第三十八回 · 凱歌還城 A Song of Triumph Back to the City — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

凱歌還城 A Song of Triumph Back to the City

行xíng者zhě才cái按àn雲yún頭tóu，對duì太tài子zǐ道dào：「殿diàn下xià請qǐng回huí，路lù上shàng已yǐ有yǒu物wù了le，你nǐ自zì收shōu去qù。」太tài子zǐ見jiàn他tā在zài半bàn空kōng中zhōng弄nòng此cǐ神shén通tōng，如rú何hé不bú信xìn，只zhǐ得dé叩kòu頭tóu拜bài別bié。出chū山shān門mén傳chuán了le令lìng，教jiào軍jūn士shì們men回huí城chéng。只zhǐ見jiàn那nà路lù傍bàng果guǒ有yǒu無wú限xiàn的de野yě物wù，軍jūn士shì們men不bú放fàng鷹yīng犬quǎn，一yí個gè個gè俱jù著zhuó手shǒu擒qín捉zhuō喝hè采cǎi，俱jù道dào是shì千qiān歲suì殿diàn下xià的de洪hóng福fú，怎zěn知zhī是shì老lǎo孫sūn的de神shén功gōng。你nǐ聽tīng凱kǎi歌gē聲shēng唱chàng，一yì擁yōng回huí城chéng。行xíng者zhě才cái按àn云yún头tóu，对duì太tài子zǐ道dào：「殿diàn下xià请qǐng回huí，路lù上shàng已yǐ有yǒu物wù了le，你nǐ自zì收shōu去qù。」太tài子zǐ见jiàn他tā在zài半bàn空kōng中zhōng弄nòng此cǐ神shén通tōng，如rú何hé不bú信xìn，只zhǐ得dé叩kòu头tóu拜bài别bié。出chū山shān门mén传chuán了le令lìng，教jiào军jūn士shì们men回huí城chéng。只zhǐ见jiàn那nà路lù傍bàng果guǒ有yǒu无wú限xiàn的de野yě物wù，军jūn士shì们men不bú放fàng鹰yīng犬quǎn，一yí个gè个gè俱jù著zhuó手shǒu擒qín捉zhuō喝hè采cǎi，俱jù道dào是shì千qiān岁suì殿diàn下xià的de洪hóng福fú，怎zěn知zhī是shì老lǎo孙sūn的de神shén功gōng。你nǐ听tīng凯kǎi歌gē声shēng唱chàng，一yì拥yōng回huí城chéng。

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě才cái按àn雲yún頭tóu，對duì太tài子zǐ道dào：「殿diàn下xià請qǐng回huí，路lù上shàng已yǐ有yǒu物wù了le，你nǐ自zì收shōu去qù。」行xíng者zhě才cái按àn云yún头tóu，对duì太tài子zǐ道dào：「殿diàn下xià请qǐng回huí，路lù上shàng已yǐ有yǒu物wù了le，你nǐ自zì收shōu去qù。」

The Pilgrim then brought down his cloud and said to the prince: 'Your Highness may return now — there is already game on the road; go gather it yourself.'

按雲頭: to press down the cloud-head, i.e. descend. 太子: 子 = zǐ; 了 = le.

太tài子zǐ見jiàn他tā在zài半bàn空kōng中zhōng弄nòng此cǐ神shén通tōng，如rú何hé不bú信xìn，只zhǐ得dé叩kòu頭tóu拜bài別bié。太tài子zǐ见jiàn他tā在zài半bàn空kōng中zhōng弄nòng此cǐ神shén通tōng，如rú何hé不bú信xìn，只zhǐ得dé叩kòu头tóu拜bài别bié。

The prince, seeing him work such magic in mid-air, could hardly disbelieve, and could only kowtow and take his leave.

弄此神通: to work such spirit-power. 只得: could only (得 = dé). 太子: 子 = zǐ; 半空中: 中 = zhōng.

出chū山shān門mén傳chuán了le令lìng，教jiào軍jūn士shì們men回huí城chéng。出chū山shān门mén传chuán了le令lìng，教jiào军jūn士shì们men回huí城chéng。

He went out the mountain gate, passed the order, and had the soldiers return to the city.

傳令: to pass down an order. 教軍士們: had the soldiers [return] (教 = jiào, causative).

只zhǐ見jiàn那nà路lù傍bàng果guǒ有yǒu無wú限xiàn的de野yě物wù，軍jūn士shì們men不bú放fàng鷹yīng犬quǎn，一yí個gè個gè俱jù著zhuó手shǒu擒qín捉zhuō喝hè采cǎi，俱jù道dào是shì千qiān歲suì殿diàn下xià的de洪hóng福fú，怎zěn知zhī是shì老lǎo孫sūn的de神shén功gōng。只zhǐ见jiàn那nà路lù傍bàng果guǒ有yǒu无wú限xiàn的de野yě物wù，军jūn士shì们men不bú放fàng鹰yīng犬quǎn，一yí个gè个gè俱jù著zhuó手shǒu擒qín捉zhuō喝hè采cǎi，俱jù道dào是shì千qiān岁suì殿diàn下xià的de洪hóng福fú，怎zěn知zhī是shì老lǎo孙sūn的de神shén功gōng。

And indeed, along the roadside there was game without end; the soldiers, without loosing a single hawk or hound, one and all set their hands to seizing it and raised a cheer, all declaring it the great good fortune of His Highness the Prince — little knowing it was the magic art of old Sun.

無限的野物: boundless game. 俱著手擒捉: all set their hands to catching it (著 = zhuó, 著手 'to set about'). 千歲殿下: 'His Highness of a Thousand Years,' the prince. 那 = nà; the soldiers credit the prince's fortune, ignorant of Wukong's doing.

你nǐ聽tīng凱kǎi歌gē聲shēng唱chàng，一yì擁yōng回huí城chéng。你nǐ听tīng凯kǎi歌gē声shēng唱chàng，一yì拥yōng回huí城chéng。

You should hear the song of triumph they sang as they thronged back into the city.

凱歌: a song of triumph. 一擁回城: thronged back into the city in a crowd.

總評 Commentary

Wukong's stagecraft comes off exactly as planned. The soldiers, finding the road strewn with game, gather it up bare-handed and, in a nice comic irony, credit the whole windfall to the prince's 'great good fortune' — the narrator winking that it is really 'the magic art of old Sun.' The prince re-enters the city not in disgrace but in triumph, his alibi secured.

The passage is a study in how the pilgrims manage appearances. The demon rules by a false show; the pilgrims counter with a benign false show of their own, and the novel savors the symmetry. The soldiers' ignorant cheer — attributing to human luck what is in fact celestial contrivance — also gently satirizes the way the mighty take credit for what unseen powers arrange.

With the prince safely returned, the chapter closes its palace-and-hunt movement and turns, in the next passage, to the pilgrims' own lodging at the temple, where Wukong's restless conscience over the legal niceties of catching the demon opens a very different, and characteristically argumentative, scene.