原文 Original text
繁體 Traditional
Reader's edition
含詞賦 With rhapsody
亡靈超脫
The Father's Soul Set Free
卻說那伯欽的父親之靈，超薦得脫沉淪，鬼魂兒早來到自家宅內，托一夢與合宅長幼道：「我在陰司裡苦難難脫，日久不得超生。今幸得聖僧念了經卷，消了我的罪業，閻王差人送我上中華富地，長者人家托生去了。你們可好生謝送長老，不要怠慢，不要怠慢。我去也。」這才是：却说那伯钦的父亲之灵，超荐得脱沉沦，鬼魂儿早来到自家宅内，托一梦与合宅长幼道：「我在阴司里苦难难脱，日久不得超生。今幸得圣僧念了经卷，消了我的罪业，阎王差人送我上中华富地，长者人家托生去了。你们可好生谢送长老，不要怠慢，不要怠慢。我去也。」这才是：
萬法莊嚴端有意，薦亡離苦出沉淪。万法庄严端有意，荐亡离苦出沉沦。
那合家兒夢醒，又早太陽東上。伯欽的娘子道：「太保，我今夜夢見公公來家，說他在陰司苦難難脫，日久不得超生。今幸得聖僧念了經卷，消了他的罪業，閻王差人送他上中華富地，長者人家托生去，教我們好生謝那長老，不得怠慢他。說罷，徑出門，徉徜去了。我們叫他不應，留他不住。醒來卻是一夢。」伯欽道：「我也是那等一夢，與你一般。我們起去對母親說去。」他兩口子正欲去說，只見老母叫道：「伯欽孩兒，你來，我與你說話。」二人至前，老母坐在床上道：「兒啊，我今夜得了個喜夢，夢見你父親來家，說多虧了長老超度，已消了罪業，上中華富地，長者家去托生。」夫妻們俱呵呵大笑道：「我與媳婦皆有此夢，正來告稟，不期母親呼喚，也是此夢。」遂叫一家大小起來，安排謝意，替他收拾馬匹，都至前拜謝道：「多謝長老超薦我亡父脫難超生，報答不盡。」三藏道：「貧僧有何能處，敢勞致謝？」那合家儿梦醒，又早太阳东上。伯钦的娘子道：「太保，我今夜梦见公公来家，说他在阴司苦难难脱，日久不得超生。今幸得圣僧念了经卷，消了他的罪业，阎王差人送他上中华富地，长者人家托生去，教我们好生谢那长老，不得怠慢他。说罢，径出门，徉徜去了。我们叫他不应，留他不住。醒来却是一梦。」伯钦道：「我也是那等一梦，与你一般。我们起去对母亲说去。」他两口子正欲去说，只见老母叫道：「伯钦孩儿，你来，我与你说话。」二人至前，老母坐在床上道：「儿啊，我今夜得了个喜梦，梦见你父亲来家，说多亏了长老超度，已消了罪业，上中华富地，长者家去托生。」夫妻们俱呵呵大笑道：「我与媳妇皆有此梦，正来告禀，不期母亲呼唤，也是此梦。」遂叫一家大小起来，安排谢意，替他收拾马匹，都至前拜谢道：「多谢长老超荐我亡父脱难超生，报答不尽。」三藏道：「贫僧有何能处，敢劳致谢？」
逐句解 Line by line
卻說那伯欽的父親之靈，超薦得脫沉淪，鬼魂兒早來到自家宅內，托一夢與合宅長幼道：「我在陰司裡苦難難脫，日久不得超生。今幸得聖僧念了經卷，消了我的罪業，閻王差人送我上中華富地，長者人家托生去了。你們可好生謝送長老，不要怠慢，不要怠慢。我去也。」這才是：
却说那伯钦的父亲之灵，超荐得脱沉沦，鬼魂儿早来到自家宅内，托一梦与合宅长幼道：「我在阴司里苦难难脱，日久不得超生。今幸得圣僧念了经卷，消了我的罪业，阎王差人送我上中华富地，长者人家托生去了。你们可好生谢送长老，不要怠慢，不要怠慢。我去也。」这才是：
Now the soul of Boqin's father, delivered by the merit of the service from its sunk estate, came betimes as a ghost to his own house, and appeared in a dream to the whole household, old and young, saying: "In the shadow-world my sufferings were hard to escape, and for long I could not win rebirth. Now, by the good fortune of the holy monk's reciting the scriptures, my burden of sin has been dissolved, and King Yama has sent men to escort me up to the rich land of the Middle Flower, there to be reborn into the house of a man of substance. See that you thank and speed the elder well, and be in no way remiss, be in no way remiss. I am going now." And this was the very thing:
陰司 (yīn sī), the "shadow-world," is the underworld administration under 閻王 (Yán wáng), King Yama — and it is an administration, with clerks and paperwork and escorts assigned. 超生 is rebirth into a better station. 中華 (Zhōng-huá), the "Middle Flower," is China itself; to be reborn there, into a wealthy house, is treated as a substantial promotion. One nice detail of reading: in 苦難 the character 難 is nàn, an ordeal, while 難脫 in the very same breath is nán, "hard to." The same character, two jobs, one sentence.
萬法莊嚴端有意，薦亡離苦出沉淪。
万法庄严端有意，荐亡离苦出沉沦。
The myriad dharmas in their solemn splendour have their purpose indeed: they deliver the dead from their woe and lift them out of the depths.
