The Journey to the West, Revised Edition, Volume 4

by Unknown

  The king went inside, and found the queens of the three palaces and the ladies of six chambers chatting merrily with the princess at the Zhaoyang Palace. Truly they were like bouquets of flowers and rounds of brocade! All that opulence could rival even that of the lunar palace in Heaven, and it certainly was not inferior to the divine jasper residence. As a testimonial, we have four new songs based on the words of Joy, Meet, Fine, and Mate.

  The Song of Joy says:

  Joy! Joy! Joy!

  This happiness enjoy.

  A matrimony

  Of love most seemly.

  Such smart palace fashion

  Would rouse Chang’e’s passion.

  Those dragon and phoenix hairpins

  Of luminous gold threads thin;

  Those lustrous teeth and cherry lips,

  A body light as flower-slips.

  Layers of silk

  Within the five-colored groves;

  Lovely fragrance

  Rising from beauties in droves.

  The Song of Meet says:

  Meet! Meet! Meet!

  One seductive and sweet.

  Mao Qiang17 she rivals

  And Chu18 maids equals.

  A wrecker of city and state,

  Fair like flower and jade.

  Her makeup is fresh and charming;

  Her jewels are more disarming.

  An orchid mind and nature lofty,

  And ice-white flesh and face most stately.

  Like distant hills her dark brows are painted thin;

  The regiment of silk she’s fairest therein.

  The Song of Fine says:

  Fine! Fine! Fine!

  A maiden divine.

  Profoundly lovely,

  Truly praiseworthy.

  Rare fragrances combine

  With powder and carmine.

  The blessed Tientai off somewhere.

  Could it with a royal house compare?

  She speaks and smiles in form so fair,

  As pipes and music both rend the air.

  Pretty are a thousand forms of flower and silk.

  Scan the whole world but none is in her ilk.

  The Song of Mate says:

  Mate! Mate! Mate!

  The orchid scents dilate.

  Immortal crowd

  And beauties proud.

  The maidens’ colors fresh-born.

  The princess newly adorned:

  Her coiffure rises like a crow’s nest;

  Phoenix skirt beneath a rainbow vest.

  Celestial sonorities ahead;

  Two rows of lovely purple and red.

  In years past she had fixed a nuptial date;

  This day she’s happy to meet her fine mate.

  We tell you now about that king, who arrived in his carriage. The queen led the princess along with the consorts and palace maidens to meet him. Cheerfully the king entered the Zhaoyang Palace to take his seat. After the ladies had bowed to him, the king said, “Princess, our worthy daughter, we trust that the happy meeting with the sage monk when you tossed the ball from the festooned tower on the eighth has given you great satisfaction. The officials of various bureaus and departments, moreover, have been so considerate of our interests that all the preparations are now completed. Today is the auspicious day. You must make haste to attend the wedding feast, so that the goodly hour will not be forfeited.”

  Stepping forward, the princess went to her knees to bow low and said, “Father King, please pardon your daughter’s ten thousand offenses! There is a matter about which I must speak to you. For several days I have heard the palace officials say that the Tang Monk has three disciples who are exceedingly ugly. Your daughter dares not face them, for they will surely cause me great fear and dread. I beg the Father King to send them out of the city so that my feeble body will not be harmed by fright nor our happiness ruined.”

  “If our child hadn’t spoken of this matter,” replied the king, “we would have overlooked it. They are indeed quite hideous and wild. These past few days we’ve entertained them at the Spring-Detaining Arbor in the royal garden. We’ll take this opportunity today to go up to the hall and certify their rescript. After they have been sent out of the city, we’ll then hold our banquet.” The princess kowtowed to express her thanks. The king at once rode his carriage to the main hall, where he issued a summons for the royal son-in-law and his three disciples.

  Now the Tang Monk too had been counting the days with his fingers. When he reached the twelfth, he began even before dawn to discuss the matter with his disciples, saying, “Today’s the twelfth. How are we to settle this affair?”

