In the time of Duke Yi of Wei there was a minister named Hung Yin, who received the order to go on a mission to another state. Before his return, the Ti barbarians attacked Wei. Duke Yi wished to raise an army to meet them, but his people with one accord said, "What Your Highness values and what have high salaries and rank are cranes. What you love are your concubines. Go have your cranes and concubines fight. How can we fight?" And they all scattered and fled. The Ti barbarians arrived and attacked Duke Yi at Jung-tsê. They killed him and completely ate the flesh of his body, leaving only his liver.
When Hung Yin got there, he reported on his mission to the liver. When he had finished speaking, he cried out to Heaven and wept. When his mourning was over, he said, "As minister all I may properly do is die." And he then actually cut himself open and, pulling out his intestines, put Duke Yi's liver inside and died.
When Duke Huan heard of this he said, "Wei was destroyed because it had not the proper Way. But with a minister like this, it cannot but be preserved." Whereupon he re-established Wei in Ch’u-ch’iu.
One like Hung Yin can be called a loyal officer. He killed himself so as to follow his prince, and not only did he succeed in following his prince, he also caused the ancestral temple of Wei to be re-established and kept the sacrifices from being broken off. He can be said to have had great merit.
The Ode says,
In other quarters there is ease,
And I dwell here alone and sorrowful.
Everybody is going into retirement,
And I alone dare not seek rest.
卫懿公之时、有臣曰弘演者、受命而使，未反，而狄人攻卫，于是懿公欲兴师迎之，其民皆曰：“君之所贵而有禄位者、鹤也，所爱者、宫人也，亦使鹤与宫人战，余安能战？”遂溃而皆去。狄人至，攻懿公于荧泽，杀之，尽食其肉，独舍其肝。弘演至，报使于肝，辞毕，呼天而号，哀止，曰：“若臣者、独死可耳。”于是，遂自刳出腹实，内懿公之肝，乃死。桓公闻之，曰：“卫之亡也，以无道，今有臣若此，不可不存。”于是复立卫于楚丘。如弘演、可谓忠士矣，杀身以捷其君，非徒捷其君，又令卫之宗庙复立，祭祀不绝，可谓有大功矣。《诗》曰：“四方有羡，我独居忧，民莫不榖，我独不敢休。”
When Hung Yin got there, he reported on his mission to the liver. When he had finished speaking, he cried out to Heaven and wept. When his mourning was over, he said, "As minister all I may properly do is die." And he then actually cut himself open and, pulling out his intestines, put Duke Yi's liver inside and died.
When Duke Huan heard of this he said, "Wei was destroyed because it had not the proper Way. But with a minister like this, it cannot but be preserved." Whereupon he re-established Wei in Ch’u-ch’iu.
One like Hung Yin can be called a loyal officer. He killed himself so as to follow his prince, and not only did he succeed in following his prince, he also caused the ancestral temple of Wei to be re-established and kept the sacrifices from being broken off. He can be said to have had great merit.
The Ode says,
In other quarters there is ease,
And I dwell here alone and sorrowful.
Everybody is going into retirement,
And I alone dare not seek rest.
卫懿公之时、有臣曰弘演者、受命而使，未反，而狄人攻卫，于是懿公欲兴师迎之，其民皆曰：“君之所贵而有禄位者、鹤也，所爱者、宫人也，亦使鹤与宫人战，余安能战？”遂溃而皆去。狄人至，攻懿公于荧泽，杀之，尽食其肉，独舍其肝。弘演至，报使于肝，辞毕，呼天而号，哀止，曰：“若臣者、独死可耳。”于是，遂自刳出腹实，内懿公之肝，乃死。桓公闻之，曰：“卫之亡也，以无道，今有臣若此，不可不存。”于是复立卫于楚丘。如弘演、可谓忠士矣，杀身以捷其君，非徒捷其君，又令卫之宗庙复立，祭祀不绝，可谓有大功矣。《诗》曰：“四方有羡，我独居忧，民莫不榖，我独不敢休。”
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