第十回 · 江湖生計 The Angler's and Woodman's Living — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional 含詞賦 With rhapsody

江湖生計 The Angler's and Woodman's Living

漁yú翁wēng道dào：「李lǐ兄xiōng，你nǐ山shān中zhōng不bù如rú我wǒ水shuǐ上shàng生shēng意yì快kuài活huó。有yǒu一yì《西xī江jiāng月yuè》為wéi證zhèng：渔yú翁wēng道dào：「李lǐ兄xiōng，你nǐ山shān中zhōng不bù如rú我wǒ水shuǐ上shàng生shēng意yì快kuài活huó。有yǒu一yì《西xī江jiāng月yuè》为wéi证zhèng：

紅hóng蓼liǎo花huā繁fán映yìng月yuè，黃huáng蘆lú葉yè亂luàn搖yáo風fēng。红hóng蓼liǎo花huā繁fán映yìng月yuè，黄huáng芦lú叶yè乱luàn摇yáo风fēng。

碧bì天tiān清qīng遠yuǎn楚chǔ江jiāng空kōng，牽qiān攪jiǎo一yì潭tán星xīng動dòng。碧bì天tiān清qīng远yuǎn楚chǔ江jiāng空kōng，牵qiān搅jiǎo一yì潭tán星xīng动dòng。

入rù網wǎng大dà魚yú作zuò隊duì，吞tūn鉤gōu小xiǎo鱖guì成chéng叢cóng。入rù网wǎng大dà鱼yú作zuò队duì，吞tūn钩gōu小xiǎo鳜guì成chéng丛cóng。

得dé來lái烹pēng煮zhǔ味wèi偏piān濃nóng，笑xiào傲ào江jiāng湖hú打dǎ鬨hòng。」得dé来lái烹pēng煮zhǔ味wèi偏piān浓nóng，笑xiào傲ào江jiāng湖hú打dǎ哄hòng。」

樵qiáo夫fū道dào：「張zhāng兄xiōng，你nǐ水shuǐ上shàng還hái不bù如rú我wǒ山shān中zhōng的de生shēng意yì快kuài活huó。亦yì有yǒu《西xī江jiāng月yuè》為wéi證zhèng：樵qiáo夫fū道dào：「张zhāng兄xiōng，你nǐ水shuǐ上shàng还hái不bù如rú我wǒ山shān中zhōng的de生shēng意yì快kuài活huó。亦yì有yǒu《西xī江jiāng月yuè》为wéi证zhèng：

敗bài葉yè枯kū藤téng滿mǎn路lù，破pò梢shāo老lǎo竹zhú盈yíng山shān。败bài叶yè枯kū藤téng满mǎn路lù，破pò梢shāo老lǎo竹zhú盈yíng山shān。

女nǚ蘿luó乾gān葛gé亂luàn牽qiān攀pān，折zhé取qǔ收shōu繩shéng殺shā擔dān。女nǚ萝luó干gān葛gé乱luàn牵qiān攀pān，折zhé取qǔ收shōu绳shéng杀shā担dān。

蟲chóng蛀zhù空kōng心xīn榆yú柳liǔ，風fēng吹chuī斷duàn頭tóu松sōng柟nán。虫chóng蛀zhù空kōng心xīn榆yú柳liǔ，风fēng吹chuī断duàn头tóu松sōng柟nán。

採cǎi來lái堆duī積jī備bèi冬dōng寒hán，換huàn酒jiǔ換huàn錢qián從cóng俺ǎn。」采cǎi来lái堆duī积jī备bèi冬dōng寒hán，换huàn酒jiǔ换huàn钱qián从cóng俺ǎn。」

逐句解 Line by line

The fisherman said: 'Brother Li, your life in the hills is not so merry as my trade on the water. I have a lyric to the tune Moon over the West River to prove it:'

生意快活 is 'a livelihood carefree and lively'; 《西江月》 (Xījiāngyuè, 'Moon over the West River') is one of the most familiar 詞牌, used repeatedly in the novel. 為 in 為證 is wéi.

紅hóng蓼liǎo花huā繁fán映yìng月yuè，黃huáng蘆lú葉yè亂luàn搖yáo風fēng。红hóng蓼liǎo花huā繁fán映yìng月yuè，黄huáng芦lú叶yè乱luàn摇yáo风fēng。

Red smartweed in heavy bloom mirrors the moon; yellow reeds toss their leaves in the wind.

