第十一回 · 魂出五鳳樓 The Soul Departs the Five-Phoenix Tower — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

魂出五鳳樓 The Soul Departs the Five-Phoenix Tower

卻què說shuō太tài宗zōng渺miǎo渺miǎo茫máng茫máng，魂hún靈líng徑jìng出chū五wǔ鳳fèng樓lóu前qián，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà御yù林lín軍jūn馬mǎ，請qǐng大dà駕jià出chū朝cháo採cǎi獵liè。太tài宗zōng忻xīn然rán從cóng之zhī，縹piāo渺miǎo而ér去qù。行xíng了le多duō時shí，人rén馬mǎ俱jù無wú。獨dú自zì一yí個gè，散sàn步bù荒huāng郊jiāo草cǎo野yě之zhī間jiān。正zhèng驚jīng惶huáng難nán尋xún道dào路lù，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà一yì邊biān，有yǒu一yì人rén高gāo聲shēng大dà叫jiào道dào：「大dà唐táng皇huáng帝dì，往wǎng這zhè裡lǐ來lái，往wǎng這zhè裡lǐ來lái。」太tài宗zōng聞wén言yán，擡tái頭tóu觀guān看kàn，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà人rén：却què说shuō太tài宗zōng渺miǎo渺miǎo茫máng茫máng，魂hún灵líng径jìng出chū五wǔ凤fèng楼lóu前qián，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà御yù林lín军jūn马mǎ，请qǐng大dà驾jià出chū朝cháo采cǎi猎liè。太tài宗zōng忻xīn然rán从cóng之zhī，缥piāo渺miǎo而ér去qù。行xíng了le多duō时shí，人rén马mǎ俱jù无wú。独dú自zì一yí个gè，散sàn步bù荒huāng郊jiāo草cǎo野yě之zhī间jiān。正zhèng惊jīng惶huáng难nán寻xún道dào路lù，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà一yì边biān，有yǒu一yì人rén高gāo声shēng大dà叫jiào道dào：「大dà唐táng皇huáng帝dì，往wǎng这zhè里lǐ来lái，往wǎng这zhè里lǐ来lái。」太tài宗zōng闻wén言yán，擡tái头tóu观guān看kàn，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà人rén：

逐句解 Line by line

卻què說shuō太tài宗zōng渺miǎo渺miǎo茫máng茫máng，魂hún靈líng徑jìng出chū五wǔ鳳fèng樓lóu前qián，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà御yù林lín軍jūn馬mǎ，請qǐng大dà駕jià出chū朝cháo採cǎi獵liè。却què说shuō太tài宗zōng渺miǎo渺miǎo茫máng茫máng，魂hún灵líng径jìng出chū五wǔ凤fèng楼lóu前qián，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà御yù林lín军jūn马mǎ，请qǐng大dà驾jià出chū朝cháo采cǎi猎liè。

Now the story tells how Taizong, all dim and drifting, felt his soul pass straight out before the Five-Phoenix Tower, where he saw the imperial guard and their horses inviting His Majesty to ride from court to the hunt.

五鳳樓 (wǔfèng lóu), the Five-Phoenix Tower fronting the Tang palace. 御林軍 the imperial 'Forest of Plumes' guard. 渺渺茫茫 conveys the disorientation of the newly disembodied soul, which mistakes its passage into death for an ordinary royal outing.

太tài宗zōng忻xīn然rán從cóng之zhī，縹piāo渺miǎo而ér去qù。太tài宗zōng忻xīn然rán从cóng之zhī，缥piāo渺miǎo而ér去qù。

Delighted, Taizong went along with them and rode off into the haze.

忻然 (xīn rán) = 欣然, gladly. 縹渺 (piāomiǎo) faint and far-off, dreamlike — the setting is already unmoored from the waking world.

行xíng了le多duō時shí，人rén馬mǎ俱jù無wú。獨dú自zì一yí個gè，散sàn步bù荒huāng郊jiāo草cǎo野yě之zhī間jiān。行xíng了le多duō时shí，人rén马mǎ俱jù无wú。独dú自zì一yí个gè，散sàn步bù荒huāng郊jiāo草cǎo野yě之zhī间jiān。

When he had travelled a good while, men and horses alike had vanished, and he wandered alone, pacing amid desolate wilds and open grass.

The sudden disappearance of the retinue and the featureless waste (荒郊草野) mark the threshold between the worlds.

正zhèng驚jīng惶huáng難nán尋xún道dào路lù，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà一yì邊biān，有yǒu一yì人rén高gāo聲shēng大dà叫jiào道dào：「大dà唐táng皇huáng帝dì，往wǎng這zhè裡lǐ來lái，往wǎng這zhè裡lǐ來lái。」正zhèng惊jīng惶huáng难nán寻xún道dào路lù，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà一yì边biān，有yǒu一yì人rén高gāo声shēng大dà叫jiào道dào：「大dà唐táng皇huáng帝dì，往wǎng这zhè里lǐ来lái，往wǎng这zhè里lǐ来lái。」

Just as he grew alarmed, unable to find the road, he saw off to one side a man who cried aloud, 'Emperor of the Great Tang — this way, this way!'

驚惶 alarm and bewilderment. The hailing figure is the underworld magistrate, whose descriptive rhapsody follows.

太tài宗zōng聞wén言yán，擡tái頭tóu觀guān看kàn，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà人rén：太tài宗zōng闻wén言yán，擡tái头tóu观guān看kàn，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà人rén：

Hearing this, Taizong raised his head to look, and beheld a man of this appearance:

The set formula 「只見那人：」 introduces the descriptive 賦 (rhapsody) of the figure.

總評 Commentary

The passage stages death as a seamless illusion: Taizong's soul is coaxed out of the palace by what looks like his own guard offering a hunt, and only the dwindling of the retinue and the strange, hazy country reveal that he has crossed over. The 世德堂 text lets the reader share the emperor's disorientation — the diction (渺渺茫茫, 縹渺) keeps the register dreamlike until the netherworld magistrate breaks in with his blunt hail.