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Tu Tze-ch'un 杜子春
by Li Fu-yan 李復言(from T'ai-p'ing Kuang-chi太平廣記)
translated by Jason C. S. Wang 王家聲 Tu Tzu-ch'un was a man who lived around the time of the Chou and Sui dynasties. In his youth Tu was untrammeled and carefree, and never bothered to attend to his family property. Indolent by nature, he indulged in heavy drinking and debauchery. When he squandered away his fortune and went to relatives and friends for help, they all turned him away for being an idler. 杜子春者﹐蓋周隋間人。少落拓﹐不事家產﹐然以志氣閑曠﹐縱酒邪游。資產蕩盡﹐投于親故﹐皆以不事事見棄。 It was winter. His clothes in tatters and his stomach empty, Tu roamed aimlessly in Ch'ang-an. It was getting late, and he still had not eaten. Knowing not which way to turn, he stood by the West Gate of the East Market, palpably suffering from cold and hunger. He looked up to the sky and let out a long sigh. 方冬﹐衣破腹空﹐徒行長安中﹐日晚未食﹐彷徨不知所往。 于東市西門﹐飢寒之色可掬﹐仰天長吁。 An old man with a walking staff accosted him and inquired, “Why does the gentleman sigh?” Tu poured out his heart and vented his resentment at the callous indifference of his relatives, his complexion reddened with anguish and agitation. 有一老人策杖于前﹐問曰﹕“君子何嘆﹖”春言其心﹐且憤其親戚之疏薄也﹐感激之氣﹐發于顏色。 The old man asked, “How many strings of cash would be needed to enable you to live in comfort?” Tu answered, “Thirty or fifty thousand should keep me from starving.” The old man said, “Not enough.” Tu named another figure, “One hundred thousand.” “Not enough.” “A million strings?” “Still not enough.” “Three million?” “That should do,” the old man agreed finally. 老人曰﹕“幾緡則豐用﹖”子春曰﹕“三五萬則可以活矣。”老人曰﹕“未也。”更言之﹕“十萬。”曰﹕“未也。” 乃言“百萬”。亦曰﹕“未也。”曰﹕“三百萬。”乃曰﹕“可矣。 Out from his sleeve he produced a string of cash and said, “This should suffice for the evening. Tomorrow noon I shall be expecting you at the Persian House by the West Market. Make sure you are not late!” Tu went punctually. As promised, the old man gave him three million strings of cash and left without telling his name. 於是袖出一緡曰﹕“給子今夕﹐明日午時﹐候子于西市波斯邸﹐慎無後期。”及時子春往﹐老人果與錢三百萬﹐不告姓名而去。 Once rich, Tu's penchant for wanton, riotous living flared up again. Confident that he would never find himself shelterless in the streets again, he rode well-fed horses, wore light furs, met his drinking friends, assembled a band of musicians, and enjoyed dancing and singing at the brothels. Never again did he give any thought to earning an honest living. 子春既富﹐蕩心復熾﹐自以為終身不復羈旅也。 乘肥衣輕﹐會酒徒﹐征絲管﹐歌舞于倡樓﹐不復以治生為意。 In a year or two, the money gradually dwindled away. His wardrobe, mounts, and carriages changed from the most expensive to the more affordable. Then his horse was replaced by a donkey, and the donkey, by his own two feet. Soon he was in the same sad straits as before. 一二年間﹐稍稍而盡﹐衣服車馬﹐易貴從賤﹐去馬而驢﹐去驢而徒﹐倏忽如初。 Again desperate, he sighed at the gate of the Market. The very moment he uttered the sound, the same old man appeared. Taking Tu's hand in his, he said, “You are back where you were. How strange! This time how much money should I give you?” Tu was too ashamed to answer. The old man pressed on, but Tu just apologetically reaffirmed his gratitude. The old man then told him, “Tomorrow noon, come meet me at the same place as last time.” Tu went as instructed, suppressing his feelings of guilt and shame, and received ten million strings of cash. 