第三十回 · 白馬化龍 The Horse Becomes a Dragon — Journey to the West

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

白馬化龍 The Horse Becomes a Dragon

他tā只zhǐ捱ái到dào二èr更gēng時shí分fēn，卻què才cái跳tiào將jiāng起qǐ來lái道dào：「我wǒ今jīn若ruò不bú救jiù唐táng僧sēng，這zhè功gōng果guǒ休xiū矣yǐ，休xiū矣yǐ！」他tā忍rěn不bú住zhù頓dùn絕jué韁jiāng繩shéng，抖dǒu鬆sōng鞍ān轡pèi，急jí縱zòng身shēn，忙máng顯xiǎn化huà，依yī然rán化huà作zuò龍lóng。駕jià起qǐ烏wū雲yún，直zhí上shàng九jiǔ霄xiāo空kōng裡lǐ觀guān看kàn。有yǒu詩shī為wéi證zhèng，詩shī曰yuē：他tā只zhǐ挨ái到dào二èr更gēng时shí分fēn，却què才cái跳tiào将jiāng起qǐ来lái道dào：「我wǒ今jīn若ruò不bú救jiù唐táng僧sēng，这zhè功gōng果guǒ休xiū矣yǐ，休xiū矣yǐ！」他tā忍rěn不bú住zhù顿dùn绝jué缰jiāng绳shéng，抖dǒu松sōng鞍ān辔pèi，急jí纵zòng身shēn，忙máng显xiǎn化huà，依yī然rán化huà作zuò龙lóng。驾jià起qǐ乌wū云yún，直zhí上shàng九jiǔ霄xiāo空kōng里lǐ观guān看kàn。有yǒu诗shī为wéi证zhèng，诗shī曰yuē：

三sān藏zàng西xī來lái拜bài世shì尊zūn，途tú中zhōng偏piān有yǒu惡è妖yāo氛fēn。三sān藏zàng西xī来lái拜bài世shì尊zūn，途tú中zhōng偏piān有yǒu恶è妖yāo氛fēn。

今jīn宵xiāo化huà虎hǔ災zāi難nàn脫tuō，白bái馬mǎ垂chuí韁jiāng救jiù主zhǔ人rén。今jīn宵xiāo化huà虎hǔ灾zāi难nàn脱tuō，白bái马mǎ垂chuí缰jiāng救jiù主zhǔ人rén。

逐句解 Line by line

他tā只zhǐ捱ái到dào二èr更gēng時shí分fēn，卻què才cái跳tiào將jiāng起qǐ來lái道dào：「我wǒ今jīn若ruò不bú救jiù唐táng僧sēng，這zhè功gōng果guǒ休xiū矣yǐ，休xiū矣yǐ！」他tā只zhǐ挨ái到dào二èr更gēng时shí分fēn，却què才cái跳tiào将jiāng起qǐ来lái道dào：「我wǒ今jīn若ruò不bú救jiù唐táng僧sēng，这zhè功gōng果guǒ休xiū矣yǐ，休xiū矣yǐ！」

He held out only till the second watch, then sprang up at last and said: "If I do not save the Tang monk now, this whole work of merit is finished — finished!"

In 跳將起來 the directional 將 is jiāng. 功果 is "the fruit of merit," the spiritual reward of the pilgrimage; 休矣, "it is over." The horse frames the stakes as nothing less than the whole quest.

他tā忍rěn不bú住zhù頓dùn絕jué韁jiāng繩shéng，抖dǒu鬆sōng鞍ān轡pèi，急jí縱zòng身shēn，忙máng顯xiǎn化huà，依yī然rán化huà作zuò龍lóng。他tā忍rěn不bú住zhù顿dùn绝jué缰jiāng绳shéng，抖dǒu松sōng鞍ān辔pèi，急jí纵zòng身shēn，忙máng显xiǎn化huà，依yī然rán化huà作zuò龙lóng。

Unable to hold back, he snapped his halter-rope with a jerk, shook loose the saddle and reins, sprang up in haste, worked his transformation, and became a dragon once more.

頓絕韁繩 ("with a jerk broke the halter") and 抖鬆鞍轡 ("shook loose saddle and bridle") mark his casting off of servitude; 顯化 is "to manifest a transformation." He resumes his true dragon-shape to act.

駕jià起qǐ烏wū雲yún，直zhí上shàng九jiǔ霄xiāo空kōng裡lǐ觀guān看kàn。驾jià起qǐ乌wū云yún，直zhí上shàng九jiǔ霄xiāo空kōng里lǐ观guān看kàn。

Mounting a black cloud, he rose straight to the ninth heaven and looked down.

九霄 is "the ninth heaven," the highest sky; 觀看 takes 觀 as guān. From above, the dragon surveys the scene of the crime.

有yǒu詩shī為wéi證zhèng，詩shī曰yuē：有yǒu诗shī为wéi证zhèng，诗shī曰yuē：

There are lines of verse in witness; the poem says:

The narrator’s formula introducing an authorial poem. In 為證 ("as witness") the graph 為 is read wéi.

Tripitaka came westward to bow before the World-Honored One; but along the way, as chance would have it, foul demon-vapors lay.

In the name 三藏 the graph 藏 is zàng; 途中 takes 中 as zhōng. 世尊 ("the World-Honored One") is the Buddha; 妖氛, "demon-miasma."

This night, changed to a tiger, from calamity he cannot break free; and the white horse, letting fall its halter, goes to save its master.

In 災難 ("calamity, ordeal") the graph 難 is read nàn; 垂韁 is "to let down the halter." The closing line — 白馬垂韁救主人 — states the chapter’s first movement in a phrase: the 意馬 goes to the rescue.

總評 Commentary

The passage turns on the horse’s casting off of his servitude: snapping the halter, shaking loose saddle and bridle, and resuming the dragon-shape he had surrendered to serve as a mount. The physical act of self-liberation is also a moral one — the humblest servant chooses, unbidden and alone, to hazard everything for the master.

The interpolated poem performs its usual double office. It summarizes the situation for the reader (Tripitaka trapped in tiger-form; the horse gone to save him) and, in its final line, 白馬垂韁救主人, states the chapter’s first title-movement outright — the 意馬, the Horse of the Will, in action. The 心猿, the Mind-Monkey, is still to come.