第四十二回 · 念咒收心 The Spell That Tames Him — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

念咒收心 The Spell That Tames Him

菩pú薩sà道dào：「悟wù空kōng，走zǒu開kāi些xiē，等děng我wǒ念niàn念niàn金jīn箍gū兒er咒zhòu。」行xíng者zhě慌huāng了le道dào：「菩pú薩sà呀ya，請qǐng你nǐ來lái此cǐ降xiáng妖yāo，如rú何hé卻què要yào咒zhòu我wǒ？」菩pú薩sà道dào：「這zhè篇piān咒zhòu不bú是shì緊jǐn箍gū兒er咒zhòu咒zhòu你nǐ的de，是shì金jīn箍gū兒er咒zhòu咒zhòu那nà童tóng子zǐ的de。」行xíng者zhě卻què才cái放fàng心xīn，緊jǐn隨suí左zuǒ右yòu，聽tīng他tā念niàn咒zhòu。菩pú薩sà捻niǎn著zhe訣jué，默mò默mò的de念niàn了le幾jǐ遍biàn，那nà妖yāo精jīng搓cuō耳ěr揉róu腮sāi，攢cuán蹄tí打dǎ滾gǔn。菩pú萨sà道dào：「悟wù空kōng，走zǒu开kāi些xiē，等děng我wǒ念niàn念niàn金jīn箍gū儿er咒zhòu。」行xíng者zhě慌huāng了le道dào：「菩pú萨sà呀ya，请qǐng你nǐ来lái此cǐ降xiáng妖yāo，如rú何hé却què要yào咒zhòu我wǒ？」菩pú萨sà道dào：「这zhè篇piān咒zhòu不bú是shì紧jǐn箍gū儿er咒zhòu咒zhòu你nǐ的de，是shì金jīn箍gū儿er咒zhòu咒zhòu那nà童tóng子zǐ的de。」行xíng者zhě却què才cái放fàng心xīn，紧jǐn随suí左zuǒ右yòu，听tīng他tā念niàn咒zhòu。菩pú萨sà捻niǎn着zhe诀jué，默mò默mò的de念niàn了le几jǐ遍biàn，那nà妖yāo精jīng搓cuō耳ěr揉róu腮sāi，攒cuán蹄tí打dǎ滚gǔn。

逐句解 Line by line

菩pú薩sà道dào：「悟wù空kōng，走zǒu開kāi些xiē，等děng我wǒ念niàn念niàn金jīn箍gū兒er咒zhòu。」菩pú萨sà道dào：「悟wù空kōng，走zǒu开kāi些xiē，等děng我wǒ念niàn念niàn金jīn箍gū儿er咒zhòu。」

The Bodhisattva said: "Wukong, stand off a little, and let me recite the Gold-Fillet spell."

Stand off a little — which Wukong, who knows what this spell does, hears with alarm. 兒 in 金箍兒 is the light er ending; 等 in 等我 is děng, let me.

行xíng者zhě慌huāng了le道dào：「菩pú薩sà呀ya，請qǐng你nǐ來lái此cǐ降xiáng妖yāo，如rú何hé卻què要yào咒zhòu我wǒ？」行xíng者zhě慌huāng了le道dào：「菩pú萨sà呀ya，请qǐng你nǐ来lái此cǐ降xiáng妖yāo，如rú何hé却què要yào咒zhòu我wǒ？」

Pilgrim, alarmed, said: "Bodhisattva! I invited you here to subdue the fiend — how is it you'd chant a spell at me?"

The panic is entirely genuine and rather touching. 降 in 降妖 is xiáng, to subdue.

菩pú薩sà道dào：「這zhè篇piān咒zhòu不bú是shì緊jǐn箍gū兒er咒zhòu咒zhòu你nǐ的de，是shì金jīn箍gū兒er咒zhòu咒zhòu那nà童tóng子zǐ的de。」菩pú萨sà道dào：「这zhè篇piān咒zhòu不bú是shì紧jǐn箍gū儿er咒zhòu咒zhòu你nǐ的de，是shì金jīn箍gū儿er咒zhòu咒zhòu那nà童tóng子zǐ的de。」

The Bodhisattva said: "This spell is not the Tight-Fillet spell to bind you — it's the Gold-Fillet spell to bind that boy."

She has to spell out which spell it is, tone by tone: not the Tight-Fillet one for you, the Gold-Fillet one for him. 兒 is the light er ending in both 緊箍兒 and 金箍兒; 那 points, so nà; 子 in 童子 is zǐ.

行xíng者zhě卻què才cái放fàng心xīn，緊jǐn隨suí左zuǒ右yòu，聽tīng他tā念niàn咒zhòu。行xíng者zhě却què才cái放fàng心xīn，紧jǐn随suí左zuǒ右yòu，听tīng他tā念niàn咒zhòu。

Only then was Pilgrim reassured, and he kept close beside her, listening as she recited the spell.

Reassured, he stays to watch — from close beside her.

菩pú薩sà捻niǎn著zhe訣jué，默mò默mò的de念niàn了le幾jǐ遍biàn，那nà妖yāo精jīng搓cuō耳ěr揉róu腮sāi，攢cuán蹄tí打dǎ滾gǔn。菩pú萨sà捻niǎn着zhe诀jué，默mò默mò的de念niàn了le几jǐ遍biàn，那nà妖yāo精jīng搓cuō耳ěr揉róu腮sāi，攒cuán蹄tí打dǎ滚gǔn。

The Bodhisattva formed the mudra with her fingers and silently recited it several times over, and that fiend rubbed his ears and cheeks, drew in his hooves, and rolled on the ground.

The spell works, and the description is deliberately undignified: ears rubbed, cheeks kneaded, hooves drawn in, rolling on the ground. 攢 is cuán, to draw together; 著 in 捻著訣 is zhe, showing the action going on; 那 points, so nà.

總評 Commentary

The binding completed, Guanyin recites the Gold-Fillet spell, and the book pauses for one last stroke of comedy: Wukong, who knows exactly what a fillet spell feels like on his own skull, panics that this one is meant for him and has to be reassured that it is the Gold-Fillet spell for the boy, not the Tight-Fillet spell for him. The joke measures how deeply that pain is written into his memory — even as a spectator he flinches. Then the spell takes hold, and the boy who defied her a moment before is reduced to rubbing his ears and cheeks and rolling on the ground with his hooves drawn in: the wild nature mastered at last, not by the blade but by the word.

The joke also settles a question the chapter has been circling. Wukong asked to have his own fillet removed as collateral and was refused; here he learns what refusal means, watching the same instrument used on somebody else and flinching from the sound. He is not being punished in this scene, and he is not free of it either. The band stays on because the journey is not finished, and he understands that well enough to be frightened without arguing.