Journey to the West (vol. 3)
Page 37
“In previous lives old Pig used to be
Given to pleasure and indolence.
I lived in confusion,
My nature disordered and my heart deluded.
1 did not know how high the sky was or how deep the earth;
I could not tell the ocean's width or the mountains' distance.
Then in the middle of my idleness
I suddenly met a true immortal.
In half a sentence
He undid the net of evil;
With two or three remarks
He smashed the gate to disaster.
Then I became aware,
Took him as my master on the spot,
Diligently studied the arts of the Double Eight,
Respectfully refined the Triple Three's sequence.
When training was complete I was able to fly,
And ascend to the heavenly palace.
The Jade Emperor in his benevolence
Appointed me as Marshal Tian Peng,
To command the marines of the River of Heaven,
And wander at ease within the palace gates.
Then when I was drunk at the Peach Banquet
I misbehaved with the goddess of the moon,
Was stripped of my commission,
And exiled to the mortal world.
Because I came into the wrong womb
1 was born with the likeness of a pig.
Living at the Mount of Blessing
I committed unbounded evil.
When I met the Bodhisattva Guanyin
She showed me the way of goodness.
I came over to the Buddhist faith
To escort the Tang Priest
On his journey to the Western Heaven,
Seeking the marvellous scriptures.
My Dharma name is Wuneng,
And people call me Bajie.”
When the king heard this he trembled with fear, not daring to look at him. This made the idiot more spirited than ever, shaking his head, pursing his lips, thrusting his ears up and roaring with laughter.
Sanzang, worried that Pig was giving the king a fright, shouted, “Control yourself, Bajie.” Only then did Pig put his hands together and pretend to behave himself.
“And why was the third distinguished disciple converted?” the king then asked. Putting his hands together, Friar Sand said:
“I was originally a mortal man,
Who turned to the Way out of fear of the Wheel of Reincarnation.
1 wandered like a cloud to the corners of the seas.
Roamed to the very ends of the sky.
I always wore the robe and held the begging-bowl,
And ever concentrated my mind within the body.
Because of my sincerity
I fell in with immortals,
Raised the Baby Boy,
To mate him with the Lovely Girl.
When the Three Thousand Tasks were achieved
All was combined in the Four Images.
I rose above the boundary of the sky,
Bowed to the dark vault of heaven,
And was appointed Curtain-lifting General.
1 was in attendance on the Phoenix and Dragon Carriage,
And General was my rank.
Because at the Peach Banquet
1 accidentally smashed a crystal bowl
1 was exiled to the Flowing Sands River,
My face was altered,
And I became an evil killer.
Fortunately the Bodhisattva traveled to the East
To persuade me to turn to the faith
And await the Buddha's son from Tang.
Who would go to seek scriptures in the Western Heaven.
I became his follower and made a fresh start,
Refining once more my great awareness.
I took my surname Sand from the river;
My Buddhist name is Wujing,
And my title Friar.”
The king was both most alarmed and most delighted to hear this. Delighted because his daughter had found herself a living Buddha, and alarmed by three veritable evil gods. Just as the king was being torn between alarm and delight the chief astrologer submitted this memorial: “The wedding has been set for the twelfth day of this month, the day of water-rat, a lucky time at which all will be auspicious for nuptials.”
“What day is it today?” the king asked.
“Today is the eighth, the day of earth-monkey,” the astrologer replied, “the day on which gibbons offer fruit, and the right day on which to advance worthies and accept their suggestions.” This greatly pleased the king, who sent his officials in attendance to have the halls and pavilions in the royal garden swept clear. Here he invited his future son-in-law with his three distinguished disciples to stay while they waited for the nuptial feast at which the princess would marry him. The underlings all carried out their instructions, the king ended the audience and the officials withdrew.
The story now tells how when Sanzang and his disciples reached the imperial garden night was falling. A vegetarian meal was laid on. “We really deserve a meal today,” said Pig with delight. The people in charge brought in plain rice and pasta by the carrying-pole load. Pig kept eating a bowlful then taking a refill over and over again. He only stopped eating when his stomach was completely full. A little later the lamps were lit and the bedding laid out, after which everyone went to bed. As soon as the venerable elder saw that there was nobody around he started to shout angrily at Monkey, berating him.
“You macaque, Wukong! You keep ruining me. I said we were just going to present the passport and told you not to go near the decorated tower. Why did you keep demanding to take me there to have a look? Well, did you have a good enough look? Whatever are we to do about this trouble you have got us into?”
“Master,” replied Monkey, putting on a smile, “it was you who said, 'My late mother married after throwing an embroidered ball to make the match she was destined for.' I only took you there because you seemed to want to enjoy something of the past. Besides, because I remembered what the ancient monk in the Almsgiver's Spread Gold Monastery said I came here to find out whether she's an impostor or not. When I saw the king just now there was something a bit sinister about the way he looked, but I haven't yet seen what the princess is like.”
