原文 Original text
繁體 Traditional
Reader's edition
含詞賦 With rhapsody
玄奘披錦
Xuanzang Robed in the Cassock
卻說太宗設午朝，著魏徵賫旨，宣玄奘入朝。那法師正聚眾登壇，諷經誦偈，一聞有旨，隨下壇整衣，與魏徵同往見駕。太宗道：「求證善事，有勞法師，無物酬謝。早間蕭瑀迎著二僧，願送錦襴異寶袈裟一件，九環錫杖一條。今特召法師領去受用。」玄奘叩頭謝恩。太宗道：「法師如不棄，可穿上與朕看看。」長老遂將袈裟抖開，披在身上，手持錫杖，侍立階前。君臣個個忻然。誠為如來佛子。你看他：却说太宗设午朝，着魏征赍旨，宣玄奘入朝。那法师正聚众登坛，讽经诵偈，一闻有旨，随下坛整衣，与魏征同往见驾。太宗道：「求证善事，有劳法师，无物酬谢。早间萧瑀迎着二僧，愿送锦襕异宝袈裟一件，九环锡杖一条。今特召法师领去受用。」玄奘叩头谢恩。太宗道：「法师如不弃，可穿上与朕看看。」长老遂将袈裟抖开，披在身上，手持锡杖，侍立阶前。君臣个个忻然。诚为如来佛子。你看他：
凜凜威顏多雅秀，佛衣可體如裁就。凛凛威颜多雅秀，佛衣可体如裁就。
暉光豔豔滿乾坤，結綵紛紛凝宇宙。晖光艳艳满干坤，结彩纷纷凝宇宙。
朗朗明珠上下排，層層金線穿前後。朗朗明珠上下排，层层金线穿前后。
兜羅四面錦沿邊，萬樣稀奇鋪綺繡。兜罗四面锦沿边，万样稀奇铺绮绣。
八寶妝花縛鈕絲，金環束領攀絨扣。八宝妆花缚钮丝，金环束领攀绒扣。
佛天大小列高低，星象尊卑分左右。佛天大小列高低，星象尊卑分左右。
玄奘法師大有緣，現前此物堪承受。玄奘法师大有缘，现前此物堪承受。
渾如極樂活阿羅，賽過西方真覺秀。浑如极乐活阿罗，赛过西方真觉秀。
錫杖叮噹鬥九環，毘盧帽映多豐厚。锡杖叮当斗九环，毘卢帽映多丰厚。
誠為佛子不虛傳，勝似菩提無詐謬。诚为佛子不虚传，胜似菩提无诈谬。
逐句解 Line by line
卻說太宗設午朝，著魏徵賫旨，宣玄奘入朝。
却说太宗设午朝，着魏征赍旨，宣玄奘入朝。
We tell now how Taizong held the noon court and had Wei Zheng bear the edict summoning Xuanzang to court.
著 in 著魏徵, had Wei Zheng do it, is the causative zhuó; 朝 in 午朝 and 入朝 is cháo.
那法師正聚眾登壇，諷經誦偈，一聞有旨，隨下壇整衣，與魏徵同往見駕。
那法师正聚众登坛，讽经诵偈，一闻有旨，随下坛整衣，与魏征同往见驾。
That Dharma Master was just then gathering the host upon the altar, chanting scriptures and reciting gathas; and hearing the edict, he came down at once from the altar, straightened his robes, and went with Wei Zheng to the audience.
那 in 那法師 is the pointing nà; a 偈 (jì, from the Sanskrit gāthā) is a Buddhist verse; 一聞 takes yì.
太宗道：「求證善事，有勞法師，無物酬謝。
太宗道：「求证善事，有劳法师，无物酬谢。
Taizong said: 'To seek confirmation of the good work, I have troubled you, Master, and have nothing with which to repay you.'
The emperor opens courteously, framing what follows as repayment for the monk's labour at the assembly.
早間蕭瑀迎著二僧，願送錦襴異寶袈裟一件，九環錫杖一條。
早间萧瑀迎着二僧，愿送锦襕异宝袈裟一件，九环锡杖一条。
'Earlier this morning Xiao Yu met two monks who wished to present a brocade cassock, a rare treasure, and a nine-ringed staff.'
著 in 迎著二僧, met the two monks, is the ongoing-action zhe. Watch what the emperor leaves out: nothing about a refusal of payment, nothing about the strange pair who would not bow. Guanyin's free gift is passed off as a routine acquisition.
今特召法師領去受用。」玄奘叩頭謝恩。
今特召法师领去受用。」玄奘叩头谢恩。
'Now I have specially summoned you, Master, to take them for your use.' Xuanzang knocked his head in thanks for the grace.
He takes it with proper humility, and no idea at all where it came from.
太宗道：「法師如不棄，可穿上與朕看看。」
太宗道：「法师如不弃，可穿上与朕看看。」
Taizong said: 'If you do not disdain them, Master, put them on that I may see.'
