第十一回 · 自述地府 The Emperor Tells of Hell — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

自述地府 The Emperor Tells of Hell

自zì出chū了le森sēn羅luó殿diàn，見jiàn那nà陰yīn司sī裡lǐ不bù忠zhōng不bú孝xiào、非fēi禮lǐ非fēi義yì、作zuò踐jiàn五wǔ穀gǔ、明míng欺qī暗àn騙piàn、大dà斗dòu小xiǎo秤chèng、姦jiān盜dào詐zhà偽wěi、淫yín邪xié欺qī罔wǎng之zhī徒tú，受shòu那nà些xiē磨mó燒shāo舂chōng剉cuò之zhī苦kǔ，煎jiān熬áo弔diào剝bō之zhī刑xíng，有yǒu千qiān千qiān萬wàn萬wàn，看kàn之zhī不bù足zú。又yòu過guò著zhe枉wǎng死sǐ城chéng中zhōng，有yǒu無wú數shù的de冤yuān魂hún，盡jìn都dōu是shì六liù十shí四sì處chù煙yān塵chén的de草cǎo寇kòu、七qī十shí二èr處chù叛pàn賊zéi的de魂hún靈líng，擋dǎng住zhù了le朕zhèn之zhī來lái路lù。幸xìng虧kuī崔cuī判pàn官guān作zuò保bǎo，借jiè得de河hé南nán相xiàng老lǎo兒ér的de金jīn銀yín一yí庫kù，買mǎi轉zhuǎn鬼guǐ魂hún，方fāng得dé前qián行xíng。崔cuī判pàn官guān教jiào朕zhèn回huí陽yáng世shì，千qiān萬wàn作zuò一yì場cháng水shuǐ陸lù大dà會huì，超chāo度dù那nà無wú主zhǔ的de孤gū魂hún，將jiāng此cǐ言yán叮dīng嚀níng。自zì出chū了le森sēn罗luó殿diàn，见jiàn那nà阴yīn司sī里lǐ不bù忠zhōng不bú孝xiào、非fēi礼lǐ非fēi义yì、作zuò践jiàn五wǔ谷gǔ、明míng欺qī暗àn骗piàn、大dà斗dòu小xiǎo秤chèng、奸jiān盗dào诈zhà伪wěi、淫yín邪xié欺qī罔wǎng之zhī徒tú，受shòu那nà些xiē磨mó烧shāo舂chōng剉cuò之zhī苦kǔ，煎jiān熬áo吊diào剥bō之zhī刑xíng，有yǒu千qiān千qiān万wàn万wàn，看kàn之zhī不bù足zú。又yòu过guò着zhe枉wǎng死sǐ城chéng中zhōng，有yǒu无wú数shù的de冤yuān魂hún，尽jìn都dōu是shì六liù十shí四sì处chù烟yān尘chén的de草cǎo寇kòu、七qī十shí二èr处chù叛pàn贼zéi的de魂hún灵líng，挡dǎng住zhù了le朕zhèn之zhī来lái路lù。幸xìng亏kuī崔cuī判pàn官guān作zuò保bǎo，借jiè得de河hé南nán相xiàng老lǎo儿ér的de金jīn银yín一yí库kù，买mǎi转zhuǎn鬼guǐ魂hún，方fāng得dé前qián行xíng。崔cuī判pàn官guān教jiào朕zhèn回huí阳yáng世shì，千qiān万wàn作zuò一yì场cháng水shuǐ陆lù大dà会huì，超chāo度dù那nà无wú主zhǔ的de孤gū魂hún，将jiāng此cǐ言yán叮dīng咛níng。

逐句解 Line by line

'When I had come out of the Hall of Judgment, I saw in the shadow-world the multitudes of the disloyal and unfilial, the improper and unrighteous, the wasters of the five grains, the open cheats and secret swindlers, those of big pecks and small scales, the lewd thieves and frauds and deceivers — suffering the torments of grinding, burning, pounding, and hacking, the punishments of scalding, boiling, hanging, and flaying — thousands upon thousands, more than the eye could take in.'

