第十一回 · 背陰山 The Mountain of the Shaded North — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

背陰山 The Mountain of the Shaded North

徑jìng行xíng數shù里lǐ，忽hū見jiàn一yí座zuò高gāo山shān，陰yīn雲yún垂chuí地dì，黑hēi霧wù迷mí空kōng。太tài宗zōng道dào：「崔cuī先xiān生shēng，那nà廂xiāng是shì甚shén麼me山shān？」判pàn官guān道dào：「乃nǎi幽yōu冥míng背bèi陰yīn山shān。」太tài宗zōng悚sǒng懼jù道dào：「朕zhèn如rú何hé去qù得dé？」判pàn官guān道dào：「陛bì下xià寬kuān心xīn，有yǒu臣chén等děng引yǐn領lǐng。」太tài宗zōng戰zhàn戰zhàn兢jīng兢jīng，相xiāng隨suí二èr人rén，上shàng得dé山shān岩yán，擡tái頭tóu觀guān看kàn，只zhǐ見jiàn：径jìng行xíng数shù里lǐ，忽hū见jiàn一yí座zuò高gāo山shān，阴yīn云yún垂chuí地dì，黑hēi雾wù迷mí空kōng。太tài宗zōng道dào：「崔cuī先xiān生shēng，那nà厢xiāng是shì甚shén么me山shān？」判pàn官guān道dào：「乃nǎi幽yōu冥míng背bèi阴yīn山shān。」太tài宗zōng悚sǒng惧jù道dào：「朕zhèn如rú何hé去qù得dé？」判pàn官guān道dào：「陛bì下xià宽kuān心xīn，有yǒu臣chén等děng引yǐn领lǐng。」太tài宗zōng战zhàn战zhàn兢jīng兢jīng，相xiāng随suí二èr人rén，上shàng得dé山shān岩yán，抬tái头tóu观guān看kàn，只zhǐ见jiàn：

逐句解 Line by line

徑jìng行xíng數shù里lǐ，忽hū見jiàn一yí座zuò高gāo山shān，陰yīn雲yún垂chuí地dì，黑hēi霧wù迷mí空kōng。径jìng行xíng数shù里lǐ，忽hū见jiàn一yí座zuò高gāo山shān，阴yīn云yún垂chuí地dì，黑hēi雾wù迷mí空kōng。

Going straight on for several li, they saw all at once a high mountain, where dark clouds hung to the ground and black mist blotted out the sky.

Dark cloud down to the ground, black mist blotting the sky: 陰雲垂地，黑霧迷空 is the standard weather report for the infernal landscape, and it arrives the moment the tour proper begins.

太tài宗zōng道dào：「崔cuī先xiān生shēng，那nà廂xiāng是shì甚shén麼me山shān？」判pàn官guān道dào：「乃nǎi幽yōu冥míng背bèi陰yīn山shān。」太tài宗zōng道dào：「崔cuī先xiān生shēng，那nà厢xiāng是shì甚shén么me山shān？」判pàn官guān道dào：「乃nǎi幽yōu冥míng背bèi阴yīn山shān。」

Taizong said, 'Master Cui, what mountain is that yonder?' The magistrate replied, 'It is the Mountain of the Shaded North, in the realm of shadowy gloom.'

那廂 is "over that way." 甚麼 is shén me, "what." 背陰山, bèi yīn shān, is the mountain that keeps its back to the sun — the north-facing slope where snow never melts, scaled up into a whole peak of the dead.

太tài宗zōng悚sǒng懼jù道dào：「朕zhèn如rú何hé去qù得dé？」判pàn官guān道dào：「陛bì下xià寬kuān心xīn，有yǒu臣chén等děng引yǐn領lǐng。」太tài宗zōng悚sǒng惧jù道dào：「朕zhèn如rú何hé去qù得dé？」判pàn官guān道dào：「陛bì下xià宽kuān心xīn，有yǒu臣chén等děng引yǐn领lǐng。」

In dread Taizong said, 'How am I ever to cross it?' The magistrate said, 'Let Your Majesty be at ease — your servants are here to lead the way.'

悚懼 is to be struck with fear. 去得 — 得 as dé — is "able to get across." The sovereign of China asks his guide whether he can manage the climb.

太tài宗zōng戰zhàn戰zhàn兢jīng兢jīng，相xiāng隨suí二èr人rén，上shàng得dé山shān岩yán，擡tái頭tóu觀guān看kàn，只zhǐ見jiàn：太tài宗zōng战zhàn战zhàn兢jīng兢jīng，相xiāng随suí二èr人rén，上shàng得dé山shān岩yán，抬tái头tóu观guān看kàn，只zhǐ见jiàn：

Trembling and fearful, Taizong followed the two of them, climbed up onto the crags, and, raising his head to look, beheld this:

戰戰兢兢, "trembling and treading carefully," is still the ordinary Chinese phrase for doing something in fear of putting a foot wrong. The tag 只見 hands off to the rhapsody of the mountain.

總評 Commentary

The crossing of the mountain is the threshold of the hell-tour proper, and the novel keeps the emperor visibly frightened throughout — 悚懼, 戰戰兢兢 — and wholly dependent on two infernal civil servants, which is about as far from his standing in the world above as he can be put.

The prose parks him on the crag so that the rhapsody can unroll the sunless peak in front of his eyes and the reader's at the same time.