第十五回 · 揭諦請觀音 The Guardian Goes to Fetch Guanyin — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

揭諦請觀音 The Guardian Goes to Fetch Guanyin

行xíng者zhě見jiàn說shuō，喚huàn山shān神shén、土tǔ地dì，同tóng來lái見jiàn了le三sān藏zàng，具jù言yán前qián事shì。三sān藏zàng道dào：「若ruò要yào去qù請qǐng菩pú薩sà，幾jǐ時shí才cái得dé回huí來lái？我wǒ貧pín僧sēng饑jī寒hán怎zěn忍rěn？」說shuō不bù了liǎo，只zhǐ聽tīng得de暗àn空kōng中zhōng有yǒu金jīn頭tóu揭jiē諦dì叫jiào道dào：「大dà聖shèng，你nǐ不bù須xū動dòng身shēn，小xiǎo神shén去qù請qǐng菩pú薩sà來lái也yě。」行xíng者zhě大dà喜xǐ，道dào聲shēng：「有yǒu累lèi，有yǒu累lèi。快kuài行xíng，快kuài行xíng。」那nà揭jiē諦dì急jí縱zòng雲yún頭tóu，徑jìng上shàng南nán海hǎi。行xíng者zhě吩fēn咐fù山shān神shén、土tǔ地dì守shǒu護hù師shī父fù，日rì值zhí功gōng曹cáo去qù尋xún齋zhāi供gòng，他tā又yòu去qù澗jiàn邊biān巡xún遶rào不bù題tí。行xíng者zhě见jiàn说shuō，唤huàn山shān神shén、土tǔ地dì，同tóng来lái见jiàn了le三sān藏zàng，具jù言yán前qián事shì。三sān藏zàng道dào：「若ruò要yào去qù请qǐng菩pú萨sà，几jǐ时shí才cái得dé回huí来lái？我wǒ贫pín僧sēng饥jī寒hán怎zěn忍rěn？」说shuō不bù了liǎo，只zhǐ听tīng得de暗àn空kōng中zhōng有yǒu金jīn头tóu揭jiē谛dì叫jiào道dào：「大dà圣shèng，你nǐ不bù须xū动dòng身shēn，小xiǎo神shén去qù请qǐng菩pú萨sà来lái也yě。」行xíng者zhě大dà喜xǐ，道dào声shēng：「有yǒu累lèi，有yǒu累lèi。快kuài行xíng，快kuài行xíng。」那nà揭jiē谛dì急jí纵zòng云yún头tóu，径jìng上shàng南nán海hǎi。行xíng者zhě吩fēn咐fù山shān神shén、土tǔ地dì守shǒu护hù师shī父fù，日rì值zhí功gōng曹cáo去qù寻xún斋zhāi供gòng，他tā又yòu去qù涧jiàn边biān巡xún遶rào不bù题tí。

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě見jiàn說shuō，喚huàn山shān神shén、土tǔ地dì，同tóng來lái見jiàn了le三sān藏zàng，具jù言yán前qián事shì。行xíng者zhě见jiàn说shuō，唤huàn山shān神shén、土tǔ地dì，同tóng来lái见jiàn了le三sān藏zàng，具jù言yán前qián事shì。

Hearing this, the Pilgrim called the Mountain God and the Local God to come with him before Sanzang, and set out the whole affair.

見說, "hearing it said"; 具言前事, "to set out the preceding matter in full." The Pilgrim who a moment ago threatened to cudgel these gods now brings them along as witnesses.

三sān藏zàng道dào：「若ruò要yào去qù請qǐng菩pú薩sà，幾jǐ時shí才cái得dé回huí來lái？三sān藏zàng道dào：「若ruò要yào去qù请qǐng菩pú萨sà，几jǐ时shí才cái得dé回huí来lái？

Said Sanzang: "If you must go and invite the Bodhisattva, when will you get back?

才得回來 takes 得 as dé, "to manage to return." Told that a Bodhisattva must be fetched, the monk's first thought is of the delay.

我wǒ貧pín僧sēng饑jī寒hán怎zěn忍rěn？」我wǒ贫pín僧sēng饥jī寒hán怎zěn忍rěn？」

How is this poor monk to bear hunger and cold?"

