原文 Original text
繁體 Traditional
Reader's edition
七仙摘桃
The seven fairies sent to pick
一朝，王母娘娘設宴，大開寶閣，瑤池中做蟠桃勝會。即著那紅衣仙女、青衣仙女、素衣仙女、皂衣仙女、紫衣仙女、黃衣仙女、綠衣仙女各頂花籃，去蟠桃園摘桃建會。七衣仙女直至園門首，只見蟠桃園土地、力士同齊天府二司仙吏，都在那裡把門。仙女近前道：「我等奉王母懿旨，到此摘桃設宴。」土地道：「仙娥且住。今歲不比往年了，玉帝點差齊天大聖在此督理，須是報大聖得知，方敢開園。」仙女道：「大聖何在？」土地道：「大聖在園內，因困倦，自家在亭子上睡哩。」仙女道：「既如此，尋他去來，不可遲誤。」土地即與同進。尋至花亭不見，只有衣冠在亭，不知何往，四下裡都沒尋處。原來大聖耍了一會，吃了幾個桃子，變做二寸長的個人兒，在那大樹梢頭濃葉之下睡著了。七衣仙女道：「我等奉旨前來，尋不見大聖，怎敢空回？」傍有仙使道：「仙娥既奉旨來，不必遲疑。我大聖閑遊慣了，想是出園會友去了。汝等且去摘桃，我們替你回話便是。」一朝，王母娘娘设宴，大开宝阁，瑶池中做蟠桃胜会。即著那红衣仙女、青衣仙女、素衣仙女、皂衣仙女、紫衣仙女、黄衣仙女、绿衣仙女各顶花篮，去蟠桃园摘桃建会。七衣仙女直至园门首，只见蟠桃园土地、力士同齐天府二司仙吏，都在那里把门。仙女近前道：「我等奉王母懿旨，到此摘桃设宴。」土地道：「仙娥且住。今岁不比往年了，玉帝点差齐天大圣在此督理，须是报大圣得知，方敢开园。」仙女道：「大圣何在？」土地道：「大圣在园内，因困倦，自家在亭子上睡哩。」仙女道：「既如此，寻他去来，不可迟误。」土地即与同进。寻至花亭不见，只有衣冠在亭，不知何往，四下里都没寻处。原来大圣耍了一会，吃了几个桃子，变做二寸长的个人儿，在那大树梢头浓叶之下睡著了。七衣仙女道：「我等奉旨前来，寻不见大圣，怎敢空回？」傍有仙使道：「仙娥既奉旨来，不必迟疑。我大圣闲游惯了，想是出园会友去了。汝等且去摘桃，我们替你回话便是。」
逐句解 Line by line
一朝，王母娘娘設宴，大開寶閣，瑤池中做蟠桃勝會。
一朝，王母娘娘设宴，大开宝阁，瑶池中做蟠桃胜会。
One day the Lady Queen Mother set out a banquet, threw open the Treasure Pavilion, and held the Grand Peach Feast at the Jade Pool.
即著那紅衣仙女、青衣仙女、素衣仙女、皂衣仙女、紫衣仙女、黃衣仙女、綠衣仙女各頂花籃，去蟠桃園摘桃建會。
即著那红衣仙女、青衣仙女、素衣仙女、皂衣仙女、紫衣仙女、黄衣仙女、绿衣仙女各顶花篮，去蟠桃园摘桃建会。
She thereupon ordered the fairies in red, in azure, in white, in black, in purple, in yellow, and in green — each to take up a flower-basket and go to the Peach Garden to pick peaches for the feast.
The seven robe-colours name the 七衣仙女 (Seven-Robed Fairies): red, azure (青), white, black (皂), purple, yellow, and green (綠). 即著 here is jí zhuó, "thereupon ordered."
七衣仙女直至園門首，只見蟠桃園土地、力士同齊天府二司仙吏，都在那裡把門。
七衣仙女直至园门首，只见蟠桃园土地、力士同齐天府二司仙吏，都在那里把门。
The seven-robed fairies came right up to the garden gate, and there were the Peach Garden's earth-god and strongmen, together with the two clerks of the Equal-to-Heaven residence, all guarding the gate.
