THE VANITY OF REPUTATION
"Confucius was well acquainted with the principles of the old emperors. He accepted the invitations of the princes of his time. But a tree was felled over him in Sung and his footprints were wiped out in Wei. In Shang and Chow he came to distress, was assaulted in Chen and Tsai, humiliated by Chi and insulted by Yang-hu.
"Till he died he had to toil and slave.
"Of all mortals he was the most harassed and worried.
"All these four sages, while alive, had not one day's pleasure, and after their death a reputation lasting many years.
"Yet reputation cannot bring back reality.
"You praise them and they do not know it, and you honour them and they are not aware of it. There is now no distinction between them and a clod of earth.
Translator of Yang Zhu's Garden of Pleasure is Anton Forke. If you missed any posts in this series, please utilize the Yang Zhu label below.
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