貧不得時葬,居父憂並兄服,曆四年不出廬戶。 自括發不復櫛沐,發皆禿落,哭無時。 聲盡則系之以泣,目眥皆爛,形骸枯悴,皮骨裁連,雖家人不復識。 郡縣以狀言,武帝詔遣中書舍人為其除服,擢為豫章王國左常侍。 匠雖即吉而毀悴逾甚,外祖孫謙誡之曰:「主上以孝臨天下,汝行過古人,故擢汝此職。 非唯君父之命難拒,故亦揚名後世,所顯豈獨汝身哉。」 匠乃拜,竟以毀卒。
In the first year of Tianjian his elder brother Fei, as Administrator of Yulin, was campaigning against Li bandits when a stray arrow struck him and he died on the field. When the coffin returned Jiang met it at Yuzhang, saw the boat, and threw himself into the water; bystanders pulled him out barely alive. At home the family was too poor for a timely burial. He mourned both father and brother together and did not leave the mourning hut for four years. He twisted his own hair and stopped combing or washing until it all fell out; he wept without regard to day or night. When his voice gave out he sobbed on; the corners of his eyes rotted away, his body wasted to skin and bone, and even his family could no longer recognize him. The local authorities reported his condition; Emperor Wu sent a palace attendant to release him from mourning and appointed him Left Regular Attendant in the Kingdom of Yuzhang. Though Jiang had ended mourning his grief only deepened. His maternal grandfather Sun Qian admonished him: "The emperor rules the realm through filial example; your conduct surpasses the ancients, which is why he gave you this post. It is not only that a ruler's command is hard to refuse—you will also win renown for generations. The glory shown is not yours alone." Jiang accepted the post, but in the end died of grief.
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吉翂字彥霄,馮翊蓮勺人也。 家居襄陽。 翂幼有孝性,年十一遭所生母憂,水漿不入口,殆將滅性,親黨異之。
Ji Yin, courtesy name Yanxiao, was from Lianshao in Fengyi. His family lived at Xiangyang. Yin was filial from childhood. At eleven he lost his birth mother, took no food or drink, and nearly died of grief; relatives and neighbors were astonished.
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梁天監初,父為吳興原鄉令,為吏所誣,逮詣廷尉。 翂年十五,號泣衢路,祈請公卿,行人見者皆為隕涕。 其父理雖清白,而恥為吏訊,乃虛自引咎,罪當大辟。 翂乃撾登聞鼓,乞代父命。 武帝異之,尚以其童幼,疑受教於人,敕廷尉蔡法度嚴加脅誘,取其款實。 法度乃還寺,盛陳徽纆,厲色問曰:「爾求代父死,敕已相許,便應伏法; 然刀鋸至劇,審能死不? 且爾童孺,志不及此,必為人所教,姓名是誰? 若有悔異,亦相聽許。」 對曰:「囚雖蒙弱,豈不知死可畏憚; 顧諸弟幼藐,唯囚為長,不忍見父極刑,自延視息,所以內斷胸臆,上幹萬乘。 今欲殉身不測,委骨泉壤,此非細故,奈何受人教邪。」 法度知不可屈撓,乃更和顏誘語之,曰:「主上知尊侯無罪,行當釋亮。 觀君神儀明秀,足稱佳童,今若轉辭,幸父子同濟,奚以此妙年苦求湯鑊。」 翂曰:「凡鯤鮞螻蟻尚惜其生,況在人斯,豈願齏粉。 但父掛深劾,必正刑書,故思殞僕,冀延父命。」 翂初見囚,獄掾依法備加桎梏,法度矜之,命脫其二械,更令著一小者。 翂弗聽,曰:「翂求代父死,死囚豈可減乎。」 竟不脫械。 法度以聞,帝乃宥其父。
Early in the Tianjian era his father served as Magistrate of Yuanxiang in Wuxing and was framed by subordinates; he was arrested and sent to the Minister of Justice. Yin was fifteen. He wailed in the streets and begged every minister he met; passersby wept at the sight. Though his father was innocent in fact, he was ashamed to be interrogated by petty officials and falsely confessed guilt, for which the penalty was death. Yin then beat the Petition Drum at the palace gate and begged to die in his father's place. The emperor was moved but, because Yin was so young, suspected someone had put him up to it. He ordered Minister of Justice Cai Fadu to threaten and coax him until the truth came out. Fadu returned to the tribunal, displayed chains and fetters, and demanded sternly: "You asked to die for your father—the edict has granted it, so you should submit to execution; but the blade and saw are cruel—can you truly face death? Besides, you are a child—your mind cannot have reached this on its own. Someone must have taught you—what is his name? If you have changed your mind, you may say so and be heard." He replied, "Though I am young and weak, do I not know that death is to be feared? But my younger brothers are small and I alone am the eldest. I could not bear to see my father face execution while I drew breath, so I steeled my heart and appealed to the throne. Now I mean to give my life and leave my bones in the earth—this is no small thing. How could I have been taught by another?" Seeing he could not be broken, Fadu softened his tone and said, "The emperor knows your father is innocent and will soon release him. You are bright and handsome, a fine young man. If you change your plea now, father and son may both be spared—why at such a tender age seek the cauldron and cleaver?" Yin said, "Even fish and ants cherish life—how much more a human being. Who would wish to be ground to powder? But my father faces serious charges and will surely be sentenced under the law, so I mean to give my life in the hope of prolonging his. When Yin was first imprisoned, the jail clerk fully shackled him according to law. Fadu took pity on him, ordered two of the restraints removed, and had him wear a lighter one. Yin refused, saying, "I ask to die in my father's place. How can shackles be loosened for a man awaiting execution? He never removed the shackles. Fadu reported the matter to the emperor, who then pardoned Yin's father.
