集古錄目序集古录目序

物常聚於所好，而常得於有力之彊。有力而不好，好之而無力，雖近且易，有不能致之。象犀虎豹，蠻夷山海殺人之獸，然其齒、角、皮革，可聚而有也。玉出崑崙流沙萬里之外，經十餘譯，乃至乎中國。珠出南海，常生深淵，采者𦝫絙而入水，形色非人，往往不出，則下飽蛟魚。金礦于山，鑿深而穴遠，篝火餱糧而後進，其崖崩窟塞，則遂葬於其中者，率常數十百人。其遠且難，而又多死禍常如此。然而金玉珠璣，世常兼聚而有也。凡物好之而有力，則無不至也。

物常聚于所好，而常得于有力之彊。有力而不好，好之而无力，虽近且易，有不能致之。象犀虎豹，蛮夷山海杀人之兽，然其齿、角、皮革，可聚而有也。玉出昆仑流沙万里之外，经十余译，乃至乎中国。珠出南海，常生深渊，采者𦝫絙而入水，形色非人，往往不出，则下饱蛟鱼。金矿于山，凿深而穴远，篝火糇粮而后进，其崖崩窟塞，则遂葬于其中者，率常数十百人。其远且难，而又多死祸常如此。然而金玉珠玑，世常兼聚而有也。凡物好之而有力，则无不至也。

Things gather around those who love them, and are obtained by those who have the strength. With strength but no love, or love but no strength, a thing may be near and easy and still not be obtained. Elephants and rhinoceros, tigers and leopards are man-killing beasts of the wild lands by the mountains and the seas, yet their tusks, horns, hides and skins can be gathered and owned. Jade comes from beyond the Kunlun mountains and the Shifting Sands, ten thousand li away, and passes through more than ten interpreters before it reaches the Middle Kingdom. Pearls come from the southern sea and grow in deep abysses; the gatherers go into the water on ropes tied round their waists and come up hardly looking human, and often they do not come up at all but feed the dragons and fish below. Gold is mined in the mountains: men dig deep and tunnel far and go in with caged fires and dried rations, and when a cliff gives way or a shaft is blocked, they are buried inside it, often by the dozen or the hundred. Such is the distance and the hardship, and the many deaths; yet the world commonly gathers and owns gold and jade, pearls and gems together. Whatever is loved by those who have the strength will always arrive.

湯盤、孔鼎，岐陽之鼓，岱山、鄒嶧、會稽之刻石，與夫漢、魏以來聖君賢士桓碑彝器、銘詩序記，下至古文、籀、篆、分、隸諸家之字書，皆三代以來至寶怪奇偉麗工妙可喜之物，其去人不遠，其取之無禍，然而風霜兵火，湮淪磨滅，散棄于山巖墟莽之間，未嘗收拾者，由世之好者少也。幸而有好之者，又其力或不足，故僅得其一二，而不能使其聚也。

汤盘、孔鼎，岐阳之鼓，岱山、邹峄、会稽之刻石，与夫汉、魏以来圣君贤士桓碑彝器、铭诗序记，下至古文、籀、篆、分、隶诸家之字书，皆三代以来至宝怪奇伟丽工妙可喜之物，其去人不远，其取之无祸，然而风霜兵火，湮沦磨灭，散弃于山岩墟莽之间，未尝收拾者，由世之好者少也。幸而有好之者，又其力或不足，故仅得其一二，而不能使其聚也。

The basin of King Tang and the tripod of the Kong family, the stone drums of Qiyang, the carved stones of Mount Tai, Mount Yi and Kuaiji, together with the stelae and ritual bronzes, inscriptions, poems, prefaces and records of sage rulers and worthy men since Han and Wei, and down to the calligraphy of the masters of the ancient script, the large and small seal, the bafen and the clerical script: these are the most precious, strange, splendid, fine and delightful things left from the Three Dynasties onward. They are not far from us, and taking them brings no danger; yet wind and frost, war and fire have sunk them and worn them away and scattered them among mountain cliffs and overgrown ruins, and no one has gathered them up, because few in the world love them. And if by good fortune someone does love them, his strength may not be enough, so that he gets only one or two of them and cannot bring them together.

夫力莫如好，好莫如一。予性顓而嗜古，凡世人之所貪者，皆無欲於其間，故得一其所好於斯。好之已篤，則力雖未足，猶能致之。故上自周穆王以來，下更秦、漢、隋、唐、五代，外至四海、九州，名山大澤，窮巖絕谷，荒林破冢，神仙鬼物，詭怪所傳，莫不皆有，以爲《集古錄》。以謂傳寫失真，故因其石本，軸而藏之，有卷帙次第，而無時世之先後，蓋其取多而未已，故隨其所得而錄之。又以謂聚多而終必散，乃撮其大要別爲錄目，因並載夫可與史傳正其闕謬者，以傳後學，庶益於多聞。

夫力莫如好，好莫如一。予性颛而嗜古，凡世人之所贪者，皆无欲于其间，故得一其所好于斯。好之已笃，则力虽未足，犹能致之。故上自周穆王以来，下更秦、汉、隋、唐、五代，外至四海、九州，名山大泽，穷岩绝谷，荒林破冢，神仙鬼物，诡怪所传，莫不皆有，以为《集古录》。以谓传写失真，故因其石本，轴而藏之，有卷帙次第，而无时世之先后，盖其取多而未已，故随其所得而录之。又以谓聚多而终必散，乃撮其大要别为录目，因并载夫可与史传正其阙谬者，以传后学，庶益于多闻。

Strength is not as good as love, and love is not as good as single-mindedness. I am stubborn by nature and fond of antiquity, and I have no desire for anything the world covets, so I could give all my love to this one thing. When love is deep enough, even if strength falls short one can still obtain things. So from King Mu of Zhou onward, down through Qin, Han, Sui, Tang and the Five Dynasties, and outward to the four seas and the nine provinces, the famous mountains and great marshes, the remotest cliffs and the deepest valleys, wild forests and broken tombs, gods and immortals, ghosts and spirits, and whatever strange tales have been passed down, there is nothing that is not here; and of it I made the Record of Collected Antiquities. Believing that copies made by hand lose the truth, I kept the rubbings taken from the stones themselves, mounted them on rollers and stored them. They are in order of volume and case, not in order of their age, because I kept acquiring more and so recorded them as they came. Believing also that what is gathered in quantity must in the end be scattered, I picked out their main points and made a separate catalogue, and set down in it whatever can correct the gaps and errors of the histories, to hand on to later scholars, in the hope that it will add to what they know.

或譏予曰：「物多則其勢難聚，聚久而無不散，何必區區於是哉！」予對曰：「足吾所好，玩而老焉可也。象犀金玉之聚，其能果不散乎？予固未能以此而易彼也。」

或讥予曰：「物多则其势难聚，聚久而无不散，何必区区于是哉！」予对曰：「足吾所好，玩而老焉可也。象犀金玉之聚，其能果不散乎？予固未能以此而易彼也。」

Someone mocked me: "When things are many they are hard to keep together, and what has long been gathered is always scattered. Why take such trouble over this?" I answered: "It is enough that I satisfy what I love and grow old enjoying it. Can a hoard of ivory, rhinoceros horn, gold and jade really escape being scattered? I am not yet able to exchange this for that."