  “I could tell,” said Pilgrim, “that the king has a certain gloomy aura about him. It has not, however, penetrated his body yet, and I don’t think it will cause him any great harm. But I still haven’t had a chance to see the princess. If only she would come out! With one glance old Monkey can tell us whether she is real or not, and only then can we do anything. You shouldn’t worry, though. Today they will certainly call for us in order to send us three out of the city. You should accept the summons without fear. In the twinkling of an eye I’ll be back at your side to give you protection.”

  As master and disciples talked, the attendant to the throne and the Director of Ceremonies indeed arrived with a summons. Chuckling, Pilgrim said, “Let’s go! Let’s go! We are about to be sent off, while Master will remain for the marriage.”

  “To send us off,” said Eight Rules, “they must present some thousand taels of gold or silver. That’ll be enough for me to get some gifts to go back to my in-laws. We’ll have another wedding and a little fun!”

  “Clamp your mouth, Second Elder Brother, and stop blabbering!” said Sha Monk. “Just let Big Brother make the decision.”

  They took the luggage and the horse to follow the various officials to the vermilion steps. When he saw them, the king asked the three disciples to approach him, saying, “Bring us your travel rescript. We shall use our treasure seal on it. In addition, we shall increase your travel allowance and wish you a speedy arrival at the Spirit Mountain to see Buddha. When you return with the scriptures, there will be further reward. The royal son-in-law will remain here, and you need not worry about him.”

  Thanking him, Pilgrim asked Sha Monk to take out the rescript to hand over to the king. The king read it before applying his seal and affixing his signature. Then he presented them with ten ingots of yellow gold and twenty ingots of white gold as wedding gifts. As he had always been both lecherous and greedy, Eight Rules immediately took them, while Pilgrim gave a bow and said, “Much obliged! Much obliged!”

  He turned and began to walk out. Tripitaka was so startled that he scrambled up and caught hold of Pilgrim. Teeth grinding audibly, he said, “Are you all abandoning me?”

  Squeezing Tripitaka’s palm with his hand, Pilgrim winked at him and said, “Relax and enjoy your union here. When we have acquired the scriptures, we’ll return to see you.” The elder seemed not to believe him and refused to let go. The other officials, however, thought that master and disciples were indeed bidding each other farewell. Then the king asked the royal son-in-law to ascend to the hall once more, while the other officials were to see the disciples off outside the city. The elder had to loosen his grip and went back to the hall.

  Pilgrim and his two companions went out of the gate of the court and took leave of the officials. “Are we really leaving?” asked Eight Rules. Without saying a word, Pilgrim walked back to the posthouse, where they were received by the posthouse clerk. As he went to prepare rice and tea, Pilgrim said to Eight Rules and Sha Monk, “You two stay here and don’t show yourselves. If the posthouse clerk questions you, just muddle through with some answer. Don’t speak to me at all, for I’m leaving to go protect Master.”

  Dear Great Sage! He pulled off a piece of hair, blew his immortal breath on it, and cried, “Change!” It changed at once into a form of himself, which remained with Eight Rules and Sha Monk in the posthouse. His true self
leaped into midair and changed into a bee. You see his

  Yellow wings, sweet mouth, and sharp tail—

  A mad dancer lost in the gale,

  Most able to pick the buds and steal their scent,

  To make through willows his descent.

  He submits to both stains and dyes;

  Hither and yon vainly he flies,

  N’er tasting that sweetness he helps distill.

  He has but his name for a will.19

  Look at him! Ever so lightly he flew into the court, where he found the Tang Monk sitting most dejectedly and with furrowed brow on a brocade cushion to the left of the king. Alighting on his Vairocana hat, he crawled near his ear to whisper, “Master, I’m here. Please don’t worry.”