貧僧, "this poor monk," is Sanzang's humble self-designation. The complaint is small, bodily and entirely human, and the novel does not spare him for it.

說shuō不bù了liǎo，只zhǐ聽tīng得de暗àn空kōng中zhōng有yǒu金jīn頭tóu揭jiē諦dì叫jiào道dào：说shuō不bù了liǎo，只zhǐ听tīng得de暗àn空kōng中zhōng有yǒu金jīn头tóu揭jiē谛dì叫jiào道dào：

Before he had finished, there came from the unseen sky the voice of the Gold-Headed Guardian, calling:

只聽得 takes the resultative 得 (de). 暗空, "the unseen sky" — the guardians are present but invisible, which is the whole force of the chapter's 暗佑, "secret protection."

「大dà聖shèng，你nǐ不bù須xū動dòng身shēn，小xiǎo神shén去qù請qǐng菩pú薩sà來lái也yě。」「大dà圣shèng，你nǐ不bù须xū动dòng身shēn，小xiǎo神shén去qù请qǐng菩pú萨sà来lái也yě。」

"Great Sage, you need not stir. This humble god will go and invite the Bodhisattva here."

不須動身, "you need not set out." The Gold-Headed Guardian, who alone "never leaves his side day or night," now shows what that promise was worth.

行xíng者zhě大dà喜xǐ，道dào聲shēng：「有yǒu累lèi，有yǒu累lèi。行xíng者zhě大dà喜xǐ，道dào声shēng：「有yǒu累lèi，有yǒu累lèi。

The Pilgrim was overjoyed and said aloud: "Much obliged, much obliged.

有累 (yǒu lèi), "I put you to trouble," is a courteous formula — and about as close to thanks as Wukong is ever brought.

快kuài行xíng，快kuài行xíng。」快kuài行xíng，快kuài行xíng。」

Go quickly, go quickly."

The doubling is his habitual impatience. 行 is read xíng, "to go."

那nà揭jiē諦dì急jí縱zòng雲yún頭tóu，徑jìng上shàng南nán海hǎi。那nà揭jiē谛dì急jí纵zòng云yún头tóu，径jìng上shàng南nán海hǎi。

The Guardian sprang swiftly upon his cloud-head and went straight to the Southern Sea.

縱雲頭, "to spring up upon a cloud." The 南海, Southern Sea, is where Guanyin dwells on Mount Potalaka (普陀). 那 is demonstrative, nà.

行xíng者zhě吩fēn咐fù山shān神shén、土tǔ地dì守shǒu護hù師shī父fù，日rì值zhí功gōng曹cáo去qù尋xún齋zhāi供gòng，他tā又yòu去qù澗jiàn邊biān巡xún遶rào不bù題tí。行xíng者zhě吩fēn咐fù山shān神shén、土tǔ地dì守shǒu护hù师shī父fù，日rì值zhí功gōng曹cáo去qù寻xún斋zhāi供gòng，他tā又yòu去qù涧jiàn边biān巡xún遶rào不bù题tí。

The Pilgrim charged the Mountain God and the Local God to guard his master, and the Sentinel of the Day to go and find vegetarian fare; and he himself went back to patrol the brink of the gorge — of which no more.

齋供 (zhāigòng) is meatless fare offered to monks, 供 read gòng; 巡遶, "to patrol round about." 不題 — "of this we say no more" — is the storyteller's formula for dropping one thread and taking up another: here, the flight to the Southern Sea.

總評 Commentary

The passage turns on a single word of the chapter's title. Wukong has spent the episode trying to compel the dragon — cursing it, striking it, muddying its water — and has been defeated at every turn by a creature that simply will not stay to be beaten. The remedy, when it comes, requires no force at all: someone must go and ask. That the Gold-Headed Guardian volunteers, sparing Wukong the errand, is the first tangible return on the gods' promise of 暗佑, protection given from out of sight.

Sanzang's contribution is, as ever, unheroic and rather touching: told that a Bodhisattva is to be summoned, he asks how long it will take and how a poor monk is to endure hunger and cold. The novel neither mocks nor excuses him. It simply has Wukong detail the Sentinel of the Day to go and find him something to eat, and then closes the thread with the storyteller's 不題 — "of this we say no more" — leaving the Pilgrim pacing the water's edge while the narrative lifts away to the Southern Sea.