紅蓼 is red-flowered smartweed of the water margin, 黃蘆 the withered yellow reeds — a balanced six-and-six opening couplet, as the 西江月 form requires.

The azure sky stretches clear and far, the Chu river lies empty; a single stir sets the whole pool of stars atremble.

楚江 ('the river of Chu') is a poetic name for the great southern waters; 牽攪 is 'to tug and stir,' and 一潭星動 the reflected stars set quivering by the oar. 一 is read yì.

入rù網wǎng大dà魚yú作zuò隊duì，吞tūn鉤gōu小xiǎo鱖guì成chéng叢cóng。入rù网wǎng大dà鱼yú作zuò队duì，吞tūn钩gōu小xiǎo鳜guì成chéng丛cóng。

Great fish come into the net in ranks; little mandarin-fish take the hook in clusters.

鱖 (guì) is the mandarin fish; 作隊 ('in files') and 成叢 ('in throngs') make the couplet's parallel exact — big fish to the net, small fish to the hook.

Once got and cooked, the flavor is all the richer; laughing proud on rivers and lakes, I make merry din.

味偏濃 is 'the taste especially strong'; 笑傲江湖 ('to laugh in proud freedom upon the rivers and lakes') is a set phrase for the untrammeled wandering life, and 打鬨 (dǎ hòng) is 'to make a boisterous racket.' The 」 ends the fisherman's lyric.

The woodcutter said: 'Brother Zhang, your trade on the water is still not so merry as mine in the hills. I also have a lyric to Moon over the West River to prove it:'

The matched rejoinder again; 還不如 caps the fisherman's own 不如. 為 in 為證 is wéi.

敗bài葉yè枯kū藤téng滿mǎn路lù，破pò梢shāo老lǎo竹zhú盈yíng山shān。败bài叶yè枯kū藤téng满mǎn路lù，破pò梢shāo老lǎo竹zhú盈yíng山shān。

Withered leaves and dead creepers litter the path; broken tips of aging bamboo fill the hills.

敗葉枯藤 is the fallen debris of the woods, the woodcutter's raw material; 破梢 the broken stalk-ends, 盈山 'fill the mountains.' The couplet answers the fisherman's water-scene with a hill-scene.

女nǚ蘿luó乾gān葛gé亂luàn牽qiān攀pān，折zhé取qǔ收shōu繩shéng殺shā擔dān。女nǚ萝luó干gān葛gé乱luàn牵qiān攀pān，折zhé取qǔ收shōu绳shéng杀shā担dān。

Old-man's-beard and dried kudzu tangle and climb every which way; I break them off, bind them with cord, and lash down my load.

女蘿 is the climbing lichen-vine 'old-man's-beard'; 葛 kudzu (乾 read gān, 'dried'). 收繩 is 'to take up the binding-rope,' 殺擔 'to cinch the carrying-load tight.'

蟲chóng蛀zhù空kōng心xīn榆yú柳liǔ，風fēng吹chuī斷duàn頭tóu松sōng柟nán。虫chóng蛀zhù空kōng心xīn榆yú柳liǔ，风fēng吹chuī断duàn头tóu松sōng柟nán。

Worms have bored the elms and willows hollow; the wind has snapped the crowns of pine and nanmu.

蟲蛀 is 'worm-eaten'; 榆柳 elm and willow, 柟 (= 楠, nán) the nanmu, a prized timber. Dead and broken wood is exactly the woodcutter's harvest.

I gather it, heap it up against the winter cold, and trade it for wine and coin just as I choose.

備冬寒 is 'to lay in a store against the cold'; 從俺 is 'as I please,' 俺 a colloquial northern 'I.' The plain vernacular close matches the fisherman's 打鬨; the 」 ends the lyric.

總評 Commentary

The fourth exchange sets two lyrics to Moon over the West River, the tune whose strict form — paired six-syllable lines opening each stanza, then seven-syllable lines — the poet keeps throughout. The fisherman paints a luminous night on the water, smartweed and reeds under the moon, nets and hooks full of fish; the woodcutter answers with the litter of the autumn woods, dead vines and broken timber gathered against the winter.

Both lyrics close on a deliberately colloquial note — the fisherman's 笑傲江湖打鬨 and the woodcutter's 換酒換錢從俺, the latter dropping into the plain dialect 俺 for 'I.' The descent from ornate natural imagery to rough vernacular is characteristic of the 詞 as the novel deploys it: a form capable of both the painterly and the earthy, here yoking the two rustics' refinement to their unpretending, workaday freedom.