第九回 · 暮春便道省親 Homeward in Late Spring — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

暮春便道省親 Homeward in Late Spring

正zhèng是shì暮mù春chūn天tiān氣qì，正zhèng是shì暮mù春chūn天tiān气qì，

和hé風fēng吹chuī柳liǔ綠lǜ，和hé风fēng吹chuī柳liǔ绿lǜ，

細xì雨yǔ點diǎn花huā紅hóng。细xì雨yǔ点diǎn花huā红hóng。

光guāng蕊ruǐ便biàn道dào回huí家jiā，同tóng妻qī交jiāo拜bài母mǔ親qīn張zhāng氏shì。張zhāng氏shì道dào：「恭gōng喜xǐ我wǒ兒ér，且qiě又yòu娶qǔ親qīn回huí來lái。」光guāng蕊ruǐ道dào：「孩hái兒ér叨tāo賴lài母mǔ親qīn福fú庇bì，忝tiǎn中zhòng狀zhuàng元yuán，欽qīn賜cì遊yóu街jiē，經jīng過guò丞chéng相xiàng殷yīn府fǔ門mén前qián，遇yù拋pāo打dǎ繡xiù毬qiú適shì中zhòng，蒙méng丞chéng相xiàng即jí將jiāng小xiǎo姐jiě招zhāo孩hái兒ér為wéi婿xù。朝cháo廷tíng除chú孩hái兒ér為wéi江jiāng州zhōu州zhōu主zhǔ，今jīn來lái接jiē取qǔ母mǔ親qīn，同tóng去qù赴fù任rèn。」張zhāng氏shì大dà喜xǐ，收shōu拾shí行xíng程chéng。光guāng蕊ruǐ便biàn道dào回huí家jiā，同tóng妻qī交jiāo拜bài母mǔ亲qīn张zhāng氏shì。张zhāng氏shì道dào：「恭gōng喜xǐ我wǒ儿ér，且qiě又yòu娶qǔ亲qīn回huí来lái。」光guāng蕊ruǐ道dào：「孩hái儿ér叨tāo赖lài母mǔ亲qīn福fú庇bì，忝tiǎn中zhòng状zhuàng元yuán，钦qīn赐cì游yóu街jiē，经jīng过guò丞chéng相xiàng殷yīn府fǔ门mén前qián，遇yù抛pāo打dǎ绣xiù毬qiú适shì中zhòng，蒙méng丞chéng相xiàng即jí将jiāng小xiǎo姐jiě招zhāo孩hái儿ér为wéi婿xù。朝cháo廷tíng除chú孩hái儿ér为wéi江jiāng州zhōu州zhōu主zhǔ，今jīn来lái接jiē取qǔ母mǔ亲qīn，同tóng去qù赴fù任rèn。」张zhāng氏shì大dà喜xǐ，收shōu拾shí行xíng程chéng。

逐句解 Line by line

正zhèng是shì暮mù春chūn天tiān氣qì，正zhèng是shì暮mù春chūn天tiān气qì，

It was just the season of late spring —

正是 introduces the seasonal couplet that follows.

和hé風fēng吹chuī柳liǔ綠lǜ，和hé风fēng吹chuī柳liǔ绿lǜ，

A mild breeze blows the willows green,

A parallel couplet: 和風／細雨, 吹／點, 柳綠／花紅 answer one another word for word — the stock 暮春 (late-spring) tableau, a moment of ease before disaster.

細xì雨yǔ點diǎn花huā紅hóng。细xì雨yǔ点diǎn花huā红hóng。

fine rain flecks the blossoms red.

The second line completes the parallel, 點 ('to dot, fleck') set against 吹 ('to blow').

光guāng蕊ruǐ便biàn道dào回huí家jiā，同tóng妻qī交jiāo拜bài母mǔ親qīn張zhāng氏shì。光guāng蕊ruǐ便biàn道dào回huí家jiā，同tóng妻qī交jiāo拜bài母mǔ亲qīn张zhāng氏shì。

Guangrui turned homeward by the way, and with his wife made the bow to his mother, Madam Zhang.