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丹陽尹王志求其在廷尉故事,並請鄉居,欲於歲首舉充純孝。 翂曰:「異哉王尹,何量翂之薄,夫父辱子死,斯道固然,若翂有靦面目,當其此舉,則是因父買名,一何甚辱。」 拒之而止。
Danyang Magistrate Wang Zhi looked up his records at the Court of Judicature and Review and requested his village file, intending to nominate him at the New Year as an exemplar of pure filial piety. Yin said, "How strange of you, Magistrate. Why do you think so little of me? When a father is disgraced and a son dies for him, that is only right—but if I had the nerve to do this and then accept your nomination, I would be trading on my father's shame for fame. What could be more humiliating? He refused, and the matter was dropped.
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年十七,應辟為本州主簿,出監萬年縣。 攝官期月,風化大行。 自雍還郢,湘州刺史柳忱復召為主簿。 後秣陵鄉人裴儉、丹陽尹丞臧盾、揚州中正張仄連名薦翂,以為孝行純至,明通易、老。 敕付太常旌舉。 初,翂以父陷罪,因成悸疾,後因發而卒。
At seventeen he was summoned to serve as chief clerk of his province and was sent to oversee Wannian County. In a single month as acting magistrate, he greatly improved local customs. When he returned from Yong to the capital at Ying, Xiangzhou Inspector Liu Chen again appointed him chief clerk. Later his fellow townsman Pei Jian of Moling, Danyang Assistant Magistrate Zang Dun, and Yangzhou Rectifier Zhang Ze jointly recommended Yin, citing his utterly pure filial conduct and his mastery of the Book of Changes and the Laozi. The emperor ordered the Ministry of Rites to commend and nominate him. Earlier, the shock of his father's conviction had left Yin with a heart condition; he later died when it recurred.
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甄恬字彥約,中山無極人也,世居江陵。 數歲喪父,哀感有若成人。 家人矜其小,以肉汁和飯飼之,恬不肯食。 年八歲,嘗問其母,恨生不識父,遂悲泣累日。 忽若有見,言形貌則其父也,時以為孝感。 家貧養母,常得珍羞。 及居喪,廬於墓側,恒有鳥玄黃雜色集於廬樹,恬哭則鳴,哭止則止。 又有白鳩白雀棲宿其廬。 州將始興王憺表其行狀,詔旌表門閭,加以爵位。 恬官至安南行參軍。
Zhen Tian, courtesy name Yanyue, was from Wuji in Zhongshan; his family had lived in Jiangling for generations. He lost his father while still a small child, yet mourned as a grown man would. His family, pitying his tender age, tried to feed him rice mixed with meat broth, but Tian refused. At eight he once told his mother how much he regretted never having known his father, and wept for days. Suddenly he seemed to see someone who looked exactly like his father; people at the time took it as a sign that his filial devotion had moved Heaven. Though the family was poor, he always managed to provide his mother with delicacies. During mourning he built a hut beside the tomb. Birds of mixed black and yellow constantly gathered in the trees above it—they cried when Tian wept and fell silent when he stopped. White doves and white sparrows also came to roost at his mourning hut. Prince Dan of Shixing, the provincial commander, memorialized his conduct; the emperor ordered his gate to be honored and granted him a title of nobility. Tian rose to the rank of acting staff officer of Annan.
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趙拔扈,新城人也。 兄震動富於財,太守樊文茂求之不已,震動怒曰:「無厭將及我。」 文茂聞其語,聚其族誅之。 拔扈走免,亡命聚黨,至社樹祝曰:「文茂殺拔扈兄,今欲報之,若事克,斫樹處更生,不克即死。」 三宿三枿生十丈餘,人間傳以為神,附者十餘萬。 既殺文茂,轉攻傍邑。 將至成都,十餘日戰敗,退保新城求降。 文茂,黎州刺史文熾弟,襄陽人也。
Zhao Bahu was from Xincheng. His elder brother Zhendong was wealthy. Prefect Fan Wenmao kept demanding money from him until Zhendong exploded: "Your greed will come for me next! Fan Wenmao heard this, gathered his kinsmen, and had Zhendong killed. Bahu escaped, became an outlaw, and gathered a band of followers. At the village shrine tree he vowed: "Fan Wenmao killed my brother—if I succeed in revenge, new shoots will spring from where this tree is cut; if I fail, I shall die. Within three nights three new shoots sprouted more than thirty feet tall. Rumor spread that this was divine, and more than a hundred thousand men rallied to him. After killing Fan Wenmao, he turned to attack neighboring districts. As he approached Chengdu, he was defeated after ten days of fighting, retreated to Xincheng, and sued for surrender. Fan Wenmao was the younger brother of Lizhou Inspector Fan Wenchi and was himself from Xiangyang.
