第五回 · 樹梢驚夢 The branch that wakes the sleeper — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

樹梢驚夢 The branch that wakes the sleeper

那nà仙xiān女nǚ依yī言yán，入rù樹shù林lín之zhī下xià摘zhāi桃táo：先xiān在zài前qián樹shù摘zhāi了le二èr籃lán，又yòu在zài中zhōng樹shù摘zhāi了le三sān籃lán，到dào後hòu樹shù上shàng摘zhāi取qǔ，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà樹shù上shàng花huā果guǒ稀xī疏shū，止zhǐ有yǒu幾jǐ個gè毛máo蒂dì青qīng皮pí的de。原yuán來lái熟shú的de都dōu是shì猴hóu王wáng吃chī了le。七qī仙xiān女nǚ張zhāng望wàng東dōng西xī，只zhǐ見jiàn向xiàng南nán枝zhī上shàng止zhǐ有yǒu一yí個gè半bàn紅hóng半bàn白bái的de桃táo子zi。青qīng衣yī女nǚ用yòng手shǒu扯chě下xià枝zhī來lái，紅hóng衣yī女nǚ摘zhāi了le，卻què將jiāng枝zhī子zi望wàng上shàng一yí放fàng。那nà仙xiān女nǚ依yī言yán，入rù树shù林lín之zhī下xià摘zhāi桃táo：先xiān在zài前qián树shù摘zhāi了le二èr篮lán，又yòu在zài中zhōng树shù摘zhāi了le三sān篮lán，到dào后hòu树shù上shàng摘zhāi取qǔ，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà树shù上shàng花huā果guǒ稀xī疏shū，止zhǐ有yǒu几jǐ个gè毛máo蒂dì青qīng皮pí的de。原yuán来lái熟shú的de都dōu是shì猴hóu王wáng吃chī了le。七qī仙xiān女nǚ张zhāng望wàng东dōng西xī，只zhǐ见jiàn向xiàng南nán枝zhī上shàng止zhǐ有yǒu一yí个gè半bàn红hóng半bàn白bái的de桃táo子zi。青qīng衣yī女nǚ用yòng手shǒu扯chě下xià枝zhī来lái，红hóng衣yī女nǚ摘zhāi了le，却què将jiāng枝zhī子zi望wàng上shàng一yí放fàng。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà仙xiān女nǚ依yī言yán，入rù樹shù林lín之zhī下xià摘zhāi桃táo：先xiān在zài前qián樹shù摘zhāi了le二èr籃lán，又yòu在zài中zhōng樹shù摘zhāi了le三sān籃lán，到dào後hòu樹shù上shàng摘zhāi取qǔ，只zhǐ見jiàn那nà樹shù上shàng花huā果guǒ稀xī疏shū，止zhǐ有yǒu幾jǐ個gè毛máo蒂dì青qīng皮pí的de。那nà仙xiān女nǚ依yī言yán，入rù树shù林lín之zhī下xià摘zhāi桃táo：先xiān在zài前qián树shù摘zhāi了le二èr篮lán，又yòu在zài中zhōng树shù摘zhāi了le三sān篮lán，到dào后hòu树shù上shàng摘zhāi取qǔ，只zhǐ见jiàn那nà树shù上shàng花huā果guǒ稀xī疏shū，止zhǐ有yǒu几jǐ个gè毛máo蒂dì青qīng皮pí的de。

The fairies, as told, went in beneath the trees to pick: first from the front trees they took two baskets, then from the middle trees three baskets; but coming to the rear trees they found blossom and fruit sparse, with only a few green-skinned, downy-stemmed ones left.

原yuán來lái熟shú的de都dōu是shì猴hóu王wáng吃chī了le。原yuán来lái熟shú的de都dōu是shì猴hóu王wáng吃chī了le。

For the ripe ones had all been eaten by the Monkey King.

七qī仙xiān女nǚ張zhāng望wàng東dōng西xī，只zhǐ見jiàn向xiàng南nán枝zhī上shàng止zhǐ有yǒu一yí個gè半bàn紅hóng半bàn白bái的de桃táo子zi。七qī仙xiān女nǚ张zhāng望wàng东dōng西xī，只zhǐ见jiàn向xiàng南nán枝zhī上shàng止zhǐ有yǒu一yí个gè半bàn红hóng半bàn白bái的de桃táo子zi。

The seven fairies looked this way and that, and saw on a south-facing branch a single peach, half red and half white.

青qīng衣yī女nǚ用yòng手shǒu扯chě下xià枝zhī來lái，紅hóng衣yī女nǚ摘zhāi了le，卻què將jiāng枝zhī子zi望wàng上shàng一yí放fàng。青qīng衣yī女nǚ用yòng手shǒu扯chě下xià枝zhī来lái，红hóng衣yī女nǚ摘zhāi了le，却què将jiāng枝zhī子zi望wàng上shàng一yí放fàng。

The azure-robed fairy pulled the branch down by hand, the red-robed fairy picked it, and then she let the branch spring back up.

總評 Commentary

The mechanical tally — two baskets, three baskets, then bare branches — is the chapter’s quiet accounting of the theft. The 心猿’s appetite is now legible in the orchard itself: 原來熟的都是猴王吃了, "the ripe ones had all been eaten by the Monkey King." What the mind consumed in private the cosmic order now reads off the trees.

The one remaining peach, 半紅半白 ("half red and half white"), is a fine alchemical figure: the fruit caught between unripe and ripe, the elixir poised at its threshold. And the fairy reaches for the very branch where the shrunken mind lies sleeping — the act of harvesting that last ripening fruit is what rouses the 心猿. The instrument of heaven’s feast and the hidden mind meet on a single bough.