第二十九回 · 南柯誓願 The Fabricated Dream — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

南柯誓願 The Fabricated Dream

公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「郎láng君jūn啊a，我wǒ才cái時shí睡shuì在zài羅luó幃wéi之zhī內nèi，夢mèng魂hún中zhōng，忽hū見jiàn個gè金jīn甲jiǎ神shén人rén。」妖yāo魔mó道dào：「那nà個gè金jīn甲jiǎ神shén？上shàng我wǒ門mén怎zěn的de？」公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「是shì我wǒ幼yòu時shí在zài宮gōng內nèi，對duì人rén暗àn許xǔ下xià一yì樁zhuāng心xīn願yuàn：若ruò得dé招zhāo個gè賢xián郎láng駙fù馬mǎ，上shàng名míng山shān，拜bài仙xiān府fǔ，齋zhāi僧sēng佈bù施shī。自zì從cóng配pèi了le你nǐ，夫fū妻qī們men歡huān會huì，到dào今jīn不bù曾céng題tí起qǐ。那nà金jīn甲jiǎ神shén人rén來lái討tǎo誓shì願yuàn，喝hē我wǒ醒xǐng來lái，卻què是shì南nán柯kē一yí夢mèng。因yīn此cǐ，急jí整zhěng容róng來lái郎láng君jūn處chù訴sù知zhī，不bù期qī那nà樁zhuāng上shàng綁bǎng著zhe一yí個gè僧sēng人rén。萬wàn望wàng郎láng君jūn慈cí憫mǐn，看kàn我wǒ薄bó意yì，饒ráo了le那nà個gè和hé尚shàng罷bà，只zhǐ當dāng與yǔ我wǒ齋zhāi僧sēng還huán願yuàn。不bù知zhī郎láng君jūn肯kěn否fǒu？」那nà怪guài道dào：「渾hún家jiā，你nǐ卻què多duō心xīn吶nà，甚shén麼me打dǎ緊jǐn之zhī事shì。我wǒ要yào吃chī人rén，那nǎ裡lǐ不bù撈lāo幾jǐ個gè吃chī吃chī，這zhè個gè把bǎ和hé尚shàng到dào得de那nǎ裡lǐ？放fàng他tā去qù罷bà。」公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「郎láng君jūn啊a，我wǒ才cái时shí睡shuì在zài罗luó帏wéi之zhī内nèi，梦mèng魂hún中zhōng，忽hū见jiàn个gè金jīn甲jiǎ神shén人rén。」妖yāo魔mó道dào：「那nà个gè金jīn甲jiǎ神shén？上shàng我wǒ门mén怎zěn的de？」公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「是shì我wǒ幼yòu时shí在zài宫gōng内nèi，对duì人rén暗àn许xǔ下xià一yì桩zhuāng心xīn愿yuàn：若ruò得dé招zhāo个gè贤xián郎láng驸fù马mǎ，上shàng名míng山shān，拜bài仙xiān府fǔ，斋zhāi僧sēng布bù施shī。自zì从cóng配pèi了le你nǐ，夫fū妻qī们men欢huān会huì，到dào今jīn不bù曾céng题tí起qǐ。那nà金jīn甲jiǎ神shén人rén来lái讨tǎo誓shì愿yuàn，喝hē我wǒ醒xǐng来lái，却què是shì南nán柯kē一yí梦mèng。因yīn此cǐ，急jí整zhěng容róng来lái郎láng君jūn处chù诉sù知zhī，不bù期qī那nà桩zhuāng上shàng绑bǎng著zhe一yí个gè僧sēng人rén。万wàn望wàng郎láng君jūn慈cí悯mǐn，看kàn我wǒ薄bó意yì，饶ráo了le那nà个gè和hé尚shàng罢bà，只zhǐ当dāng与yǔ我wǒ斋zhāi僧sēng还huán愿yuàn。不bù知zhī郎láng君jūn肯kěn否fǒu？」那nà怪guài道dào：「浑hún家jiā，你nǐ却què多duō心xīn呐nà，甚shén么me打dǎ紧jǐn之zhī事shì。我wǒ要yào吃chī人rén，那nǎ里lǐ不bù捞lāo几jǐ个gè吃chī吃chī，这zhè个gè把bǎ和hé尚shàng到dào得de那nǎ里lǐ？放fàng他tā去qù罢bà。」