20
韓懷明,上黨人也。 客居荊州。 十歲,母患屍疰,每發輒危殆。 懷明夜於星下稽顙祈禱,時寒甚切,忽聞香氣,空中有人曰:「童子母須臾永差,無勞自苦。」 未曉而母平復,鄉里以此異之。 十五喪父,幾至滅性,負土成墳,賻助無所受。 免喪,與鄉人郭麻俱師南陽劉虯。 虯嘗一日廢講,獨居涕泣,懷明竊問虯家人,答云是外祖亡日。 時虯母亦已亡矣,懷明聞之,即日罷學,還家就養。 虯歎曰:「韓生無丘吾之恨矣。」 家貧,肆力以供甘脆,嬉怡膝下,朝夕不離母側。 母年九十,以壽終。 懷明水漿不入口一旬,號哭不絕聲。 有雙白鳩巢其廬上,字乳馴狎,若家禽焉,服釋乃去。 及除喪,蔬食終身,衣衾無所改。 梁天監初,刺史始興王憺表言之。 州累辟不就,卒於家。
Han Huaiming was from Shangdang. His family had settled in Jingzhou. At ten his mother suffered from a chronic wasting illness; each attack brought her to the brink of death. One freezing night Huaiming kowtowed under the stars and prayed. Suddenly he smelled incense, and a voice in the air said, "Your mother's illness will soon be cured for good. Do not torment yourself any longer. Before dawn his mother had fully recovered; people in the village regarded it as a miracle. At fifteen he lost his father and nearly grieved himself to death. He piled the grave mound with his own hands and refused all funeral gifts. After mourning ended he and a fellow townsman, Guo Ma, studied under Liu Qiu of Nanyang. One day Liu Qiu canceled his lecture and sat alone weeping. Huaiming quietly asked Liu's household and learned it was the anniversary of his maternal grandfather's death. Liu's own mother was also dead. When Huaiming heard this, he quit his studies that same day and went home to care for his mother. Liu Qiu sighed and said, "Han will not die with the regret of Qiu Wu. The family was poor, so he worked with his hands to provide fine foods and kept his mother company day and night, never leaving her side. His mother lived to ninety and died a natural death. For ten days Huaiming took no food or drink and wailed without stopping. A pair of white doves nested on his mourning hut, rearing their chicks there as tamely as barnyard birds; they left only when his mourning ended. After mourning he ate only vegetables for the rest of his life and never changed his clothes or bedding. Early in the Tianjian era, Prince Dan of Shixing, as provincial inspector, memorialized about him. Repeated summons from the province he declined; he died at home.
21
褚修,吳郡錢唐人也。 父仲都,善周易,為當時之冠。 梁天監中,歷位五經博士。 修少傳父業,武陵王紀為揚州,引為宣惠參軍,兼限內記室。 修性至孝,父喪毀瘠過禮,因患冷氣。 及丁母憂,水漿不入口二十三日,每號慟輒嘔血,遂以毀卒。
Chu Xiu was from Qiantang in Wu Commandery. His father Zhongdu was a master of the Book of Changes, unrivaled in his day. During the Tianjian era he served as an Erudite of the Five Classics. Xiu studied his father's craft from youth. When Prince Ji of Wuling served as governor of Yangzhou, he appointed Xiu aide and personal secretary. Utterly filial by nature, Chu Xiu mourned his father so deeply that he grew gaunt beyond what the rites required and fell ill with a chronic chill. When his mother died he took no food or drink for twenty-three days; each fit of weeping brought up blood, and he died of grief.
22
張景仁,廣平人也。 父梁天監初為同縣韋法所殺,景仁時年八歲。 及長,志在復讎。 普通七年,遇法于公田渚,手斬其首以祭父墓。 事竟,詣郡自縛,乞依刑法。 太守蔡天起上言于州,時簡文在鎮,乃下教褒美之,原其罪,下屬長蠲其一戶租調,以旌孝行。
Zhang Jingren was from Guangping. Early in the Tianjian era his father was murdered by Wei Fa, a man from the same county; Jingren was eight at the time. When he grew up, he was determined to avenge his father. In the seventh year of Putong he met Wei Fa at Gongtian Islet, cut off his head with his own hand, and offered it at his father's grave. When it was done he went to the prefecture, bound himself, and asked to be punished according to law. Prefect Cai Tianqi reported to the provincial office. Prince Jianwen was then in residence there; he issued a commendation, pardoned Zhang's crime, and ordered a district official to remit one household's taxes and corvée as a reward for his filial devotion.
23
又天監中,宣城宛陵女子與母同床眠,母為猛獸所取,女啼號隨挐猛獸,行數十里,獸毛盡落,獸乃置其母而去。 女抱母猶有氣息,經時乃絕。 鄉里言于郡縣,太守蕭琛表上,詔榜其門閭。
Also during the Tianjian era, a woman of Wanling in Xuancheng was sleeping beside her mother when a wild beast seized her mother. The daughter chased it, screaming and clutching at the animal for miles until its fur fell out; the beast finally dropped her mother and fled. The daughter held her mother, who still breathed; after a while she died. The village reported the matter to the authorities; Prefect Xiao Chen memorialized the emperor, who ordered a plaque placed at her gate.
24
又霸城王整之姊嫁為衛敬瑜妻,年十六而敬瑜亡,父母舅姑咸欲嫁之,誓而不許,乃截耳置盤中為誓乃止。 遂手為亡婿種樹數百株,墓前柏樹忽成連理,一年許還復分散。 女乃為詩曰:「墓前一株柏,根連復並枝。 妾心能感木,頹城何足奇。」 所住戶有燕巢,常雙飛來去,後忽孤飛。 女感其偏棲,乃以縷系腳為志。 後歲此燕果復更來,猶帶前縷。 女復為詩曰:「昔年無偶去,今春猶獨歸。 故人恩既重,不忍復雙飛。」 雍州刺史西昌侯藻嘉其美節,乃起樓於門,題曰:「貞義衛婦之閭」。 又表於台。
Also, the elder sister of Wang Zhenzhi, Prince of Bacheng, had married Wei Jingyu. When she was sixteen, Jingyu died. Both families wanted to remarry her, but she refused and swore an oath; she cut off her ear and placed it on a dish as proof, and only then did they relent. She personally planted hundreds of trees for her late husband. The cypresses before his tomb suddenly grew with intertwined trunks; after about a year they separated again. She wrote a poem: "Before the tomb a single cypress—roots joined, branches intertwined once more. If my heart can move a tree, why should anyone marvel at a fortress brought down? At her home a pair of swallows had nested, flying back and forth together—then one day a single bird returned alone. Moved by the bird's lonely flight, she tied a thread around its leg as a mark. The next year the swallow returned, still wearing the thread. She wrote another poem: "Last year it left without its mate; this spring it returns alone again. The kindness it owes me is too deep—it will not pair and fly away again. Yongzhou Inspector Marquis Zao of Xichang admired her virtue and built a pavilion at her gate, naming it "The Lane of the Chaste Lady Wei." He also reported the matter to the central government.
