法苑珠林 5.55

5.55

王位雖尊嚴　代謝不暫停
輕疾如電光　須臾歸衰滅
王位極富逸　愚者情愛樂
衰滅無時至　苦劇過下賤
王者居高位　名聞滿十方
端正甚可愛　種種自嚴身
譬如臨死者　著華鬘瓔珞
捨命未幾時　王位亦如是
王者譬如王　常懷諸恐怖
行住及坐時　乃至一切時
於其親疎中　恒有疑懼心
臣民宮妃后　象馬及珍寶
國土諸所有　一切是王物
諸王捨命時　皆棄無隨者

“Though the royal station is noble and august,
Its rise and fall never halt for a moment;
Swift and fleeting as a flash of lightning,
In an instant it declines into ruin.

The royal station is rich and easeful in the extreme,
Which fools cherish in their hearts;
Yet its ruin arrives without warning,
Bringing torment far worse than that of the lowly.

A king dwells in an exalted station,
His renown filling the ten directions;
His appearance is handsome and lovely,
Adorned in various ways.

Yet he is like a condemned man on the brink of death,
Adorned with flower garlands and necklaces;
Before long he must surrender his life—
So it is with the station of a king.

A king, being a ruler,
Constantly harbors terror:
When walking, standing, or sitting,
And indeed at all times.

Toward those near to him and those distant,
He constantly harbors suspicion and dread.
Ministers, subjects, palace consorts and queens,
Elephants, horses, and precious jewels,

All things possessed in the land—
All are the king’s possessions;
Yet when kings surrender their lives,
They abandon all, and none follow them.”