既而復無計﹐自嘆于市門。 發聲而老人到﹐ 握其手曰﹕“君復如此﹐奇哉。 吾將復濟子幾緡方可﹖”子春慚不應。老人因逼之﹐ 子春愧謝而已。 老人曰﹕“明日午時﹐來前期處。”子春忍愧而往﹐得錢一千萬。 Before receiving the money, he was full of resolve, confident that he would, from then on, plan and invest shrewdly, and that Shih Chi-lun and Yi tun, for all their legendary wealth, would soon be mere paupers compared to him. But the moment he took the money in hand, he had a reversal of heart and became just as self-indulgent as before. 未受之初﹐憤發﹐以為從此謀身治生﹐石季倫﹑猗頓小豎耳。錢既入手﹐心又翻然﹐縱適之情﹐又卻如故。 In a year or two Tu was poorer than ever. Once again he chanced upon the old man at the same place. Overcome with shame, he covered his face and tried to run away. The old man caught him by the sleeve and said, “Oh, well. Poor planning.” Then he gave Tu thirty million strings of cash and cautioned, “If this doesn’t effect a cure, you are indeed beyond help.” 不一二年間﹐貧過舊日。 復遇老人于故處﹐子春不勝其愧﹐掩面而走。 老人牽裾止之﹐又曰﹕“嗟乎拙謀也。”因與三千萬﹐ 曰﹕“此而不痊﹐則子貧在膏肓矣。” Tu thought to himself, “After I wantonly squandered all my means of support, none of my relatives, not even the wealthiest among them, have paid any attention to me. Yet this elderly gentleman has thrice relieved me from want. How can I be deserving of such generosity?” 子春曰﹕“吾落拓邪游﹐生涯罄盡﹐親戚豪族﹐無相顧者﹐獨此叟三給我﹐我何以當之﹖” He told the old man,“With this sum, I can get much done in the mundane world. The orphans and widows shall be properly fed and clothed, and, through helping them, I shall also be redeemed as decent and worthy. I am profoundly indebted to you for this most gracious favor. When I finish what I am to do, I shall faithfully follow your every bidding.” 因謂老人曰﹕“吾得此﹐人間之事可以立﹐孤孀可以衣食﹐于名教復圓矣。 感叟深惠﹐立事之後﹐唯叟所使。” The old man said, “Quite after my own heart! When you have put your affairs in order, come meet me at the twin junipers by the Temple of Laotzu, on the Mid-trimester Day of the coming year.” “吾心也﹗子治生畢﹐來歲中元﹐見我于老君雙檜下。” Because most orphans and widows lived in Huai-nan, Tu transferred his capital to Yang-chou. There he bought a hundred acres of good farmland, built a grand mansion in the suburbs, and made ready more than a hundred houses at choice locations. Then he settled the widows in the mansion, helped his nephews and nieces start their own families, and properly reburied his deceased relatives in a cemetery of the clan. Generally he returned the favors of benefactors and repaid enemies in kind. 子春以孤孀多寓淮南﹐遂轉資揚州﹐買良田百頃﹐郭中起甲第﹐要路置邸百余間﹐悉召孤孀﹐分居第中。婚嫁甥侄﹐遷祔族親﹐恩者煦之﹐仇者復之。 Having done all this, Tu went on the appointed day and found the old man whistling in the shade of the junipers. Together they set out to ascend the Cloud Tower Peak in the Hua Mountains. In they went for more than 40 li and arrived at a place where the houses and rooms were kept meticulously clean, apparently not the abode of ordinary people. It was canopied high above by multicolored clouds and graced by gliding phoenixes and cranes. 既畢事﹐ 及期而往。 老人者方嘯于二檜之陰。遂與登華山雲臺峰。入四十里余﹐見一處﹐室屋嚴潔﹐非常人居。 彩雲遙覆﹐鸞鶴飛翔。 On a higher level was the main hall, in the middle of which stood an elixir furnace, more than nine feet tall. Its purplish flames burned brightly, lighting up the windows. Nine female Taoist attendants stood around the furnace forming a circle. Black Dragon and White Tiger, flags of the two constellations in the east and west sky, guarded the front and back. 其上有正堂﹐中有藥爐﹐高九尺余﹐紫焰光發﹐ 灼煥窗戶。 玉女九人﹐環爐而立﹔青龍白虎﹐分據前後。 