How dangerous was it to be a jester? - Beatrice K. Otto

譯者: Yukice Wan 審譯者: Alexis Young

10th century jester Jing Xinmo

西元第十世紀的五代十國時， 一名伶官叫敬新磨，

may have overstepped when he got chased by a dog,

他被狗追的時候說出了逾越的話，

then teasingly told the Chinese emperor

他嘻笑地講告訴皇帝，

that he shouldn’t let his kids go around biting people.

他不應該讓自家孩子四處咬人。

The emperor took offense and trained an arrow on Jing.

皇帝感到被冒犯，要朝他射箭。

But instead of begging for his life, Jing cracked another joke.

敬新磨卻並未求皇帝饒命， 而是搬出另一個笑話

Luckily, this pun landed— so the emperor’s arrow did not.

幸好，這諧音笑話完美落地， 這箭才沒射出去。

Contrary to common belief,

與普遍看法相反，

jesters weren't just a medieval European phenomenon,

弄臣不只是在歐洲中世紀的現象，

but flourished in other times and cultures.

他們在其他時代與文化亦十分興盛。

The first reliably recorded jester is thought to be You Shi,

最早被記錄的弄臣被認為是優施，

of 7th century BCE China.

他生在西元前七世紀 中國的春秋時代。

He declared that, as a jester, his words could not give offense.

他聲稱作為一個伶官， 講壞話也不會被當真，

This privilege was important to the jester’s position—

這特權對優伶的職位是很重要的，

but was sometimes violated.

雖然這種特權也不是絕對的。

Jesters had unique relationships to power:

弄臣與掌權者有著特殊的關係，

they could be viewed as objects of mockery

他們可被視為嘲笑的對象，

and also as entertainers and trusted companions.

亦是一位表演家及可信的顆伴。

People became jesters by various routes.

要當弄臣有很多方法，

They could be appointed due to physical or neurological differences,

他們可能因外貌或 神經表現的差異而被選上、

plucked from a pool of entertainers, or recruited by a traveling courtier.

在一群表演家中被選拔、 或被遊歷中的朝臣所招募。

Such was the case when a royal servant

曾有位皇家侍者就是這樣做，

wrote King Henry VIII’s chief minister in the 1530s.

他在 1530 年寫信給 亨利八世的首席大臣，

他推薦一個年輕男孩去取代 皇帝年邁的弄臣薩克斯頓，

He recommended a young boy to replace the king’s aging jester, Sexten,

with the assurance that he’d be much more pleasant than Sexten ever was.

並保證那位年輕人 比薩克斯頓更會說笑。

Some jesters boasted unique talents, like Roland the Farter,

有些弄臣會吹噓自己天份， 就好像放屁羅蘭，

of Henry II’s 12th Century court.

他在十二世紀亨利二世的宮廷裡，

Every Christmas, he performed a special routine,

每到聖誕節都有一套特別的表演，

the finale of which was a simultaneous jump, whistle, and fart.

他會以同步跳躍、吹口哨 和放屁來結束表演。

Additionally, jesters could influence important decisions.

另外，弄臣可以影響重大決定，

For example, if the clowns of the Tübatulabal nation

例如：如果是華達山脈內 圖巴圖拉巴爾民族的小丑，

of the Sierra Nevada mountains

thought a chief was leading poorly,

當他認為酋长領導不善， 他可直接讓長老們委任一位新首領。

they could apparently get the elders to appoint a new one.

And, of course, Jing Xinmo knew how to sway the Chinese emperor.

敬新磨當然也知道如何說服皇帝。

A local magistrate once requested that the emperor stop trampling farmland

有一次，一位地方官提出 希望聖上捕獵時停止踐踏農田,

during his hunting sprees.

Infuriated, the emperor had the magistrate hauled before him.

皇帝大怒並把他拽到自己面前,

Jing facetiously suggested that the magistrate be put to death immediately

敬新磨開玩笑地建議 要將地方官馬上處死，

and that the emperor let the peasants starve

讓小民餓死好了，

instead of harvesting the land and paying taxes,

種甚麼莊稼，納甚麼納稅，

all so he could gallop about freely.

皇上要能任意馳騁才是。

Presumably seeing the absurdity of his own behavior,

或許看到了自己的行為有多荒謬，

the emperor laughed and pardoned the magistrate.

皇帝笑了出來並免了地方官的罪，

In 1596, a French man was condemned to death.

在 1596 年，一名法國男子被判死刑，

But Mathurine, one of the relatively few female jesters on record,

馬圖林是在紀錄上少見的女弄臣，

intervened in return for payment.

她進行干預以換取酬勞，

With her help, the man’s wife successfully pleaded with King Henry IV

在她的幫助下，法國人的妻子成功地 向亨利四世求情並保住丈夫的性命。

for her husband’s life.

Although rare, jesters were sometimes fired or even killed

但雖然罕見，

弄臣有時也會被革職，甚至被殺掉，

for taking their mockery or criticism too far.

因他們的批評或嘲笑太過火。

In 1638, Scottish jester Archy Armstrong

在 1638 年，蘇格蘭弄臣 阿奇·阿姆斯壯

worsened his already contentious relationship

跟特伯雷大主教的關係緊張，

with the Archbishop of Canterbury.

之後更是惡化。

The Archbishop had recently revised the Scottish Book of Common Prayer—

大主教那時剛修訂了蘇格蘭公禱書，

an act that garnered strong opposition and incited riots.

而此行為引起強烈反對及騷亂。

Taking the opportunity to further humiliate him,

阿奇利用這機會進一步諷刺他，

Archy asked the Archbishop, “Who’s the fool now?”

他問大主教：

「現在誰是弄臣？」

For which he was banished from the court.

為此他被逐出宮廷。

Three years later, after the Archbishop’s arrest,

三年後，當大主教被捕後，

a pamphlet began circulating that ridiculed him,

坊間開始流傳著一本小冊子嘲笑他，

which was said to be the work of none other than Archy.

聽說作家正是阿奇，

Meanwhile, some jesters openly mocked their royal bosses without consequence.

同時，有弄臣公然嘲弄 他們的皇室老大，

卻沒有受到任何懲罰。

11th century Persian jester Talhak suggested the sultan was a cuckold,

十一世紀時波斯弄臣塔爾.哈克 影射蘇丹戴綠帽子，

implying his wife was unfaithful to him.

暗示他的妻子不忠，

One day, as the sultan rested his head on Talhak’s knee,

有一天，蘇丹躺在哈克膝蓋上休息，

he is said to have inquired, “What is your relation to cuckolds?”

據說他向哈克問道： 戴綠帽的人跟你是什麼關係？

To which Talhak replied, “I am their pillow.”

哈克則回覆說：我是他們的枕頭。

And when 19th century Persian shah asked whether there was a food shortage,

十九世紀時波斯國王問， 這裡有沒有糧食短缺的問題？

jester Karim Shir’ei joked,

卡里姆·希雷開玩笑地道：

“Yes, I see Your Majesty is eating only five times a day.”

有，我看見陛下您一天只吃五頓飯。

Even when rulers were considered divinely appointed,

就算統治者被看作是神所欽點，

some jesters managed to speak truth directly to power,

有些弄臣還是有辦法 向掌權者說出真相，

and reveal— in so many riddles, jokes, or skits—

並用眾多謎題、玩笑、幽默故事，

who the real fools were.

揭開真正的弄臣是誰。