第二回 · 駕雲東歸 The Flight Home — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

駕雲東歸 The Flight Home

悟wù空kōng謝xiè了le，即jí抽chōu身shēn，捻niǎn著zhe訣jué，丟diū個gè連lián扯chě，縱zòng起qǐ斤jīn斗dǒu雲yún，徑jìng回huí東dōng勝shèng。那nǎ裡lǐ消xiāo一yí個gè時shí辰chen，早zǎo看kàn見jiàn花huā果guǒ山shān水shuǐ簾lián洞dòng。美měi猴hóu王wáng自zì知zhī快kuài樂lè，暗àn暗àn的de自zì稱chēng道dào：去qù時shí凡fán骨gǔ凡fán胎tāi重zhòng，得dé道dào身shēn輕qīng體tǐ亦yì輕qīng。舉jǔ世shì無wú人rén肯kěn立lì志zhì，立lì志zhì修xiū玄xuán玄xuán自zì明míng。當dāng時shí過guò海hǎi波bō難nán進jìn，今jīn日rì回huí來lái甚shèn易yì行xíng。別bié語yǔ叮dīng嚀níng還hái在zài耳ěr，何hé期qī頃qǐng刻kè見jiàn東dōng溟míng。悟wù空kōng按àn下xià雲yún頭tóu，直zhí至zhì花huā果guǒ山shān，找zhǎo路lù而ér走zǒu。悟wù空kōng谢xiè了le，即jí抽chōu身shēn，捻niǎn著zhe诀jué，丢diū个gè连lián扯chě，纵zòng起qǐ斤jīn斗dǒu云yún，径jìng回huí东dōng胜shèng。那nǎ里lǐ消xiāo一yí个gè时shí辰chen，早zǎo看kàn见jiàn花huā果guǒ山shān水shuǐ帘lián洞dòng。美měi猴hóu王wáng自zì知zhī快kuài乐lè，暗àn暗àn的de自zì称chēng道dào：去qù时shí凡fán骨gǔ凡fán胎tāi重zhòng，得dé道dào身shēn轻qīng体tǐ亦yì轻qīng。举jǔ世shì无wú人rén肯kěn立lì志zhì，立lì志zhì修xiū玄xuán玄xuán自zì明míng。当dāng时shí过guò海hǎi波bō难nán进jìn，今jīn日rì回huí来lái甚shèn易yì行xíng。别bié语yǔ叮dīng咛níng还hái在zài耳ěr，何hé期qī顷qǐng刻kè见jiàn东dōng溟míng。悟wù空kōng按àn下xià云yún头tóu，直zhí至zhì花huā果guǒ山shān，找zhǎo路lù而ér走zǒu。

逐句解 Line by line

悟wù空kōng謝xiè了le，即jí抽chōu身shēn，捻niǎn著zhe訣jué，丟diū個gè連lián扯chě，縱zòng起qǐ斤jīn斗dǒu雲yún，徑jìng回huí東dōng勝shèng。悟wù空kōng谢xiè了le，即jí抽chōu身shēn，捻niǎn著zhe诀jué，丢diū个gè连lián扯chě，纵zòng起qǐ斤jīn斗dǒu云yún，径jìng回huí东dōng胜shèng。

Wukong gave his thanks, then drew himself away, made the hand-sign, gave a connected tumble, sprang up on the somersault-cloud, and headed straight back to the Eastern Continent.

抽身 (chōu shēn): "to set off, take leave." 丟個連扯 (diū gè lián chě): "gave a connected tumble"; 丟 = diū. 縱起 (zòng qǐ): "to leap up"; 縱 = zòng. 徑回 (jìng huí): "to go straight back"; 徑 = jìng.

那nǎ裡lǐ消xiāo一yí個gè時shí辰chen，早zǎo看kàn見jiàn花huā果guǒ山shān水shuǐ簾lián洞dòng。那nǎ里lǐ消xiāo一yí个gè时shí辰chen，早zǎo看kàn见jiàn花huā果guǒ山shān水shuǐ帘lián洞dòng。

It hardly took an hour before he sighted the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit and the Water-Curtain Cave.

那裡消一個時辰 (nǎ lǐ xiāo yí gè shí chen): "it hardly took an hour"; 那 = nǎ (rhetorical "where, how"); 時辰 = a double-hour, 辰 neutral; sandhi 一個 → yí. 水簾洞: 簾 = lián.

美měi猴hóu王wáng自zì知zhī快kuài樂lè，暗àn暗àn的de自zì稱chēng道dào：美měi猴hóu王wáng自zì知zhī快kuài乐lè，暗àn暗àn的de自zì称chēng道dào：

The Handsome Monkey King, glad in himself, said quietly to himself:

自知快樂 (zì zhī kuài lè): "glad within himself." 暗暗的 (àn àn de): "quietly, to himself." 自稱 (zì chēng): "said to himself" — introduces the verse.