Already the dusk was gathering. No longer in worldly apparel, the old man reappeared as a veritable Taoist in a yellow cap and a crimson cape. He handed Tu three white-stone pills and a goblet of wine, and told him to finish them off quickly, then take a tiger's pelt, spread it out by the inner west wall, and sit on it facing east. 其時日將暮﹐老人者﹐不復俗衣﹐乃黃冠絳帔士也。 持白石三丸﹐酒一卮﹐遺子春﹐令速食之訖﹐取一虎皮﹐舖于內西壁﹐東向而坐。 The old man warned, “Be sure not to say anything. Whatever you are about to see—be it exalted deities, evil demons, ghosts, fierce beasts, the netherworld, or your loved ones being tied up, and suffering great pain—is not real. Just stay silent and still, and remain calm and fear nothing, no harm will ever come to you. Think only of what I tell you!” With that, he departed. 戒曰﹕“慎勿語。雖尊神惡鬼夜叉﹐猛獸地獄﹔及君之親屬﹐為所困縛萬苦﹐皆非真實。但當不動不語﹐宜安心莫懼﹐終無所苦。當一心念吾所言。”言訖而去。 Tu looked into the courtyard and could see only a huge urn filled to the brim with water. As soon as the Taoist left, there suddenly appeared a plethora of banners, flags, spears, and armored men. Thousands of chariots and mounted soldiers filled up the valley, their barked curses shaking both heaven and earth. 子春視庭﹐唯一巨甕﹐滿中貯水而已。道士適去﹐旌旗戈甲﹐千乘萬騎﹐遍滿崖谷﹐呵叱之聲﹐震動天地。 An august personage, addressed as the Great General— exceeding 10 feet in height, and clad, as was his courser, in dazzling golden armor—burst into the hall with several hundred bodyguards weapons at the ready. They shouted, “Who are you? How dare you not make way for the Great General?” 有一人稱大將軍﹐身長丈余﹐人馬皆著金甲﹐光芒射人。 親衛數百人﹐皆杖劍張弓﹐直入堂前﹐呵曰﹕“汝是何人﹖敢不避大將軍。” With raised swords, they pressed Tu for his name and demanded to know what it was that he was making. He ignored all their questions. The interrogators became furious. Voices urging his decapitation and vying to shoot him came deafening as thunder, but still there was no response. The General stormed out in a most violent rage. 左右竦劍而前逼問姓名﹐又問作何物﹐皆不對。問者大怒﹐摧斬爭射之聲如雷﹐竟不應。將軍者極怒而去。 Presently, ferocious tigers, venomous dragons, lions, thousands of vipers and scorpions appeared. Roaring and snarling, they jostled to get near, eager to seize and devour him, and some jumped over his person. Tu's countenance remained impassive. After a while they dispersed of their own accord. 俄而猛虎毒龍﹐狻猊獅子﹐蝮蠍萬計﹐哮吼拏攫而爭前﹐欲搏噬﹐或跳過其上﹐子春神色不動。有頃而散。 Next came a torrential rain, with thunder and lightning piercing a darkened sky. Surrounded on all sides by rolling spheres of fire and electric flashes, Tu could hardly open his eyes. In a brief moment the courtyard was under more than 10 feet of water. Roaring thunder and swift lightning bore down on him with the unrelenting force of a landslide. In an instant the flood reached where Tu was, but he sat erect and paid no attention. 既而大雨滂澍﹐雷電晦暝﹐火輪走其左右﹐電光掣其前後﹐ 目不得開。 須臾﹐庭際水深丈余﹐流電吼雷﹐勢若山川開破﹐不可制止。 瞬息之間﹐波及坐下﹐子春端坐不顧。 A moment later the General returned and directed a few ox-headed jailers and bizarre-looking demons to set a large cauldron of boiling water in front of Tu, and fenced him in with long spears and two-pronged forks. An order was passed down, “Tell us your name and you will be set free. If you don't, we will run a fork right through your heart and drop you in this boiler.” Again, no response was forthcoming. 未頃而將軍者復來﹐引牛頭獄卒﹐奇貌鬼神﹐將大鑊湯而置子春前﹐長槍兩叉﹐四面周匝﹐傳命曰﹕“肯言姓名即放﹐不肯言即當心取叉置之鑊中。”又不應。 