第九回 · 星君送子 The Star Lord Brings a Son — Journey to the West

原文 Original text 繁體 Traditional Reader's edition

星君送子 The Star Lord Brings a Son

光guāng陰yīn迅xùn速sù。一yí日rì，劉liú洪hóng公gōng事shì遠yuǎn出chū。小xiǎo姐jiě在zài衙yá思sī念niàn婆pó婆po、丈zhàng夫fū，在zài花huā亭tíng上shàng感gǎn嘆tàn。忽hū然rán身shēn體tǐ困kùn倦juàn，腹fù內nèi疼téng痛tòng，暈yūn悶mèn在zài地dì，不bù覺jué生shēng下xià一yì子zǐ。耳ěr邊biān有yǒu人rén囑zhǔ曰yuē：「滿mǎn堂táng嬌jiāo，聽tīng吾wú叮dīng囑zhǔ：吾wú乃nǎi南nán極jí星xīng君jūn，奉fèng觀guān音yīn菩pú薩sà法fǎ旨zhǐ，特tè送sòng此cǐ子zǐ與yǔ你nǐ。異yì日rì聲shēng名míng遠yuǎn大dà，非fēi比bǐ等děng閑xián。劉liú賊zéi若ruò回huí，必bì害hài此cǐ子zǐ，汝rǔ可kě用yòng心xīn保bǎo護hù。汝rǔ夫fū已yǐ得dé龍lóng王wáng相xiāng救jiù，日rì後hòu夫fū妻qī相xiāng會huì，子zǐ母mǔ團tuán圓yuán，雪xuě冤yuān報bào仇chóu有yǒu日rì也yě。謹jǐn記jì吾wú言yán。快kuài醒xǐng，快kuài醒xǐng。」言yán訖qì而ér去qù。光guāng阴yīn迅xùn速sù。一yí日rì，刘liú洪hóng公gōng事shì远yuǎn出chū。小xiǎo姐jiě在zài衙yá思sī念niàn婆pó婆po、丈zhàng夫fū，在zài花huā亭tíng上shàng感gǎn叹tàn。忽hū然rán身shēn体tǐ困kùn倦juàn，腹fù内nèi疼téng痛tòng，晕yūn闷mèn在zài地dì，不bù觉jué生shēng下xià一yì子zǐ。耳ěr边biān有yǒu人rén嘱zhǔ曰yuē：「满mǎn堂táng娇jiāo，听tīng吾wú叮dīng嘱zhǔ：吾wú乃nǎi南nán极jí星xīng君jūn，奉fèng观guān音yīn菩pú萨sà法fǎ旨zhǐ，特tè送sòng此cǐ子zǐ与yǔ你nǐ。异yì日rì声shēng名míng远yuǎn大dà，非fēi比bǐ等děng闲xián。刘liú贼zéi若ruò回huí，必bì害hài此cǐ子zǐ，汝rǔ可kě用yòng心xīn保bǎo护hù。汝rǔ夫fū已yǐ得dé龙lóng王wáng相xiāng救jiù，日rì后hòu夫fū妻qī相xiāng会huì，子zǐ母mǔ团tuán圆yuán，雪xuě冤yuān报bào仇chóu有yǒu日rì也yě。谨jǐn记jì吾wú言yán。快kuài醒xǐng，快kuài醒xǐng。」言yán讫qì而ér去qù。

逐句解 Line by line

光guāng陰yīn迅xùn速sù。一yí日rì，劉liú洪hóng公gōng事shì遠yuǎn出chū。光guāng阴yīn迅xùn速sù。一yí日rì，刘liú洪hóng公gōng事shì远yuǎn出chū。

Time passed swiftly. One day Liu Hong went off on official business to a distant place.

光陰迅速, time flies — a conventional time-skip.

小xiǎo姐jiě在zài衙yá思sī念niàn婆pó婆po、丈zhàng夫fū，在zài花huā亭tíng上shàng感gǎn嘆tàn。小xiǎo姐jiě在zài衙yá思sī念niàn婆pó婆po、丈zhàng夫fū，在zài花huā亭tíng上shàng感gǎn叹tàn。

The lady, in the yamen, brooding on her mother-in-law and her husband, sat sighing in the flower-pavilion.

花亭, a garden pavilion; she grieves for the absent — and, unknowing, the dead.

