出而見殣，謂晏子曰：「此何為死？
The gifts included embroidered coverlets, garden pavilions, and beans and grain to feed the ducks and geese.
」晏子對曰：「此餧而死。
Then, upon going out, he saw some corpses of people who had starved to death.
」公曰：「嘻！
Speaking to Yanzi, he asked, “Why did those people die?” “They died of starvation” was the reply.
寡人之無德也何甚矣。
」晏子對曰：「君之德著而彰，何為無德也。
“Good heavens!” exclaimed Lord Jing.
」景公曰：「何謂也？
“How could my want of virtue be so extreme?” “Your virtue is great and plain for all to see,” said Yan Ying.
」對曰：「君之德及後宮與臺榭；君之玩物，衣以文繡；君之鳧鴈，食以菽粟；君之營內自樂，延及後宮之族：何為其無德也！
“Why do you say you have no virtue?” “What do you mean?” asked Lord Jing.
顧臣願有請於君：由君之意，自樂之心，推而與百姓同之，則何殣之有？
“Your Lordship’s virtue,” said Yanzi, “extends throughout the rear palaces and garden pavilions; the things with which you amuse people include embroidered clothing; your ducks and geese eat beans and grain; and the things that you yourself enjoy within the palace extend to all classes of people within the rear palaces; how can one say that this shows want of virtue!
君不推此，而苟營內好私，使財貨偏有所聚，菽粟幣帛，腐於囷府，惠不遍加於百姓，公心不周乎萬國，則桀、紂之所以亡也。
But I have a request to make of Your Lordship: that you will take your own enjoyment of these things and extend it so that the Hundred Clans may partake of it as well—then how could there be starvation?
夫士民之所以叛，由偏之也。
君如察臣嬰之言，推君之盛德，公布之於天下，則湯、武可為之，一殣何足恤哉！」
If you do not make such an extension but enjoy yourself irresponsibly within the palace, causing wealth and goods to be heaped up together and causing beans, grain, silk, and embroidered cloth to rot in the state warehouses, and, if your favor does not extend throughout the Hundred Clans and your sense of fairness is not applied equally to the thousand states, then this will amount to the situation that caused the destruction of Jie and Zhòu.