首页 > 收藏 > 佛教专栏 > 正文

5.  The Price Maker  定价大臣

—— Foolishness   愚蠢

      Long ago and far away, there was a king who ruled in Benares, in northern India. One of his ministers was called the Royal Price Maker, and he was a very honestman. His job was to set a fair price for anything the king wanted to buy or sell.

很久很久以前，有位国王统治着印度北部的贝拿勒斯（Benares）。他的一个大臣非常诚实，被任命为王室定价大臣。其职责就是为国王要买、卖的东西制定公平合理的价格。

      On some occasions, the king did not like his price making. He did not get as big a profit as he wanted. He did not want to pay so much when he bought, or sell for what he thought was not enough. So he decided to change the price maker.

有好几次，国王很不喜欢这个大臣的定价。因为他没有获得想要的丰厚利润，他买东西时不愿付太多的钱，而卖东西时，他又觉得赚的钱太少了。所以，国王决定撤换这个定价大臣。

      One day he saw a nice looking young man and he thought, "This fellow will be good for my price making position." So he dismissed his former honest price maker,and appointed this man to be the new one. The man thought, "I must make the king happy by buying at very low prices and selling at very high prices." So he made the prices ridiculous, without caring at all what anything was worth. This gained the greedy king a lot of money, and made him very happy. Meanwhile, all the others who dealt with the new price maker, including the king's other ministers and ordinary people, became very unhappy.

一天，国王看见一个相貌不错的年青人，他想：“这个人适合做我的定价大臣。”因此，国王遣走了以前那位诚实的定价大臣，而任命这个年轻人做定价大臣。年轻人心想：“我得以低价买进，高价卖出，来博取国王的欢心。”所以他就根本不管物品的真实价值，制定了种种荒唐的价格。这样一来，贪婪的国王赚了不少钱，非常高兴。但是，和这位新上任的定价大臣买卖交易的其他人，包括其他大臣和普通百姓，全都不满意。

      Then one day a horse merchant arrived in Benares with 500 horses to sell. There were stallions, mares and colts. The king invited the merchant to the palace, and called upon his Royal Price Maker to set a price for all 500 horses. Thinking only of pleasing the king, he said, "The entire herd of horses is worth one cup of rice." So the king ordered that one cup of rice be paid to the horse dealer, and all the horses were taken to the royal stables.

后来，有个贩马商人带着500匹马来贝拿勒斯卖，这些马包括许多种马、母马、马驹。国王邀请商人去王宫，并召来那位王室定价大臣，叫他给这500匹马定个总价。乖巧的定价大臣一心想取悦于国王，就说：“这群马价值一杯米。”于是国王下令付给商人一杯米，就将马全部牵到了王宫的马厩里。

     Of course the merchant was very upset, but he could do nothing at the moment. Later he heard about the former price maker, who had a reputation for being very fair and honest. So he approached him and told him what had happened. He wanted to hear his opinion, in order to get a proper price from the king. The former price maker said, "If you do as I say, the king will be convinced of the true value of the horses. Go back to the price maker and satisfy him with a valuable gift. Ask him to tell the value of one cup of rice, in the presence of the king. If he agrees, come and tell me. I will go with you to the king."

当然，商人非常气愤，但却无计可施。随后，他听说前任定价大臣是位正直诚实的人，就登门拜访这位大臣，并讲述了他的遭遇。他想听听大臣的看法，好从国王那儿得到一个合理的价格。大臣说：“如果你照我说的去做，国王定会承认这群马的真正价值。你先给定价大臣送一份贵重的礼物，令其满意。然后请求他当着国王的面说明一杯米的价值。如果他同意了，就告诉我一声，我和你一起去见国王。

     Following this advice, the merchant went to the pricemaker and gave him a valuable gift. The gift made him very happy, so that he saw the value of pleasing the horse dealer. Then the merchant said to him, "I was very happy with your previous evaluation. Can you please convince the king of the value of one cup of rice?" The foolish price maker said, "Why not? I will explain the worth of one cup of rice, even in the presence of the king."

