第十六回 · 老僧垂淚 The Old Monk's Tears — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

老僧垂淚 The Old Monk's Tears

那nà老lǎo和hé尚shàng見jiàn了le這zhè般bān寶bǎo貝bèi，果guǒ然rán動dòng了le奸jiān心xīn，走zǒu上shàng前qián，對duì三sān藏zàng跪guì下xià，眼yǎn中zhōng垂chuí淚lèi道dào：「我wǒ弟dì子zǐ真zhēn是shì沒méi緣yuán。」三sān藏zàng攙chān起qǐ道dào：「老lǎo院yuàn師shī有yǒu何hé話huà說shuō？」他tā道dào：「老lǎo爺yé這zhè件jiàn寶bǎo貝bèi方fāng才cái展zhǎn開kāi，天tiān色sè晚wǎn了le，奈nài何hé眼yǎn目mù昏hūn花huā，不bù能néng看kàn得de明míng白bái，豈qǐ不bú是shì無wú緣yuán？」三sān藏zàng教jiào：「掌zhǎng上shàng燈dēng來lái，讓ràng你nǐ再zài看kàn。」那nà老lǎo僧sēng道dào：「爺yé爺yé的de寶bǎo貝bèi已yǐ是shì光guāng亮liàng，再zài點diǎn了le燈dēng，一yì發fā晃huǎng眼yǎn，莫mò想xiǎng看kàn得de仔zǎi細xì。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ要yào怎zěn的de看kàn才cái好hǎo？」老lǎo僧sēng道dào：「老lǎo爺yé若ruò是shì寬kuān恩ēn放fàng心xīn，教jiào弟dì子zǐ拿ná到dào後hòu房fáng，細xì細xì的de看kàn一yí夜yè，明míng早zǎo送sòng還huán老lǎo爺yé西xī去qù，不bù知zhī尊zūn意yì何hé如rú？」那nà老lǎo和hé尚shàng见jiàn了le这zhè般bān宝bǎo贝bèi，果guǒ然rán动dòng了le奸jiān心xīn，走zǒu上shàng前qián，对duì三sān藏zàng跪guì下xià，眼yǎn中zhōng垂chuí泪lèi道dào：「我wǒ弟dì子zǐ真zhēn是shì没méi缘yuán。」三sān藏zàng搀chān起qǐ道dào：「老lǎo院yuàn师shī有yǒu何hé话huà说shuō？」他tā道dào：「老lǎo爷yé这zhè件jiàn宝bǎo贝bèi方fāng才cái展zhǎn开kāi，天tiān色sè晚wǎn了le，奈nài何hé眼yǎn目mù昏hūn花huā，不bù能néng看kàn得de明míng白bái，岂qǐ不bú是shì无wú缘yuán？」三sān藏zàng教jiào：「掌zhǎng上shàng灯dēng来lái，让ràng你nǐ再zài看kàn。」那nà老lǎo僧sēng道dào：「爷yé爷yé的de宝bǎo贝bèi已yǐ是shì光guāng亮liàng，再zài点diǎn了le灯dēng，一yì发fā晃huǎng眼yǎn，莫mò想xiǎng看kàn得de仔zǎi细xì。」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ要yào怎zěn的de看kàn才cái好hǎo？」老lǎo僧sēng道dào：「老lǎo爷yé若ruò是shì宽kuān恩ēn放fàng心xīn，教jiào弟dì子zǐ拿ná到dào后hòu房fáng，细xì细xì的de看kàn一yí夜yè，明míng早zǎo送sòng还huán老lǎo爷yé西xī去qù，不bù知zhī尊zūn意yì何hé如rú？」

逐句解 Line by line

那nà老lǎo和hé尚shàng見jiàn了le這zhè般bān寶bǎo貝bèi，果guǒ然rán動dòng了le奸jiān心xīn，那nà老lǎo和hé尚shàng见jiàn了le这zhè般bān宝bǎo贝bèi，果guǒ然rán动dòng了le奸jiān心xīn，

The old monk, beholding so great a treasure, was moved — sure enough — to a covetous heart;

果然 ("sure enough") is the narrator conceding Sanzang's point in a single adverb. 動了奸心 answers 必動其心 graph for graph. 這般 takes bān.

走zǒu上shàng前qián，對duì三sān藏zàng跪guì下xià，眼yǎn中zhōng垂chuí淚lèi道dào：「我wǒ弟dì子zǐ真zhēn是shì沒méi緣yuán。」走zǒu上shàng前qián，对duì三sān藏zàng跪guì下xià，眼yǎn中zhōng垂chuí泪lèi道dào：「我wǒ弟dì子zǐ真zhēn是shì没méi缘yuán。」

he came forward, knelt down before Sanzang, and said with tears standing in his eyes, "Your disciple is truly without the bond."

緣 (yuán) is karmic affinity, the bond that makes a meeting possible at all. To plead 沒緣 of a robe that lies open before one's own eyes is a falsehood dressed in the vocabulary of the faith. And 弟子 — "your disciple" — from a grand-patriarch to a passing traveller: rank is a thing he sets down the moment it costs him.