So they seized his wife and dragged her to the foot of the stairs. A jailer pointed at her and said, “Tell us your name and we will spare her.” Still, Tu kept silence. His wife was in turn flailed to bleeding, shot, hacked up, boiled, and burned, suffering excruciating pain that far exceeded human endurance. 因執其妻來﹐拽于階下﹐指曰﹕“言姓名免之。”又不應。及鞭捶流血﹐或射或斫﹐或煮或燒﹐苦不可忍。 “True, I am clumsy and homely, a disgrace to a gentleman like you.” She wailed, “But with unearned luck I have been, as your humble wife, attending to your every need for more than ten years. I am now being seized by these exalted demons, and suffering unbearable pain. I don't expect you to get down on your knees and beg for my deliverance. But it takes merely a word from you to save my life. Who has no feelings? Why should you, of all people, begrudge a word on my behalf?” With tears streaming down her cheeks like rain, she cursed and swore in the courtyard. Tu somehow managed to ignore it all. 其妻號哭曰﹕“誠為陋拙﹐ 有辱君子﹐然幸得執巾櫛﹐ 奉事十餘年矣。 今為尊鬼所執﹐不勝其苦﹗不敢望君匍匐拜乞﹐但得公一言即全性命矣。人誰無情﹐君乃忍惜一言﹖”雨淚庭中且咒且罵﹐春終不顧。 The General then taunted, “You think me incapable of hurting your wife?” He sent for files and pestles, and had them used on her, starting from the feet up inch by inch. His wife's screams grew increasingly desperate. But Tu still paid no attention. 將軍且曰﹕“吾不能毒汝妻耶﹗”令取銼碓﹐從腳寸寸銼之。妻叫哭愈急﹐竟不顧之。 The General said, “This wretched scoundrel has already mastered the arts of witchcraft and must not be allowed to live on in the world." He ordered to have Tu beheaded. After the execution, Tu's ghost was led before the King of the Netherworld. The King said, “Is this not the sorcerer from the Cloud Tower Peak? Arrest him and send him to jail.” Thus Tu experienced all the exquisite agony various forms of torture had to offer: molten copper, iron rots, the pounding pestle, the grinding mill, the fire pit, the boiling cauldron, the hill of knives, and the tree of swords. But keeping in mind the Taoist's injunction, he found all this somehow endurable and managed to refrain from moaning. 將軍曰﹕“此賊妖術已成﹐不可使久在世間。”敕左右斬之。斬訖﹐魂魄被領見閻羅王。王曰﹕“此乃雲臺峰妖民乎﹖捉付獄中。”於是鎔銅鐵杖﹑碓擣磑磨﹑火坑鑊湯﹑刀山劍樹之苦無不備嘗。然心念道士之言亦似可忍﹐竟不呻吟。 Finally, a jailer reported to the King that Tu had completed the course of suffering. The King said, “This wretch, so secretive and cunning, is unfit to be a man. Let him be born a woman into the house of Wang Ch'uan, Deputy Magistrate of Shan-fu County of Sung Province.” 獄卒告受罪畢。王曰﹕“此人陰賊﹐不合得作男﹐宜令作女人。”配生宋州單父縣丞王勸家。 Since birth Tu was of a sickly constitution. Hardly a day passed without her being subjected to some treatment and medication. Though she had fallen into fire, or from bed, incurring all sorts of injury and pain, she had never uttered a sound. 生而多病﹐針灸藥醫﹐略無停日。亦嘗墜火墮床﹐痛苦不齊﹐終不失聲。 Soon, she grew up to be a woman of surpassing beauty, but no sound had ever issued from her mouth. Her family regarded her as a mute girl. She had suffered in innumerable ways, at the hands of those relatives who tended to get overfamiliar with her, but she was never able to talk back. 俄而長大﹐容色絕代﹐而口無聲﹐其家目為啞女。親戚狎者﹐侮之萬端﹐終不能對。 