§95 二鸽喻

(95) A DOVE

    昔有雌雄二鸽共同一巢，秋果熟时，取果满巢。于其后时，果干减少，唯半巢在。雄嗔雌曰：“取果勤苦，汝独食之，唯有半在。”

Once upon a time, there were two doves, male and female, which lived together in a nest. They filled their nest with fruit seed that grew up during the fall. Later, the fruit dried and shrank to fill but half of the nest. The male was in a temper and said to the female, "We have been working hard together for the fruit. Now you have eaten it alone. It's half of what it was.

    雌鸽答言：“我不独食，果自减少。”

The female replied, "I haven't eaten it alone. For the fruit has shrunk by itself."

    雄鸽不信，嗔恚而言：“非汝独食，何由减少？”即便以嘴啄雌鸽杀。

Incredulous, the male angrily said, "If it has not been you alone who had eaten, how could it grow so much less now?" Then he pecked the female to death.

    未经几日，天降大雨，果得湿润，还复如故。雄鸽见已，方生悔恨：“彼实不食，我妄杀他。”即悲鸣命唤雌鸽：“汝何处去！”

A few days later, it happened to rain heavily. The fruit got moist and grew to its former size. On seeing it, the male regretfully realized that she really had not eaten and that he had wrongly killed her. He then cried bitterly and called out to her: "Where have you gone?"

    凡夫之人，亦复如是。颠倒在怀，妄取欲乐，不观无常，犯于重禁，悔不于后，竟何所及。后唯悲叹，如彼愚鸽。

This is also held to be true with the common people. Leading a disorderly life, people indulge in wild pleasures. They think nothing of impermanence when breaking major commandments. It will be too late for them to repent afterwards. It only remains for them to give vent to their sadness with sighs like the stupid dove.

白话：

　　曾有雌雄两只鸽子，同住在一个巢里。秋天果子熟时，叨取了满满一巢。后来，果子干缩，只成半巢了。雄鸽训责雌鸽道：「叨来果子，辛勤劳苦，你独自偷吃，只剩一半。」雌鸽答道：「我没偷吃，果子自己减少下去的。」雄鸽不信，怒道：「不是你独自吃了，怎么会减少?」就啄杀了雌鸽。没过几日，天降大雨，果子受了湿润，又恢复到原先的一巢。雄鸽见了，方悔恨起来：「她的确没吃，我错杀了她。」便悲鸣着叫唤雌鸽：「你哪儿去了?」

　　凡夫之人也是这样，心中存着是非颠倒的观念，迷执地追求五欲的快乐，不系心思，观察事物的流动变迁，犯了杀、盗、淫、妄之类重大禁戒，后来悔恨了，毕竟已无可挽回，只有悲叹不已，如那只愚鸽一般。