百喻经之六五: 五百欢喜丸喻

§65 五百欢喜丸喻

(65) five hundred happy pills

昔有一妇，荒淫无度，欲情既盛，嫉恶其夫；每思方策，频欲残害。种种设计，不得其便。会值其夫，聘使邻国。妇密为计，造毒药丸，欲用害夫。诈语夫言：“尔今远使，虑有乏短。今我造作五百欢喜丸，用为资粮，以送与尔。尔若出国，至他境界，饥困之时，乃可取食。”

once upon a time, there was a woman who led a promiscuous life. she hated her husband when she was burning with lascivious desires. however, there was no opportunity for her to carry out any of her schemes to kill him. it so happened that her husband was sent on an official mission to a neighboring state, the woman secretly prepared some poisonous pills. to the husband she said with a faked tenderness, "now that you have been sent far away on this official mission, i have prepared for you five hundred pills both as food supplies and as something to cheer you up. you will take them when you are hungry, when you reach the border."

夫用其言，至他界已，未及食之，于夜暗中，止宿林间，畏惧恶兽，上树避之。其欢喜丸忘置树下。

the husband did not take them when he crossed the frontier. it was dark then and he decided to rest in the forest. afraid of wild animals, he climbed up a tree to spend the night. he left his pills under the tree.

即以其夜，值五百偷贼，盗彼国王五百匹马，并及宝物，来止树下。由其逃突，尽皆饥渴，于其树下，见欢喜丸，诸贼取已，各食一丸。药毒气盛，五百群贼一时俱死。

on that same night, a group of five hundred thieves stopped at the same spot with five hundred horses and precious things stolen from their king. they were all hungry and thirsty from their narrow escape. finding those pills under the tree, the thieves took them and, on account of the strong poisonous effect, died one after another in no time.

时树上人，至天明已，见此群贼死在树下，诈以刀箭斫射死尸，收其鞍马，驱向彼国。

at daybreak, the man hiding in the tree saw the dead thieves. then he deceitfully made as if he slew and shot the corpses with swords and arrows. afterward, he got all the horses as well as the stolen goods together and rode towards the foreign country.

时彼国王，多将人众，案迹来逐。会于中路，值于彼王。彼王问言：“尔是何人？何处得马？”

meanwhile, the king was on his way with his guards trying to apprehend the thieves. they carne across the man and asked, "who are you? where did you get these horses?"

其人答言：“我是某国人，而于道路值此群贼，共相斫射。五百群贼今皆一处死在树下。由是之故，我得此马，及以珍宝，来投王国。若不见信，可遣往看贼之疮痍杀害处所。”

the man replied, "i have come on a special mission. on the way, 1 encountered this band of thieves. i fought them and killed them all. their corpses are under a tree over there. that's how 1 got these horses and precious things. if your majesty doesn't believe it, you can inspect the casualties on the spot where we fought."

王时即遣亲信往看，果如其言。王时欣然，叹未曾有。既还国已，厚加爵赏，大赐珍宝，封以聚落。

immediately, the king sent his guards to inspect the spot. they found out what he had said was true. the king was overwhelmed with admiration for his unusual bravery. later, when the man was sent back to his own country, the king bestowed him both a knighthood and treasures as well as a piece of land.

彼王旧臣，咸生嫉妒，而白王言：“彼是远人，未可服信。如何卒尔宠遇过厚？至于爵赏，逾越旧臣。”