忽hū然rán身shēn體tǐ困kùn倦juàn，腹fù內nèi疼téng痛tòng，暈yūn悶mèn在zài地dì，不bù覺jué生shēng下xià一yì子zǐ。忽hū然rán身shēn体tǐ困kùn倦juàn，腹fù内nèi疼téng痛tòng，晕yūn闷mèn在zài地dì，不bù觉jué生shēng下xià一yì子zǐ。

Suddenly her body grew weary and her belly pained her; she swooned to the ground and, without knowing it, gave birth to a son.

暈悶在地, to faint to the ground; in 生下一子 the 子 is zǐ, 'son.'

耳ěr邊biān有yǒu人rén囑zhǔ曰yuē：「滿mǎn堂táng嬌jiāo，聽tīng吾wú叮dīng囑zhǔ：耳ěr边biān有yǒu人rén嘱zhǔ曰yuē：「满mǎn堂táng娇jiāo，听tīng吾wú叮dīng嘱zhǔ：

By her ear a voice charged her: 'Mantangjiao, hear my charge:'

叮囑, an earnest charge or injunction.

吾wú乃nǎi南nán極jí星xīng君jūn，奉fèng觀guān音yīn菩pú薩sà法fǎ旨zhǐ，特tè送sòng此cǐ子zǐ與yǔ你nǐ。吾wú乃nǎi南nán极jí星xīng君jūn，奉fèng观guān音yīn菩pú萨sà法fǎ旨zhǐ，特tè送sòng此cǐ子zǐ与yǔ你nǐ。

'I am the Star Lord of the South Pole, come at the command of the Bodhisattva Guanyin to bring you this son.'

南極星君, the Star Lord of the South Pole (the god of longevity), acting on 觀音菩薩's order; in 此子, 子 = zǐ.

異yì日rì聲shēng名míng遠yuǎn大dà，非fēi比bǐ等děng閑xián。异yì日rì声shēng名míng远yuǎn大dà，非fēi比bǐ等děng闲xián。

'In days to come his name shall be great and far-reaching, no common thing.'

非比等閑, no ordinary thing — the first plain sign of the future Tripitaka.

劉liú賊zéi若ruò回huí，必bì害hài此cǐ子zǐ，汝rǔ可kě用yòng心xīn保bǎo護hù。刘liú贼zéi若ruò回huí，必bì害hài此cǐ子zǐ，汝rǔ可kě用yòng心xīn保bǎo护hù。

'If the villain Liu returns, he will surely kill this child; you must guard him with all your heart.'

此子 again zǐ; the threat to the infant drives the next passage.

汝rǔ夫fū已yǐ得dé龍lóng王wáng相xiāng救jiù，日rì後hòu夫fū妻qī相xiāng會huì，汝rǔ夫fū已yǐ得dé龙lóng王wáng相xiāng救jiù，日rì后hòu夫fū妻qī相xiāng会huì，

'Your husband has already been saved by the Dragon King; in time husband and wife shall meet again,'

相救 / 相會, reciprocal 相 (xiāng).

子zǐ母mǔ團tuán圓yuán，雪xuě冤yuān報bào仇chóu有yǒu日rì也yě。子zǐ母mǔ团tuán圆yuán，雪xuě冤yuān报bào仇chóu有yǒu日rì也yě。

'mother and child be reunited, and the wrong be wiped clean and avenged in its day.'

In 子母團圓 ('mother and child reunited'), 子 = zǐ; 雪冤, to wipe out a wrong.

謹jǐn記jì吾wú言yán。快kuài醒xǐng，快kuài醒xǐng。」言yán訖qì而ér去qù。谨jǐn记jì吾wú言yán。快kuài醒xǐng，快kuài醒xǐng。」言yán讫qì而ér去qù。

'Mark my words well. Wake now, wake!' — and with that the voice was gone.

言訖而去, 'having finished speaking, he departed.'

總評 Commentary

The birth comes with a heavenly annunciation: the 南極星君 (Star Lord of the South Pole), acting on Guanyin's order, delivers the child and foretells his greatness — the first explicit sign that the infant is the destined Tripitaka. The Bodhisattva's hand links this domestic tragedy to the larger frame of the pilgrimage, for which Tripitaka must be born and preserved. The star-god's charge — guard the child, await reunion and revenge — lays out the rest of the chapter's plot in advance, in the manner of vernacular fiction, which often tells the reader where the story is bound and finds its art in the telling.