原文 Original text
繁體 Traditional
含詞賦 With rhapsody
魏徵守後
Wei Zheng Guards the Rear Gate
如此二三日，又聽得後宰門乒乓乒乓，磚瓦亂響。曉來即宣眾臣曰：「連日前門幸喜無事，今夜後門又響，卻不又驚殺寡人也。」茂公進前奏道：「前門不安，是敬德、叔寶護衛；後門不安，該著魏徵護衛。」太宗准奏，又宣魏徵今夜把守後門。徵領旨，當夜結束整齊，提著那誅龍的寶劍，侍立在後宰門前，真個的好英雄也。他怎生打扮：如此二三日，又听得后宰门乒乓乒乓，砖瓦乱响。晓来即宣众臣曰：「连日前门幸喜无事，今夜后门又响，却不又惊杀寡人也。」茂公进前奏道：「前门不安，是敬德、叔宝护卫；后门不安，该著魏征护卫。」太宗准奏，又宣魏征今夜把守后门。征领旨，当夜结束整齐，提著那诛龙的宝剑，侍立在后宰门前，真个的好英雄也。他怎生打扮：
熟絹青巾抹額，錦袍玉帶垂腰。熟绢青巾抹额，锦袍玉带垂腰。
兜風氅袖采霜飄，壓賽壘荼神貌。兜风氅袖采霜飘，压赛垒荼神貌。
腳踏烏靴坐折，手持利刃兇驍。脚踏乌靴坐折，手持利刃凶骁。
圓睜兩眼四邊瞧，那個邪神敢到？圆睁两眼四边瞧，那个邪神敢到？
逐句解 Line by line
如此二三日，又聽得後宰門乒乓乒乓，磚瓦亂響。曉來即宣眾臣曰：「連日前門幸喜無事，今夜後門又響，卻不又驚殺寡人也。」
如此二三日，又听得后宰门乒乓乒乓，砖瓦乱响。晓来即宣众臣曰：「连日前门幸喜无事，今夜后门又响，却不又惊杀寡人也。」
After two or three days like this, there came again from the rear palace gate a banging and clattering, bricks and tiles rattling in confusion. At dawn he summoned the officials and said: 'For days now, happily, the front gate has been quiet; but tonight the rear gate sounds again — will this not frighten me to death once more?'
後宰門 is the rear palace gate; 乒乓 (pīng pāng) is the clatter of thrown objects. The haunting shifts to the one gate left unguarded.
茂公進前奏道：「前門不安，是敬德、叔寶護衛；後門不安，該著魏徵護衛。」
茂公进前奏道：「前门不安，是敬德、叔宝护卫；后门不安，该著魏征护卫。」
Maogong came forward and submitted: 'The front gate's unrest, Jingde and Shubao guard; the rear gate's unrest should be given to Wei Zheng to guard.'
著 in 該著 ('should be assigned to') is the causative zhuó. The plan extends the guard to the rear, and it is the civil minister 魏徵 who is chosen.
太宗准奏，又宣魏徵今夜把守後門。徵領旨，當夜結束整齊，提著那誅龍的寶劍，侍立在後宰門前，真個的好英雄也。他怎生打扮：
太宗准奏，又宣魏征今夜把守后门。征领旨，当夜结束整齐，提著那诛龙的宝剑，侍立在后宰门前，真个的好英雄也。他怎生打扮：
Taizong approved the proposal and summoned Wei Zheng to guard the rear gate that night. Wei Zheng received the order, and that evening, fully accoutred, holding that very sword which had slain the dragon, he stood in attendance before the rear palace gate — a fine hero indeed. See how he was arrayed:
著 in 提著 ('holding') is the durative zhe; 那 is nà; 誅龍 is 'to execute the dragon.' That 魏徵 guards with the dream-blade closes a grim circle. The 賦 follows.
熟絹青巾抹額，錦袍玉帶垂腰。
熟绢青巾抹额，锦袍玉带垂腰。
A raw-silk kerchief bound at his brow, a brocade robe with jade belt hanging at his waist.
熟絹 is finished silk, 抹額 a band tied across the forehead; the description of 魏徵 in guard-dress is more scholarly than the generals' mail — he is a civil minister armed.
兜風氅袖采霜飄，壓賽壘荼神貌。
兜风氅袖采霜飘，压赛垒荼神貌。
His wind-catching cloak-sleeves flutter bright as frost, outmatching the very visage of the door-gods Tu and Lei.
氅袖 are wide cloak-sleeves; 壘荼 compresses the names of the ancient door-gods 神荼 and 鬱壘 (荼 also read shū) — the pre-Tang guardians whom 魏徵's fierce look is said to surpass.
腳踏烏靴坐折，手持利刃兇驍。
脚踏乌靴坐折，手持利刃凶骁。
Black boots planted, he sits four-square; a keen blade in his hand, fierce and bold.
烏靴 are black leather boots; 兇驍 is 'ferocious and valiant.' The civil minister is shown in a warrior's readiness.
圓睜兩眼四邊瞧，那個邪神敢到？
圆睁两眼四边瞧，那个邪神敢到？
His two round eyes glaring, he scans on every side — what evil spirit would dare approach?
那 is nà; 四邊瞧 is 'to look all around.' The rhetorical question — what ghost would dare? — seals the guard-portrait, as the generals' had.
總評 Commentary
When the haunting shifts to the rear gate — bricks and tiles clattering there once the front is safely guarded — it is 魏徵 who volunteers to stand watch, and his portrait completes the chapter's trio of guardians. Where 秦叔寶 and 尉遲敬德 were rendered in dragon-scale mail, 魏徵 the chancellor is shown as a civil minister armed: raw-silk headband and brocade robe, but planted in black boots with a keen blade in hand and eyes glaring on every side.
The detail that he takes up 那誅龍的寶劍, 'the very sword that slew the dragon,' quietly closes a loop — the blade of the dream-execution now guards the emperor against the executed dragon's ghost. And the 賦 again reaches for door-god lore, claiming that 魏徵's fierce visage outdoes even 神荼 and 鬱壘, the archaic door-gods of pre-Tang belief. The chapter thus layers its new door-god myth (秦、尉遲) over the old one (荼、壘), making the whole episode an origin-story for the guardians of the Chinese threshold.