第四十五回 · 甘雨賦 The Rhapsody of the Rain — Journey to the West

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

甘雨賦 The Rhapsody of the Rain

行xíng者zhě卻què又yòu把bǎ鐵tiě棒bàng望wàng上shàng一yì指zhǐ。只zhǐ見jiàn那nà：行xíng者zhě却què又yòu把bǎ铁tiě棒bàng望wàng上shàng一yì指zhǐ。只zhǐ见jiàn那nà：

龍lóng施shī號hào令lìng，雨yǔ漫màn乾qián坤kūn。龙lóng施shī号hào令lìng，雨yǔ漫màn干qián坤kūn。

勢shì如rú銀yín漢hàn傾qīng天tiān塹qiàn，疾jí似sì雲yún流liú過guò海hǎi門mén。势shì如rú银yín汉hàn倾qīng天tiān堑qiàn，疾jí似sì云yún流liú过guò海hǎi门mén。

樓lóu頭tóu聲shēng滴dī滴dī，窗chuāng外wài響xiǎng瀟xiāo瀟xiāo。楼lóu头tóu声shēng滴dī滴dī，窗chuāng外wài响xiǎng潇xiāo潇xiāo。

天tiān上shàng銀yín河hé瀉xiè，街jiē前qián白bái浪làng滔tāo。天tiān上shàng银yín河hé泻xiè，街jiē前qián白bái浪làng滔tāo。

淙cóng淙cóng如rú瓮wèng撿jiǎn，滾gǔn滾gǔn似sì盆pén澆jiāo。淙cóng淙cóng如rú瓮wèng捡jiǎn，滚gǔn滚gǔn似sì盆pén浇jiāo。

孤gū莊zhuāng將jiāng漫màn屋wū，野yě岸àn欲yù平píng橋qiáo。孤gū庄zhuāng将jiāng漫màn屋wū，野yě岸àn欲yù平píng桥qiáo。

真zhēn個gè桑sāng田tián變biàn滄cāng海hǎi，霎shà時shí陸lù岸àn滾gǔn波bō濤tāo。真zhēn个gè桑sāng田tián变biàn沧cāng海hǎi，霎shà时shí陆lù岸àn滚gǔn波bō涛tāo。

神shén龍lóng藉jí此cǐ來lái相xiāng助zhù，擡tái起qǐ長cháng江jiāng望wàng下xià澆jiāo。神shén龙lóng藉jí此cǐ来lái相xiāng助zhù，擡tái起qǐ长cháng江jiāng望wàng下xià浇jiāo。

這zhè場cháng雨yǔ自zì辰chén時shí下xià起qǐ，只zhǐ下xià到dào午wǔ時shí前qián後hòu；下xià得de那nà車chē遲chí城chéng裡lǐ裡lǐ外wài外wài，水shuǐ漫màn了le街jiē衢qú。这zhè场cháng雨yǔ自zì辰chén时shí下xià起qǐ，只zhǐ下xià到dào午wǔ时shí前qián后hòu；下xià得de那nà车chē迟chí城chéng里lǐ里lǐ外wài外wài，水shuǐ漫màn了le街jiē衢qú。

逐句解 Line by line

行xíng者zhě卻què又yòu把bǎ鐵tiě棒bàng望wàng上shàng一yì指zhǐ。行xíng者zhě却què又yòu把bǎ铁tiě棒bàng望wàng上shàng一yì指zhǐ。

Pilgrim once again pointed the iron cudgel upward.

行者: 行 = xíng. 望上一指: 一 = yì before 指 (3rd tone).

只zhǐ見jiàn那nà：只zhǐ见jiàn那nà：

One saw only this:

Deictic 只見那: 那 = nà.

龍lóng施shī號hào令lìng，雨yǔ漫màn乾qián坤kūn。龙lóng施shī号hào令lìng，雨yǔ漫màn干qián坤kūn。

The dragon issues his commands; the rain floods heaven and earth.

號令 “commands.” 雨漫乾坤: 乾 = qián (乾坤 “heaven and earth”) — contrast 乾荒 gān (drought) earlier.

