Canonical Classics ← 第三十二回
第三十二回
平píng頂dǐng山shān功gōng曹cáo傳chuán信xìn
蓮lián花huā洞dòng木mù母mǔ逢féng災zāi

On Level-Top Mountain the Merit-Officer Brings Word · In the Lotus-Flower Cave the Wood-Mother Meets Disaster

長老述懷
模式 Mode Read Study
拼音 Pinyin Off
字體 Script 繁
原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition 含詞賦 With rhapsody

長老述懷 The Elder Voices His Heart

長zhǎng老lǎo勒lè回huí馬mǎ道dào：「我wǒ长zhǎng老lǎo勒lè回huí马mǎ道dào：「我wǒ

當dāng年nián奉fèng旨zhǐ出chū長cháng安ān，只zhǐ憶yì西xī來lái拜bài佛fó顏yán。当dāng年nián奉fèng旨zhǐ出chū长cháng安ān，只zhǐ忆yì西xī来lái拜bài佛fó颜yán。
舍shè利lì國guó中zhōng金jīn像xiàng彩cǎi，浮fú屠tú塔tǎ裡lǐ玉yù毫háo斑bān。舍shè利lì国guó中zhōng金jīn像xiàng彩cǎi，浮fú屠tú塔tǎ里lǐ玉yù毫háo斑bān。
尋xún窮qióng天tiān下xià無wú名míng水shuǐ，歷lì遍biàn人rén間jiān不bú到dào山shān。寻xún穷qióng天tiān下xià无wú名míng水shuǐ，历lì遍biàn人rén间jiān不bú到dào山shān。
逐zhú逐zhú煙yān波bō重chóng疊dié疊dié，幾jǐ時shí能néng夠gòu此cǐ身shēn閑xián？」逐zhú逐zhú烟yān波bō重chóng叠dié叠dié，几jǐ时shí能néng够gòu此cǐ身shēn闲xián？」

逐句解 Line by line

長zhǎng老lǎo勒lè回huí馬mǎ道dào：「我wǒ 长zhǎng老lǎo勒lè回huí马mǎ道dào：「我wǒ

The Elder reined his horse about and said: “I —

勒回馬 (lè huí mǎ), "to rein the horse about." 勒 read lè (rein); 長老 — 長 read zhǎng.

當dāng年nián奉fèng旨zhǐ出chū長cháng安ān，只zhǐ憶yì西xī來lái拜bài佛fó顏yán。 当dāng年nián奉fèng旨zhǐ出chū长cháng安ān，只zhǐ忆yì西xī来lái拜bài佛fó颜yán。

In that year I bore the decree and set out from Cháng’an, / mindful only of coming west to bow before the Buddha’s face.

奉旨 (fèng zhǐ), "bearing the imperial decree." 長安 read Cháng’ān; 拜佛 — 佛 read fó.

舍shè利lì國guó中zhōng金jīn像xiàng彩cǎi，浮fú屠tú塔tǎ裡lǐ玉yù毫háo斑bān。 舍shè利lì国guó中zhōng金jīn像xiàng彩cǎi，浮fú屠tú塔tǎ里lǐ玉yù毫háo斑bān。

In lands of relics the golden images blaze with color; / within the stūpa towers the jade brow-tuft gleams and flecks.

舍利 (shèlì), "relics" (śarīra) — 舍 read shè. 浮屠 (fútú), "stūpa"; 玉毫 (yù háo), the Buddha’s jade brow-tuft (ūrnā). 中 read zhōng.

尋xún窮qióng天tiān下xià無wú名míng水shuǐ，歷lì遍biàn人rén間jiān不bú到dào山shān。 寻xún穷qióng天tiān下xià无wú名míng水shuǐ，历lì遍biàn人rén间jiān不bú到dào山shān。

I have sought to the ends of the earth its nameless waters, / passed through all the human world to mountains none has reached.

尋窮 (xún qióng), "to search to the very end." 歷遍, "to pass through everywhere." 人間, "the human world."

逐zhú逐zhú煙yān波bō重chóng疊dié疊dié，幾jǐ時shí能néng夠gòu此cǐ身shēn閑xián？」 逐zhú逐zhú烟yān波bō重chóng叠dié叠dié，几jǐ时shí能néng够gòu此cǐ身shēn闲xián？」

On and on through misted waves, fold upon fold heaped high — / when shall I ever win this body a moment’s rest?”

重疊疊 (chóng dié dié), "fold upon layered fold." 重 read chóng; 身閑, "the body at leisure."

總評 Commentary

The Elder answers not with argument but with a regulated poem (律詩) of self-account. He rehearses the arc of his mission — the decree borne out of Cháng’an, the single-minded vow to bow before the Buddha, the relic-lands with their gilded images and the jade brow-tuft (玉毫, the ūrnā) gleaming within the stūpas — before turning to the weariness of it all: nameless waters sought to the world’s end, unreached mountains crossed, mist-waves heaped fold on fold.

The poem’s closing question, 幾時能夠此身閑 (“when shall this body ever rest?”), gives the topos of pilgrimage-fatigue its most plaintive form, and its position is once more ironic: the Elder longs for rest precisely as the hardest trial of the Gold- and Silver-Horn arc draws near. The verse functions less as narrative than as characterization, fixing the Elder’s piety and his very human exhaustion in a single lyric.