在《战国策》这部记录战国时期纵横捭阖的历史文献中，有许多耐人寻味的故事。其中，《宋卫》篇中的“宋康王之时有雀生”这一段落，以其独特的叙事风格和深刻的寓意吸引了无数读者的目光。

原文如下：

宋康王之时，有雀生于庭，其色五彩斑斓，众皆以为祥瑞。康王大喜，召群臣议之。或言此乃吉兆，预示国运昌盛；或言此乃不祥之象，恐有灾祸降临。康王犹豫未决，遂问于贤者。贤者沉思良久，答曰：“雀之生，非吉非凶，关键在于人心。若君心正，则雀为祥瑞；若君心邪，则雀成祸端。”

康王听罢，深感愧疚，自省其过，自此勤政爱民，终使国家安定繁荣。

这段文字通过一个简单的“雀生”事件，揭示了治理国家的核心在于君主自身的品德修养。贤者的回答简洁而深刻，将抽象的道德观念具象化，让人易于理解并铭记于心。

翻译如下：

During the reign of King Kang of Song, a colorful bird was born in the courtyard. Everyone considered it a good omen. King Kang was very pleased and summoned his ministers to discuss the matter. Some said this was a good sign indicating the prosperity of the country; others claimed it was an ominous sign foretelling disasters. King Kang hesitated and then asked a wise man for advice. After pondering for a while, the wise man replied: "The birth of the bird is neither good nor bad, but depends on people's hearts. If the ruler's heart is upright, the bird will be a good omen; if the ruler's heart is crooked, the bird will become a disaster."

King Kang felt deeply ashamed after hearing this and began to reflect on his actions. From then on, he governed diligently and cared for his people, eventually bringing peace and prosperity to the nation.

这段故事不仅展现了古代中国对于自然现象与社会关系的理解，同时也传递了儒家思想中关于修身齐家治国平天下的重要性。希望我们每个人都能从中汲取智慧，以更加积极的态度面对生活中的各种挑战。