苏代自齐献书于燕王
Su Qin Sent a Letter to the King of the State of Yan from Qi
【原文】
苏代自齐献书于燕王曰：“臣之行也，固知将有口事，故献御书而 行，曰：‘臣贵于齐，燕大夫将不信臣；臣贱，将轻臣；臣用，将多望于臣； 齐有不善，将归罪于天下不攻齐，将曰善为齐谋；天下攻齐，将与齐 兼鄉臣。臣之所重处重卯也！’王谓臣曰吾必不听众口与谗言，吾信 汝也，犹划划者也！上可以得用于齐，次可以得信于下，苟无死，女无不 为也，以女自信可也J与之言曰：‘去燕之齐可也，期于成事而已！’臣受令以任齐，及五年。齐数出兵，未尝谋燕。齐、赵之交，一合一离。燕王 不与齐谋赵，则与赵谋齐。齐之信燕也，至于虚北地行其兵。今王信田 伐与参、去疾之言，且攻齐，使齐犬马（残）[大戒]而不言燕。今王又使 庆令臣曰：“吾欲用所善。’王苟欲用之，则臣请为王事之。王欲驛臣，钊 任所善，则臣请归醪事。臣苟得见，则盈愿。
【今译】
苏代从齐国给燕王送去一封书信，写道：“我走了以后，本来就知道 将会有人搬弄是非，所以在临行前献上一封信，说如果我在齐国的地 位显贵，燕国的大夫们将不信任我；如果我的地位卑贱，他们将看不起 我；如果我被任用为官，他们将极力责难我；齐国做了对燕国不利的事 情，他们将归罪于我；其他国家不攻打齐国，他们将说我精心为齐国谋 划；其他国家攻打齐国，他们将联合齐国一同出卖我。我的处境危如累 卵。’大王对我说：‘我一定不会听信众人的谣传与谗言，我相信你，我会 像铲除野草般消灭谣传的。使你上可以在齐国得到任用，下可以取信 于你的下属。如果没有死掉的话，你可以做自己想做的任何事情，只要 你完全相信我的话就可以了。’大王对我说：‘可以离开燕国到齐国去，只要事情能办成就行。’我接受命令被齐国任用，已经有五年了。齐国 多次发动战争，却没有侵略过燕国。齐国与赵国的邦交时合时离，燕国 如果不跟年国一起谋赵国，就会跟起国一起图谋齐国。齐国对燕国 非常信任，以至于把守卫北部地区的兵都撤走了。如今大王听信田伐、 参、去疾的话，即将进攻齐国，使得齐国非常戒备，而不再信任燕国。如 今大王又派庆来对我说：‘我要任用我认为有才干的人。’大王如果真的 要任用有才千的人，我就请求为大王侍奉他。大王如果要削我的职来 专门任用有才干的人，我就请求回到燕国后再削职。假如我能够见到 大王，我的心愿就得到满足了。”
Su Qin sent a letter to the king of the state of Yan from the state of Qi，and it said in the letter, “Before I left for Qi, I knew that there must be some people who would speak ill of me in front of Your Majesty, So，I wrote you a letter before I left，which said, ‘If I become powerful and honourable in Qi， the high-ranking court officials of Yan will no longer trust me. If I am powerless, they will look down upon me. If I am employed by the government, they will often censure me. If Qi does something harmful to Yan, they will blame me for it. If other states don’t attack Qi, they will say that I have planned for Qi very carefully. If other states attack Qi，they will unite with them to betray me. So my personal situation is at stake. ’ But Your Majesty told me，41 will definitely not listen to the rumours spread by others or believe slanderers. I trust you and therefore will cut the throat of slanderers like uprooting wild grass. You will be employed by the government of Qi and trusted by your inferiors. As long as you are alive, you can do anything according to your own will. I assure you and please believe me.，Then you told me,