逐句解 Line by line

公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「郎láng君jūn啊a，我wǒ才cái時shí睡shuì在zài羅luó幃wéi之zhī內nèi，夢mèng魂hún中zhōng，忽hū見jiàn個gè金jīn甲jiǎ神shén人rén。」公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「郎láng君jūn啊a，我wǒ才cái时shí睡shuì在zài罗luó帏wéi之zhī内nèi，梦mèng魂hún中zhōng，忽hū见jiàn个gè金jīn甲jiǎ神shén人rén。」

Said the princess, 'My lord — just now, as I slept within the gauze bed-curtains, in the very soul of my dream, I suddenly beheld a spirit in golden armor.'

才時 = "just now"; 羅幃 = "the gauze [bed-]curtains." 夢魂中 (中 = zhōng) — "in the depth of dream." The 金甲神人 ("golden-armored divine man") is her invention, a pretext to move the ogre to piety. 郎君 is a wife's affectionate address to her husband.

妖yāo魔mó道dào：「那nà個gè金jīn甲jiǎ神shén？上shàng我wǒ門mén怎zěn的de？」妖yāo魔mó道dào：「那nà个gè金jīn甲jiǎ神shén？上shàng我wǒ门mén怎zěn的de？」

Said the fiend, 'That golden-armored god? What did it come to my door for?'

The ogre picks up her figure with an anaphoric 那個 ("that [one you speak of]," nà) and a blunt question. His curiosity is the opening her stratagem needs.

公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「是shì我wǒ幼yòu時shí在zài宮gōng內nèi，對duì人rén暗àn許xǔ下xià一yì樁zhuāng心xīn願yuàn：若ruò得dé招zhāo個gè賢xián郎láng駙fù馬mǎ，上shàng名míng山shān，拜bài仙xiān府fǔ，齋zhāi僧sēng佈bù施shī。自zì從cóng配pèi了le你nǐ，夫fū妻qī們men歡huān會huì，到dào今jīn不bù曾céng題tí起qǐ。那nà金jīn甲jiǎ神shén人rén來lái討tǎo誓shì願yuàn，喝hē我wǒ醒xǐng來lái，卻què是shì南nán柯kē一yí夢mèng。因yīn此cǐ，急jí整zhěng容róng來lái郎láng君jūn處chù訴sù知zhī，不bù期qī那nà樁zhuāng上shàng綁bǎng著zhe一yí個gè僧sēng人rén。萬wàn望wàng郎láng君jūn慈cí憫mǐn，看kàn我wǒ薄bó意yì，饒ráo了le那nà個gè和hé尚shàng罷bà，只zhǐ當dāng與yǔ我wǒ齋zhāi僧sēng還huán願yuàn。不bù知zhī郎láng君jūn肯kěn否fǒu？」公gōng主zhǔ道dào：「是shì我wǒ幼yòu时shí在zài宫gōng内nèi，对duì人rén暗àn许xǔ下xià一yì桩zhuāng心xīn愿yuàn：若ruò得dé招zhāo个gè贤xián郎láng驸fù马mǎ，上shàng名míng山shān，拜bài仙xiān府fǔ，斋zhāi僧sēng布bù施shī。自zì从cóng配pèi了le你nǐ，夫fū妻qī们men欢huān会huì，到dào今jīn不bù曾céng题tí起qǐ。那nà金jīn甲jiǎ神shén人rén来lái讨tǎo誓shì愿yuàn，喝hē我wǒ醒xǐng来lái，却què是shì南nán柯kē一yí梦mèng。因yīn此cǐ，急jí整zhěng容róng来lái郎láng君jūn处chù诉sù知zhī，不bù期qī那nà桩zhuāng上shàng绑bǎng著zhe一yí个gè僧sēng人rén。万wàn望wàng郎láng君jūn慈cí悯mǐn，看kàn我wǒ薄bó意yì，饶ráo了le那nà个gè和hé尚shàng罢bà，只zhǐ当dāng与yǔ我wǒ斋zhāi僧sēng还huán愿yuàn。不bù知zhī郎láng君jūn肯kěn否fǒu？」