“What will happen when you see the princess?” the venerable elder asked.
“My fiery eyes with their golden pupils can tell whether someone's true or false, good or evil, rich or poor,” Monkey replied. “I'll know what to do and be able to sort out right and wrong.”
“So you've learned physiognomy in the last few days, elder brother,” said Friar Sand and Pig with a smile.
“Physiognomists are just my grandson,” Brother Monkey replied.
“Stop joking,” shouted Sanzang. “He definitely wants me now. What are we to do about it?”
“At that happy occasion on the twelfth the princess is bound to come out to pay her respects to her parents,” said Monkey. “I'll take a look at her from where I'll stand by the side. If she really is a woman you can be her consort and enjoy the kingdom's glory and splendor.” This made Sanzang angrier than ever.
“You're a fine ape,” he said abusively, “still trying to ruin me. As Wuneng said, we have already done ninety-seven or ninety-eight hundredths of the journey. You're trying to destroy me with your crafty tongue again. Shut up! Don't open that stinking mouth of yours any more. Next time there's any misbehavior from you I shall start reciting that spell again, and that will be more than you can take.”
The mention of the spell being recited had Monkey falling straight to his knees before Sanzang and pleading, “Don't say it, don't say it! If she's really a woman we'll all raise a rumpus in the palace during the wedding ceremony and get you out.” While master and disciples were talking they had not noticed that it was now night. Indeed:
Slow dripped the clepsydras;
Heavy hung the fragrance of the flowers.
Pearl curtains hung
over splendid doorways;
No fire or light was seen in the still courtyard.
Empty was the shadow of the deserted swing;
All was silence when the flute's notes died away.
The room was surrounded by flowers and bright in the moonbeams,
Lit by those spiky stars not blocked by any trees.
The cuckoo rested from her song;
Long was the butterfly's dream.
The River Way spanned the celestial vault
While white clouds made their way home.
Just when they were closest in feeling
The willows swaying in the wind were more dispiriting than ever.
“It's late, Master,” said Pig. “Let's carry on arguing tomorrow morning. Go to sleep now, go to sleep!” Master and disciples did then get a night's sleep.
The golden cockerel was soon greeting the dawn, and the king entered the throne hall for his audience. This is what could be seen:
A purple aura rising high above the opened palace
As the winds carried royal music to the azure sky.
While clouds drifted, the leopard-tail banners moved;
The sun shone upon the demon figures on the roof, and the jade pendants tinkled.
A scented mist delicately touched the palace's green willows,
While dewdrops lightly moistened the garden flowers.
A thousand officials in ranks shouted and danced in homage:
Seas and rivers were at peace and the state was unified.
When all the civil and military officials had paid their homage to him, the king proclaimed, “The Department of Foreign Relations will arrange a nuptial banquet for the twelfth. Today the spring wine shall be prepared, and our future son-in-law shall be entertained in the royal gardens.” The Protocol Office were told to lead the three worthy future royal in-laws to sit in the state hostel while the Department of Foreign Relations laid on a vegetarian banquet for the three of them. The two departments arranged for the musicians of the court orchestra to play and look after them while they passed the days enjoying the beauty of spring.
As soon as Pig heard this he said, “Your Majesty, we always stay with our master: we never leave him for a moment. As he's going to be drinking and feasting in the palace gardens we'd better go along for a couple of days' fun too if our master's to be your son-in-law. Otherwise the deal's off.” Seeing how ugly and coarse-spoken Pig was, twisting his head and neck, thrusting his snout out and waving his ears-which all made him seem rather intimidating-the king was so worried that Pig might ruin the wedding that he had to accede to the request.
“Prepare a banquet for two in the Sino-Barbarian Hall of Eternal Pacification for our son-in-law and ourself. Prepare a meal for the other three gentlemen in the Pavilion of Lingering Spring. We are afraid that it might be inconvenient for master and disciples to sit together.” Only then did the idiot chant his respects to the king and thank him. Everyone then withdrew, after which the king ordered the officials of the inner palace to prepare a banquet, and told the queens and consorts of the three palaces and six compounds to give the princess hair ornaments, cakes and other things for the wedding on the twelfth.
It was now about ten in the morning, and the king had a carriage ready in which to take the Tang Priest and the others to go to see the palace gardens. The gardens were a fine place:
The paths, inlaid with coloured stones,
Have carved and chiseled balustrades.
Beside the paths inlaid with coloured stones
Strange flowers spread over the rocks;
Outside the carved and chiseled balustrades,
And within them too, flower blossoms rare.