25
後有河東劉景昕事母孝謹,母常病癖三十餘年,一朝而瘳,鄉里以為景昕誠感。 荊州刺史湘東王繹辟為主簿。
Later, Liu Jingxin of Hedong served his mother with devoted filial piety. She had suffered from chronic abdominal illness for more than thirty years, then was cured in a single day; people in the village believed his sincerity had moved Heaven. Jingzhou Inspector Prince Yi of Xiangdong appointed him chief clerk.
26
陶子鏘字海育,丹陽秣陵人也。 父延,尚書比部郎。 兄尚,宋末為幸臣所怨,被系。 子鏘公私緣訴,流血稽顙,行路嗟傷。 逢謝超宗下車相訪,回入縣詣建康令勞彥遠曰:「豈忍見人昆季如此而不留心。」 勞感之,兄得釋。 母終,居喪盡禮。 與範雲鄰,雲每聞其哭聲,必動容改色,欲相申薦。 會雲卒。 初,子鏘母嗜蓴,母沒後,恒以供奠。 梁武義師初至,此年冬營蓴不得,子鏘痛恨,慟哭而絕,久之乃蘇。 遂長斷蓴味。
Tao Zishao, courtesy name Haiyu, was from Moling in Danyang. His father Yan was a secretary in the Ministry of Revenue. His elder brother Shang, at the end of the Song, had offended a favored courtier and was thrown into prison. Zishao pleaded his brother's case through every channel he could find, kowtowing until his forehead bled; people on the road wept at the sight. He met the scholar Xie Chaozong, who got down from his carriage to visit him. Xie then went to Jiankang Magistrate Lao Yuanyuan and said, "How can you see brothers in such straits and pay no attention? Lao was moved and released the elder brother. When his mother died he observed every mourning rite. Fan Yun lived next door; whenever he heard Zishao weeping he was visibly moved and wanted to recommend him for office. But before he could, Fan Yun died. His mother had loved water shield; after her death he always included it in her offerings. When Emperor Wu's army first arrived, that winter he could find no water shield for her offering. Zishao was stricken with grief, wept until he lost consciousness, and only slowly revived. After that he never tasted water shield again.
27
成景雋字超,范陽人也。 祖興,仕魏為五兵尚書。 父安樂,淮陽太守。 梁天監六年,常邕和殺安樂,以城內附。 景雋謀復讎,因殺魏宿預城主,以地南入。 普通六年,邕和為鄱陽內史,景雋購人刺殺之。 未久,重購邕和家人鴆殺其子弟,噍類俱盡。 武帝義之,每為屈法。 景雋家讎既雪,每思報效,後除北豫州刺史,侵魏,所向必推其智勇,時以比馬仙琕。 兼有政績見懷,北豫州吏人樹碑紀德。 卒,諡曰忠烈云。
Cheng Jingjun, courtesy name Chao, was from Fanyang. His grandfather Xing served the Northern Wei as Minister of War. His father Anle was prefect of Huaiyang. In the sixth year of Tianjian, Chang Yonghe killed Anle and surrendered the city to Liang. Jingjun plotted revenge, killed the Northern Wei commander of Suyu, and submitted the city to the south. In the sixth year of Putong, Yonghe was magistrate of Poyang; Jingjun hired assassins to kill him. Soon after he hired men to poison Yonghe's kinsmen and kill his sons and brothers until not one was left. Emperor Wu admired his cause and repeatedly exempted him from punishment. Once his family's vengeance was complete, Jingjun sought to repay the emperor's favor. Later appointed governor of Northern Yuzhou, he raided Wei territory and was everywhere trusted for his wisdom and courage; people compared him to the general Ma Xianbi. He was also loved for his achievements in office; officials and commoners of Northern Yuzhou erected a stele in his honor. When he died he was given the posthumous title Loyal and Bold.
28
李慶緒字孝緒,廣漢郪人也。 父為人所害,慶緒九歲而孤,為兄所養,日夜號泣,志在復讎。 投州將陳顯達,仍于部伍白日手刃其仇,自縛歸罪,州將義而釋之。 梁天監中,為東莞太守。 丁母憂去職,廬於墓側,每慟嘔血數升。 後為巴郡太守,號良吏。 累遷衛尉,封安陸縣侯。 益州三百年無復貴仕,慶緒承恩至此,便欲西歸。 尋徙太子右衛率,未拜而卒。
Li Qingxu, courtesy name Xiaoxu, was from Qi in Guanghan. His father had been murdered. Orphaned at nine, Qingxu was raised by his elder brother. Day and night he wept, his mind fixed on vengeance. He entered the service of the provincial commander Chen Xianda. One day in broad daylight, while still among the troops, he killed his father's murderer with his own hand, then bound himself and surrendered to face punishment. The commander, judging the act righteous, set him free. During the Liang dynasty's Tianjian era he served as magistrate of Dongguan. When his mother died he resigned his post, built a mourning hut beside her tomb, and in his grief would vomit blood by the cupful. Later he served as magistrate of Ba Commandery and was known as an excellent administrator. He rose through successive promotions to Commandant of the Guard and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Anlu. For three hundred years no one from Yizhou had risen to such high rank. Having received the court's favor, Qingxu wished to return home to the west. He was soon transferred to Right Commandant of the Crown Prince's Guard, but died before he could take up the post.
