第八十九回 · 對月閑行 Walking Out Under The Moon — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

對月閑行 Walking Out Under The Moon

少shǎo頃qǐng，老lǎo妖yāo起qǐ來lái了le，喚huàn入rù。這zhè妖yāo精jīng丟diū了le兵bīng器qì，倒dào身shēn下xià拜bài，止zhǐ不bú住zhù腮sāi邊biān淚lèi落luò。老lǎo妖yāo道dào：「賢xián孫sūn，你nǐ昨zuó日rì下xià柬jiǎn，今jīn早zǎo正zhèng欲yù來lái赴fù會huì，你nǐ又yòu親qīn來lái，為wèi何hé發fā悲bēi煩fán惱nǎo？」妖yāo精jīng叩kòu頭tóu道dào：「小xiǎo孫sūn前qián夜yè對duì月yuè閑xián行xíng，只zhǐ見jiàn玉yù華huá州zhōu城chéng中zhōng有yǒu光guāng彩cǎi沖chōng空kōng。急jí去qù看kàn時shí，乃nǎi是shì王wáng府fǔ院yuàn中zhōng三sān般bān兵bīng器qì放fàng光guāng：一yí件jiàn是shì九jiǔ齒chǐ滲shèn金jīn釘dīng鈀pá，一yí件jiàn是shì寶bǎo杖zhàng，一yí件jiàn是shì金jīn箍gū棒bàng。小xiǎo孫sūn即jí使shǐ神shén法fǎ攝shè來lái，立lì名míng『釘dīng鈀pá嘉jiā會huì』，著zhuó小xiǎo的de們men買mǎi豬zhū羊yáng果guǒ品pǐn等děng物wù，設shè宴yàn慶qìng會huì，請qǐng祖zǔ爺yé爺ye賞shǎng之zhī，以yǐ為wéi一yí樂lè。少shǎo顷qǐng，老lǎo妖yāo起qǐ来lái了le，唤huàn入rù。这zhè妖yāo精jīng丢diū了le兵bīng器qì，倒dào身shēn下xià拜bài，止zhǐ不bú住zhù腮sāi边biān泪lèi落luò。老lǎo妖yāo道dào：「贤xián孙sūn，你nǐ昨zuó日rì下xià柬jiǎn，今jīn早zǎo正zhèng欲yù来lái赴fù会huì，你nǐ又yòu亲qīn来lái，为wèi何hé发fā悲bēi烦fán恼nǎo？」妖yāo精jīng叩kòu头tóu道dào：「小xiǎo孙sūn前qián夜yè对duì月yuè闲xián行xíng，只zhǐ见jiàn玉yù华huá州zhōu城chéng中zhōng有yǒu光guāng彩cǎi冲chōng空kōng。急jí去qù看kàn时shí，乃nǎi是shì王wáng府fǔ院yuàn中zhōng三sān般bān兵bīng器qì放fàng光guāng：一yí件jiàn是shì九jiǔ齿chǐ渗shèn金jīn钉dīng钯pá，一yí件jiàn是shì宝bǎo杖zhàng，一yí件jiàn是shì金jīn箍gū棒bàng。小xiǎo孙sūn即jí使shǐ神shén法fǎ摄shè来lái，立lì名míng『钉dīng钯pá嘉jiā会huì』，着zhuó小xiǎo的de们men买mǎi猪zhū羊yáng果guǒ品pǐn等děng物wù，设shè宴yàn庆qìng会huì，请qǐng祖zǔ爷yé爷ye赏shǎng之zhī，以yǐ为wéi一yí乐lè。

逐句解 Line by line

少shǎo頃qǐng，老lǎo妖yāo起qǐ來lái了le，喚huàn入rù。少shǎo顷qǐng，老lǎo妖yāo起qǐ来lái了le，唤huàn入rù。

After a little the old fiend rose, and had him brought in.

Nine graphs, and the whole household protocol is in them: the grandfather gets up in his own time, and the visitor is shown in when he is ready.

這zhè妖yāo精jīng丟diū了le兵bīng器qì，倒dào身shēn下xià拜bài，止zhǐ不bú住zhù腮sāi邊biān淚lèi落luò。这zhè妖yāo精jīng丢diū了le兵bīng器qì，倒dào身shēn下xià拜bài，止zhǐ不bú住zhù腮sāi边biān泪lèi落luò。

The fiend threw down his weapon, prostrated himself, and could not stop the tears running down his cheeks.

He puts the spade down before he kneels, which is the courtesy owed in a senior's hall — and it is also the same four-bright spade he was still swinging at nightfall.

