滿堂金玉成何用? - 古德明

滿堂金玉成何用? - 古德明

ThereisafamousstoryofwhatHulagudidtoAl-Mustasim,thelastAbbasidcaliph,aftercapturingBaghdad:heimprisonedthecaliphinaroomfulloftreasure,andbroughthimgoldonatrayinsteadoffood.Thecaliphprotestedthathecouldnoteatgold,andHulaguaskedhimwhyhehadnotusedhismoneytostrengthenhisarmyanddefendagainsttheMongols.Thecaliphsaid,"ThatwasthewillofGod."Hulagureplied,"WhatwillhappentoyouisalsothewillofGod."
SoonafterwardsthecaliphwasexecutedbyHulagu.TheMongolsdidnotwanttoshed"royalblood",sotheywrappedhiminarugandtrampledhimtodeathwiththeirhorses.
有一個著名故事,說旭烈兀侵佔巴格達之後,怎樣處置阿拔斯末代君主穆斯塔西姆:他把穆斯塔西姆囚在放滿珍寶的房間裏,用托盤盛黃金而不是食物給他。穆斯塔西姆說黃金不能吃,旭烈兀就問他為什麼最初不用錢加強軍備抵禦蒙古。穆斯塔西姆說:「那是上帝的意旨。」旭烈兀回答:「你將會經歷的,也是上帝意旨。」
不久,旭烈兀就把穆斯塔西姆處死。蒙古人不想流「王者的血」,用毯把穆斯塔西姆包着,躍馬把他踩死。
【附注】Protest除了解作「抗議」,還可指「力言」或「不滿意地說」,例如:(1)Heprotestedhisinnocence/Heprotestedthathewasinnocent(他力言自己無辜)。(2)HeprotestedthatIhadwrongedhim(他申訴說,我寃枉了他)。