第二十六回 · 人參果會 The Ginseng-Fruit Feast — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition 含詞賦 With rhapsody

人參果會 The Ginseng-Fruit Feast

那nà大dà仙xiān十shí分fēn歡huān喜xǐ，急jí令lìng取qǔ金jīn擊jī子zi來lái，把bǎ果guǒ子zi敲qiāo下xià十shí個gè，請qǐng菩pú薩sà與yǔ三sān老lǎo復fù回huí寶bǎo殿diàn，一yì則zé謝xiè勞láo，二èr來lái做zuò個gè人rén參shēn果guǒ會huì。眾zhòng小xiǎo仙xiān遂suì調diào開kāi桌zhuō椅yǐ，鋪pù設shè丹dān盤pán，請qǐng菩pú薩sà坐zuò了le上shàng面miàn正zhèng席xí，三sān老lǎo左zuǒ席xí，唐táng僧sēng右yòu席xí，鎮zhèn元yuán子zǐ前qián席xí相xiāng陪péi，各gè食shí了le一yí個gè。有yǒu詩shī為wéi證zhèng。詩shī曰yuē：那nà大dà仙xiān十shí分fēn欢huān喜xǐ，急jí令lìng取qǔ金jīn击jī子zi来lái，把bǎ果guǒ子zi敲qiāo下xià十shí个gè，请qǐng菩pú萨sà与yǔ三sān老lǎo复fù回huí宝bǎo殿diàn，一yì则zé谢xiè劳láo，二èr来lái做zuò个gè人rén参shēn果guǒ会huì。众zhòng小xiǎo仙xiān遂suì调diào开kāi桌zhuō椅yǐ，铺pù设shè丹dān盘pán，请qǐng菩pú萨sà坐zuò了le上shàng面miàn正zhèng席xí，三sān老lǎo左zuǒ席xí，唐táng僧sēng右yòu席xí，镇zhèn元yuán子zǐ前qián席xí相xiāng陪péi，各gè食shí了le一yí个gè。有yǒu诗shī为wéi证zhèng。诗shī曰yuē：

萬wàn壽shòu山shān中zhōng古gǔ洞dòng天tiān，人rén參shēn一yì熟shú九jiǔ千qiān年nián。万wàn寿shòu山shān中zhōng古gǔ洞dòng天tiān，人rén参shēn一yì熟shú九jiǔ千qiān年nián。

靈líng根gēn現xiàn出chū芽yá枝zhī損sǔn，甘gān露lù滋zī生shēng果guǒ葉yè全quán。灵líng根gēn现xiàn出chū芽yá枝zhī损sǔn，甘gān露lù滋zī生shēng果guǒ叶yè全quán。

三sān老lǎo喜xǐ逢féng皆jiē舊jiù契qì，四sì僧sēng幸xìng遇yù是shì前qián緣yuán。三sān老lǎo喜xǐ逢féng皆jiē旧jiù契qì，四sì僧sēng幸xìng遇yù是shì前qián缘yuán。

自zì今jīn會huì服fú人rén參shēn果guǒ，盡jìn是shì長cháng生shēng不bù老lǎo仙xiān。自zì今jīn会huì服fú人rén参shēn果guǒ，尽jìn是shì长cháng生shēng不bù老lǎo仙xiān。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà大dà仙xiān十shí分fēn歡huān喜xǐ，急jí令lìng取qǔ金jīn擊jī子zi來lái，把bǎ果guǒ子zi敲qiāo下xià十shí個gè，請qǐng菩pú薩sà與yǔ三sān老lǎo復fù回huí寶bǎo殿diàn，一yì則zé謝xiè勞láo，二èr來lái做zuò個gè人rén參shēn果guǒ會huì。那nà大dà仙xiān十shí分fēn欢huān喜xǐ，急jí令lìng取qǔ金jīn击jī子zi来lái，把bǎ果guǒ子zi敲qiāo下xià十shí个gè，请qǐng菩pú萨sà与yǔ三sān老lǎo复fù回huí宝bǎo殿diàn，一yì则zé谢xiè劳láo，二èr来lái做zuò个gè人rén参shēn果guǒ会huì。

The Great Immortal, overjoyed, hastily called for the golden mallet, knocked down ten of the fruits, and invited the Bodhisattva and the three elders back to the treasure-hall — first to thank them for their pains, and second to hold a Ginseng-Fruit Feast.

