第四十五回 · 鄉老求雨 The Elders Beg for Rain — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

鄉老求雨 The Elders Beg for Rain

正zhèng疑yí惑huò之zhī間jiān，又yòu見jiàn黃huáng門mén官guān來lái奏zòu：「陛bì下xià，門mén外wài有yǒu許xǔ多duō鄉xiāng老lǎo聽tīng宣xuān。」國guó王wáng道dào：「有yǒu何hé事shì幹gàn？」即jí命mìng宣xuān來lái。宣xuān至zhì殿diàn前qián，有yǒu三sān四sì十shí名míng鄉xiāng老lǎo，朝cháo上shàng磕kē頭tóu道dào：「萬wàn歲suì，今jīn年nián一yì春chūn無wú雨yǔ，但dàn恐kǒng夏xià月yuè乾gān荒huāng，特tè來lái啟qǐ奏zòu，請qǐng那nà位wèi國guó師shī爺yé爺ye祈qí一yì場cháng甘gān雨yǔ，普pǔ濟jì黎lí民mín。」正zhèng疑yí惑huò之zhī间jiān，又yòu见jiàn黄huáng门mén官guān来lái奏zòu：「陛bì下xià，门mén外wài有yǒu许xǔ多duō乡xiāng老lǎo听tīng宣xuān。」国guó王wáng道dào：「有yǒu何hé事shì干gàn？」即jí命mìng宣xuān来lái。宣xuān至zhì殿diàn前qián，有yǒu三sān四sì十shí名míng乡xiāng老lǎo，朝cháo上shàng磕kē头tóu道dào：「万wàn岁suì，今jīn年nián一yì春chūn无wú雨yǔ，但dàn恐kǒng夏xià月yuè干gān荒huāng，特tè来lái启qǐ奏zòu，请qǐng那nà位wèi国guó师shī爷yé爷ye祈qí一yì场cháng甘gān雨yǔ，普pǔ济jì黎lí民mín。」

逐句解 Line by line

正zhèng疑yí惑huò之zhī間jiān，又yòu見jiàn黃huáng門mén官guān來lái奏zòu：「陛bì下xià，門mén外wài有yǒu許xǔ多duō鄉xiāng老lǎo聽tīng宣xuān。」正zhèng疑yí惑huò之zhī间jiān，又yòu见jiàn黄huáng门mén官guān来lái奏zòu：「陛bì下xià，门mén外wài有yǒu许xǔ多duō乡xiāng老lǎo听tīng宣xuān。」

Just as he sat in doubt, the Yellow-Gate officer came again to report: “Your Majesty, outside the gate are many village elders awaiting your summons.”

正疑惑之間 "right in the middle of his uncertainty." 鄉老 "village elders." 聽宣 "waiting to be summoned."

國guó王wáng道dào：「有yǒu何hé事shì幹gàn？」国guó王wáng道dào：「有yǒu何hé事shì干gàn？」

The king said, “What business have they?”

有何事幹 "what is their business?"

即jí命mìng宣xuān來lái。即jí命mìng宣xuān来lái。

At once he ordered them summoned in.

即命宣來 "at once ordered them called in."

宣xuān至zhì殿diàn前qián，有yǒu三sān四sì十shí名míng鄉xiāng老lǎo，朝cháo上shàng磕kē頭tóu道dào：「萬wàn歲suì，今jīn年nián一yì春chūn無wú雨yǔ，但dàn恐kǒng夏xià月yuè乾gān荒huāng，特tè來lái啟qǐ奏zòu，請qǐng那nà位wèi國guó師shī爺yé爺ye祈qí一yì場cháng甘gān雨yǔ，普pǔ濟jì黎lí民mín。」宣xuān至zhì殿diàn前qián，有yǒu三sān四sì十shí名míng乡xiāng老lǎo，朝cháo上shàng磕kē头tóu道dào：「万wàn岁suì，今jīn年nián一yì春chūn无wú雨yǔ，但dàn恐kǒng夏xià月yuè干gān荒huāng，特tè来lái启qǐ奏zòu，请qǐng那nà位wèi国guó师shī爷yé爷ye祈qí一yì场cháng甘gān雨yǔ，普pǔ济jì黎lí民mín。」

Summoned before the hall, some thirty or forty village elders knocked their heads toward the throne and said, “Ten thousand years to Your Majesty! This spring there has been no rain, and we fear a parching drought in the summer months; we have come especially to report it, and to beg that one of the Preceptor Fathers pray down a fall of sweet rain, to relieve the common folk.”

朝上: 朝 = cháo. 一春無雨: the level tone of 春 keeps 一 at yì. 夏月乾荒: 乾 = gān, parched -- not qián, which is the reading it takes in 乾坤, "heaven and earth," later in the chapter. 那位: 那 = nà. 一場甘雨: 場 = cháng, the literary measure for a spell of weather -- keep it in mind, because the same character comes back four passages later as chǎng, a place, and the two sit almost side by side.

總評 Commentary

Rescue arrives from outside the throne room. Thirty or forty village elders come in to report that there has been no rain all spring and the summer crop will fail, and to beg that one of the Preceptors pray for some.

They have no idea they have just walked into a murder trial, and their petition solves it. The king needs a way out of his deadlock; here is a public test with an unambiguous result.

It also changes what the chapter is about. Up to now the stakes have been four travellers and a rubber stamp. From here the stakes are a whole kingdom's harvest -- which is why the contest that follows, for all its comedy, is not a game.