第三十二回 · 回前詞 Prefatory Lyric — Journey to the West

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

回前詞 Prefatory Lyric

話huà說shuō唐táng僧sēng復fù得dé了le孫sūn行xíng者zhě，師shī徒tú們men一yì心xīn同tóng體tǐ，共gòng詣yì西xī方fāng。自zì寶bǎo象xiàng國guó救jiù了le公gōng主zhǔ，承chéng君jūn臣chén送sòng出chū城chéng西xī。說shuō不bú盡jìn沿yán路lù饑jī餐cān渴kě飲yǐn，夜yè住zhù曉xiǎo行xíng。卻què又yòu值zhí三sān春chūn景jǐng候hòu，那nà時shí節jié：话huà说shuō唐táng僧sēng复fù得dé了le孙sūn行xíng者zhě，师shī徒tú们men一yì心xīn同tóng体tǐ，共gòng诣yì西xī方fāng。自zì宝bǎo象xiàng国guó救jiù了le公gōng主zhǔ，承chéng君jūn臣chén送sòng出chū城chéng西xī。说shuō不bú尽jìn沿yán路lù饥jī餐cān渴kě饮yǐn，夜yè住zhù晓xiǎo行xíng。却què又yòu值zhí三sān春chūn景jǐng候hòu，那nà时shí节jié：

輕qīng風fēng吹chuī柳liǔ綠lǜ如rú絲sī，佳jiā景jǐng最zuì堪kān題tí。轻qīng风fēng吹chuī柳liǔ绿lǜ如rú丝sī，佳jiā景jǐng最zuì堪kān题tí。

時shí催cuī鳥niǎo語yǔ，暖nuǎn烘hōng花huā發fā，遍biàn地dì芳fāng菲fēi。时shí催cuī鸟niǎo语yǔ，暖nuǎn烘hōng花huā发fā，遍biàn地dì芳fāng菲fēi。

海hǎi棠táng庭tíng院yuàn來lái雙shuāng燕yàn，正zhèng是shì賞shǎng春chūn時shí。海hǎi棠táng庭tíng院yuàn来lái双shuāng燕yàn，正zhèng是shì赏shǎng春chūn时shí。

紅hóng塵chén紫zǐ陌mò，綺qǐ羅luó絃xián管guǎn，鬥dòu草cǎo傳chuán卮zhī。红hóng尘chén紫zǐ陌mò，绮qǐ罗luó弦xián管guǎn，斗dòu草cǎo传chuán卮zhī。

逐句解 Line by line

話huà說shuō唐táng僧sēng復fù得dé了le孫sūn行xíng者zhě，師shī徒tú們men一yì心xīn同tóng體tǐ，共gòng詣yì西xī方fāng。话huà说shuō唐táng僧sēng复fù得dé了le孙sūn行xíng者zhě，师shī徒tú们men一yì心xīn同tóng体tǐ，共gòng诣yì西xī方fāng。

The tale tells how the Tang Monk, having regained Pilgrim Sun, master and disciples now of one heart and one body, pressed on together toward the West.

復得 (fùdé), "to regain, recover." 得 read dé; 行者 read xíng.

自zì寶bǎo象xiàng國guó救jiù了le公gōng主zhǔ，承chéng君jūn臣chén送sòng出chū城chéng西xī。自zì宝bǎo象xiàng国guó救jiù了le公gōng主zhǔ，承chéng君jūn臣chén送sòng出chū城chéng西xī。

Since delivering the princess of the Precious-Image Kingdom, they had been escorted by its lord and ministers out past the western wall of the city.

寶象國 (Bǎoxiàng guó), "the Precious-Image Kingdom," the realm of the preceding episode.

說shuō不bú盡jìn沿yán路lù饑jī餐cān渴kě飲yǐn，夜yè住zhù曉xiǎo行xíng。说shuō不bú尽jìn沿yán路lù饥jī餐cān渴kě饮yǐn，夜yè住zhù晓xiǎo行xíng。

There is no telling all the hunger they ate through and thirst they drank down along the road, lodging by night and setting out at dawn.

說不盡 (shuō bú jìn), "beyond telling in full." 盡 read jìn; 不 raised to bú before it.

卻què又yòu值zhí三sān春chūn景jǐng候hòu，那nà時shí節jié：却què又yòu值zhí三sān春chūn景jǐng候hòu，那nà时shí节jié：

It fell, moreover, in the season of the three spring months — and at that very time:

三春 (sānchūn), "the three months of spring," here the late season. 那時節 — 那 read nà (deictic).

輕qīng風fēng吹chuī柳liǔ綠lǜ如rú絲sī，佳jiā景jǐng最zuì堪kān題tí。轻qīng风fēng吹chuī柳liǔ绿lǜ如rú丝sī，佳jiā景jǐng最zuì堪kān题tí。

A light wind combs the willows, green as floss of silk; / such fair scenery is most fit to be sung.

綠如絲 (lǜ rú sī), "green as silk-floss." 堪題, "worth setting to verse."

時shí催cuī鳥niǎo語yǔ，暖nuǎn烘hōng花huā發fā，遍biàn地dì芳fāng菲fēi。时shí催cuī鸟niǎo语yǔ，暖nuǎn烘hōng花huā发fā，遍biàn地dì芳fāng菲fēi。

The hour hastens the birdsong; warmth coaxes the blossoms open; over all the ground the fragrance spreads.

芳菲 (fāngfēi), "fragrant and lush," of spring growth.

To the crab-apple courtyard come a pair of swallows — this is the very time to delight in spring.

海棠 (hǎitáng), "flowering crab-apple." 賞春, "to take pleasure in spring."

紅hóng塵chén紫zǐ陌mò，綺qǐ羅luó絃xián管guǎn，鬥dòu草cǎo傳chuán卮zhī。红hóng尘chén紫zǐ陌mò，绮qǐ罗luó弦xián管guǎn，斗dòu草cǎo传chuán卮zhī。

Red dust upon the purple lanes; damask silks, strings and pipes; the grass-battle played, the wine-cup passed around.

鬥草 (dòucǎo), "the grass-battle," a spring pastime; 傳卮 (chuán zhī), "passing the wine-cup." 絃 = 弦, xián.

總評 Commentary

The chapter opens by knitting up the thread of the preceding episode: the Tang Monk has “regained” Pilgrim Sun (復得了孫行者), whose banishment and recall had structured chapters 27–31, and the reunited company is now 一心同體, “of one heart and one body” — a phrase carrying the internal-alchemy sense of the pilgrim-band as the faculties of a single cultivated self, restored to integration. Against this the narrator sets the conventional formula of hunger, thirst, and travel by dawn and dark (饣餐渴飲，夜住曉行), which he waves away as beyond the telling.

The prefatory 詞 that follows, in irregular lyric meter, paints an idyll of late spring — willows, birdsong, swallows returning to the crab-apple courtyard, the festival games of 鬥草 and the passing wine-cup. Its placement is pointedly ironic: the serenity of this pastoral catalogue stands at the very threshold of the Level-Top Mountain, where the Wood-Mother (Zhu Bajie) is to meet disaster. The tranquil surface, as so often in the novel, is the calm before the ordeal.