原文 Original text
繁體 Traditional
含詞賦 With rhapsody
森羅殿賦
Rhapsody on the Hall of Judgment
飄飄萬疊彩霞堆，隱隱千條紅霧現。飘飘万叠彩霞堆，隐隐千条红雾现。
耿耿簷飛怪獸頭，輝輝五疊鴛鴦片。耿耿簷飞怪兽头，辉辉五叠鸳鸯片。
門鑽幾路赤金釘，檻設一橫白玉段。门钻几路赤金钉，槛设一横白玉段。
牕牖近光放曉煙，簾櫳幌亮穿紅電。牕牖近光放晓烟，帘栊幌亮穿红电。
樓臺高聳接青霄，廊廡平排連寶院。楼台高耸接青霄，廊庑平排连宝院。
獸鼎香雲襲御衣，絳紗燈火明宮扇。兽鼎香云袭御衣，绛纱灯火明宫扇。
左邊猛烈擺牛頭，右下崢嶸羅馬面。左边猛烈摆牛头，右下峥嵘罗马面。
接亡送鬼轉金牌，引魄招魂垂素練。接亡送鬼转金牌，引魄招魂垂素练。
喚作陰司總會門，下方閻老森羅殿。唤作阴司总会门，下方阎老森罗殿。
逐句解 Line by line
飄飄萬疊彩霞堆，隱隱千條紅霧現。
飘飘万叠彩霞堆，隐隐千条红雾现。
Fluttering, ten thousand folds of coloured sunset heaped high; faint and dim, a thousand strands of crimson mist appear.
The rhapsody opens on cloud and mist, the standard palette for a numinous palace.
耿耿簷飛怪獸頭，輝輝五疊鴛鴦片。
耿耿簷飞怪兽头，辉辉五叠鸳鸯片。
Gleaming, from the eaves soar the heads of monstrous beasts; glittering, in five courses lie the mandarin-drake tiles.
怪獸頭 the beast-head finials of the roof-ridge; 鴛鴦片 interlocking 'mandarin-duck' tiles laid in overlapping courses.
門鑽幾路赤金釘，檻設一橫白玉段。
门钻几路赤金钉，槛设一横白玉段。
The gates are bored with several rows of red-gold studs; the sill is set with a single bar of white jade.
赤金釘 the gilded door-studs (門釘); the reading dìng follows the project's standing ruling for 釘. 檻 kǎn, the threshold-sill.
牕牖近光放曉煙，簾櫳幌亮穿紅電。
牕牖近光放晓烟，帘栊幌亮穿红电。
The lattice-windows, near to the light, breathe out a dawn-like haze; the blinds and casements, dazzling bright, are pierced by crimson lightning.
牕牖 (chuāng yǒu) = 窗牖, windows. 簾櫳 blinds and window-lattice.
樓臺高聳接青霄，廊廡平排連寶院。
楼台高耸接青霄，廊庑平排连宝院。
The tower-hall rears high to touch the blue empyrean; the galleries range level, linked to precious courts.
廊廡 (láng wǔ) the covered walkways and flanking chambers.
獸鼎香雲襲御衣，絳紗燈火明宮扇。
兽鼎香云袭御衣，绛纱灯火明宫扇。
From beast-shaped censers, clouds of incense steep the royal robes; in crimson-gauze lamps, the firelight brightens the palace fans.
獸鼎 zoomorphic incense-tripods; 絳紗 crimson silk gauze; 宮扇 the great ceremonial fans of state.
左邊猛烈擺牛頭，右下崢嶸羅馬面。
左边猛烈摆牛头，右下峥嵘罗马面。
On the left, fierce and glaring, Ox-Head is ranged; on the right, towering high, Horse-Face is arrayed.
牛頭馬面, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, the two guardian-warders of the underworld. 羅 here 'to marshal in rank.'
接亡送鬼轉金牌，引魄招魂垂素練。
接亡送鬼转金牌，引魄招魂垂素练。
Receiving the dead and escorting the ghosts, they turn the golden tablets; drawing the souls and summoning the spirits, they let fall white streamers.
金牌 the golden warrant-tablets; 素練 undyed silk streamers used to marshal the summoned souls.
喚作陰司總會門，下方閻老森羅殿。
唤作阴司总会门，下方阎老森罗殿。
This they call the Grand Assembly Gate of the Shadow Administration; below it lies the Hall of Judgment of aged Yama.
陰司總會門 'the general assembly-gate of the netherworld bureaucracy.' 閻老 'old Yama'; 森羅殿 the Hall of Judgment.
總評 Commentary
The rhapsody renders the seat of the dead as a celestial palace scarcely distinguishable from the Tang court above — heaped sunset clouds, jade thresholds, incense and lamplight, ceremonial fans. Only when Ox-Head and Horse-Face appear, flanking the gate, does the true office of the place declare itself. The whole set-piece choreographs the emperor's arrival, holding the eye on splendour until the guardians of hell come into view.