Its force like the River of Heaven tipped down the sky-moat; its speed like clouds streaming past the sea-gate.

銀漢 the Milky Way. 天塹 “the sky-moat.” 疾似: 似 = sì.

樓lóu頭tóu聲shēng滴dī滴dī，窗chuāng外wài響xiǎng瀟xiāo瀟xiāo。楼lóu头tóu声shēng滴dī滴dī，窗chuāng外wài响xiǎng潇xiāo潇xiāo。

On the tower-tops a dripping, dripping; outside the windows a pattering, pattering.

滴滴 “drip-drip.” 瀟瀟 (xiāoxiāo) “pattering (of rain).”

天tiān上shàng銀yín河hé瀉xiè，街jiē前qián白bái浪làng滔tāo。天tiān上shàng银yín河hé泻xiè，街jiē前qián白bái浪làng滔tāo。

Above, the River of Heaven poured down; before the streets, white waves surged high.

銀河瀉 “the Milky Way pours out.” 白浪滔 “white billows surge.”

淙cóng淙cóng如rú瓮wèng撿jiǎn，滾gǔn滾gǔn似sì盆pén澆jiāo。淙cóng淙cóng如rú瓮wèng捡jiǎn，滚gǔn滚gǔn似sì盆pén浇jiāo。

Gurgling, as from an upended jar; rolling, as from a poured-out basin.

淙淙 (cóngcóng) “gurgling.” 如瓮撿 “like an urn tipped out.” 滾滾似盆澆: 似 = sì.

孤gū莊zhuāng將jiāng漫màn屋wū，野yě岸àn欲yù平píng橋qiáo。孤gū庄zhuāng将jiāng漫màn屋wū，野yě岸àn欲yù平píng桥qiáo。

The lone farmstead was near to flooding its roofs; the wild bank was about to level the bridge.

孤莊將漫屋: 將 = jiāng (“about to”). 野岸欲平橋 “the wild bank about to reach the bridge.”

Truly the mulberry fields turned to blue ocean; in a flash the dry land rolled with billows.

桑田變滄海 “mulberry-fields become the blue sea” — the proverb of vast, sudden change. 霎時 “in an instant.”

The divine dragons, taking the moment, came to lend their aid, lifting up the Long River to pour it down.

藉此 “availing themselves of this.” 來相助: 相 = xiāng (“to assist”). 長江: 長 = cháng (the Yangtze, the “Long River”).

這zhè場cháng雨yǔ自zì辰chén時shí下xià起qǐ，只zhǐ下xià到dào午wǔ時shí前qián後hòu；这zhè场cháng雨yǔ自zì辰chén时shí下xià起qǐ，只zhǐ下xià到dào午wǔ时shí前qián后hòu；

This fall of rain began at the hour of chén and fell only until about the hour of wǔ;

這場雨: 場 = cháng (a spell of weather). 辰時 / 午時 the double-hours of chén (7–9 a.m.) and wǔ (11 a.m.–1 p.m.).

下xià得de那nà車chē遲chí城chéng裡lǐ裡lǐ外wài外wài，水shuǐ漫màn了le街jiē衢qú。下xià得de那nà车chē迟chí城chéng里lǐ里lǐ外wài外wài，水shuǐ漫màn了le街jiē衢qú。

it rained on Cart-Slow city, within and without, until the water flooded the streets.

下得: 得 = de. Deictic 那車遲城: 那 = nà. 水漫了街衢: 了 = le.

總評 Commentary

The last of the four contest-rhapsodies brings the sequence to its consummation: the rain that the whole ordeal has been for. Its imagery escalates from domestic sound (dripping eaves, pattering windows) to cosmic flood (the Milky Way tipped out, the Long River lifted and poured down), and its central proverb — 桑田變滄海, the mulberry fields turning to sea — names the scale of the transformation. With the four rhapsodies complete, the elemental sequence wind-cloud-thunder-rain has answered the immortal's five-signal boast point for point, and the prose coda's precise almanac detail (chén to wǔ) returns the marvel to the measured human world, where its sufficiency will at once be debated.