29
謝藺字希如,陳郡陽夏人,晉太傅安之八世孫也。 父經,北中郎諮議參軍。 藺五歲時,父未食,乳媼欲令先飯,藺終不進。 舅阮孝緒聞之,歎曰:「此兒在家則曾子之流,事君則藺生之匹。」 因名曰藺。 稍授以經史,過目便能諷誦,孝緒每曰:「吾家陽元也。」 及丁父憂,晝夜號慟,毀瘠骨立。 母阮氏常自守視譬抑之。 服闋,吏部尚書蕭子顯嘉其至行,擢為王府法曹行參軍。 累遷外兵、記室參軍。
Xie Lin, courtesy name Xiru, was from Yangxia in Chen Commandery and an eighth-generation descendant of the Jin dynasty's Grand Tutor Xie An. His father Jing served as advisory staff officer to the General of the North. When Lin was five, his father had not yet eaten. The wet nurse tried to make the boy eat first, but Lin refused to touch his food. His maternal uncle Ruan Xiaoxu heard of this and sighed. "At home this boy is another Zengzi," he said; "in serving his lord he would be the equal of Lin Xiangru. He was therefore given the name Lin. When he was taught the classics and histories, he could recite them after a single reading. Xiaoxu would often say, "He is the Yangyuan of our house. When his father died he wailed day and night until he was wasted to skin and bone. His mother, Lady Ruan, kept constant watch over him and urged him to restrain his grief. When the mourning period ended, Minister of the Civil Service Xiao Zixian, admiring his extraordinary filial devotion, appointed him acting legal staff officer in a princely household. He rose through successive promotions to staff officer for external military affairs and recording secretary.
30
時甘露降士林館,藺獻頌,武帝嘉之。 有詔使制北兗州刺史蕭楷德政碑。 又奉詔令制宣城王奉述中庸頌。 後為兼散騎常侍,使魏。 會侯景入附,境上交兵,藺母既慮不得還,感氣而卒。 及藺還,入境夜夢不祥,旦便投列馳歸。 及至,號慟嘔血,氣絕久之,水漿不入口。 每哭,眼耳口鼻皆血流,經月餘日,因夜臨而卒。 所制詩賦碑頌數十篇。 子貞。
When sweet dew fell at the Shilin Academy, Lin submitted a celebratory ode that Emperor Wu greatly admired. An imperial edict commissioned him to compose a stele commemorating the virtuous administration of Xiao Kai, governor of Northern Yanzhou. He was also ordered by imperial command to compose the Prince of Xuancheng's eulogy on the Doctrine of the Mean. Later he served concurrently as Regular Attendant at the Secretariat and was sent on a mission to Northern Wei. While he was away, Hou Jing defected to the Liang and fighting erupted along the frontier. Lin's mother, fearing her son would never return, died of grief. When Lin returned, he dreamed an ill omen the night he crossed the border. At dawn he broke from the envoy party and galloped home. When he arrived he wailed until he vomited blood and lost consciousness for a long time. He would take neither water nor food. Each time he wept, blood streamed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. After more than a month he died during a night vigil at his mother's grave. He left behind several dozen poems, rhapsodies, stele inscriptions, and eulogies. His son was Zhen.
31
貞字元正,幼聰敏,有至性。 祖母阮氏先苦風眩,每發,便一二日不能飲食。 貞時年七歲,祖母不食,貞亦不食,往往如此。 母王氏授以論語、孝經,讀訖便誦。 八歲,嘗為春日閒居詩,從舅王筠奇之,謂所親曰:「至如'風定花猶落',乃追步惠連矣。」 年十三,尤善左氏春秋,工草隸蟲篆。
Zhen, courtesy name Yuanzheng, was clever from childhood and possessed an extraordinary depth of feeling. His grandmother Lady Ruan had long suffered from vertigo. Whenever it struck, she could not eat or drink for a day or two. Zhen was then seven. Whenever his grandmother could not eat, he would not eat either. It was often so. His mother Lady Wang taught him the Analects and the Classic of Filial Piety. When he finished reading a passage he could recite it from memory. At eight he composed a poem called Spring Day in Seclusion. His mother's cousin Wang Yun was astonished and told his intimates, "A line like 'the wind has stilled, yet the flowers still fall' already rivals Xie Huilian. At thirteen he was especially versed in the Zuo Commentary to the Spring and Autumn Annals and skilled in cursive, clerical, and seal scripts.
32
十四,丁父艱,號頓於地,絕而復蘇者數矣。 初貞父藺以憂毀卒,家人賓客復憂貞,從父洽、族兄暠乃共請華嚴寺長爪禪師為貞說法。 仍譬以母須侍養,不宜毀滅,乃少進饘粥。 及魏克江陵,入長安。 暠逃難番禺,貞母出家于宣明寺。 及陳武帝受禪,暠還鄉里,供養貞母,將二十年。
At fourteen, when his father died, he cried out and collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness and reviving several times. Zhen's father Lin had already died of grief. Family and guests now feared the same fate for Zhen. His father's cousin Qia and his clansman Hao together invited the Long-Clawed Chan Master of Huayan Temple to preach to him. They urged that his mother still needed his care and that he must not destroy himself. At last he took a little thin gruel. When Northern Wei captured Jiangling, he was taken to Chang'an. Hao fled the chaos to Panyu. Zhen's mother entered the clergy at Xuaming Temple. When Emperor Wu of Chen took the throne, Hao returned home and supported Zhen's mother for nearly twenty years.
33
初貞在周,嘗侍周武帝愛弟趙王招讀,招厚禮之。 聞其獨處,必晝夜涕泣,私問知母在鄉,乃謂曰:「寡人若出居藩,當遣侍讀還家。」 後數年,招果出,因辭,面奏請放貞還。 帝奇招仁愛,遣隨聘使杜子暉歸國。 是歲陳太建五年也。
While Zhen was in Northern Zhou, he served as reader to Prince Zhao, the beloved younger brother of Emperor Wu of Zhou, who treated him with great honor. Learning that Zhen wept day and night when alone, the prince questioned him privately and learned that his mother was still in the south. He said, "If I am sent out to govern a frontier fief, I shall send you home. Several years later Prince Zhao was indeed sent to a frontier post. On taking leave he personally memorialized the throne, asking that Zhen be allowed to return home. The emperor admired Prince Zhao's kindness and sent Zhen home with the envoy Du Zihui. That was the fifth year of the Chen dynasty's Taojian era.