便道, 'taking the route, by way of'; the bride is presented to her mother-in-law.

張zhāng氏shì道dào：「恭gōng喜xǐ我wǒ兒ér，且qiě又yòu娶qǔ親qīn回huí來lái。」张zhāng氏shì道dào：「恭gōng喜xǐ我wǒ儿ér，且qiě又yòu娶qǔ亲qīn回huí来lái。」

Madam Zhang said, 'Congratulations, my son — and you have brought home a bride besides.'

娶親, to take a wife.

光guāng蕊ruǐ道dào：「孩hái兒ér叨tāo賴lài母mǔ親qīn福fú庇bì，忝tiǎn中zhòng狀zhuàng元yuán，欽qīn賜cì遊yóu街jiē，經jīng過guò丞chéng相xiàng殷yīn府fǔ門mén前qián，遇yù拋pāo打dǎ繡xiù毬qiú適shì中zhòng，光guāng蕊ruǐ道dào：「孩hái儿ér叨tāo赖lài母mǔ亲qīn福fú庇bì，忝tiǎn中zhòng状zhuàng元yuán，钦qīn赐cì游yóu街jiē，经jīng过guò丞chéng相xiàng殷yīn府fǔ门mén前qián，遇yù抛pāo打dǎ绣xiù毬qiú适shì中zhòng，

Guangrui said, 'Thanks to my mother's sheltering blessing, your son has unworthily taken first place and was granted the procession through the streets; passing before the gate of Chancellor Yin's residence, I chanced to be struck square by her thrown embroidered ball,

叨賴 ('to owe undeservedly,' 叨 = tāo) and 忝中 ('to take, to one's disgrace,' 忝 = tiǎn) are humble formulas; 中 is zhòng in both 忝中 and 適中. 相 in 丞相 reads xiàng.

蒙méng丞chéng相xiàng即jí將jiāng小xiǎo姐jiě招zhāo孩hái兒ér為wéi婿xù。蒙méng丞chéng相xiàng即jí将jiāng小xiǎo姐jiě招zhāo孩hái儿ér为wéi婿xù。

whereupon the Chancellor at once gave his daughter to take your son for a husband.'

為婿, 'as son-in-law' — 為 is wéi; 相 reads xiàng.

朝cháo廷tíng除chú孩hái兒ér為wéi江jiāng州zhōu州zhōu主zhǔ，今jīn來lái接jiē取qǔ母mǔ親qīn，同tóng去qù赴fù任rèn。」朝cháo廷tíng除chú孩hái儿ér为wéi江jiāng州zhōu州zhōu主zhǔ，今jīn来lái接jiē取qǔ母mǔ亲qīn，同tóng去qù赴fù任rèn。」

'The court has made your son Governor of Jiangzhou, and I have now come to fetch you, that you may go with us to take up the post.'

為江州州主, 'as Governor of Jiangzhou' — 為 is wéi.

張zhāng氏shì大dà喜xǐ，收shōu拾shí行xíng程chéng。张zhāng氏shì大dà喜xǐ，收shōu拾shí行xíng程chéng。

Madam Zhang was overjoyed and made ready for the journey.

行程, the journey; 行 is xíng.

總評 Commentary

The chapter's one verse moment is a slight seasonal couplet — 和風吹柳綠，細雨點花紅 — the stock 暮春 tableau that frames the homecoming with deceptive calm. Guangrui's report to his mother is a small exercise in filial courtesy: every success is credited to her — 叨賴母親福庇, 'thanks to my mother's sheltering blessing' — and turned into the occasion for fetching her along to his post. The verb 叨 (here tāo) is self-deprecating, 'to receive what one does not deserve'; 忝 (tiǎn) works the same humble register about the 狀元 title. The warmth of the scene is exactly what the next two passages will undo.