Early peach trees are a bewitching turquoise,
And golden orioles dart among the willows.
The walker finds the fragrance fill his sleeve,
And many pure scents imbue his clothing.
Phoenix terrace and dragon pool,
Bamboo lodge and pine pavilion.
On the phoenix terrace
Pipes are played to lure the phoenix to appear;
In the dragon pools
Fish are reared to become dragons and leave.
In the bamboo lodge are poems
Whose well-chosen words match the “White Snow Melody”
The books in the pine pavilion
Are pearls and jade in blue-covered volumes.
Rocks and jade twist around the artificial hills;
Deep are the blue-green waters of the winding stream.
Peony pavilions,
Rose bowers,
Make a natural brocade.
Trellises of jasmine,
Beds of begonia,
Are like sunset clouds or jeweled mosaics.
Herbaceous peonies are marvelously fragrant;
Rare is the beauty of the mallows from Sichuan.
White pear and red apricot blossom vie in scent;
Purple orchid and golden daylily compete in splendor.
Corn poppy,
Lily magnolia buds,
Azalea flowers,
Are brilliantly coloured.
Magnolia flowers,
Garden balsam,
Plantain lilies,
Tremble.
Everywhere red shines through the richness of cosmetics
While heavy scents drift from a brocade surrounding screen.
The warmth returning with the East wind is greeted with joy;
All the garden's beauties display their brilliance.
The king and his companions walked around enjoying the flowers for a long time. Soon the officials of the Protocol Office came to invite Monkey and the other two to the Pavilion of Lingering Spring while the king led the Tang Priest by the hand to the Sino-Barbarian Hall so that they could all drink and feast. These were splendid occasions with singing, dancing and instrumental music. Indeed:
The sun shone from the majestic palace gates;
Good auras filled the royal buildings.
The spring spread out an embroidery of flowers,
And heaven's light shone from afar on the court robes.
Pipes and singers wafted their music as if in a banquet of immortals;
The goblets flew, carrying jade liquor.
Master and subjects enjoyed the same pleasure
As Sino-barbarian peace brought prosperity.
Seeing with what great respect he was being treated by the king, the venerable elder had nothing for it but to force himself to join in the celebrations. In fact he gave only a show of happiness: inside he was miserable. As he sat there he saw four golden screens hanging on the wall, screens painted with scenes of the four seasons. Each picture had a poem on it by a famous academician. The poem on the spring scene read:
The vital forces of heaven turn creation around;
The world is happy and everything is renewed.
The peach and the plum blossoms vie in splendor;
Swallows fly to the painted rafters, shaking the incense dust.
The poem on the summer scene read:
In warm and sultry air all thoughts are slow
The palace mallow and pomegranate reflect the sun's brilliance.
The jade flute's music disturbs the noonday dream;
The scent of caltrops is wafted through the curtains.
The poem on the autumn scene read:
One leaf on the parasol tree by the well is yellow;
The pearl curtain is not rolled up on the night of frost.
After the autumn sacrifice the swallows abandon their nest;
When the rush flowers snap, the wild geese leave for another land.
The poem on the winter scene read:
The clouds fly over the rainy sky, all dark and cold;
The North wind blows the snow into thousands of bills.
Deep in the palace the stove glows warm;
They say the plum has blossomed by the jade balustrade.
When the king noticed the absorption with whic
h the Tang Priest was gazing at the poems he said, “As you enjoy savoring the poems so much you must be a fine poet yourself, son-in-law. If you do not begrudge your pearls we would like to invite you to make up a matching poem for each of them, ending three of the lines with the same word. Will you agree?”
The venerable elder was the sort of person who could be so carried away by a scene that he forgot the circumstances, someone who had an enlightened mind and thoroughly comprehended his own nature, so when the king pressed him so earnestly to match the verses he found himself saying the line, “The sun's warmth melts the ice the world around.”
This greatly pleased the king, who told the officials in attendance on him, “Fetch the four treasures of the study, so that our son-in-law can write down the matching verses he composes for us to savor at our leisure.” The venerable elder was glad to comply. Picking up a brush, he produced matching lines. The matching poem on the spring scene read:
The sun's warmth melts the ice the world around;
Within the palace garden, flowers are renewed.
Gentle winds and rain enrich the people;
Rivers and seas are calm; gone is all worldly dust.
The matching poem on the summer scene read:
The Dipper now points South; the day goes slow;
Locust and pomegranate trees contend in brilliance.
Golden oriole and purple swallow sing in the willows,
Their melodious voices drifting through red curtains.
The matching poem on the autumn read:
Fragrant the green mandarin; the orange turns to yellow.
Blue pine and cypress welcome frost's coming.
Half-open chrysanthemums make a tapestry on the trellis;
Pipes and songs waft through the watery, cloud-covered land.