不棄, do not disdain them, shifts to bú before the fourth tone of 棄 (qì).
長老遂將袈裟抖開，披在身上，手持錫杖，侍立階前。
长老遂将袈裟抖开，披在身上，手持锡杖，侍立阶前。
The elder then shook out the cassock and draped it over his body, took the staff in hand, and stood in attendance before the steps.
長 in 長老, the elder, is zhǎng, the character of seniority — not the cháng of length it carries in 長安. 將 in 遂將袈裟 is the disposal jiāng.
君臣個個忻然。誠為如來佛子。你看他：
君臣个个忻然。诚为如来佛子。你看他：
Ruler and ministers, one and all, were delighted. Truly he was a Buddha-son of the Tathagata. Look at him:
為 in 誠為, truly is, is wéi; 子 in 佛子 is the noun zǐ. The narrator's 你看他, look at him, ushers in the descriptive verse.
凜凜威顏多雅秀，佛衣可體如裁就。
凛凛威颜多雅秀，佛衣可体如裁就。
Stern and awesome his features, most refined and fair; the Buddha-robe fits his form as if cut to measure.
佛衣, Buddha-robe, takes the global reading fó for 佛.
暉光豔豔滿乾坤，結綵紛紛凝宇宙。
晖光艳艳满干坤，结彩纷纷凝宇宙。
Its glowing radiance, brilliant, fills heaven and earth; its woven colors, profuse, congeal upon the cosmos.
乾坤, heaven and earth, reads 乾 as qián, the trigram of Heaven, and not the gān that means dry.
朗朗明珠上下排，層層金線穿前後。
朗朗明珠上下排，层层金线穿前后。
Bright, bright the pearls arrayed above and below; layer on layer the golden threads run front and back.
朗朗 and 層層 are the doubled words this portrait runs on. Pearls ranged above and below, gold thread run front and back: the description is working outward from the cloth itself.
兜羅四面錦沿邊，萬樣稀奇鋪綺繡。
兜罗四面锦沿边，万样稀奇铺绮绣。
Tula cotton on all four sides, brocade along the hem; ten thousand rare devices spread in patterned embroidery.
兜羅 (dōu luó, from the Sanskrit tūla) is a fine cotton fibre prized in Buddhist textiles.
八寶妝花縛鈕絲，金環束領攀絨扣。
八宝妆花缚钮丝，金环束领攀绒扣。
Eight treasures adorn its flowers, bound with knotted silk; a gold ring clasps the collar, laced with velvet buttons.
縛鈕絲 and 攀絨扣 are the fastenings — the last and smallest details of the robe before the poem lifts its eyes to the buddhas ranged across it.
佛天大小列高低，星象尊卑分左右。
佛天大小列高低，星象尊卑分左右。
Buddha-heavens great and small ranged high and low; star-images noble and base divided left and right.
佛天 takes the global fó; 分 in 分左右, divided left and right, is fēn.
玄奘法師大有緣，現前此物堪承受。
玄奘法师大有缘，现前此物堪承受。
The Dharma Master Xuanzang has a great affinity; this thing now before him he is worthy to receive.
大有緣, a great affinity, is the term for the karmic fit between this man and this garment. Not merely worthy of it — meant for it.
渾如極樂活阿羅，賽過西方真覺秀。
浑如极乐活阿罗，赛过西方真觉秀。
Wholly like a living arhat of Ultimate Bliss; surpassing the Western Quarter's truly awakened fair.
阿羅 is short for 阿羅漢, arhat; 極樂, Ultimate Bliss, reads 樂 as lè.
錫杖叮噹鬥九環，毘盧帽映多豐厚。
锡杖叮当斗九环，毘卢帽映多丰厚。
The staff jingles, its nine rings clashing; the Vairocana mitre gleams, ample and rich.
The 毘盧帽, Vairocana mitre, completes the outfit — and it is the one piece that came from the emperor at the investiture rather than from Guanyin.
誠為佛子不虛傳，勝似菩提無詐謬。
诚为佛子不虚传，胜似菩提无诈谬。
Truly a Buddha-son, no false report; surpassing bodhi itself, without deceit or error.
為 in 誠為, truly is, is wéi; 子 in 佛子, Buddha-son, is the noun zǐ; 似 in 勝似, surpassing, is sì.
總評 Commentary
Xuanzang's robing is the visual consummation of his selection, and the verse frames it as a change of kind. Summoned down from the altar and draped in Guanyin's cassock, staff in hand and mitre on head, he is described in a ten-couplet rhapsody that piles cosmic imagery upon the garment — its radiance filling heaven and earth, its ornament figuring the Buddha-heavens and the stars — until the man disappears into the emblem and becomes a living arhat, a Buddha-son of the Tathagata.
The refrain of the passage is fitness: the cassock fits his form as if cut to measure, and Xuanzang alone has the great affinity to receive it. Neither emperor nor monk yet knows who the giver was; the reader, who does, sees the investiture for what it is — the outfitting of the pilgrim for the road to the West.