報任安書（節選）报任安书（节选）

所以隱忍苟活，函糞土之中而不辭者，恨私心有所不盡，鄙沒世而文采不表於後也。

所以隐忍苟活，函粪土之中而不辞者，恨私心有所不尽，鄙没世而文采不表于后也。

The reason I have borne it in silence and gone on living, sunk in dung and dirt without refusing it, is that something in my heart is still unfinished, and I would be ashamed to come to the end of my life with my writing never shown to those who come after.

古者富貴而名摩滅，不可勝記，唯俶儻非常之人稱焉。蓋西伯拘而演《周易》；仲尼厄而作《春秋》；屈原放逐，乃賦《離騷》；左丘失明，厥有《國語》，孫子臏腳，《兵法》修列；不韋遷蜀，世傳《呂覽》；韓非囚秦，《說難》、《孤憤》。《詩》三百篇，大氐賢聖發憤之所為作也。此人皆意有所鬱結，不得通其道，故述往事，思來者。及如左丘無目，孫子斷足，終不可用，退論書策以舒其憤，思垂空文以自見。

古者富贵而名摩灭，不可胜记，唯俶傥非常之人称焉。盖西伯拘而演《周易》；仲尼厄而作《春秋》；屈原放逐，乃赋《离骚》；左丘失明，厥有《国语》，孙子膑脚，《兵法》修列；不韦迁蜀，世传《吕览》；韩非囚秦，《说难》、《孤愤》。《诗》三百篇，大氐贤圣发愤之所为作也。此人皆意有所郁结，不得通其道，故述往事，思来者。及如左丘无目，孙子断足，终不可用，退论书策以舒其愤，思垂空文以自见。

In antiquity there were rich and noble men beyond counting whose names have worn away; only the free and extraordinary are still spoken of. The Lord of the West, held captive, worked out the Changes; Confucius, in distress, made the Spring and Autumn Annals; Qu Yuan, banished, composed "Encountering Sorrow"; Zuo Qiu lost his sight, and there were the Discourses of the States; Master Sun had his kneecaps cut out, and his Art of War was set in order; Lü Buwei was sent away to Shu, and the world hands down his Survey; Han Fei was imprisoned in Qin, and we have "The Difficulties of Persuasion" and "Solitary Indignation". The three hundred Songs were, for the most part, made by sages and worthies giving vent to their indignation. These men all had something knotted in their hearts that they could not carry through, so they recounted past events and thought of those to come. Zuo Qiu without his eyes and Master Sun with his feet cut off could never again be employed; so they withdrew to write out their arguments and plans, to give vent to their indignation, thinking to hand down writings in which they themselves would be seen.

僕竊不遜，近自托於無能之辭，網羅天下放失舊聞，考之行事，稽其成敗興壞之理，凡百三十篇，亦欲以究天人之際，通古今之變，成一家之言。草創未就，適會此禍，惜其不成，是以就極刑而無慍色。僕誠已著此書，藏之名山，傳之其人，通邑大都，則僕償前辱之責，雖萬被戮，豈有悔哉！然此可為智者道，難為俗人言也。

仆窃不逊，近自托于无能之辞，网罗天下放失旧闻，考之行事，稽其成败兴坏之理，凡百三十篇，亦欲以究天人之际，通古今之变，成一家之言。草创未就，适会此祸，惜其不成，是以就极刑而无愠色。仆诚已著此书，藏之名山，传之其人，通邑大都，则仆偿前辱之责，虽万被戮，岂有悔哉！然此可为智者道，难为俗人言也。

I have not been modest. Lately I have entrusted myself to my unskilled words. I have gathered up the old accounts scattered and lost throughout the world, examined them against what was actually done, and inquired into the principles of success and failure, of rise and fall, in a hundred and thirty chapters, wishing also to search out the boundary between heaven and man, to see through the changes of past and present, and to found a school of my own. The draft was not yet finished when I met with this disaster; and because I could not bear that it should go uncompleted, I submitted to the extreme punishment without a look of resentment. If I truly have written this book, and it can be stored in a famous mountain and passed to the people fit to receive it, and travel the towns and great cities, then I shall have paid the debt of my earlier disgrace, and though I were cut down ten thousand times, what would I regret? But this can be said to the wise; it is hard to say to the vulgar.