金擊子 ("the golden mallet," 子 the suffix zi), the tool for harvesting the fruit; 人參果會 ("a Ginseng-Fruit Assembly," 參 = shēn). Joy and gratitude turn at once to feasting.

眾zhòng小xiǎo仙xiān遂suì調diào開kāi桌zhuō椅yǐ，鋪pù設shè丹dān盤pán，請qǐng菩pú薩sà坐zuò了le上shàng面miàn正zhèng席xí，三sān老lǎo左zuǒ席xí，唐táng僧sēng右yòu席xí，鎮zhèn元yuán子zǐ前qián席xí相xiāng陪péi，各gè食shí了le一yí個gè。众zhòng小xiǎo仙xiān遂suì调diào开kāi桌zhuō椅yǐ，铺pù设shè丹dān盘pán，请qǐng菩pú萨sà坐zuò了le上shàng面miàn正zhèng席xí，三sān老lǎo左zuǒ席xí，唐táng僧sēng右yòu席xí，镇zhèn元yuán子zǐ前qián席xí相xiāng陪péi，各gè食shí了le一yí个gè。

The lesser immortals set out tables and chairs and laid the cinnabar trays; the Bodhisattva was seated at the head in the place of honor, the three elders to the left, the Tang Monk to the right, and Master Zhenyuan at the near seat to keep them company — and each ate a fruit.

調開桌椅 ("to arrange the tables and chairs," 調 = diào, to set out); 鎮元子 ("Master Zhenyuan," 子 = zǐ); 前席相陪 ("sitting near as host," 相 = xiāng). The feast is arranged with careful precedence.

有yǒu詩shī為wéi證zhèng。有yǒu诗shī为wéi证zhèng。

There is a poem to prove it:

有詩為證 ("there is a poem in witness"), the storyteller’s formula.

詩shī曰yuē：诗shī曰yuē：

The poem says:

詩曰 ("the poem says"), heading a verse on the revived tree and its feast.

In the Mountain of Ten Thousand Years, an ancient cave-heaven; the ginseng fruit, once ripened, lasts nine thousand years.

古洞天 ("an ancient grotto-heaven"), the blessed ground of the abbey; 人參 ("ginseng [fruit]," 參 = shēn). The verse opens on the tree’s antiquity and marvel.

When the numinous root lay bared, its sprouts and boughs were broken; the sweet dew’s quickening made fruit and leaf whole again.

靈根現出 ("the numinous root laid bare"), the ruined tree; 甘露滋生 ("the sweet dew nourishes into life"). The couplet sets ruin against restoration — the very turn the chapter enacts.

The three elders, glad to meet, are all old friends; the four monks, by happy chance, are joined by a bond from lives before.

舊契 ("old covenant, long friendship"); 四僧 ("the four monks," Tripitaka and his three disciples); 前緣 ("a bond of former karma"). The gathering is cast as the fruit of old affinities.

From this day, all who share and eat the ginseng fruit shall be immortals of unaging, everlasting life.

會服 ("to gather and partake"); 長生不老 ("long life and no aging," 長 = cháng); 人參果, 參 = shēn. The verse ends on the fruit’s gift of immortality — now, at the feast, shared by all.

總評 Commentary

With the tree restored, joy overflows into feasting. Zhenyuan, "overjoyed," knocks down ten of the fruits with the golden mallet and calls a Ginseng-Fruit Assembly (人參果會) — and the seating is arranged with the careful precedence the novel always observes, Guanyin at the head, the elders and monks and host each in his place. The chapter that began with a quarrel over stolen fruit ends with that same fruit freely shared.

The verse celebrates the restoration and the reconciliation together. Ruin gives way to renewal — "the sweet dew’s quickening made fruit and leaf whole again" — and the gathered company is bound, the poem says, by "old friendship" and "a bond from lives before." Its closing promise, that all who share the fruit "shall be immortals of unaging life," turns the near-disaster of the broken tree into a shared blessing: the very gift Tripitaka once recoiled from, now the token of a hard-won peace.