  Those few words, of course, were audible only to the Tang Monk and to none of those other mortals. When the Tang Monk heard them, he felt more reassured. In a little while, a palace official came to say, “Your Majesty, the wedding banquet has been laid out in the Magpie Palace. The queen and the princess are waiting there for the presence of Your Majesty and the honorable man.” The king could not have been more pleased. At once he took the royal son-in-law inside the palace. Thus it is that

  The deviant lord loves flowers, though flowers bring woe;

  The Chan-mind stirs to thought, but thought begets sorrow.

  We do not know how the Tang Monk in the palace will find deliverance, and you must listen to the explanation in the next chapter.

  NINETY-FIVE

  Falsely assuming true form, the jade hare’s caught;

  True Yin returns to the right to join Numinous Source.1

  We tell you now about that Tang Monk, who dolefully followed the king into the inner palace, where he heard the loud noise of music and drums and encountered strong whiffs of rare perfume. Lowering his head, he dared not look up at all. Pilgrim, however, was secretly delighted. Perched on his master’s Vairocana hat, he exercised his magic perception and stared everywhere with his fiery eyes and diamond pupils. Two rows of palace maidens, colorfully dressed, stood in waiting, so enhancing the place that it seemed like a flower palace or divine residence and more attractive than the silken drapes in the breeze of spring. Truly

  They are both graceful and lissome,

  With substance like jade and flesh like ice.

  Pairs and pairs, more charming than Chu maidens;

  Two by two they rival Xi Shi in beauty.

  Phoenixes rear up from coiffures piled high;

  Like distant hills are moth brows faintly drawn.

  That graceful playing of reeds,

  That frequent blowing of flutes—

  The tones—gong, shang, jue, zhi, and yu—2

  High and low make their lyric flow.

  Wondrous songs and dances e’er lovable;

  Silk and floral clusters all agreeable.

  When Pilgrim saw that his master was completely unmoved, he said to himself in silent praise, “Marvelous monk! Marvelous monk!

  Living midst silk and satin he’s not enticed;

  Walking through opulence he’s not beguiled.”

  In a little while, the princess, with the queen and the concubines thronging around her, walked out of the Magpie Palace to receive the king, all crying, “Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!”

  The elder became so flustered that he shook all over, not knowing what to do at all. Pilgrim, on the other hand, at once perceived that there was a slight manifestation of monstrous aura on top of the princess’s head, although it did not seem too virulent. He quickly crawled near his master’s ear to whisper: “Master, that princess is a false one.”

  “If she is not a true princess,” said the elder, “how can we make her reveal her true form?”

  “By showing my dharma body,” replied Pilgrim, “I’ll capture her immediately.”

  “No! No!” said the elder. “You might frighten the throne. Let the monarch and the queen retire first. Then you may exercise your magic power.”

  That Pilgrim, however, had been impetuous all his life. How could he permit this? With a roar he revealed his original form and dashed forward. Grabbing the princess, he cried, “You cursed beast! You make the false become real here! Isn’t it enough for you to enjoy yourself at this place? Why must you be so greedy as to want to deceive my master and ruin his true yang to satisfy your lust?” These words rendered the king dumb and stupid with fear, and sent the queen and concubines tumbling all over. Every one of those gaily attired girls and palace maidens darted east and west, fleeing for her life. This was what their condition was like:

  A spring wind breezy—

  Autumn air blustery—

  The breezy spring wind passes garden and wood

  And a thousand blossoms quiver;

  The blustery autumn air comes to the courts

  And myriad leaves flutter.

  The blasted peony falls beneath the fence,

  And blown-up peony lies beside the rails.

  The shore’s hibiscus trembles;

  The steps’ crysanthemum heaps up.

  The pyrus turns feeble and sinks to the dust;

  The rose, still fragrant, lies in the wilds.

  The spring wind severs the lotus stalks;

  The winter snow crushes the plum’s young buds.

  Pomegranate petals

  Scatter east and west in the inner palace;

  Willow twigs by the shore

  Dangle north and south of the royal mansion.