34
始自周還時,始興王叔陵為揚州刺史,引祠部侍郎阮卓為記室,辟貞為主簿。 尋遷府錄事參軍,領丹陽丞。 貞知叔陵有異志,因與卓自疏于王。 每有宴遊,輒以疾辭,未嘗參預,叔陵雅重之,弗之罪也。 及叔陵肆逆,唯貞與卓不坐。
When Zhen first returned from Northern Zhou, Prince Shixing Shi Shuling was governor of Yangzhou. The prince appointed Ruan Zhuo of the Sacrificial Bureau as his recording secretary and recruited Zhen as chief clerk. He was soon promoted to recording secretary of the princely establishment and concurrently served as assistant magistrate of Danyang. Zhen knew that Shuling harbored treasonous ambitions, and he and Zhuo deliberately kept their distance from the prince. Whenever the prince held feasts or outings, Zhen pleaded illness and never attended. Shuling held him in high regard and did not hold it against him. When Shuling rebelled, only Zhen and Zhuo were not punished.
35
再遷南平王友,掌記室事。 府長史汝南周確新除都官尚書,請貞為讓表,後主覽而奇之。 及問知貞所作,因敕舍人施文慶曰:「謝貞在王家未有祿秩,可賜米百石。」 以母憂去職。 頃之,敕起還府,累啟固辭,敕不許。 貞哀毀羸瘠,終不能之官舍。
He was next promoted to companion to the Prince of Nanping and put in charge of the prince's secretariat. Zhou Que of Runan, chief administrator of the princely establishment, had just been appointed Minister of Justice. He asked Zhen to draft the memorial declining the post. The Later Lord read it and was impressed. When he learned that Zhen had written it, he ordered Attendant Shi Wenqing, "Xie Zhen serves in a princely household without salary or rank. Grant him one hundred shi of grain. He resigned when his mother died. Soon an edict ordered him back to the princely establishment. He memorialized repeatedly to decline, but the order stood. Wasted by grief, Zhen was never able to return to his post.
36
吏部尚書姚察與貞友善,及貞病篤,問以後事。 貞曰:「孤子釁禍所集,將隨灰壤,族子凱等粗自成立,己有疏付之,此固不足仰塵厚德。 弱兒年甫六歲,名靖,字依仁,情累所不能忘,敢以為托。」 是夜卒。 後主問察曰:「謝貞有何親屬? 「察以靖答,即敕長給衣糧。 初貞之病,有遺疏告族子凱:「氣絕之後,若依僧家屍陀林法,是吾所願,正恐過為獨異。 可用薄板周身,載以露車,覆以草席,坎山次而埋之。 又靖年尚小,未閱人事,但可三月施小床,設香水,盡卿兄弟相厚之情。 即除之,無益之事,勿為也。」
Minister of the Civil Service Yao Cha was Zhen's friend. When Zhen's illness grew grave, Yao asked about his final arrangements. Zhen said, "I am a man marked for misfortune and will soon be dust. My clansman's sons Kai and the others are more or less grown, and I have already left written instructions with them. That hardly warrants imposing on your great kindness. But my little boy is only six. His name is Jing, courtesy name Yiren. He is the one tie of affection I cannot put aside, and I venture to ask you to look after him. That night he died. The Later Lord asked Yao Cha, "What relatives does Xie Zhen have? Yao answered with the boy Jing, and the emperor immediately ordered that clothing and grain be provided for him indefinitely. While Zhen was ill he left a final note to his clansman's son Kai: "After I die, burial in a Buddhist charnel ground would be my wish, but I fear that would be too unusual. Wrap the body in thin boards, carry it on an open cart covered with a straw mat, and bury it in a hollow beside a hill. Jing is still young and knows nothing of the world. For three months you may set up a small mourning couch and burn incense—that is enough to show the affection between you brothers. Then put it away. Do nothing more that serves no purpose."
37
殷不害字長卿,陳郡長平人也。 祖汪,齊豫章王行參軍。 父高明,梁尚書中兵郎。 不害性至孝,居父憂過禮,由是少知名。 家世儉約,居甚貧寠。 有弟五人,皆幼弱。 不害事老母,養小弟,勤劇無所不至,士大夫以篤行稱之。
Yin Buhai, courtesy name Changqing, was from Changping in Chen Commandery. His grandfather Wang served as acting staff officer to the Prince of Yuzhang under Qi. His father Gaoming served as Central Military Officer in the Ministry of Works under Liang. Buhai was profoundly filial. In mourning for his father he went beyond the prescribed rites, and thereby became known while still young. His family had been frugal for generations, and they lived in great poverty. He had five younger brothers, all still small. Buhai cared for his aged mother and raised his younger brothers, laboring at every task without stint. Scholar-officials praised him for his steadfast devotion.
38
年十七,仕梁為廷尉平,長於政事,兼飾以儒術,名法有輕重不便者,輒上書言之,多見納用。 大同五年,兼東宮通事舍人。 時朝政多委東宮,不害與舍人庾肩吾直日奏事,梁武帝嘗謂肩吾曰:「卿是文學之士,吏事非卿所長,何不使殷不害來邪?」 其見知如此。 簡文以不害善事親,賜其母蔡氏錦裙襦氈席被褥,單復畢備。
At seventeen he entered Liang service as assistant judge of the Court of Judicial Review. He excelled at administration and grounded his work in Confucian learning. When he found flaws in the penal code he memorialized the throne, and many of his proposals were adopted. In the fifth year of Datong he served concurrently as Attendant for General Affairs in the Crown Prince's household. At that time much of the court's business was handled through the Crown Prince's household. Buhai and Attendant Yu Jianwu were on duty presenting memorials. Emperor Wu once said to Jianwu, "You are a literary man. Administrative work is not your strength. Why not send Yin Buhai instead? Such was the esteem in which he was held. Because Buhai cared devotedly for his parents, Emperor Jianwen bestowed on his mother Lady Cai brocade skirts and jackets, felt mats, bedding, and quilts of every weight.
