劉孝廉，能記前身事。與先文賁兄為同年，嘗歷歷言之：一世為晉紳，行多玷。六十二歲而歿。初見冥王，待如鄉先生禮，賜坐，飲以茶。覷冥王盞中，茶色清澈；己盞中，濁如醪。暗疑迷魂湯得勿此耶？乘冥王他顧，以盞就案角瀉之，偽為盡者。俄頃，稽前生惡錄；怒，命群鬼捽下，罰作馬。即有厲鬼縶去。行至一家，門限甚高，不可逾。方趑趄間，鬼力楚之，痛甚而蹶。自顧，則身已在櫪下矣。但聞人曰：「驪馬生駒矣，牡也。」心甚明瞭，但不能言。覺大餒，不得已，就牝馬求乳。逾四五年，體修偉。甚畏撻楚，見鞭則懼而逸。主人騎，必覆障泥，緩轡徐徐，猶不甚苦；惟奴僕圉人，不加韉裝以行，兩踝夾擊，痛徹心腑。於是憤甚，三日不食，遂死。
刘孝廉，能记前身事。与先文贲兄为同年，尝历历言之：一世为晋绅，行多玷。六十二岁而殁。初见冥王，待如乡先生礼，赐坐，饮以茶。觑冥王盏中，茶色清澈；己盏中，浊如醪。暗疑迷魂汤得勿此耶？乘冥王他顾，以盏就案角泻之，伪为尽者。俄顷，稽前生恶录；怒，命群鬼捽下，罚作马。即有厉鬼絷去。行至一家，门限甚高，不可逾。方趑趄间，鬼力楚之，痛甚而蹶。自顾，则身已在枥下矣。但闻人曰：「骊马生驹矣，牡也。」心甚明了，但不能言。觉大馁，不得已，就牝马求乳。逾四五年，体修伟。甚畏挞楚，见鞭则惧而逸。主人骑，必覆障泥，缓辔徐徐，犹不甚苦；惟奴仆圉人，不加鞯装以行，两踝夹击，痛彻心腑。于是愤甚，三日不食，遂死。
A provincial graduate named Liu could remember his former lives. He had passed the provincial examination in the same year as my late elder brother Wenben, and used to tell the whole story in vivid detail. In his first life he was a member of the gentry, and his conduct was much stained. He died at sixty-two. When he first came before the King of the Underworld, the King received him with the courtesy due to a gentleman of his district, gave him a seat and served him tea. Liu peeped into the King’s cup: the tea was clear. In his own it was cloudy, like unstrained wine. He wondered privately whether this could be the Broth of Oblivion. While the King was looking elsewhere, he tipped the cup against the corner of the table and poured it away, pretending he had drunk it all. In a moment the record of his evil deeds in his past life was examined. The King was angry, ordered the ghosts to drag him down, and sentenced him to become a horse. At once a vicious fiend tied him up and led him off. They came to a house with a threshold so high he could not get over it. As he hung back, the fiend beat him hard; the pain was so great that he stumbled and fell. He looked at himself: he was lying under a manger. He heard someone say, “The black mare has foaled. It’s a colt.” His mind was perfectly clear, but he could not speak. He felt very hungry, and having no choice, he went to the mare and sucked her milk. After four or five years he had grown tall and powerful. He was terrified of being whipped, and at the sight of a whip would bolt in fear. When his master rode him, he always put on the saddle flaps, held the reins loose and went slowly, so it was not too hard. But the servants and grooms rode him bare, with no saddle cloth, and clamped and kicked his sides with both heels, and the pain went through to his heart. At this he grew so bitter that he would not eat for three days, and died.
至冥司，冥王查其罰限未滿，責其規避，剝其皮革，罰為犬。意懊喪，不欲行。群鬼亂撻之，痛極而竄于野。自念不如死，憤投絕壁，顛，莫能起。自顧，則身伏竇中，牝犬舐而腓字之，乃知身已復生于人世矣。稍長，見便液亦知穢；然嗅之而香，但立念不食耳。為犬經年，常忿欲死，又恐罪其規避。而主人又豢養，不肯戮。乃故嚙主人，脫股肉。主人怒，杖殺之。
至冥司，冥王查其罚限未满，责其规避，剥其皮革，罚为犬。意懊丧，不欲行。群鬼乱挞之，痛极而窜于野。自念不如死，愤投绝壁，颠，莫能起。自顾，则身伏窦中，牝犬舐而腓字之，乃知身已复生于人世矣。稍长，见便液亦知秽；然嗅之而香，但立念不食耳。为犬经年，常忿欲死，又恐罪其规避。而主人又豢养，不肯戮。乃故啮主人，脱股肉。主人怒，杖杀之。
When he reached the court of the Underworld, the King found that his term of punishment was not yet served, rebuked him for trying to evade it, had him stripped of his hide and sentenced him to be a dog. Liu was downcast and would not go. The ghosts beat him all over, and in his agony he ran off into the wilds. Thinking he was better off dead, he flung himself in fury from a cliff, fell, and could not get up. He looked at himself: he was lying in a hole, and a bitch was licking him and suckling him. Then he knew he had been born again into the world of men. As he grew a little, he knew that dung and urine were filthy when he saw them; yet they smelled good to him, and he only held firm in his resolve not to eat them. He was a dog for a year or more, and was always angry enough to want to die, but he was afraid of being punished again for evading his sentence. And his master kept him well and would not kill him. So he deliberately bit his master and tore a lump of flesh from his thigh. The master was furious and beat him to death with a stick.
