§6 子死欲停置家中喻

(6) the dead son is about to remain in the house

昔有愚人，养育七子。一子先死。时此愚人，见子既死，便欲停置于其家中，自欲弃去。旁人见已，而语之言：“生死道异，当速庄严，致于远处而殡葬之。云何得留，自欲弃去？”

once upon a time there was a man who brought up seven boys, one of whom died. finding the son dead, he intended to leave the body in the house and moved out himself. a bystander said to him, "you know the living and the dead go separate ways. since your son is dead, he should be quickly buried in a far away place with all due solemnity. now why do you want to leave your house and let your dead son remain here?"

尔时愚人闻此语已，即自思念：“若不得留，要当葬者，须更杀一子，停担两头，乃可
胜致。”於是便更杀其一子而担负之，远葬林野。时人见之，深生嗤笑，怪未曾有。

when the man heard this, he decided to bury his son and not let the corpse lie at home. he then thought he would have to kill another son to hang one body on each end of the pole to keep in equilibrium and carry them for burial in a long way off the forest. that seemed the only thing possible for him to do and he did it. his contemporaries laughed aloud at his unprecedented eccentricities.

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