第三十七回 · 陽春遊苑 The Spring Outing in the Garden — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

陽春遊苑 The Spring Outing in the Garden

三sān藏zàng道dào：「此cǐ陛bì下xià萬wàn千qiān之zhī喜xǐ也yě。」那nà人rén道dào：「喜xǐ自zì何hé來lái？」三sān藏zàng道dào：「那nà全quán真zhēn既jì有yǒu這zhè等děng本běn事shì，若ruò要yào雨yǔ時shí，就jiù教jiào他tā下xià雨yǔ；若ruò要yào金jīn時shí，就jiù教jiào他tā點diǎn金jīn。還hái有yǒu那nà些xiē不bù足zú，卻què離lí了le城chéng闕què來lái此cǐ？」那nà人rén道dào：「朕zhèn與yǔ他tā同tóng寢qǐn食shí者zhě，只zhǐ得dé二èr年nián。又yòu遇yù著zháo陽yáng春chūn天tiān氣qì，紅hóng杏xìng夭yāo桃táo，開kāi花huā綻zhàn蕊ruǐ。家jiā家jiā士shì女nǚ，處chù處chù王wáng孫sūn，俱jù去qù遊yóu春chūn賞shǎng玩wán。那nà時shí節jié，文wén武wǔ歸guī衙yá，嬪pín妃fēi轉zhuǎn院yuàn。三sān藏zàng道dào：「此cǐ陛bì下xià万wàn千qiān之zhī喜xǐ也yě。」那nà人rén道dào：「喜xǐ自zì何hé来lái？」三sān藏zàng道dào：「那nà全quán真zhēn既jì有yǒu这zhè等děng本běn事shì，若ruò要yào雨yǔ时shí，就jiù教jiào他tā下xià雨yǔ；若ruò要yào金jīn时shí，就jiù教jiào他tā点diǎn金jīn。还hái有yǒu那nà些xiē不bù足zú，却què离lí了le城chéng阙què来lái此cǐ？」那nà人rén道dào：「朕zhèn与yǔ他tā同tóng寝qǐn食shí者zhě，只zhǐ得dé二èr年nián。又yòu遇yù著zháo阳yáng春chūn天tiān气qì，红hóng杏xìng夭yāo桃táo，开kāi花huā绽zhàn蕊ruǐ。家jiā家jiā士shì女nǚ，处chù处chù王wáng孙sūn，俱jù去qù游yóu春chūn赏shǎng玩wán。那nà时shí节jié，文wén武wǔ归guī衙yá，嫔pín妃fēi转zhuǎn院yuàn。

逐句解 Line by line

三sān藏zàng道dào：「此cǐ陛bì下xià萬wàn千qiān之zhī喜xǐ也yě。」三sān藏zàng道dào：「此cǐ陛bì下xià万wàn千qiān之zhī喜xǐ也yě。」

Tripitaka said, “This, Your Majesty, is cause for a thousand, ten thousand congratulations.”

萬千之喜 (wàn qiān zhī xǐ) "joy beyond number."

那nà人rén道dào：「喜xǐ自zì何hé來lái？」那nà人rén道dào：「喜xǐ自zì何hé来lái？」

The man said, “Whence should any joy come?”

喜自何來 (xǐ zì hé lái) "from where does joy arise?"

三sān藏zàng道dào：「那nà全quán真zhēn既jì有yǒu這zhè等děng本běn事shì，若ruò要yào雨yǔ時shí，就jiù教jiào他tā下xià雨yǔ；三sān藏zàng道dào：「那nà全quán真zhēn既jì有yǒu这zhè等děng本běn事shì，若ruò要yào雨yǔ时shí，就jiù教jiào他tā下xià雨yǔ；

Tripitaka said, “Since that Quanzhen adept had such powers — when you wanted rain, you had only to bid him send rain;

那 (nà) deictic; 就教他下雨 (jiù jiào tā xià yǔ) "just have him send rain," 教 = jiào (causative "make/have").

若ruò要yào金jīn時shí，就jiù教jiào他tā點diǎn金jīn。若ruò要yào金jīn时shí，就jiù教jiào他tā点diǎn金jīn。

when you wanted gold, you had only to bid him make gold.

就教他點金 (jiù jiào tā diǎn jīn), again causative 教 = jiào.

還hái有yǒu那nà些xiē不bù足zú，卻què離lí了le城chéng闕què來lái此cǐ？」还hái有yǒu那nà些xiē不bù足zú，却què离lí了le城chéng阙què来lái此cǐ？」

What was still wanting, that you should leave your city walls and come to this?”

還有 (hái yǒu) "what else"; 那些 (nà xiē) deictic nà; 城闕 (chéng què) "the city gate-towers."

那nà人rén道dào：「朕zhèn與yǔ他tā同tóng寢qǐn食shí者zhě，只zhǐ得dé二èr年nián。那nà人rén道dào：「朕zhèn与yǔ他tā同tóng寝qǐn食shí者zhě，只zhǐ得dé二èr年nián。

The man said, “I shared bed and board with him for a bare two years.

那 (nà); 只得二年 (zhǐ dé èr nián) "amounted to only two years," 得 = dé (attain); 寢食 (qǐn shí) "bed and board."

又yòu遇yù著zháo陽yáng春chūn天tiān氣qì，紅hóng杏xìng夭yāo桃táo，開kāi花huā綻zhàn蕊ruǐ。又yòu遇yù著zháo阳yáng春chūn天tiān气qì，红hóng杏xìng夭yāo桃táo，开kāi花huā绽zhàn蕊ruǐ。

Then, meeting the balmy weather of spring — red apricots and tender peaches bursting into flower —

遇著 (yù zháo) "came upon," resultative 著 = zháo (cf. 撞著/碰著); 夭桃 (yāo táo) "tender young peach-trees."

家jiā家jiā士shì女nǚ，處chù處chù王wáng孫sūn，俱jù去qù遊yóu春chūn賞shǎng玩wán。家jiā家jiā士shì女nǚ，处chù处chù王wáng孙sūn，俱jù去qù游yóu春chūn赏shǎng玩wán。

family upon family with its ladies and gentlemen, and everywhere the sons of nobility, all went out to roam the spring and take their pleasure.

士女 (shì nǚ) "gentlemen and ladies"; 王孫 (wáng sūn) "sons of the nobility"; 賞玩 (shǎng wán) "to enjoy and disport."

那nà時shí節jié，文wén武wǔ歸guī衙yá，嬪pín妃fēi轉zhuǎn院yuàn。那nà时shí节jié，文wén武wǔ归guī衙yá，嫔pín妃fēi转zhuǎn院yuàn。

At that season, the civil and military officers returned to their offices, and the palace consorts withdrew to their courts.

那時節 (nà shí jié) deictic nà; 歸衙 (guī yá) "return to the yamen"; 嬪妃 (pín fēi) "consorts and concubines."

總評 Commentary

Tripitaka’s misreading reaches its height: he congratulates the king on possessing an adept who can conjure both rain and gold, still blind to the danger, and puzzles that a ruler so served should ever abandon his walls. The monk’s worldly logic keeps failing against a supernatural crime it cannot imagine.

The “bare two years” of intimacy turns the tale toward its catastrophe, and the passage sets the scene with a lyric spring tableau — red apricots and tender peaches, the whole capital out roaming. The emptying of the court, officers to their offices and consorts to their quarters, quietly isolates the king for what is to come: the loveliest moment of the year is the cover for murder.