..续本文上一页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.

　　美国另外一个总统艾森豪，当他还是军官时，一回巡视军营，发现国旗倒挂着；这在军队是很严重的错误，两个专管升降旗的旗手都吓白了脸。但是艾森豪只和蔼地对他们俩说﹕「孩子们！你们犯了多么严重的军法啊！现在我命令你们，立刻把国旗降下来改正，再重新升上去！」艾森豪的仁慈，赢得美国军民的拥护，都昵称他的小名「艾克」；他后来能当选总统，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.

　　法国著名军事家拿破仑是个矮子，貌不惊人但却有过人的意志力和胆识。战争期间有一夜他巡营，发现站岗的卫兵居然拄着枪睡着了；拿破仑便站岗到卫兵醒来，卫兵吓得跪地求饶，拿破仑只说﹕「你跟我作战太辛苦了，没空睡觉。现在你睡醒了，要好好看守，别让敌人有机会偷袭！」你说，以后那卫兵会不尽忠效命吗？又有一次，在他做了法国皇帝之后，和美丽的皇后约瑟芬穿着便衣在路上散步；迎面来了个背着重物的人，拿破仑忙把皇后拉过一旁，让那人先过去。皇后就问﹕「你是皇帝，为什么让路给一个普通的老百姓呢？

　　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

　　拿破仑说：「皇帝和老百姓一样是人，他背着那么重的东西，我们两手空空。让他路，他可以得到方便，我们也没丢掉皇帝的尊严啊！」聪明的约瑟芬从此更加尊敬他，辅佐他成就不少大业。从以上的小故事来看，这些人物之所以受尊敬，岂只是因为他们的丰功伟业和头衔呢？

　　"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.

《弟子规浅释 Standards for Students 第六章﹕泛爱众 Chapter Six: ON CHERISHING ALL LIVING BEINGS - 2》全文阅读结束。