第八十七回 · 掩淚目送 They Watched Him Out of Sight — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition 含詞賦 With rhapsody

掩淚目送 They Watched Him Out of Sight

那nà一yí郡jùn人rén民mín，知zhī久jiǔ留liú不bú住zhù，各gè備bèi贐jìn儀yí，分fēn文wén不bú受shòu。因yīn此cǐ，合hé郡jùn官guān員yuán人rén等děng，盛shèng張zhāng鼓gǔ樂yuè，大dà展zhǎn旌jīng幢chuáng，送sòng有yǒu三sān十shí里lǐ遠yuǎn近jìn，猶yóu不bù忍rěn別bié，遂suì掩yǎn淚lèi目mù送sòng，直zhí至zhì望wàng不bú見jiàn方fāng回huí。這zhè正zhèng是shì：那nà一yí郡jùn人rén民mín，知zhī久jiǔ留liú不bú住zhù，各gè备bèi赆jìn仪yí，分fēn文wén不bú受shòu。因yīn此cǐ，合hé郡jùn官guān员yuán人rén等děng，盛shèng张zhāng鼓gǔ乐yuè，大dà展zhǎn旌jīng幢chuáng，送sòng有yǒu三sān十shí里lǐ远yuǎn近jìn，犹yóu不bù忍rěn别bié，遂suì掩yǎn泪lèi目mù送sòng，直zhí至zhì望wàng不bú见jiàn方fāng回huí。这zhè正zhèng是shì：

碩shuò德dé神shén僧sēng留liú普pǔ濟jì，齊qí天tiān大dà聖shèng廣guǎng施shī恩ēn。硕shuò德dé神shén僧sēng留liú普pǔ济jì，齐qí天tiān大dà圣shèng广guǎng施shī恩ēn。

逐句解 Line by line

那nà一yí郡jùn人rén民mín，知zhī久jiǔ留liú不bú住zhù，各gè備bèi贐jìn儀yí，分fēn文wén不bú受shòu。那nà一yí郡jùn人rén民mín，知zhī久jiǔ留liú不bú住zhù，各gè备bèi赆jìn仪yí，分fēn文wén不bú受shòu。

The people of the whole prefecture, knowing they could not be kept much longer, each prepared parting gifts — and not a single cash was accepted.

贐儀 is a parting gift of money, a rare and formal word for the custom. 分文不受, not a penny taken. The thousand in gold that opened this chapter has come round one last time, and is refused one last time.

因yīn此cǐ，合hé郡jùn官guān員yuán人rén等děng，盛shèng張zhāng鼓gǔ樂yuè，大dà展zhǎn旌jīng幢chuáng，送sòng有yǒu三sān十shí里lǐ遠yuǎn近jìn，猶yóu不bù忍rěn別bié，遂suì掩yǎn淚lèi目mù送sòng，直zhí至zhì望wàng不bú見jiàn方fāng回huí。因yīn此cǐ，合hé郡jùn官guān员yuán人rén等děng，盛shèng张zhāng鼓gǔ乐yuè，大dà展zhǎn旌jīng幢chuáng，送sòng有yǒu三sān十shí里lǐ远yuǎn近jìn，犹yóu不bù忍rěn别bié，遂suì掩yǎn泪lèi目mù送sòng，直zhí至zhì望wàng不bú见jiàn方fāng回huí。

So the officials of the whole prefecture and all the rest set out drums and music in full, spread banners and pennants wide, and saw them off for some thirty lǐ; and still unwilling to part, they covered their tears and watched them go, and only turned back when they could no longer be seen.

樂 is yuè here, music, in 鼓樂 — not the lè that means joy, which is how the character goes at its other three appearances in this chapter. A 里 is a lǐ, about five hundred and seventy-six metres, so thirty of them is a good half-day's walk out of town and back.

這zhè正zhèng是shì：这zhè正zhèng是shì：

This is just the case of:

The last of the storyteller's verse tags. Three characters, and the chapter hands over to its closing pair of lines.

The holy monk of great virtue left Universal Relief behind him; the Great Sage Equal to Heaven spread his kindness wide.

碩德, great virtue — and the character 德 is live in this chapter, which it has not been for several. 普濟 is the temple's own name doing double duty as a common noun, so the line reads both as left the monastery behind and as left universal relief behind. 齊天大聖 is Pilgrim's full self-given title from his rebellion days, and it is the last thing the chapter says about him.

總評 Commentary

The whole prefecture walks thirty lǐ out of the city with drums and banners, and then stands in the road covering their tears until the four of them are out of sight.

And they refused every parting gift. That closes the argument the chapter opened with. The notice offered a thousand in gold, the prefect's lament offered it again, and Pilgrim turned it down both times; here at the end the whole prefecture offers money at once and he refuses again, without a word of comment.

The closing two lines give Tripitaka the temple and Pilgrim the kindness, and it names the monkey with the title he gave himself when he was fighting heaven — Great Sage Equal to Heaven. He has spent this chapter petitioning it, queuing at its gates and borrowing its equipment. The title has not changed. What it means has.