去qù時shí凡fán骨gǔ凡fán胎tāi重zhòng，去qù时shí凡fán骨gǔ凡fán胎tāi重zhòng，

When I left, my mortal bones and flesh were heavy;

凡骨凡胎 (fán gǔ fán tāi): "mortal bones and mortal flesh"; 胎 = tāi. 重 = zhòng "heavy."

得dé道dào身shēn輕qīng體tǐ亦yì輕qīng。得dé道dào身shēn轻qīng体tǐ亦yì轻qīng。

having gained the Way, my body is light, my frame light too.

得道 (dé dào): "having attained the Way." The doubled 輕 (qīng) drives home the transformation.

舉jǔ世shì無wú人rén肯kěn立lì志zhì，举jǔ世shì无wú人rén肯kěn立lì志zhì，

In all the world none will set his will to it;

舉世 (jǔ shì): "the whole world." 立志 (lì zhì): "to set the will."

立lì志zhì修xiū玄xuán玄xuán自zì明míng。立lì志zhì修xiū玄xuán玄xuán自zì明míng。

set the will to cultivate the mystery, and the mystery clears of itself.

修玄 (xiū xuán): "to cultivate the mystery." 玄自明: "the mystery becomes clear of itself."

當dāng時shí過guò海hǎi波bō難nán進jìn，当dāng时shí过guò海hǎi波bō难nán进jìn，

Back then, crossing the sea, the waves were hard to breast;

過海 (guò hǎi): "crossing the sea" — recalling the raft-voyage of the first chapter. 波難進 (bō nán jìn): "the waves hard to advance through."

今jīn日rì回huí來lái甚shèn易yì行xíng。今jīn日rì回huí来lái甚shèn易yì行xíng。

today, returning, the going is wonderfully easy.

甚易行 (shèn yì xíng): "very easy to go" — the contrast marking his new mastery of flight.

別bié語yǔ叮dīng嚀níng還hái在zài耳ěr，别bié语yǔ叮dīng咛níng还hái在zài耳ěr，

The parting words and earnest charge are still in my ears —

別語 (bié yǔ): "parting words." 叮嚀 (dīng níng): "earnest exhortations"; 嚀 = níng. 還在耳 (hái zài ěr): "still in my ears"; 還 = hái.

何hé期qī頃qǐng刻kè見jiàn東dōng溟míng。何hé期qī顷qǐng刻kè见jiàn东dōng溟míng。

who would have thought that in a moment I'd see the Eastern Sea!

何期 (hé qī): "who would have thought." 頃刻 (qǐng kè): "in a moment"; 頃 = qǐng. 東溟 (dōng míng): "the Eastern Ocean."

悟wù空kōng按àn下xià雲yún頭tóu，直zhí至zhì花huā果guǒ山shān，找zhǎo路lù而ér走zǒu。悟wù空kōng按àn下xià云yún头tóu，直zhí至zhì花huā果guǒ山shān，找zhǎo路lù而ér走zǒu。

Wukong brought down his cloud, came straight to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, and went looking for the path.

按下雲頭 (àn xià yún tóu): "to bring down the cloud." 直至 (zhí zhì): "straight to." 找路而走 (zhǎo lù ér zǒu): "went looking for the way."

總評 Commentary

Wukong's homeward poem measures the distance the Way has made. Its hinge is the body itself: 去時凡骨凡胎重，得道身輕體亦輕 — "when I left, my mortal bones and flesh were heavy; having gained the Way, my body is light." Lightness is the classic outward sign of immortality, the 羽化 or "feathering" by which the adept's frame is freed from earth, and here it is rendered as sheer speed. The outward voyage — the bamboo raft across the ocean in the first chapter — cost him the better part of a decade and fought every wave (過海波難進); the return takes a single somersault and barely an hour (頃刻見東溟). The somersault-cloud has simply folded up the world that once held him at arm's length.

At the poem's center is its one piece of doctrine, and it is the cultivation tradition's favorite truth: 舉世無人肯立志，立志修玄玄自明 — "in all the world none will set his will to it; set the will, and the mystery clears of itself." The Way is not esoteric or reserved; it is simply that almost no one resolves on it. Wukong, who did resolve — the restless stone monkey who crossed an ocean to find a teacher — is the living proof, and the verse lets him say so. Underneath the triumph, though, the parting still sounds: 別語叮嚀還在耳, "the parting words and earnest charge are still in my ears." The master's terrible warning is only moments old, and the reader, unlike the exultant monkey, can hear in that line the irony waiting at the bottom of the chapter — for trouble is exactly what he is flying home toward.