殺兄而立,非仁義也。
He killed his brother in order to gain the throne; that was not righteous.
將謂桓公恭儉乎?
Can he be said to have been punctilious?
與婦人同輿馳於邑中,非恭儉也。
He rode through the town with women in his carriage; that was not punctilious.
將謂桓公清潔乎?
Can he be said to have been immaculate in his behavior?
閨門之內,無可嫁者,非清潔也。
His inner quarters held women who could not properly be his wives; that was not an example of immaculate behavior.
此三者,亡國失君之行也,然而桓公兼有之,以得管仲、隰朋,九合諸侯,一匡天下,畢朝周室,為五霸長,以其得賢佐也。
These three things are all traits of dissolute rulers who lose their states.
失管仲、隰朋,任豎刁、易牙,身死不葬,蟲流出戶。
Lord Huan had all three traits, but, because he obtained Guan Zhong and Xi Peng, he was able to convene the lords nine times, put all the realm to rights, lead the lords in paying tribute to the house of Zhou, and become the foremost of the five overlords—this was because he obtained able advisors.
一人之身,榮辱俱施者何?
“When he lost Guan Zhong and Xi Peng and gave appointments to Shu Diao and Yiya, he died alone with no one to bury him, and maggots poured forth from his corpse.
其所任異也。
How can a single person attract both glory and shame?
由此觀之,則任佐急矣。
The answer lies in the differences among those he entrusts with tasks.
One can see from this that finding officers to assist one is an urgent matter.