Said the princess, 'When I was a girl in the palace, I secretly vowed a vow to Heaven: that should I win a worthy husband and consort, I would go up to the famous mountains, do reverence at the abbeys of the immortals, and feast the monks and give alms. Since I was matched with you, in the pleasures of our union, I have never once spoken of it to this day. That golden-armored spirit came to demand the vow of me, and startled me awake with a shout — and it was but a Dream of the Southern Bough. And so I hastened, my dress scarce ordered, to my lord's chamber to tell of it — little thinking that a monk stood bound there at the post. I beg my lord's compassion: for the sake of my poor good will, spare that monk, and let it stand for the feasting of monks and the redeeming of my vow. Does my lord consent, or no?'

The speech is a sustained fabrication. 許下心願 / 討誓願 / 還願 turn on the language of vows (還 = huán, "to redeem [a vow]"). 若得招 takes 得 as dé ("get to win"); 賢郎駙馬 = "a worthy husband, an imperial son-in-law." 南柯一夢 ("a Dream of the Southern Bough") alludes to the Tang tale of Chunyu Fen's illusory lifetime within an anthill — a byword for the vanity of dreams. 薄意 (薄 = bó) = "slight good will," a humble self-reference. Her petition recasts the captive monk as an object of merit-making.

那nà怪guài道dào：「渾hún家jiā，你nǐ卻què多duō心xīn吶nà，甚shén麼me打dǎ緊jǐn之zhī事shì。我wǒ要yào吃chī人rén，那nǎ裡lǐ不bù撈lāo幾jǐ個gè吃chī吃chī，這zhè個gè把bǎ和hé尚shàng到dào得de那nǎ裡lǐ？放fàng他tā去qù罷bà。」那nà怪guài道dào：「浑hún家jiā，你nǐ却què多duō心xīn呐nà，甚shén么me打dǎ紧jǐn之zhī事shì。我wǒ要yào吃chī人rén，那nǎ里lǐ不bù捞lāo几jǐ个gè吃chī吃chī，这zhè个gè把bǎ和hé尚shàng到dào得de那nǎ里lǐ？放fàng他tā去qù罢bà。」

Said the fiend, 'Wife, you are making too much of it — what pressing matter is this? If I want to eat men, where could I not scoop up a few to eat? What does this one monk amount to? Let him go, then.'

多心 = "to be over-suspicious, to fret needlessly." The two 那裡 here are rhetorical (nǎ, "where / anywhere"): 那裡不撈幾個 = "where could I not grab a few," and 到得那裡 = "amounts to what" (得 the structural de). The ogre's careless magnanimity, born of surfeit, seals Tripitaka's release.

總評 Commentary

The fabricated dream is a small masterpiece of strategic piety. The princess invents a maiden's vow — mountains, immortals' shrines, the feasting of monks — never fulfilled since her marriage, and a golden-armored spirit who has come in the night to call the debt due; the whole apparatus is designed so that mercy toward the bound monk can be presented not as sympathy for a stranger but as the settling of the ogre's own household's account with Heaven. She even reaches for a literary sanction, glossing her invention as 南柯一夢, the Tang byword for the emptiness of dreams, which both authenticates the vision and disclaims it.

The irony the passage delivers is that her artistry is almost superfluous. The ogre consents, but not for the reasons she has so carefully manufactured: he waves the petition away out of sheer surfeit — if he wants to eat men he can seize them anywhere, and one monk is beneath notice. It is appetite, not piety, that saves Tripitaka; the monster's very grossness, his careless plenty, does the work the princess's delicate fiction was meant to do. The novel thus lets the rescue succeed while quietly puncturing the pretense that dresses it.