  In one night a wild storm of wind and rain

  Does with dying redness the landscape stain.

  More flustered than ever and shaking all over, Tripitaka embraced the king and said only, “Your Majesty, please don’t be afraid. Please don’t be afraid! This is how my mischievous disciple must work his magic power to distinguish truth and falsehood.”

  We tell you now about that monster-spirit, who saw that things were going badly. She struggled free, ripped off her clothes, and flung away her earrings, bracelets, and jewels. Dashing into the shrine of the local spirit at the imperial garden, she took out a short, pestlelike club, turned and struck madly at Pilgrim. Pilgrim caught up with her and faced her with the iron rod. The two of them, screaming and shouting, started a battle in the garden, which continued in midair when both of them displayed their magic powers and mounted cloud and fog. In this very conflict,

  The golden-hooped rod has both name and fame,

  But a club like a pestle no one knows.

  One seeking true scriptures has reached this place;

  One for love of strange blossoms has come to stay.

  The fiend, long knowing of the Tang sage monk,

  Desires to unite with his primal sperm.

  Abducting the true princess the year before,

  She took human form as the king’s belov’d.

  The Great Sage now perceives her monstrous air;

  He would save life by making known the truth.

  The short club works violence, bashing the head;

  The iron rod with power hits the face.

  Loud and boisterous the two of them fight

  As mist and cloud remove the sun from sight.

  As the two of them waged a fierce battle in midair, they filled the populace of the whole city with horror and terrified the officials of the entire court.

  Supporting the king with his hands, the elder could only say, “Please don’t be afraid! Please tell our lady, the queen, and the rest not to fear. Your princess is actually someone specious who has taken on the true princess’ form. When my disciple captures her, you will know the difference.” Several of the more courageous palace ladies took the clothing and jewels to show to the queen, saying, “These were worn by the princess. Now she has abandoned everything. Stark naked, she is fighting that monk in the sky. She must be a monstrous deviate.” By then the king, the queen, and the royal concubines had grown calmer and began to stare at the sky. We shall leave them for the moment.

  We tell you no
w about that monster-spirit, who battled the Great Sage for half a day, and they fought to a draw. Tossing the rod up into the air, Pilgrim cried, “Change!” The single rod changed into ten rods; the ten became a hundred, and the hundred turned into thousands. Like slithering snakes and gliding dragons in midair, these rods madly attacked the monstrous deviate. Completely flustered, the monstrous deviate transformed herself into a clear breeze and fled toward the region above the blue sky. Pilgrim recited a spell, which reduced the iron rods to a single piece, before mounting the auspicious luminosity to give chase. When they approached the West Heaven Gate, they could see gleaming banners fluttering.

  “Those guarding the Heaven Gate,” shouted Pilgrim, “block the monster-spirit! Don’t let her escape!” The Devarāja Dh0tarāṣṭra indeed led the Four Grand Marshals Pang, Liu, Gou, and Bi to bar the way, each wielding his weapon. Unable to proceed, the monstrous deviate spun around and began to battle with Pilgrim once more, brandishing her short club.

  As he wielded his iron rod to meet her, the Great Sage stared at the club and saw that it was thick on one end and thin on the other. It resembled, in fact, a pestle used for hulling grain. “Cursed beast!” he cried. “What sort of weapon is that you have there that you dare oppose old Monkey? Submit at once, lest one blow of my rod smash your skull!”

  Clenching her teeth, the monstrous deviate said, “So, you don’t know about this weapon of mine! Listen to my recital!

  This divine root’s a piece of mutt on jade,

  Its form cut and polished for countless years.

  I owned it already when Chaos parted;

  ’Twas my possession when the world began.

  No mortal thing could with its source compare,

  For its nature came from Heaven above.

  Its golden-light frame with Four Signs accords,

  With Three Primes3 fused with Five Phases’ breaths.