原文 Original text
繁體 Traditional
Reader's edition
含詞賦 With rhapsody
流沙河鬥
The Battle at the River
那怪物手執一根寶杖，走上岸就捉菩薩，卻被惠岸掣渾鐵棒擋住，喝聲：「休走！」那怪物就持寶杖來迎。兩個在流沙河邊這一場惡殺，真個驚人：那怪物手执一根宝杖，走上岸就捉菩萨，却被惠岸掣浑铁棒挡住，喝声：「休走！」那怪物就持宝杖来迎。两个在流沙河边这一场恶杀，真个惊人：
木吒渾鐵棒，護法顯神通；怪物降妖杖，努力逞英雄。木吒浑铁棒，护法显神通；怪物降妖杖，努力逞英雄。
雙條銀蟒河邊舞，一對神僧岸上沖。双条银蟒河边舞，一对神僧岸上冲。
那一個威鎮流沙施本事，這一個力保觀音建大功。那一个威镇流沙施本事，这一个力保观音建大功。
那一個翻波躍浪，這一個吐霧噴風。那一个翻波跃浪，这一个吐雾喷风。
翻波躍浪乾坤暗，吐霧噴風日月昏。翻波跃浪乾坤暗，吐雾喷风日月昏。
那個降妖杖，好便似出山的白虎；這個渾鐵棒，卻就如臥道的黃龍。那个降妖杖，好便似出山的白虎；这个浑铁棒，却就如卧道的黄龙。
那個使將來，尋蛇撥草；這個丟開去，撲鷂分松。那个使将来，寻蛇拨草；这个丢开去，扑鹞分松。
只殺得昏漠漠，星辰燦爛；霧騰騰，天地朦朧。只杀得昏漠漠，星辰灿烂；雾腾腾，天地朦胧。
那個久住弱水惟他狠，這個初出靈山第一功。那个久住弱水惟他狠，这个初出灵山第一功。
逐句解 Line by line
那怪物手執一根寶杖，走上岸就捉菩薩，卻被惠岸掣渾鐵棒擋住，喝聲：「休走！」那怪物就持寶杖來迎。
那怪物手执一根宝杖，走上岸就捉菩萨，却被惠岸掣浑铁棒挡住，喝声：「休走！」那怪物就持宝杖来迎。
The monster, gripping a treasure-staff, came up the bank to seize the Bodhisattva, but Huian whipped out his solid-iron rod and blocked him, shouting, “Hold!” The monster then raised his staff to meet him.
一根 takes yì before first-tone 根. 寶杖 — the demon's weapon, in later chapters the “precious staff” of crescent-moon spade.
兩個在流沙河邊這一場惡殺，真個驚人：
两个在流沙河边这一场恶杀，真个惊人：
The two of them, on the bank of the Flowing-Sands River, fought a fearsome battle, truly a sight to dismay:
一場 takes yì before second-tone 場. 真個驚人 introduces the battle-rhapsody.
木吒渾鐵棒，護法顯神通；怪物降妖杖，努力逞英雄。
木吒浑铁棒，护法显神通；怪物降妖杖，努力逞英雄。
Moksa's solid-iron rod shows forth a guardian's spirit-power; the monster's demon-quelling staff strains to play the hero.
降妖 — to subdue demons; 降 is xiáng.
雙條銀蟒河邊舞，一對神僧岸上沖。
双条银蟒河边舞，一对神僧岸上冲。
A pair of silver pythons dance at the river's edge; a brace of divine monks clash upon the bank.
一對 takes yí before fourth-tone 對.
那一個威鎮流沙施本事，這一個力保觀音建大功。
那一个威镇流沙施本事，这一个力保观音建大功。
That one, lord of the Flowing Sands, plies his arts; this one, guarding Guanyin, achieves great merit.
Each 一個 takes yí before fourth-tone 個.
那一個翻波躍浪，這一個吐霧噴風。
那一个翻波跃浪，这一个吐雾喷风。
That one churns the waves and leaps the billows; this one belches fog and spews wind.
翻波躍浪乾坤暗，吐霧噴風日月昏。
翻波跃浪乾坤暗，吐雾喷风日月昏。
Churning waves and leaping billows, heaven and earth go dark; belching fog and spewing wind, the sun and moon grow dim.
那個降妖杖，好便似出山的白虎；這個渾鐵棒，卻就如臥道的黃龍。
那个降妖杖，好便似出山的白虎；这个浑铁棒，却就如卧道的黄龙。
That demon-quelling staff is just like a white tiger come down from the hills; this solid-iron rod is like a yellow dragon couched across the road.
降妖 — 降 read xiáng; 好便似 — “just like,” 似 read sì.
那個使將來，尋蛇撥草；這個丟開去，撲鷂分松。
那个使将来，寻蛇拨草；这个丢开去，扑鹞分松。
That one wields his weapon forth, parting the grass to seek the snake; this one sweeps his clear, splitting the pine to strike the hawk.
尋蛇撥草, 撲鷂分松 — stock kennings for the sweeping arcs of staff and rod in combat.
只殺得昏漠漠，星辰燦爛；霧騰騰，天地朦朧。
只杀得昏漠漠，星辰灿烂；雾腾腾，天地朦胧。
They battle till all turns dim and dark, the stars ablaze; the fog rolls thick, and heaven and earth grow hazy.
那個久住弱水惟他狠，這個初出靈山第一功。
那个久住弱水惟他狠，这个初出灵山第一功。
That one, long dwelling in the Weak Water, is the fiercer; this one, newly come from the Spirit Mountain, wins the first great merit.
第一功 — the first merit; the ordinal 一 stays bare yī.
總評 Commentary
The river-demon attacks, and Moksa meets him — the chapter's first sustained combat, rendered as a battle-rhapsody (賦) of paired antitheses. The verse runs almost entirely on the figure 那一個 / 這一個 (“that one / this one”), the two combatants set against each other clause by clause.
The imagery escalates from animals (silver pythons, white tiger, yellow dragon) to cosmic disturbance — the churning and belching darken heaven and earth, dim the sun and moon. This is the conventional grammar of the novel's battle-賦: a duel of weapons swelling into a derangement of the elements themselves.
Following Anthony C. Yu, the closing antithesis is pointed — the demon is “the fiercer” by long dwelling in the weak water, yet Moksa, “newly come from the Spirit Mountain,” takes “the first great merit.” The verse thus frames the fight not as a contest of strength but as the opening move in the demon's conversion, which Guanyin will complete in the passages that follow.