A compressed reprise of the eighteen hells, delivered as testimony. 作踐五穀 — wasting grain — is a sin against Heaven's provision, and it sits in this list beside fraud and theft as a matter of course. 大斗小秤 is the two-sets-of-weights swindle again. 磨燒舂剉 and 煎熬弔剝 — mill, fire, pestle and blade; scalding, boiling, hanging and flaying — are the punishments, listed in the same clipped four-character rhythm as the crimes.

又yòu過guò著zhe枉wǎng死sǐ城chéng中zhōng，有yǒu無wú數shù的de冤yuān魂hún，盡jìn都dōu是shì六liù十shí四sì處chù煙yān塵chén的de草cǎo寇kòu、七qī十shí二èr處chù叛pàn賊zéi的de魂hún靈líng，擋dǎng住zhù了le朕zhèn之zhī來lái路lù。又yòu过guò着zhe枉wǎng死sǐ城chéng中zhōng，有yǒu无wú数shù的de冤yuān魂hún，尽jìn都dōu是shì六liù十shí四sì处chù烟yān尘chén的de草cǎo寇kòu、七qī十shí二èr处chù叛pàn贼zéi的de魂hún灵líng，挡dǎng住zhù了le朕zhèn之zhī来lái路lù。

'Then, passing through the City of the Wrongfully Dead, I found countless wronged souls — all the ghost-spirits of the bandits of the sixty-four dust-storms and the rebels of the seventy-two risings — blocking the road before me.'

過著 uses zhe. 六十四處煙塵 and 七十二處叛賊 are the formulaic tally of rebel forces put down in the wars that founded the Tang — the same count as before, with "rebels" in place of "bandits." The emperor is telling his generals, some of whom fought those campaigns, that he met the dead on the road.

幸xìng虧kuī崔cuī判pàn官guān作zuò保bǎo，借jiè得de河hé南nán相xiàng老lǎo兒ér的de金jīn銀yín一yí庫kù，買mǎi轉zhuǎn鬼guǐ魂hún，方fāng得dé前qián行xíng。幸xìng亏kuī崔cuī判pàn官guān作zuò保bǎo，借jiè得de河hé南nán相xiàng老lǎo儿ér的de金jīn银yín一yí库kù，买mǎi转zhuǎn鬼guǐ魂hún，方fāng得dé前qián行xíng。

'Luckily, with Magistrate Cui standing surety, I borrowed a vault of gold and silver from old Xiang of Henan, bought off the ghosts, and only so was able to go on.'

The surname 相 is read xiàng: 相老兒, "old Xiàng," is the benefactor Xiàng Liáng. 借得 uses de; 方得 uses dé. 買轉 is to buy someone round, to settle them with a payment. Note the verb: the emperor of China says out loud, in open court, that he bribed his way past his own war-dead.

崔cuī判pàn官guān教jiào朕zhèn回huí陽yáng世shì，千qiān萬wàn作zuò一yì場cháng水shuǐ陸lù大dà會huì，超chāo度dù那nà無wú主zhǔ的de孤gū魂hún，將jiāng此cǐ言yán叮dīng嚀níng。崔cuī判pàn官guān教jiào朕zhèn回huí阳yáng世shì，千qiān万wàn作zuò一yì场cháng水shuǐ陆lù大dà会huì，超chāo度dù那nà无wú主zhǔ的de孤gū魂hún，将jiāng此cǐ言yán叮dīng咛níng。

'Magistrate Cui bade me, on my return to the world of light, by all means to hold a Grand Mass of Land and Water to deliver the masterless, ownerless souls — this he charged upon me most earnestly.'

叮嚀 is to press an instruction on someone over and over. This single sentence is the pivot of the novel: the Grand Mass the emperor is now committed to holding is the occasion at which the pilgrimage to India will be proposed.

總評 Commentary

The second half of the emperor's report covers the tour of hell and the ransoming of his war-dead, and closes on the magistrate's charge to hold the Grand Mass.

By putting the whole underworld journey in Taizong's own mouth, the novel converts a private vision into public policy: what he saw below becomes the warrant for the great rite above, and the instruction he passes on sets the next machinery of the plot turning.