仙女近前道：「我等奉王母懿旨，到此摘桃設宴。」
仙女近前道：「我等奉王母懿旨，到此摘桃设宴。」
The fairies came forward and said: 'We come by the Queen Mother's august command, to pick peaches here and lay out the feast.'
土地道：「仙娥且住。今歲不比往年了，玉帝點差齊天大聖在此督理，須是報大聖得知，方敢開園。」
土地道：「仙娥且住。今岁不比往年了，玉帝点差齐天大圣在此督理，须是报大圣得知，方敢开园。」
The earth-god said: 'Hold a moment, fairy maidens. This year is not as years past: the Jade Emperor has appointed the Great Sage Equal to Heaven to oversee this place, and we must report to the Great Sage before we dare open the garden.'
仙女道：「大聖何在？」
仙女道：「大圣何在？」
The fairies said: 'Where is the Great Sage?'
土地道：「大聖在園內，因困倦，自家在亭子上睡哩。」
土地道：「大圣在园内，因困倦，自家在亭子上睡哩。」
The earth-god said: 'The Great Sage is within; being weary, he is asleep by himself up on the pavilion.'
仙女道：「既如此，尋他去來，不可遲誤。」
仙女道：「既如此，寻他去来，不可迟误。」
The fairies said: 'If so, then go and find him — there must be no delay.'
土地即與同進。
土地即与同进。
The earth-god went in with them at once.
尋至花亭不見，只有衣冠在亭，不知何往，四下裡都沒尋處。
寻至花亭不见，只有衣冠在亭，不知何往，四下里都没寻处。
But searching to the flower-pavilion they found him gone: only his robe and cap lay there, and where he had gone none knew — nowhere on any side was there a trace of him.
原來大聖耍了一會，吃了幾個桃子，變做二寸長的個人兒，在那大樹梢頭濃葉之下睡著了。
原来大圣耍了一会，吃了几个桃子，变做二寸长的个人儿，在那大树梢头浓叶之下睡著了。
Now the Great Sage, after sporting a while and eating a few peaches, had changed into a little figure two cùn tall and fallen asleep beneath the dense leaves at the very top of one of the great trees.
寸 = cùn, a Chinese inch (a tenth of a 尺); 睡著 reads shuì zháo, "fell asleep."
七衣仙女道：「我等奉旨前來，尋不見大聖，怎敢空回？」
七衣仙女道：「我等奉旨前来，寻不见大圣，怎敢空回？」
The seven-robed fairies said: 'We have come by command and cannot find the Great Sage — how should we dare go back empty-handed?'
傍有仙使道：「仙娥既奉旨來，不必遲疑。我大聖閑遊慣了，想是出園會友去了。汝等且去摘桃，我們替你回話便是。」
傍有仙使道：「仙娥既奉旨来，不必迟疑。我大圣闲游惯了，想是出园会友去了。汝等且去摘桃，我们替你回话便是。」
A serving-immortal nearby said: 'Since you fairy maidens come by command, there is no need to hesitate. Our Great Sage is well used to roaming at leisure — he has likely gone out of the garden to visit friends. Go and pick your peaches; we will answer for you when he returns.'
總評 Commentary
The trap is sprung by the calendar, not by cunning: 今歲不比往年了 — "this year is not as years past." For the first time the Queen Mother’s Peach Feast, the cosmic banquet that fixes the rank and order of heaven, collides with the 心猿’s new stewardship of the very fruit the feast requires. The earth-god’s caution — report to the Great Sage before opening the garden — is the proper deference of the cosmic order; but the mind it must defer to is already hidden overhead, shrunk to two cùn, sleeping off stolen fruit.
The image is exact. The 心猿 has made itself small (變做二寸長) and concealed itself inside the very tree it was set to guard: the mind that has eaten the elixir-fruit now nests within its source, invisible, while the rite of heaven proceeds without it. The serving-immortal’s easy improvisation — go pick, we will cover for him — is the institutional reflex of the earlier passages once more: smoothing over the mind’s absence rather than confronting it. The fairies pick; and the next passage wakes the sleeper.