"Seven kinds of persons make bad friends."(Kenko)

友とするに悪き物、七あり。一つには、高くやむごときなき人。二には、若き人。三に、病なく身強き人。四には、酒を好人。五には、猛く勇める兵。六には、空言する人。七には、欲深き人。(徒然草第百十七段、新古典文学大系39『方丈記 徒然草』岩波書店)

友とするのによくないものが七つある。一つは身分が高い人。二つは若い人。三つは病気をもたず健康な者、四つは酒を飲む人、五つは威勢のいい武士、六つはうそをつく人、七つは欲のふかい人。(嵐山光三郎訳、少年少女古典文学館『徒然草・方丈記』講談社)

Seven kinds of persons make bad friends. The first is the man of lofty position; the second, the young man; the third, the man of robust constitution who has never known a day’s illness; the fourth, the man fond of liquor; the fifth, the fierce soldier; the sixth, the liar; the seventh, the miser. (translated by Donald Keene, Tuttle )

皆さんは、どの文章が最もわかりやすいですか。どれが最も好きですか。


(Kenko is believed to have lived from 1283 to 1350.)

“Three kinds of men make desirable friends. First is the friend who gives you things; second, a doctor; and third, the friend with wisdom.”(The TSUREZUREGUSA of Kenko, translated by Donald Keene, Tuttle)

If I had been a doctor around that time, I would have had serious trust issues: do they want me for myself or do they only want to be my friends because of my skills and knowledge, my practical value to them?