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Reader's edition
太保還家
Home to the Guardian's House
伯欽到了門首,將死虎擲下,叫:「小的們何在?」只見走出三四個家僮,都是怪形惡相之類,上前拖拖拉拉,把隻虎扛將進去。伯欽吩咐教趕早剝了皮,安排將來待客。復回頭迎接三藏進內,彼此相見,三藏又拜謝伯欽厚恩憐憫救命。伯欽道:「同鄉之人,何勞致謝。」坐定茶罷,有一老嫗領著一個媳婦,對三藏進禮。伯欽道:「此是家母、小妻。」三藏道:「請令堂上坐,貧僧奉拜。」老嫗道:「長老遠客,各請自珍,不勞拜罷。」伯欽道:「母親啊,他是唐王駕下,差往西天見佛求經者。適間在嶺頭上遇著孩兒,孩兒念一國之人,請他來家歇馬,明日送他上路。」老嫗聞言,十分懽喜道:「好,好,好。就是請他,不得這般恰好。明日你父親週忌,就浼長老做些好事,念卷經文,到後日送他去罷。」這劉伯欽雖是一個殺虎手,鎮山的太保,他卻有些孝順之心。聞得母言,就要安排香紙,留住三藏。伯钦到了门首,将死虎掷下,叫:「小的们何在?」只见走出三四个家僮,都是怪形恶相之类,上前拖拖拉拉,把只虎扛将进去。伯钦吩咐教赶早剥了皮,安排将来待客。复回头迎接三藏进内,彼此相见,三藏又拜谢伯钦厚恩怜悯救命。伯钦道:「同乡之人,何劳致谢。」坐定茶罢,有一老妪领著一个媳妇,对三藏进礼。伯钦道:「此是家母、小妻。」三藏道:「请令堂上坐,贫僧奉拜。」老妪道:「长老远客,各请自珍,不劳拜罢。」伯钦道:「母亲啊,他是唐王驾下,差往西天见佛求经者。适间在岭头上遇著孩儿,孩儿念一国之人,请他来家歇马,明日送他上路。」老妪闻言,十分懽喜道:「好,好,好。就是请他,不得这般恰好。明日你父亲周忌,就浼长老做些好事,念卷经文,到后日送他去罢。」这刘伯钦虽是一个杀虎手,镇山的太保,他却有些孝顺之心。闻得母言,就要安排香纸,留住三藏。
逐句解 Line by line
伯欽到了門首,將死虎擲下,叫:「小的們何在?」只見走出三四個家僮,都是怪形惡相之類,上前拖拖拉拉,把隻虎扛將進去。伯欽吩咐教趕早剝了皮,安排將來待客。復回頭迎接三藏進內,彼此相見,三藏又拜謝伯欽厚恩憐憫救命。伯欽道:「同鄉之人,何勞致謝。」坐定茶罷,有一老嫗領著一個媳婦,對三藏進禮。
伯钦到了门首,将死虎掷下,叫:「小的们何在?」只见走出三四个家僮,都是怪形恶相之类,上前拖拖拉拉,把只虎扛将进去。伯钦吩咐教赶早剥了皮,安排将来待客。复回头迎接三藏进内,彼此相见,三藏又拜谢伯钦厚恩怜悯救命。伯钦道:「同乡之人,何劳致谢。」坐定茶罢,有一老妪领著一个媳妇,对三藏进礼。
When Boqin reached his gate, he flung down the dead tiger and called out: “Where are you lads?” Out came three or four house-servants, all of them of grotesque form and evil aspect, who came forward, hauling and tugging, and carried the tiger off inside. Boqin gave orders that it be skinned early and made ready to serve to the guest. Then he turned back to usher Sanzang within, and when they had greeted one another, Sanzang once again bowed his thanks for Boqin's great kindness and mercy in saving his life. Boqin said: “We are men of the same district — what need is there of thanks?” When they had sat down and taken tea, an old woman appeared, leading a young wife, and they made their salutations to Sanzang. Boqin said: “This is my mother, and my humble wife.”
家僮 (jiā tóng), the “house-servants,” are drawn as grotesque — a reminder that this is a hunter's rough household on the wild frontier, for all the courtesy of its master.
伯欽道:「此是家母、小妻。」三藏道:「請令堂上坐,貧僧奉拜。」老嫗道:「長老遠客,各請自珍,不勞拜罷。」伯欽道:「母親啊,他是唐王駕下,差往西天見佛求經者。適間在嶺頭上遇著孩兒,孩兒念一國之人,請他來家歇馬,明日送他上路。」老嫗聞言,十分懽喜道:「好,好,好。就是請他,不得這般恰好。明日你父親週忌,就浼長老做些好事,念卷經文,到後日送他去罷。」這劉伯欽雖是一個殺虎手,鎮山的太保,他卻有些孝順之心。聞得母言,就要安排香紙,留住三藏。
伯钦道:「此是家母、小妻。」三藏道:「请令堂上坐,贫僧奉拜。」老妪道:「长老远客,各请自珍,不劳拜罢。」伯钦道:「母亲啊,他是唐王驾下,差往西天见佛求经者。适间在岭头上遇著孩儿,孩儿念一国之人,请他来家歇马,明日送他上路。」老妪闻言,十分懽喜道:「好,好,好。就是请他,不得这般恰好。明日你父亲周忌,就浼长老做些好事,念卷经文,到后日送他去罢。」这刘伯钦虽是一个杀虎手,镇山的太保,他却有些孝顺之心。闻得母言,就要安排香纸,留住三藏。
Sanzang said: “Pray let your honoured mother take the high seat, and let this poor monk pay his respects.” The old woman said: “Elder, you are a traveller from afar; let each of us stand on no ceremony, and spare yourself the bow.” Boqin said: “Mother, he is a man sent under the Tang king to go to the Western Heaven to see the Buddha and seek scriptures. Just now, on the ridge-top, he met your son, and your son, mindful that we are men of one country, has asked him home to rest his horse, and tomorrow will see him on his way.” Hearing this, the old woman was filled with joy and said: “Good, good, good. Even had we sought for it, we could not have hit on so apt a time. Tomorrow is your father's death-anniversary; pray prevail on the elder to do some good works and read a scroll of scripture, and the day after, we can send him off.” Now this Liu Boqin, though a slayer of tigers and Guardian of the Mountain, had for all that something of a filial heart; and hearing his mother's words, he set about at once to prepare the incense and paper, and kept Sanzang there.
週忌 (zhōu jì) is the anniversary of a death; the mother's wish that Sanzang “read a scroll of scripture” (念卷經文, with 卷 as a measure of scripture, juàn) to make merit for the dead sets up the memorial service of the chapter's close. 香紙, “incense and paper,” are the offerings burned for the departed.
總評 Commentary
The homecoming brings the chapter fully into the human sphere and introduces Boqin's household — the grotesque servants, the old mother, the young wife — with a novelist's economy. The exchange of courtesies is finely observed: Sanzang's insistence on paying formal respects, the old woman's gracious demurral, Boqin's proud presentation of the pilgrim's imperial errand. And the scene turns on a happy coincidence that is also a plot-hinge: the very next day is the anniversary of Boqin's father's death, and the mother, delighted, asks the monk to perform a memorial service. Two of the chapter's threads are thus tied — the hospitality owed to a guest and the filial duty owed to the dead — and the bluff tiger-slayer is shown to have, besides his courage, “something of a filial heart,” a stroke that deepens him beyond the type of the rough hunter.