第三十五回 · 二童歸天 The Boys Return to Heaven — Journey to the West

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

二童歸天 The Boys Return to Heaven

那nà老lǎo君jūn收shōu得de五wǔ件jiàn寶bǎo貝bèi，揭jiē開kāi葫hú蘆lú與yǔ淨jìng瓶píng蓋gài口kǒu，倒dào出chū兩liǎng股gǔ仙xiān氣qì。用yòng手shǒu一yì指zhǐ，仍réng化huà為wéi金jīn、銀yín二èr童tóng子zi，相xiāng隨suí左zuǒ右yòu。只zhǐ見jiàn那nà霞xiá光guāng萬wàn道dào，咦yí！那nà老lǎo君jūn收shōu得de五wǔ件jiàn宝bǎo贝bèi，揭jiē开kāi葫hú芦lú与yǔ净jìng瓶píng盖gài口kǒu，倒dào出chū两liǎng股gǔ仙xiān气qì。用yòng手shǒu一yì指zhǐ，仍réng化huà为wéi金jīn、银yín二èr童tóng子zi，相xiāng随suí左zuǒ右yòu。只zhǐ见jiàn那nà霞xiá光guāng万wàn道dào，咦yí！

縹piǎo緲miǎo同tóng歸guī兜dōu率shuài院yuàn，逍xiāo遙yáo直zhí上shàng大dà羅luó天tiān。缥piǎo缈miǎo同tóng归guī兜dōu率shuài院yuàn，逍xiāo遥yáo直zhí上shàng大dà罗luó天tiān。

畢bì竟jìng不bù知zhī此cǐ後hòu又yòu有yǒu甚shén事shì，孫sūn大dà聖shèng怎zěn生shēng保bǎo護hù唐táng僧sēng，幾jǐ時shí得dé到dào西xī天tiān，且qiě聽tīng下xià回huí分fēn解jiě。毕bì竟jìng不bù知zhī此cǐ后hòu又yòu有yǒu甚shén事shì，孙sūn大dà圣shèng怎zěn生shēng保bǎo护hù唐táng僧sēng，几jǐ时shí得dé到dào西xī天tiān，且qiě听tīng下xià回huí分fēn解jiě。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà老lǎo君jūn收shōu得de五wǔ件jiàn寶bǎo貝bèi，揭jiē開kāi葫hú蘆lú與yǔ淨jìng瓶píng蓋gài口kǒu，倒dào出chū兩liǎng股gǔ仙xiān氣qì。那nà老lǎo君jūn收shōu得de五wǔ件jiàn宝bǎo贝bèi，揭jiē开kāi葫hú芦lú与yǔ净jìng瓶píng盖gài口kǒu，倒dào出chū两liǎng股gǔ仙xiān气qì。

Lord Lao took back the five treasures, uncapped the mouths of the gourd and the Pure Vase, and poured out two streams of immortal vapor.

收得五件寶貝 — "gathered up the five treasures," 得 the complement de; 倒出兩股仙氣, "poured out two streams of immortal vapor," 倒 read dào. The melted boys are released from the vessels.

用yòng手shǒu一yì指zhǐ，仍réng化huà為wéi金jīn、銀yín二èr童tóng子zi，相xiāng隨suí左zuǒ右yòu。用yòng手shǒu一yì指zhǐ，仍réng化huà为wéi金jīn、银yín二èr童tóng子zi，相xiāng随suí左zuǒ右yòu。

With a point of his hand, they changed again into the Gold and Silver acolyte-boys, attending on his left and right.

化為 (huà wéi) — "changed into," 為 read wéi; 相隨左右, "attending on either side," 相 xiāng. The two boys are restored to their true form and their master’s service.

只zhǐ見jiàn那nà霞xiá光guāng萬wàn道dào，咦yí！只zhǐ见jiàn那nà霞xiá光guāng万wàn道dào，咦yí！

Then were seen ten thousand shafts of rosy light — lo!

霞光萬道 — "ten thousand shafts of rosy light," the aureole of a divine ascent; 咦 (yí), "lo," the exclamation turning to the closing verse.

Wreathed in mist, together they return to the Tuṣita court; free and unfettered, straight up to the Great Canopy Heaven.

兜率院 (Dōushuài Yuàn) — the Tuṣita court, Lord Lao’s heaven, 率 read shuài (the Buddhist proper noun, not lǜ). 大羅天, the Great Canopy Heaven, highest of the Daoist heavens. The couplet lifts Lord Lao and his two boys back into the empyrean.

In the end, there is no knowing what further matters there were after this, nor how Sun the Great Sage would guard the Tang Monk, nor when they would reach the Western Heaven; let it be heard in the telling of the next chapter.

且聽下回分解 — "let it be heard in the next chapter’s telling," 解 read jiě; 又有甚事, "what further matters," 甚 read shén; 得到, "reach," 得 read dé. The formulaic chapter-close.

總評 Commentary

The chapter comes full circle to its cosmic frame. Lord Lao uncaps the vessels, pours out the two streams of vapor that were the melted fiends, and with a point of his hand restores them to their true form — the Gold and Silver boys, once more his obedient acolytes. The monsters’ whole demonic career dissolves back into the servants they always were.

The closing couplet sends them home: "wreathed in mist," Lord Lao and his boys ascend to the Tuṣita court and the Great Canopy Heaven, the aureole of ten thousand rosy shafts marking a proper divine return. The fall-and-homecoming that the earlier lament had foretold is fulfilled. Then the storyteller’s formula — what came after, how the Sage would guard his master, when they would reach the West — closes the episode and hands the reader on to the next chapter of the road.