商人听从了建议，带了一份贵重的礼物去拜见定价大臣。贪心的大臣收到礼物，十分开心，也明白了讨好贩马商的价值。商人趁机说道：“我对你上次的定价很满意。你能不能使国王确认一杯米的价值呢？”财迷心窍的定价大臣回答道：“当然可以。即使有国王在场，我也可向大家解释一杯米的价值。”

     So the price maker thought the horse dealer was satisfied with his cup of rice. He arranged for another meeting with the king, as the merchant was departing for his own country. The merchant reported back to the old price maker, and they went together to see the king.

于是，定价大臣以为贩马商对一杯米的价格很满意。商人要离开这个国家时，大臣特意安排他再次觐见国王。商人把这个消息告诉了前任定价大臣，他们一起去谒见国王。

     All the king's ministers and his full court were in the royal meeting hall. The horse merchant said to the king,"My lord, I understand that in this your country, my whole herd of 500 horses is worth one cup of rice. Before I leave for home, I want to know the value of one cup of rice in your country." The king turned to his loyal price maker and said, "What is the value of one cup of rice?"

这时，国王的全部大臣和后宫眷属均聚集到宫廷议事厅。贩马商对国王说：“陛下，我知道在你们国家，我的500匹马的全部价值为一杯米。在返乡前，我想了解你们国家一杯米的价值。”国王转头问定价大臣：“一杯米价值多少？”

      The foolish price maker, in order to please the king, had previously priced the herd of horses at one cup of rice. Now, after receiving a bribe from the horse dealer, he wanted to please him too. So he replied to the king, in his most dignified manner, "Your worship, one cup of rice is worth the city of Benares, including even your own harem, as well as all the suburbs of the city. In other words, it is worth the whole kingdom of Benares!"

愚蠢的定价大臣上次为了取悦国王，将500匹马定价为一杯米。这次，由于收受了贩马商的贿赂，就想讨好商人。因此，他煞有介事地回答道：“陛下，一杯米价值整个贝拿勒斯城，甚至王宫后妃，还有城郊，都包括在这杯米的价值内。即是说，这杯米价值整个贝拿勒斯王国！”

      On hearing this, the royal ministers and wise men in the assembly hall started to roar with laughter, slapping their sides with their hands. When they calmed down a little, they said, "Earlier we heard that the kingdom was priceless. Now we hear that all Benares, with its palaces and mansions, is worth only a cup of rice! The decision of the Royal Price Maker is so strange! Where did your highness find such a man? He is good only for pleasing a king such as you, not for making fair prices for a merchant who sells his horses from country to country."

听到这话，议事厅内的全部大臣和谋士全都拍手哄堂大笑。待稍微平静后，他们说：“我们早先听说，我们的王国是无价的。而现在我们听到，包括宫殿和高楼在内的整个贝拿勒斯王国仅值一杯米！这个定价大臣的说法太离奇了！陛下是在哪儿找了这么一个人来啊？他只会讨好您，而不会为周游各国的贩马商合理报价。”

      Hearing the laughter of his whole court, and the words of his ministers and advisers, the king was ashamed.So he brought back his former price maker to his official position. He agreed to a new fair price for the herd of horses, as set by the honest price maker. Having learned a lesson, the king and his kingdom lived justly and prospered.

听到整个宫廷的嘲笑声以及大臣和谋士们的话，国王很羞愧。于是他召回原来的定价大臣，让他官复原职。国王同意了这位诚实大臣为这群马重新定的合理价格。吸取这次教训后，国王实行公正严明的统治，整个国家呈现繁荣昌盛之景。

     The moral is: A fool in high office can bring shame even to a king. 

这则故事告诉我们：身居高位者行事愚蠢，会使整个国家蒙羞。