39
侯景之亂,不害從簡文入台。 及台城陷,簡文在中書省,景帶甲將兵,入朝陛見,過謁簡文,衝突左右,甚不遜,侍衛者莫不驚恐辟易,唯不害與中庶子徐摛侍側不動。 簡文為景所幽,遣人請不害與居處,景許之,不害供侍益謹。
During Hou Jing's rebellion, Buhai followed Emperor Jianwen into the palace compound. When Taicheng fell, Emperor Jianwen was in the Secretariat. Hou Jing, armored and at the head of his troops, entered the palace for audience, then went to pay his respects to the emperor, shoving aside those around him with shocking insolence. Every guard was terrified and shrank back—only Buhai and Palace Mentor Xu Chi stood at the emperor's side without moving. When Emperor Jianwen was confined by Hou Jing, he asked that Buhai be allowed to stay with him. Jing agreed, and Buhai served him with redoubled care.
40
梁元帝立,以不害為中書郎,兼廷尉卿。 魏平江陵,失母所在。 時甚寒雪,凍死者填滿溝壑。 不害行哭尋求,聲不暫輟。 遇見死人溝中,即投身捧視,舉體凍僵,水漿不入口者七日,始得母屍。 憑屍而哭,每舉音輒氣絕,行路皆為流涕。 即江陵權殯,與王褒、庾信俱入長安。 自是蔬食布衣,枯槁骨立,見者莫不哀之。
When Emperor Yuan of Liang took the throne, he appointed Buhai Gentleman of the Secretariat and concurrently Director of the Court of Judicial Review. When Northern Wei captured Jiangling, he lost track of his mother. Snow lay deep and the cold was fierce. The frozen dead filled every ditch and ravine. Buhai walked the streets weeping as he searched, never pausing in his cries. Whenever he found a corpse in a ditch he would throw himself forward to examine it. His whole body froze stiff. For seven days he took neither water nor food before he at last found his mother's body. He leaned on the body and wept until he lost consciousness with every cry. Passersby wept at the sight. He gave her provisional burial at Jiangling, then was taken to Chang'an together with Wang Xiang and Yu Xin. From then on he ate only vegetables and wore plain cloth. Wasted to skin and bone, he moved all who saw him to pity.
41
不佞字季卿,少立名節,居父喪以至孝稱。 好讀書,尤長吏術。 梁承聖初,為武康令。 時兵荒饑饉,百姓流移,不佞循撫招集,繈負至者以千數。 會魏克江陵,而母卒,道路隔絕,久不得奔赴。 四載之中,晝夜號泣,居處飲食,常為居喪之禮。 陳武帝受禪,除婁令。 至是第四兄不齊始於江陵迎母喪柩歸葬。 不佞居處之節,如始聞問,若此者又三年。 身自負土,手植松柏,每歲時伏臘,必三日不食。
Buniu, courtesy name Jiqing, established his reputation for integrity while still young and was known for exceptional filial devotion during his father's mourning. He loved reading and was especially skilled in administrative affairs. At the beginning of the Chengsheng era he served as magistrate of Wukang. War, famine, and displacement ravaged the region. Buniu guided and comforted the people and gathered them in; refugees carrying infants on their backs came by the thousands. When Northern Wei captured Jiangling his mother died. The roads were cut off and for a long time he could not reach her. For four years he wept day and night. In his daily life, eating and drinking, he observed every rite of mourning. When Emperor Wu of Chen took the throne, Buniu was appointed magistrate of Lou. Only then did his fourth elder brother Buqi bring their mother's coffin back from Jiangling for burial. Buniu continued to live as though he had just received word of her death—and did so for another three years. He carried earth for the grave himself and planted pines and cypresses with his own hands. At every seasonal sacrifice he fasted for three days.
42
司馬暠字文升,河內溫人也。 高祖柔之,晉侍中,以南頓王孫紹齊文獻王攸後。 父子產,即梁武帝之外兄也,位岳陽太守。
Sima Hao, courtesy name Wensheng, was a native of Wen in Henei. His great-grandfather Rouzhi had been a Jin Attendant-in-Ordinary; as a descendant of the Prince of Nandun he carried on the line of Prince Wenxian of Qi, Wang You. His father Zichan was Emperor Wu of Liang's elder cousin by marriage and served as Administrator of Yueyang.
