When Yen Yuan died, Yen Lu begged the carriage of the Master to sell and get an outer shell for his son's coffin.
颜渊死,颜路请子之车以为之椁。
The Master said, "Every one calls his son his son, whether he has talents or has not talents.
子曰:“才不才,亦各言其子也。
There was Li; when he died, he had a coffin but no outer shell, I would not walk on foot to get a shell for him,
鲤也死;有棺而无椁,吾不徒行以为之椁,
because, having followed in the rear of the great officers, it was not proper that I should walk on foot."
以吾从大夫之后,不可徒行也。”
When Yen Yuan died, the Master said, "Alas! Heaven is destroying me! Heaven is destroying me!"
颜渊死,子曰:“噫!天丧予!天丧予!”
When Yen Yuan died, the Master bewailed him exceedingly, and the disciples who were with him said, "Master, your grief is excessive!"
颜渊死,子哭之恸,从者曰:“子恸矣!”
"Is it excessive?" said he. "If I am not to mourn bitterly for this man, for whom should I mourn?"
曰:“有恸乎?非夫人之为恸而谁为?”
When Yen Yuan died, the disciples wished to give him a great funeral, and the Master said, "You may not do so."
颜渊死,门人欲厚葬之,子曰:“不可。”
The disciples did bury him in great style, The Master said, "Hui behaved towards me as his father, I have not been able to treat him as my son.
门人厚葬之,子曰:“回也视予犹父也,予不得视犹子也。
The fault is not mine; it belongs to you, O disciples."
非我也,夫二三子也。”
Chi Lu asked about serving the spirits of the dead. The Master said, "While you are not able to serve men, how can you serve their spirits?"
季路问事鬼神。子曰:“未能事人,焉能事鬼?”
Chi Lu added, "I venture to ask about death?" He was answered, "While you do not know life, how can you know about death?"
曰:“敢问死?”曰:“未知生,焉知死?”