第三十四回 · 洞中回話 The Report in the Cave — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

洞中回話 The Report in the Cave

他tā嚶yīng的de一yì聲shēng飛fēi下xià去qù，跟gēn定dìng那nà怪guài。不bù一yì時shí，到dào了le洞dòng裡lǐ。只zhǐ見jiàn那nà兩liǎng個gè魔mó頭tóu坐zuò在zài那nà裡lǐ飲yǐn酒jiǔ，小xiǎo妖yāo朝cháo上shàng跪guì下xià。行xíng者zhě就jiù釘dīng在zài那nà門mén櫃guì上shàng，側cè耳ěr聽tīng著zhe。小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「大dà王wáng。」二èr老lǎo魔mó即jí停tíng杯bēi道dào：「你nǐ們men來lái了le？」小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「來lái了le。」又yòu問wèn：「拿ná著zháo孫sūn行xíng者zhě否fǒu？」小xiǎo妖yāo叩kòu頭tóu，不bù敢gǎn聲shēng言yán。老lǎo魔mó又yòu問wèn，又yòu不bù敢gǎn應yìng，只zhǐ是shì叩kòu頭tóu。他tā嘤yīng的de一yì声shēng飞fēi下xià去qù，跟gēn定dìng那nà怪guài。不bù一yì时shí，到dào了le洞dòng里lǐ。只zhǐ见jiàn那nà两liǎng个gè魔mó头tóu坐zuò在zài那nà里lǐ饮yǐn酒jiǔ，小xiǎo妖yāo朝cháo上shàng跪guì下xià。行xíng者zhě就jiù钉dīng在zài那nà门mén柜guì上shàng，侧cè耳ěr听tīng着zhe。小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「大dà王wáng。」二èr老lǎo魔mó即jí停tíng杯bēi道dào：「你nǐ们men来lái了le？」小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「来lái了le。」又yòu问wèn：「拿ná着zháo孙sūn行xíng者zhě否fǒu？」小xiǎo妖yāo叩kòu头tóu，不bù敢gǎn声shēng言yán。老lǎo魔mó又yòu问wèn，又yòu不bù敢gǎn应yìng，只zhǐ是shì叩kòu头tóu。

逐句解 Line by line

他tā嚶yīng的de一yì聲shēng飛fēi下xià去qù，跟gēn定dìng那nà怪guài。不bù一yì時shí，到dào了le洞dòng裡lǐ。只zhǐ見jiàn那nà兩liǎng個gè魔mó頭tóu坐zuò在zài那nà裡lǐ飲yǐn酒jiǔ，小xiǎo妖yāo朝cháo上shàng跪guì下xià。行xíng者zhě就jiù釘dīng在zài那nà門mén櫃guì上shàng，側cè耳ěr聽tīng著zhe。他tā嘤yīng的de一yì声shēng飞fēi下xià去qù，跟gēn定dìng那nà怪guài。不bù一yì时shí，到dào了le洞dòng里lǐ。只zhǐ见jiàn那nà两liǎng个gè魔mó头tóu坐zuò在zài那nà里lǐ饮yǐn酒jiǔ，小xiǎo妖yāo朝cháo上shàng跪guì下xià。行xíng者zhě就jiù钉dīng在zài那nà门mén柜guì上shàng，侧cè耳ěr听tīng着zhe。

With a droning buzz he flew down and kept close upon the fiends. In no time he reached the cave. There sat the two demon lords drinking, and the little imps knelt before them; Pilgrim lit upon the door-frame and cocked an ear to listen.

嚶的一聲 yīng de yì shēng is the fly's approach rendered as a sound: a thin drone arriving. 那門櫃 nà mén guì, that door-frame, with the pointing 那 — and 側耳聽著 cè ěr tīng zhe, listening with the head tilted, 著 as the ongoing zhe. The posture is the whole scene: the eavesdropper parked at his enemies' council.

小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「大dà王wáng。」二èr老lǎo魔mó即jí停tíng杯bēi道dào：「你nǐ們men來lái了le？」小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「來lái了le。」又yòu問wèn：「拿ná著zháo孫sūn行xíng者zhě否fǒu？」小xiǎo妖yāo叩kòu頭tóu，不bù敢gǎn聲shēng言yán。老lǎo魔mó又yòu問wèn，又yòu不bù敢gǎn應yìng，只zhǐ是shì叩kòu頭tóu。小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「大dà王wáng。」二èr老lǎo魔mó即jí停tíng杯bēi道dào：「你nǐ们men来lái了le？」小xiǎo妖yāo道dào：「来lái了le。」又yòu问wèn：「拿ná着zháo孙sūn行xíng者zhě否fǒu？」小xiǎo妖yāo叩kòu头tóu，不bù敢gǎn声shēng言yán。老lǎo魔mó又yòu问wèn，又yòu不bù敢gǎn应yìng，只zhǐ是shì叩kòu头tóu。

The imps said: “Great Kings.” The two old fiends set down their cups: “You've come back?” The imps said: “We have.” They asked again: “Have you taken Sun the Pilgrim?” The imps only knocked their heads on the ground and dared not speak. The old fiend asked again, and still they dared not answer; they only kowtowed.

拿著孫行者否 ná zháo sūn xíng zhě fǒu — have you caught Sun the Pilgrim? Here 著 is zháo, the reading for a result actually reached, so the question is not whether they went after him but whether they got him. 又不敢應 yòu bù gǎn yìng, again dared not answer, with 應 read yìng, to respond — the same character that means "ought to" on a level tone.

總評 Commentary

The scene settles into the demons' hall and is watched from a fly's perch on the door-frame — a neat reversal, since surveillance was supposed to be the imps' job. The narrator's ear is fine: cups set down, a guarded question, and a silence that answers louder than words. 側耳聽著 fixes Wukong in the pose of the listener at the keyhole.

The imps' dread is conveyed entirely through action. They kneel, they knock their heads on the floor, they say nothing under three rounds of questioning. Withholding the confession is shrewd staging: the reader, who has watched the whole disaster, now waits alongside the demons for an admission the servants can barely force out. Fear has taken their voices before their masters take their lives.