43
暠幼聰警,有至性。 年十二,丁內艱,哀慕過禮,水漿不入口,殆經一旬。 每號慟,必至悶絕,父每喻之,令進粥,然猶毀瘠骨立。 服闋,以姻戚子弟入問訊,梁武帝見其羸疾,歎息久之。 字其小字謂其父曰:「昨見羅兒面顏憔悴,使人惻然,便是不墜家風,為有子矣。」 後累遷正員郎。 丁父艱,哀毀愈甚,廬於墓側,日進薄麥粥一升。 墓在新林,連接山阜,舊多猛獸,暠結廬數載,豺狼絕跡。 常有兩鳩棲宿廬所,馴狎異常。 承聖中,除太子庶子。 魏克江陵,隨例入長安。 而梁宗屠戮,太子殯瘞失所,及周受禪,暠以宮臣,乃抗表求還江陵改葬,辭甚酸切。 周朝優詔答之,即敕荊州以禮安厝。 陳太建八年,自周還,宣帝特降殊禮。 歷位通直散騎常侍、太中大夫,卒。 有集十卷。
From childhood Hao was quick-witted and possessed a deeply sincere nature. At twelve he lost his mother and mourned beyond the prescribed rites, taking no food or drink for nearly ten days. Each fit of weeping left him unconscious. His father urged him again and again to take gruel, yet he remained wasted to skin and bone. When mourning ended he paid court as a kinsman youth. Emperor Wu saw how frail he was and sighed at length. Using the boy's pet name he told his father, "Yesterday I saw Luor's face drawn and haggard—it wrings the heart. He has not failed the family tradition; you have a true son." He was later promoted to Regular Attendant. When his father died his grief deepened. He built a mourning hut beside the tomb and ate only a sheng of thin wheat gruel each day. The tomb lay at Xinlin among hills once thick with wild beasts. After Hao kept his hut there for years, wolves and jackals vanished from the place. Two turtledoves constantly roosted at his hut, unusually tame. During the Chengsheng era he was appointed Junior Tutor to the Heir Apparent. When the Northern Wei took Jiangling he was taken to Chang'an like the rest. The Liang imperial house had been slaughtered and the crown prince's burial was lost. When the Zhou took power, Hao as a former palace official submitted a bold memorial begging to return to Jiangling for a proper reburial, his words bitter and urgent. The Zhou court replied with a gracious edict and ordered Jingzhou to bury the prince with full ceremony. In the eighth year of Taijian he returned from the north; Emperor Xuan granted him exceptional honors. He served as Regular Attendant-in-Ordinary and Grand Master of Palace Counsel, then died. He left a collected works in ten juan.
44
子延義字希忠,少沈敏好學。 初隨父入關,丁母憂,喪過於禮。 及暠還都,延義乃躬負靈櫬,晝伏宵行,冒履冰霜,手足皸瘃。 至都,遂致攣廢,數年乃愈。 位司徒從事中郎。
His son Yanyi, courtesy name Xizhong, was from youth thoughtful, keen, and devoted to learning. He first followed his father into the north. When his mother died he mourned beyond the prescribed rites. When Hao returned to the capital, Yanyi shouldered the coffin himself, hiding by day and traveling by night through frost and ice until his hands and feet were cracked and numb. By the time he reached the capital he was crippled by contracture and did not recover for several years. He rose to Attendant Gentleman under the Minister of Education.
45
張昭字德明,吳郡吳人也。 幼有孝性,父熯常患消渴,嗜鮮魚,昭乃身自結網捕魚,以供朝夕。 弟幹字玄明,聰敏好學,亦有至性。 及父卒,兄弟並不衣綿帛,不食鹽酢,日唯食一升麥屑粥。 每一感慟,必致歐血,鄰里聞之,皆為涕泣。 父服未終,母陸氏又卒,兄弟遂六年哀毀,形容骨立。 家貧,未得大葬,遂布衣蔬食,十有餘年,杜門不出,屏絕人事。 時衡陽王伯信臨州,舉幹孝廉,固辭不就。 兄弟並因毀成疾,昭一眼失明,幹亦中冷苦癖,年並未五十,終於家,子胤俱絕。
Zhang Zhao, courtesy name Deming, was a native of Wu in Wu Commandery. From childhood he was filial. His father Yan suffered from wasting thirst and craved fresh fish, so Zhao wove nets and caught fish himself for every meal. His younger brother Gan, courtesy name Xuanming, was clever and studious and equally possessed a deeply sincere nature. When their father died both brothers wore no silk, took no salt or vinegar, and ate only a sheng of wheat-bran gruel each day. Each fit of grief brought up blood; neighbors who heard them wept. Before their father's mourning had ended their mother Lady Lu died as well. The brothers mourned for six years until they were wasted to skin and bone. Too poor for a proper burial, they wore plain cloth and ate only vegetables for more than ten years, never leaving their gate or receiving visitors. When the Prince of Hengyang, Boxin, governed the province he recommended Gan as Filial and Incorrupt, but Gan firmly declined. Both brothers fell ill from excessive mourning. Zhao lost sight in one eye; Gan suffered chronic cold and colic. Neither reached fifty when they died at home, and their line ended without heirs.
46
宣帝時,有太原王知玄者,僑居會稽剡縣,居家以孝聞。 及丁父憂,哀毀而卒。 帝嘉之,詔改所居青苦裏為孝家裏。
During Emperor Xuan's reign there was Wang Zhixuan of Taiyuan, a sojourner in Yan County of Kuaiji, renowned at home for filial devotion. When his father died he mourned himself to death. The emperor commended him and ordered the lane where he had lived, Bitter Suffering Lane, renamed Filial Family Lane.
47
論曰:自澆風一起,人倫毀薄,蓋抑引之教,導俗所先,變裏旌閭,義存勸獎。 是以漢世士務修身,故忠孝成俗,至於乘軒服冕,非此莫由。 晉、宋以來,風衰義缺,刻身厲行,事薄膏腴。 若使孝立閨庭,忠被史策,多發溝畎之中,非出衣簪之下。 以此而言聲教,不亦卿大夫之恥乎。
Commentary: Once corrupt customs took hold, human bonds grew thin. Teaching that restrains excess and draws virtue forth must lead the way in guiding society; renaming lanes and honoring households at the gate preserves the purpose of encouragement and reward. Thus in Han times gentlemen devoted themselves to self-cultivation, and loyalty and filial piety became the norm. Carriages and court robes came by no other road. From the Jin and Song dynasties onward customs decayed and righteousness waned; austere self-discipline came to seem a poor substitute for comfort and rank. When filial piety flourishes in humble homes and loyalty earns a place in the histories, the examples mostly rise from ditches and furrows, not from beneath official caps and hairpins. Judged by this standard, what does moral instruction say about the great offices—if not that they ought to feel ashamed?