A storyteller's summing-up couplet, and it does not hedge: the 萬法, the whole body of Buddhist law and practice, has a purpose, and the purpose is this. The rites are being certified as having worked.
那合家兒夢醒，又早太陽東上。伯欽的娘子道：「太保，我今夜夢見公公來家，說他在陰司苦難難脫，日久不得超生。今幸得聖僧念了經卷，消了他的罪業，閻王差人送他上中華富地，長者人家托生去，教我們好生謝那長老，不得怠慢他。說罷，徑出門，徉徜去了。我們叫他不應，留他不住。醒來卻是一夢。」伯欽道：「我也是那等一夢，與你一般。我們起去對母親說去。」
那合家儿梦醒，又早太阳东上。伯钦的娘子道：「太保，我今夜梦见公公来家，说他在阴司苦难难脱，日久不得超生。今幸得圣僧念了经卷，消了他的罪业，阎王差人送他上中华富地，长者人家托生去，教我们好生谢那长老，不得怠慢他。说罢，径出门，徉徜去了。我们叫他不应，留他不住。醒来却是一梦。」伯钦道：「我也是那等一梦，与你一般。我们起去对母亲说去。」
When that whole household woke from the dream, the sun was already up in the east. Boqin's wife said: "Husband, tonight I dreamed our father came home, and said that in the shadow-world his sufferings were hard to escape, and that for long he could not win rebirth; but now, by the good fortune of the holy monk's reciting the scriptures, his burden of sin has been dissolved, and King Yama has sent men to escort him up to the rich land of the Middle Flower, to be reborn into the house of a man of substance. He bade us thank the elder well and not be remiss with him. When he had spoken, he went straight out of the door and wandered off; we called him but he would not answer, and could not keep him. Then I woke, and it was a dream." Boqin said: "I too had just such a dream, the same as yours. Let us get up and go tell my mother."
The wife's dream repeats the father's message almost word for word. That near-verbatim repetition is a standard technique of the vernacular novel, and here it is doing evidence: this is not one person's odd night, it is the same visitation reported twice by independent witnesses.
他兩口子正欲去說，只見老母叫道：「伯欽孩兒，你來，我與你說話。」二人至前，老母坐在床上道：「兒啊，我今夜得了個喜夢，夢見你父親來家，說多虧了長老超度，已消了罪業，上中華富地，長者家去托生。」夫妻們俱呵呵大笑道：「我與媳婦皆有此夢，正來告稟，不期母親呼喚，也是此夢。」遂叫一家大小起來，安排謝意，替他收拾馬匹，都至前拜謝道：「多謝長老超薦我亡父脫難超生，報答不盡。」三藏道：「貧僧有何能處，敢勞致謝？」
他两口子正欲去说，只见老母叫道：「伯钦孩儿，你来，我与你说话。」二人至前，老母坐在床上道：「儿啊，我今夜得了个喜梦，梦见你父亲来家，说多亏了长老超度，已消了罪业，上中华富地，长者家去托生。」夫妻们俱呵呵大笑道：「我与媳妇皆有此梦，正来告禀，不期母亲呼唤，也是此梦。」遂叫一家大小起来，安排谢意，替他收拾马匹，都至前拜谢道：「多谢长老超荐我亡父脱难超生，报答不尽。」三藏道：「贫僧有何能处，敢劳致谢？」
The two of them were just about to go and tell her when the old mother called out: "Boqin, my child, come here; I have something to say to you." When the two came before her, the old mother, seated on her bed, said: "Son, tonight I had a happy dream: I dreamed your father came home, and said that thanks to the elder's deliverance his burden of sin was already dissolved, and that he was going up to the rich land of the Middle Flower, to be reborn into a house of substance." Husband and wife both laughed aloud and said: "We two, and your daughter-in-law, all had this dream, and were just coming to report it; who would have thought that mother should call us, and it is the same dream." So they called the whole household, high and low, to rise and make ready their thanks, and to see to the pilgrim's horse; and all came before him and bowed their thanks, saying: "Our deep thanks to the elder for delivering our dead father out of his ordeal and into rebirth — more than we can ever repay." Sanzang said: "What power has this poor monk, that he should merit such thanks?"
And a third time, by the mother, which settles it. One reading to catch: in 兒啊 ("son!") the character 兒 stands alone as the full noun "son," read ér — distinct from the light er it carries in 孩兒 in her son's name a line earlier.
總評 Commentary
The novel now proves its case in the most concrete way available to it: the dead man turns up in person to confirm his own release.
The proof is built out of repetition. The father delivers his message; the wife repeats it almost word for word; Boqin says he had the same dream; the mother, before anyone can tell her, reports it herself. Four accounts, independently arrived at, and the family ends up laughing in the bedroom over the coincidence that is not one.
The embedded couplet states the moral without embarrassment — the myriad dharmas have their purpose, and here it is, achieved. Sanzang, characteristically, waves the thanks away: what power has this poor monk?
What keeps the scene from turning into a sermon is how domestic it is. A woman waking her husband to tell him about a dream; an old mother calling her grown son to her bedside; everyone talking at once. The supernatural arrives through ordinary family life, which is where this novel usually prefers to put it.