..續本文上一頁One time, after George Washington had assumed office as the first President of the United States, he went out on horseback for a pleasure ride, dressed in civilian clothes. Passing by a river, he noticed a military official directing two soldiers, who were trying to lift a large wooden plank onto the river bank. The bank was very high and the plank was heavy, and the two soldiers could not manage to lift it, though they were exerting their utmost strength. The official kept yelling, "Use more strength! Use more strength!" but did not attempt to help them. Washington said, "They have already exhausted their strength! Why don”t you give them a hand

　　" The official glared and said loudly, "I”m a lieutenant, do you know that

　　" Washington said, "Sorry, I wasn”t aware. If I had known you were a lieutenant, I wouldn”t have insulted you!" So saying, he took off his coat and jumped down to help the two soldiers lift the plank onto the river bank.

　　美國另外一個總統艾森豪，當他還是軍官時，一回巡視軍營，發現國旗倒挂著；這在軍隊是很嚴重的錯誤，兩個專管升降旗的旗手都嚇白了臉。但是艾森豪只和藹地對他們倆說﹕「孩子們！你們犯了多麼嚴重的軍法啊！現在我命令你們，立刻把國旗降下來改正，再重新升上去！」艾森豪的仁慈，贏得美國軍民的擁護，都昵稱他的小名「艾克」；他後來能當選總統，也不是偶然的。

　　Eisenhower was another American President. Once, when he was still a military official and was inspecting an army barracks, he discovered the national flag hanging upside down. That was a serious mistake in the army, and the two officers who were in charge of raising and lowering the flag turned pale in fear. But Eisenhower kindly told the two, "Children! You have broken a serious military law. Now I command you to immediately lower the flag, set it upright, and raise it again!" Eisenhower”s kindness won him the support of the entire U.S. military, who fondly referred to him by his nickname, Ike. It was not by mere chance that he later won the Presidential election.

　　法國著名軍事家拿破侖是個矮子，貌不驚人但卻有過人的意志力和膽識。戰爭期間有一夜他巡營，發現站崗的衛兵居然拄著槍睡著了；拿破侖便站崗到衛兵醒來，衛兵嚇得跪地求饒，拿破侖只說﹕「你跟我作戰太辛苦了，沒空睡覺。現在你睡醒了，要好好看守，別讓敵人有機會偷襲！」你說，以後那衛兵會不盡忠效命嗎？又有一次，在他做了法國皇帝之後，和美麗的皇後約瑟芬穿著便衣在路上散步；迎面來了個背著重物的人，拿破侖忙把皇後拉過一旁，讓那人先過去。皇後就問﹕「你是皇帝，爲什麼讓路給一個普通的老百姓呢？

　　The famous French military leader, Napoleon, was rather plain- looking and short in stature. However, he had remarkable resolve and vision. One night during the war, as he was inspecting camp, he came upon a sentry who had fallen asleep while on duty, leaning on his rifle. Napoleon himself stood guard until the sentry woke up. That sentry was so frightened that he got on his knees and begged forgiveness. Napoleon said, "You have toiled so hard in fighting this war with me that you have not had time to sleep. Now that you have awakened, you must do your job well. Don”t let the enemy sneak in!" Now, wouldn”t you think that sentry would do his best to follow Napoleon”s orders from then on

　　 Another time, after he had become the Emperor of France, he and the beautiful Empress Josephine were strolling in the streets dressed in civilian clothes. A man carrying a heavy load was coming towards them. Napoleon pulled the empress to one side and allowed the man to pass first. The empress asked, "You are the Emperor. Why do you move out of the way for a common civilian

　　拿破侖說：「皇帝和老百姓一樣是人，他背著那麼重的東西，我們兩手空空。讓他路，他可以得到方便，我們也沒丟掉皇帝的尊嚴啊！」聰明的約瑟芬從此更加尊敬他，輔佐他成就不少大業。從以上的小故事來看，這些人物之所以受尊敬，豈只是因爲他們的豐功偉業和頭銜呢？

　　"Napoleon said, "The emperor and the civilian are both people. He is carrying a heavy burden, while the two of us are empty- handed. If we let him pass first, it makes his job a lot easier; meanwhile, we have not lost the dignity of our royal position." From then on, the wise Josephine held him in even higher esteem and aided him in achieving great deeds. These anecdotes illustrate that people are respected for their virtue other than their meritorious achievements and titles.

《弟子規淺釋 Standards for Students 第六章﹕泛愛衆 Chapter Six: ON CHERISHING ALL LIVING BEINGS - 2》全文閱讀結束。