冥王鞫狀，怒其狂猘，笞數百，俾作蛇。囚于幽室，暗不見天。悶甚，緣壁而上，穴屋而出。自視，則伏身茂草，居然蛇矣。遂矢志不殘生類，飢吞木實。積年余，每思自盡不可，害人而死又不可；欲求一善死之策而未得也。一日，臥草中，聞車過，遽出當路；車馳壓之，斷為兩。
冥王鞫状，怒其狂猘，笞数百，俾作蛇。囚于幽室，暗不见天。闷甚，缘壁而上，穴屋而出。自视，则伏身茂草，居然蛇矣。遂矢志不残生类，饥吞木实。积年余，每思自尽不可，害人而死又不可；欲求一善死之策而未得也。一日，卧草中，闻车过，遽出当路；车驰压之，断为两。
The King of the Underworld heard the case and, angry at his mad-dog savagery, gave him several hundred strokes and made him a snake. He was shut in a dark chamber where he could not see the sky. Stifled, he climbed the wall, broke a hole through the roof and got out. He looked at himself: he was lying in thick grass, and he was indeed a snake. So he vowed never to harm a living thing, and when hungry swallowed the fruit of trees. A year or more went by. He kept thinking: to kill himself would not do, and to harm someone and be killed for it would not do either. He wanted a good way to die but could not find one. One day, lying in the grass, he heard a cart coming, and darted out into the road. The cart ran over him at speed and cut him in two.
冥王訝其速至，因蒲伏自剖。冥王以無罪見殺，原之，准其滿限復為人，是為劉公。公生而能言，文章書史，過輒成誦。辛酉舉孝廉。每勸人：乘馬必厚其障泥；股夾之刑，勝于鞭楚也。
冥王讶其速至，因蒲伏自剖。冥王以无罪见杀，原之，准其满限复为人，是为刘公。公生而能言，文章书史，过辄成诵。辛酉举孝廉。每劝人：乘马必厚其障泥；股夹之刑，胜于鞭楚也。
The King of the Underworld was surprised to see him back so soon. Liu crawled forward and explained himself. Since he had been killed through no fault of his own, the King pardoned him, ruled his term served, and allowed him to be a man again. This was Liu. He could speak from birth, and essays, classics and histories he could recite after reading them once. In the xinyou year he passed the provincial examination. He always urged people: when you ride a horse, give it thick saddle flaps; being clamped between the thighs is a worse torture than the whip.
異史氏曰：「毛角之儔，乃有王公大人在其中；所以然者，王公大人之內，原未必無毛角者在其中也。故賤者為善，如求花而種其樹；貴者為善，如已花而培其本：種者可大，培者可久。不然，且將負鹽車，受羈馽，與之為馬；不然，且將啖便液，受烹割，與之為犬；又不然，且將披鱗介，葬鶴鸛，與之為蛇。」
异史氏曰：「毛角之俦，乃有王公大人在其中；所以然者，王公大人之内，原未必无毛角者在其中也。故贱者为善，如求花而种其树；贵者为善，如已花而培其本：种者可大，培者可久。不然，且将负盐车，受羁馽，与之为马；不然，且将啖便液，受烹割，与之为犬；又不然，且将披鳞介，葬鹤鹳，与之为蛇。」
The Historian of the Strange says: Among the creatures of fur and horn there are kings, dukes and great men. The reason is that among kings, dukes and great men there may well have been creatures of fur and horn all along. So when a humble man does good, it is like wanting flowers and planting the tree; when a noble man does good, it is like a tree already in flower whose roots are banked up. What is planted can grow great; what is banked up can last long. Otherwise one will haul a salt cart and bear the bridle and the hobble, a horse among horses; otherwise one will eat dung and drink urine and be butchered and cooked, a dog among dogs and be butchered and cooked, a dog among dogs; or else one will wear scales and armour and be buried in the bellies of cranes and storks, a snake among snakes.