第三十二回 · 啄木蟲 The Woodpecker — Journey to the West

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

啄木蟲 The Woodpecker

原yuán來lái行xíng者zhě在zài他tā耳ěr根gēn後hòu，句jù句jù兒er聽tīng著zhe哩lī，忍rěn不bú住zhù飛fēi將jiāng起qǐ來lái，又yòu琢zhuó弄nòng他tā一yì琢zhuó弄nòng。又yòu搖yáo身shēn一yí變biàn，變biàn作zuò個gè啄zhuó木mù蟲chóng兒er。但dàn見jiàn：原yuán来lái行xíng者zhě在zài他tā耳ěr根gēn后hòu，句jù句jù儿er听tīng著zhe哩lī，忍rěn不bú住zhù飞fēi将jiāng起qǐ来lái，又yòu琢zhuó弄nòng他tā一yì琢zhuó弄nòng。又yòu摇yáo身shēn一yí变biàn，变biàn作zuò个gè啄zhuó木mù虫chóng儿er。但dàn见jiàn：

鐵tiě嘴zuǐ尖jiān尖jiān紅hóng溜liū，翠cuì翎líng艷yàn艷yàn光guāng明míng。铁tiě嘴zuǐ尖jiān尖jiān红hóng溜liū，翠cuì翎líng艳yàn艳yàn光guāng明míng。

一yì雙shuāng鋼gāng爪zhǎo利lì如rú釘dīng。一yì双shuāng钢gāng爪zhǎo利lì如rú钉dīng。

腹fù餒něi何hé妨fáng林lín靜jìng。腹fù馁něi何hé妨fáng林lín静jìng。

最zuì愛ài枯kū槎chá朽xiǔ爛làn，偏piān嫌xián老lǎo樹shù伶líng仃dīng。最zuì爱ài枯kū槎chá朽xiǔ烂làn，偏piān嫌xián老lǎo树shù伶líng仃dīng。

圜yuán睛jīng決jué尾wěi性xìng丟diū靈líng。圜yuán睛jīng决jué尾wěi性xìng丢diū灵líng。

辟pī剝bō之zhī聲shēng堪kān聽tīng。辟pī剥bō之zhī声shēng堪kān听tīng。

逐句解 Line by line

原yuán來lái行xíng者zhě在zài他tā耳ěr根gēn後hòu，句jù句jù兒er聽tīng著zhe哩lī，忍rěn不bú住zhù飛fēi將jiāng起qǐ來lái，又yòu琢zhuó弄nòng他tā一yì琢zhuó弄nòng。原yuán来lái行xíng者zhě在zài他tā耳ěr根gēn后hòu，句jù句jù儿er听tīng著zhe哩lī，忍rěn不bú住zhù飞fēi将jiāng起qǐ来lái，又yòu琢zhuó弄nòng他tā一yì琢zhuó弄nòng。

Now Pilgrim, behind his very ear, had been listening to every word; unable to hold back, he flew up to peck at him once more.

耳根 (ěr gēn), "behind the ear." 琢弄 (zhuó nòng), "to peck at, torment" — 琢 zhuó. 句句兒 — 兒 er; 聽著 — 著 zhe; 飛將起來 — 將 jiāng.

又yòu搖yáo身shēn一yí變biàn，變biàn作zuò個gè啄zhuó木mù蟲chóng兒er。又yòu摇yáo身shēn一yí变biàn，变biàn作zuò个gè啄zhuó木mù虫chóng儿er。

Again he gave his body a shake and changed into a little woodpecker.

啄木蟲 (zhuó mù chóng), "woodpecker." 蟲兒 — 兒 er.

但dàn見jiàn：但dàn见jiàn：

Behold:

但見 (dàn jiàn), "behold" — the storyteller’s lead-in to the rhapsody.

鐵tiě嘴zuǐ尖jiān尖jiān紅hóng溜liū，翠cuì翎líng艷yàn艷yàn光guāng明míng。铁tiě嘴zuǐ尖jiān尖jiān红hóng溜liū，翠cuì翎líng艳yàn艳yàn光guāng明míng。

Iron beak pointed and sharp, glossy red; kingfisher plumes gorgeous and gleaming bright.

翠翎 (cuì líng), "kingfisher-blue plumes." 紅溜, "glossy red."

一yì雙shuāng鋼gāng爪zhǎo利lì如rú釘dīng。一yì双shuāng钢gāng爪zhǎo利lì如rú钉dīng。

A pair of steel talons keen as nails.

鋼爪 (gāng zhǎo), "steel talons." 利如釘, "keen as nails."

腹fù餒něi何hé妨fáng林lín靜jìng。腹fù馁něi何hé妨fáng林lín静jìng。

Belly empty — what matter, in the quiet of the wood?

腹餒 (fù něi), "the belly hungry." 何妨, "what matter."

最zuì愛ài枯kū槎chá朽xiǔ爛làn，偏piān嫌xián老lǎo樹shù伶líng仃dīng。最zuì爱ài枯kū槎chá朽xiǔ烂làn，偏piān嫌xián老lǎo树shù伶líng仃dīng。

Fondest of rotten stumps decayed and crumbling; disdaining most the old tree standing bare and lone.

枯槎 (kū chá), "a rotten stump/branch." 伶仃 (líng dīng), "solitary, bare."

圜yuán睛jīng決jué尾wěi性xìng丟diū靈líng。圜yuán睛jīng决jué尾wěi性xìng丢diū灵líng。

Round eyes, flicking tail — a nature quick and nimble.

圜睛 (yuán jīng), "round eyes" — 圜 here yuán (= 圓). 丟靈, "quick, nimble."

辟pī剝bō之zhī聲shēng堪kān聽tīng。辟pī剥bō之zhī声shēng堪kān听tīng。

The rat-a-tat of its pecking, a sound worth the hearing.

辟剝 (pī bō), the rat-a-tat of pecking — 辟 here pī. 堪聽, "worth hearing."

總評 Commentary

Pilgrim, having overheard the whole performance, cannot resist and resolves to torment the sleeper. He performs a second transformation — from gnat to woodpecker — rendered, like the insect before it, in a set-piece 賦 cataloguing the bird’s iron beak, steel talons, and bright plumage.

The rhapsody is finely observed and faintly comic in its aptness: a woodpecker, whose whole nature is to hammer at wood, is the perfect instrument for jabbing an obtuse, wooden-headed sleeper awake. The verse’s relish for the “rat-a-tat” of pecking prepares, with evident glee, the indignity about to be visited on Eight Rules.