Observation
The present (somewhere between history and the future) arrives as fast as it escapes us. I gather therefore that it must be a future view of history that matters most, albeit with its decidedly and significantly limited forward visibility and its blurred perspective on things past.
The fable
During the Spring and Autumn period in ancient China, one night, Song Yuan Jun, the leader of the state of Song saw a scruffy man with dishevelled hair in a dream. The man appeared to stick his head through a side door to Yuan Jun’s house saying to him: “I am a messenger from the Qingjiang River god. On my way to see the Yellow River’s god He Bo, I was caught in the net of a fisherman called Yu Qie.”
On waking up, Yuan Jun thought that perhaps his dream may have a meaning and decided to consult a soothsayer.
The seer said to him: “This is a spirit turtle. If you catch it, kill it, and use it for divination, it will be highly auspicious.”
Yuan Jun asked all around whether there was someone called Yu Qie among the fishermen in the area, and people told him: “Yes, there is someone who goes by that name.”
Yuan Jun said to them: “Tell Yu Qie to come to me for an audience.”
Next day, Yu Qie came forward and Yuan Jun asked him: “Over the last few days, what have you caught in your fishing net?”
Yu Qie answered: “I caught a large white turtle about five feet long in my net.”
Yuan Jun said to him: “Go fetch the turtle and bring it to me.”
After receiving the turtle, Yuan Jun had it killed and used its shell in divination. They etched and cracked the turtle’s bones under heat seventy-two times, and every time the oracle was auspicious.
Confucius heard about it and with a heartfelt sigh said: “This sacred turtle was able to make its way into Yuan Jun’s dream but could not avoid Yu Qie’s fishing net. Its wisdom proved sufficient to accurately and repeatedly provide oracles for men but was not adequate enough to avoid its own fated death. This goes to show that even wisdom grows fatigued at times, and that the spirits and gods may not always be able to sort out all matters. Granted the highest wisdom, one man cannot undo the scheming of many.”
Taken from "Zhuangzi – What comes from outside - 6".
My translation of:
神龜
春秋時期，宋國的國君宋元君，有一天晚上做了一個夢。他夢見一個人披頭散髮，從邊門探進頭來，對他說：我是清江神的使者，要到黃河的河神河伯那裡去，半路上，被一個叫余且的漁夫捉去了。
元君醒來以後，想這個夢也許有什麼意思，便叫人去占卦看看。占卦人說：這是一隻神龜。如果能弄到這隻龜，殺了它，用它來占卜，非常吉利。
元君便問左右的人：漁民中，有沒有叫余且的？
左右的人說：有這麼一個人。
元君說：去叫余且來朝見。
第二天，余且來了。元君問他：你這幾天打魚，捕獲到什麼？
余且說：我網到一隻大白龜，龜的身圍有五尺長呢！
元君說：把白龜獻上來！
白龜獻上來之後，元君便命人把龜殺了，用龜殼來占卜。卜了七十二卦，果然每一卦都靈驗。
孔子聽到了這件事，感歎的說：這隻神龜能托夢給元君，但不能逃出余且的網。它的智慧足以一次次靈驗地替人占卜吉凶，卻不能使自己避免被殺的禍運。可見智慧有困乏的時候，而神靈也有辦不到的事。即使是有最高智慧的人，也敵不過許多人的計謀啊！
取材自《莊子 - 外物 - 六》Copyright © 國家網路書店
Zhuangzi’s original text can be found here: https://ctext.org/zhuangzi/what-comes-from-without?searchu=%E7%A5%9E%E9%BE%9C&searchmode=showall#result
Share this post