鲁侯养鸟

鲁侯养鸟

从前有只海鸟，在鲁国城门上栖息。因为从来没有人见过，所以人们都叫牠做“神鸟”。鲁侯命侍从活捉海鸟。侍从将海鸟关在金笼内，并放在太庙里供养。
鲁侯视海鸟如国宾。每天都有各式各样的珍馐百味供品尝，鲁侯的乐师也要为海鸟演奏。

可是，海鸟却被这些豪华排场所吓倒，心里既惊慌又悲痛，不敢饮食，过了三天，终于死去。鲁侯以为他款待海鸟，已十分周到。可不是吗？
他是用养自己的方法去养海鸟的。

The King's Seabird

A seabird was once seen perching on the city gate of the capital of Lu. Nobody had seen such a bird before, so they called it the "holy bird." The King of Lu ordered his men to capture the seabird alive. They kept it in a golden cage and brought it to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The King treated the seabird as though it were his guest of honour. Each day there would be banquets where dainties and delicacies of every kind would be offered to the seabird. Even the King's musicians had to perform for the seabird's sole amusement.

But the seabird was terrified by all this grandness. It became so frightened and sad that it dared not eat or drink. After three days, it died. The King thought that he had been a good host to his guest. Why not? He was treating the seabird the same way he treated himself.