三sān藏zàng攙chān起qǐ道dào：「老lǎo院yuàn師shī有yǒu何hé話huà說shuō？」他tā道dào：「老lǎo爺yé這zhè件jiàn寶bǎo貝bèi方fāng才cái展zhǎn開kāi，天tiān色sè晚wǎn了le，三sān藏zàng搀chān起qǐ道dào：「老lǎo院yuàn师shī有yǒu何hé话huà说shuō？」他tā道dào：「老lǎo爷yé这zhè件jiàn宝bǎo贝bèi方fāng才cái展zhǎn开kāi，天tiān色sè晚wǎn了le，

Sanzang raised him up. "What has the venerable master to say?" He answered, "This treasure of your reverence's has only now been spread open, and the day has darkened;

攙起, to raise a man by the arm — the same verb used of the pages who brought him in. Sanzang, who called him 老院主 at their first meeting, now promotes him to 老院師, as one does a weeping man.

奈nài何hé眼yǎn目mù昏hūn花huā，不bù能néng看kàn得de明míng白bái，豈qǐ不bú是shì無wú緣yuán？」奈nài何hé眼yǎn目mù昏hūn花huā，不bù能néng看kàn得de明míng白bái，岂qǐ不bú是shì无wú缘yuán？」

"and my eyes being dim and clouded, I cannot see it plainly. Is that not to be without the bond?"

看得明白 takes the neutral de. The excuse is beautifully made: he asks for nothing, accuses no one, and lays the blame on his own eyes.

三sān藏zàng教jiào：「掌zhǎng上shàng燈dēng來lái，讓ràng你nǐ再zài看kàn。」三sān藏zàng教jiào：「掌zhǎng上shàng灯dēng来lái，让ràng你nǐ再zài看kàn。」

Sanzang directed: "Bring up a lamp, and let him look again."

教 is the causative jiào. Sanzang answers the problem that was stated — the failing light — and does not hear the problem that was not.

那nà老lǎo僧sēng道dào：「爺yé爺yé的de寶bǎo貝bèi已yǐ是shì光guāng亮liàng，再zài點diǎn了le燈dēng，一yì發fā晃huǎng眼yǎn，莫mò想xiǎng看kàn得de仔zǎi細xì。」那nà老lǎo僧sēng道dào：「爷yé爷yé的de宝bǎo贝bèi已yǐ是shì光guāng亮liàng，再zài点diǎn了le灯dēng，一yì发fā晃huǎng眼yǎn，莫mò想xiǎng看kàn得de仔zǎi细xì。」

The old monk said, "Your reverence's treasure is bright of itself. Light a lamp and it will dazzle the more; there is no hope of seeing it in any detail."

一發, "all the more." The objection cannot be answered, because it is true: the cassock gives its own light, and a lamp beside it would only dazzle. Each complaint the old man makes is honest, and their sum is a theft.

行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ要yào怎zěn的de看kàn才cái好hǎo？」行xíng者zhě道dào：「你nǐ要yào怎zěn的de看kàn才cái好hǎo？」

The Pilgrim said, "How would you have it, then, in order to see it well?"

Wukong asks the one question that must not be asked, and asks it in the flat voice of a man who suspects nothing whatever. He has spent this entire scene not listening to his master.

老lǎo僧sēng道dào：「老lǎo爺yé若ruò是shì寬kuān恩ēn放fàng心xīn，教jiào弟dì子zǐ拿ná到dào後hòu房fáng，老lǎo僧sēng道dào：「老lǎo爷yé若ruò是shì宽kuān恩ēn放fàng心xīn，教jiào弟dì子zǐ拿ná到dào后hòu房fáng，

The old monk said, "If your reverence would be broad in kindness and easy in mind, let your disciple carry it to the back chamber,

寬恩放心 — "broaden your kindness, loosen your heart." Every graph of the request is a graph naming the other man's virtue. It is a technique, and it works.

細xì細xì的de看kàn一yí夜yè，明míng早zǎo送sòng還huán老lǎo爺yé西xī去qù，不bù知zhī尊zūn意yì何hé如rú？」细xì细xì的de看kàn一yí夜yè，明míng早zǎo送sòng还huán老lǎo爷yé西xī去qù，不bù知zhī尊zūn意yì何hé如rú？」

"to study it minutely through the night; and in the morning I will send it back, and your reverence may go west. I do not know your honoured mind on the matter?"

送還: 還 is huán, "to give back." The word is spoken by a man who has no intention of doing so — and it is the very word Wukong will use of the fire-shield he borrows from Heaven tonight and returns before breakfast.

總評 Commentary

Not one word the old monk speaks in this passage is false, and the whole of it is a lie. The day has darkened. His eyes are dim. The cassock does give its own light, and a lamp set beside it would dazzle rather than help. He asks for nothing until he is asked what he wants, and even then he asks only to look, and only for a night, and offers to send it back at dawn. Wú Chéng'ēn has constructed a perfect confidence trick out of nothing but true statements and the word 緣.

The vocabulary is what damns him. 緣 — karmic affinity — is among the gravest words in the Buddhist lexicon: it names why a soul meets a teacher, why a pilgrim finds a scripture, why Sanzang and Wukong are on the same road at all. The old monk uses it twice, as a lever, about a piece of cloth. 弟子, "disciple," he applies to himself, kneeling, before a man half his age in the Order and a fraction of it in years. And when he says 送還, "I will send it back," he is using the honest word for the transaction his disciples will spend the night trying to make unnecessary. The theft is complete before a hand has been laid on anything.