There was in the same county a man, named Lu Kui, a holder of the highest Chin-Shih degree, who heard of her beauty and became an admirer. Lu proposed through a matchmaker, but her family declined on grounds of her muteness. Lu replied, “If a wife is able and virtuous, what need is there for speech. What's more, this may well serve as a lesson for women with a wagging tongue.” The Wangs finally gave their consent. Lu saw to it that all the six betrothal and marriage ceremonies were performed in the time-honored fashion, and came in person to fetch her to be his wife. 同鄉有進士盧圭者﹐聞其容而慕之﹐因媒氏求焉。其家以啞辭之。盧曰﹕“苟為妻而賢﹐何用言矣﹖亦足以戒長舌之婦。”乃許之。盧生備六禮﹐親迎為妻。 For several years they had an enviably loving relationship. She then gave birth to a son, who was unmatched in intelligence even at the tender age of two. Lu held the child in his arms and talked to her. There was no response. He tried many ways to entice her to say something, but all to no avail. 數年﹐恩情甚篤﹐生一男﹐僅二歲﹐聰慧無敵。 盧抱兒與之言﹐不應﹔多方引之﹐終無辭。 He flew into a rage, saying, “In olden times, Minister Chia's wife would not smile, for she despised her husband. Even so, she made up for the regret one day while watching him shooting pheasants. After all, I am not as devoid of grace as Chia, and the art of letters is not the same as mere pheasant-shooting, yet you never talk to me. A worthy man despised by his wife, what use has he for her son?” 盧大怒曰﹕“昔賈大夫之妻﹐鄙其夫才不笑﹐然觀其射雉﹐尚釋其憾。今吾陋不及賈﹐而文藝非徒射雉也﹐而竟不言﹗大丈夫為妻所鄙。 安用其子。” He grabbed hold of the boy's feet, and bashed his head against a rock. It smashed instantly, splashing blood for several paces around. Unable to hold back her love for the child and momentarily forgetting her vow, she let escape an involuntary cry, “Ugh!” 乃持兩足﹐以頭撲于石上﹐應手而碎﹐血濺數步。 子春愛生于心﹐忽忘其約﹐不覺失聲云﹕“噫……” Before the sound died out, Tu found himself sitting again at the same place with the elderly Taoist in front of him. It was almost dawn. He saw the purple flames leap up and burn through the roof, and raging fire break out all around them. The entire house was ablaze. The Taoist said with a sigh, “You good-for-nothing! Look what you got me into.” Lifting Tu up by the hair, he threw him in the water-filled urn. 噫聲未息﹐身坐故處﹐道士者亦在其前。 初五更矣﹐見其紫焰穿屋上﹐大火起四合﹐ 屋室俱焚。 道士嘆曰﹕“錯大誤余乃如是。”因提其髮﹐投水甕中。 Before long the fire burned out. The Taoist went up to him and said, “You have put behind you all such emotions as joy, anger, pity, fear, loathing, and craving. The one feeling you have not yet mastered is love. If you had not uttered that sound, my elixir would have been ready, and you would have ascended into heaven, an immortal by now. 未頃火息﹐道士前曰﹕“吾子之心﹐喜怒﹑哀懼﹑惡欲皆忘矣﹐所未臻者愛而已。 向使子無噫聲﹐吾之藥成﹐子亦上仙矣。 Alas, how very rare are those with the true makings of an immortal! But still I can try smelting the elixir again, and there is yet room for you in this world. Take heart and do your utmost!” The Taoist pointed out to him the distant road back and bade him farewell. 嗟乎﹐仙才之難得也﹗ 吾藥可重煉﹐而子之身猶為世界所容矣﹐勉之哉。”遙指路使歸。 With effort Tu climbed to the top of the platform to have a look. The furnace had cracked open, exposing an iron rod inside, several feet long, the thickness of a man's arm. The Taoist took off his robe and proceeded to scrape it with a knife. 子春強登基觀焉﹐其爐已壞﹐中有鐵柱﹐大如臂﹐長數尺﹐道士脫衣﹐以刀子削之。 After returning home, ashamed of having broken the vow, Tu decided to make amends by volunteering for another effort. But when he reached the Cloud Tower Peak, he could not find even the slightest trace of human presence. He sighed and went back, heavy with remorse. 子春既歸﹐愧其忘誓﹐復自效以謝其過。 行至雲臺峰﹐絕無人跡﹐嘆恨而歸。 |
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