老lǎo妖yāo道dào：「賢xián孫sūn，你nǐ昨zuó日rì下xià柬jiǎn，今jīn早zǎo正zhèng欲yù來lái赴fù會huì，你nǐ又yòu親qīn來lái，為wèi何hé發fā悲bēi煩fán惱nǎo？」老lǎo妖yāo道dào：「贤xián孙sūn，你nǐ昨zuó日rì下xià柬jiǎn，今jīn早zǎo正zhèng欲yù来lái赴fù会huì，你nǐ又yòu亲qīn来lái，为wèi何hé发fā悲bēi烦fán恼nǎo？」

The old fiend said, "Worthy grandson, you sent your card yesterday and I was on the very point of coming to the feast this morning. Now you come yourself. Why this grief and vexation?"

賢孫, worthy grandson, is the address a senior uses downward in a family, and the old creature uses it throughout, even while telling him he has ruined himself. Note also that the grandfather was about to set out. He has kept the appointment; only the party has stopped existing.

妖yāo精jīng叩kòu頭tóu道dào：「小xiǎo孫sūn前qián夜yè對duì月yuè閑xián行xíng，只zhǐ見jiàn玉yù華huá州zhōu城chéng中zhōng有yǒu光guāng彩cǎi沖chōng空kōng。妖yāo精jīng叩kòu头tóu道dào：「小xiǎo孙sūn前qián夜yè对duì月yuè闲xián行xíng，只zhǐ见jiàn玉yù华huá州zhōu城chéng中zhōng有yǒu光guāng彩cǎi冲chōng空kōng。

The fiend knocked his head and said, "Your little grandson was out walking under the moon two nights ago, and saw a brilliance shooting up from the city of Jade-Flower Prefecture.

And here is the theft told from the inside, at last. It begins with a creature going for an idle stroll in the moonlight — 對月閑行, walking at leisure facing the moon — which is not how villains are usually introduced.

急jí去qù看kàn時shí，乃nǎi是shì王wáng府fǔ院yuàn中zhōng三sān般bān兵bīng器qì放fàng光guāng：一yí件jiàn是shì九jiǔ齒chǐ滲shèn金jīn釘dīng鈀pá，一yí件jiàn是shì寶bǎo杖zhàng，一yí件jiàn是shì金jīn箍gū棒bàng。急jí去qù看kàn时shí，乃nǎi是shì王wáng府fǔ院yuàn中zhōng三sān般bān兵bīng器qì放fàng光guāng：一yí件jiàn是shì九jiǔ齿chǐ渗shèn金jīn钉dīng钯pá，一yí件jiàn是shì宝bǎo杖zhàng，一yí件jiàn是shì金jīn箍gū棒bàng。

"Going quickly to look, I found it was three weapons shining in the courtyard of the prince's palace: one a nine-tooth gold-washed rake, one a precious staff, one a golden-hooped rod.

His inventory is exact and admiring. 滲金 means the gold has soaked into the metal rather than sitting on it — the rake is not gilded, it is gold all through, and he has looked closely enough to know.

小xiǎo孫sūn即jí使shǐ神shén法fǎ攝shè來lái，立lì名míng『釘dīng鈀pá嘉jiā會huì』，著zhuó小xiǎo的de們men買mǎi豬zhū羊yáng果guǒ品pǐn等děng物wù，設shè宴yàn慶qìng會huì，請qǐng祖zǔ爺yé爺ye賞shǎng之zhī，以yǐ為wéi一yí樂lè。小xiǎo孙sūn即jí使shǐ神shén法fǎ摄shè来lái，立lì名míng『钉dīng钯pá嘉jiā会huì』，着zhuó小xiǎo的de们men买mǎi猪zhū羊yáng果guǒ品pǐn等děng物wù，设shè宴yàn庆qìng会huì，请qǐng祖zǔ爷yé爷ye赏shǎng之zhī，以yǐ为wéi一yí乐lè。

"Your little grandson used a spell at once and drew them here, gave the affair the name of the Goodly Rake Banquet, had the lads buy pigs and sheep and fruits and the rest, laid on a feast to celebrate, and asked my honoured grandsire to look on it and take a pleasure in it.

著 is zhuó here, the reading for setting somebody to do something — he had the servants buy, he did not do the buying. The punctuated source settles it: a full stop stands before the graph, so it opens a new clause of its own rather than continuing the one before. And 為 is wéi, to take as or count as — to make of it a pleasure.

總評 Commentary

The last movement of the chapter is the theft told over again by the thief, and the novel gives it to him straight, without irony. He saw a light in the sky, went to look, wanted the beautiful things, took them, and threw a party to show his grandfather. Put like that it is not a crime story at all; it is a boy showing off.

What makes the passage work is how much of it we already know and how differently it now reads. We watched the invitation being written and carried; we heard two wolves discussing the shopping money; we saw the rake enshrined on a table. All of it is here again, in the voice of the creature who arranged it, weeping.

The detail that turns the key is the first one. He was walking under the moon at leisure. Everything that follows — the theft, the banquet, the invitation, the burnt cave and a hundred dead servants — begins with an idle stroll and a light in the sky he could not leave alone.