中国经典 》 红楼梦 A Dream of Red Mansions 》
第五回 游幻境指迷十二钗 饮仙醪曲演红楼梦 CHAPTER V.
曹雪芹 Cao Xueqin
高鹗 Gao E
CHAPTER V.
 第五回 游幻境指迷十二钗 饮仙醪曲演红楼梦
如今且说林黛玉自在荣府以来，贾母万般怜爱，寝食起居，一如宝玉，迎春，探春，惜春三个亲孙女倒且靠后，便是宝玉和黛玉二人之亲密友爱处，亦自较别个不同，日则同行同坐，夜则同息同止，真是言和意顺，略无参商。不想如今忽然来了一个薛宝钗，年岁虽大不多，然品格端方，容貌丰美，人多谓黛玉所不及。而且宝钗行为豁达，随分从时，不比黛玉孤高自许，目无下尘，故比黛玉大得下人之心。便是那些小丫头子们，亦多喜与宝钗去顽。因此黛玉心中便有些悒郁不忿之意，宝钗却浑然不觉。那宝玉亦在孩提之间，况自天性所禀来的一片愚拙偏僻，视姊妹弟兄皆出一意，并无亲疏远近之别。其中因与黛玉同随贾母一处坐卧，故略比别个姊妹熟惯些。既熟惯，则更觉亲密，既亲密，则不免一时有求全之毁，不虞之隙。这日不知为何，他二人言语有些不合起来，黛玉又气的独在房中垂泪，宝玉又自悔言语冒撞，前去俯就，那黛玉方渐渐的回转来。因东边宁府中花园内梅花盛开，贾珍之妻尤氏乃治酒，请贾母，邢夫人，王夫人等赏花。是日先携了贾蓉之妻，二人来面请。贾母等于早饭后过来，就在会芳园游顽，先茶后酒，不过皆是宁荣二府女眷家宴小集，并无别样新文趣事可记。
一时宝玉倦怠，欲睡中觉，贾母命人好生哄着，歇一回再来。贾蓉之妻秦氏便忙笑回道：“我们这里有给宝叔收拾下的屋子，老祖宗放心，只管交与我就是了。”又向宝玉的奶娘丫鬟等道：“嬷嬷，姐姐们，请宝叔随我这里来。”贾母素知秦氏是个极妥当的人，生的袅娜纤巧，行事又温柔和平，乃重孙媳中第一个得意之人，见他去安置宝玉，自是安稳的。
当下秦氏引了一簇人来至上房内间。宝玉抬头看见一幅画贴在上面，画的人物固好，其故事乃是《燃藜图》，也不看系何人所画，心中便有些不快。又有一幅对联，写的是：
世事洞明皆学问，人情练达即文章。及看了这两句，纵然室宇精美，铺陈华丽，亦断断不肯在这里了，忙说：“快出去！快出去！"秦氏听了笑道：“这里还不好，可往那里去呢？不然往我屋里去吧。”宝玉点头微笑。有一个嬷嬷说道：“那里有个叔叔往侄儿房里睡觉的理？"秦氏笑道：“嗳哟哟，不怕他恼。他能多大呢，就忌讳这些个！上月你没看见我那个兄弟来了，虽然与宝叔同年，两个人若站在一处，只怕那个还高些呢。”宝玉道：“我怎么没见过？你带他来我瞧瞧。”众人笑道：“隔着二三十里，往那里带去，见的日子有呢。”说着大家来至秦氏房中。刚至房门，便有一股细细的甜香袭人而来。宝玉觉得眼饧骨软，连说"好香！"入房向壁上看时，有唐伯虎画的《海棠春睡图》，两边有宋学士秦太虚写的一副对联，其联云：
嫩寒锁梦因春冷，芳气笼人是酒香。案上设着武则天当日镜室中设的宝镜，一边摆着飞燕立着舞过的金盘，盘内盛着安禄山掷过伤了太真乳的木瓜。上面设着寿昌公主于含章殿下卧的榻，悬的是同昌公主制的联珠帐。宝玉含笑连说：“这里好！"秦氏笑道：“我这屋子大约神仙也可以住得了。”说着亲自展开了西子浣过的纱衾，移了红娘抱过的鸳枕。于是众奶母伏侍宝玉卧好，款款散了，只留袭人，媚人，晴雯，麝月四个丫鬟为伴。秦氏便分咐小丫鬟们，好生在廊檐下看着猫儿狗儿打架。
那宝玉刚合上眼，便惚惚的睡去，犹似秦氏在前，遂悠悠荡荡，随了秦氏，至一所在。但见朱栏白石，绿树清溪，真是人迹希逢，飞尘不到。宝玉在梦中欢喜，想道：“这个去处有趣，我就在这里过一生，纵然失了家也愿意，强如天天被父母师傅打呢。”正胡思之间，忽听山后有人作歌曰：
春梦随云散，飞花逐水流，
寄言众儿女，何必觅闲愁。宝玉听了是女子的声音。歌声未息，早见那边走出一个人来，蹁跹袅娜，端的与人不同。有赋为证：
方离柳坞，乍出花房。但行处，鸟惊庭树，将到时，
影度回廊。仙袂乍飘兮，闻麝兰之馥郁，荷衣欲动兮，
听环佩之铿锵。靥笑春桃兮，云堆翠髻，唇绽樱颗兮，榴
齿含香。纤腰之楚楚兮，回风舞雪，珠翠之辉辉兮，满
额鹅黄。出没花间兮，宜嗔宜喜，徘徊池上兮，若飞若扬。
蛾眉颦笑兮，将言而未语，莲步乍移兮，待止而欲行。羡彼
之良质兮，冰清玉润，羡彼之华服兮，闪灼文章。爱彼之貌
容兮，香培玉琢，美彼之态度兮，凤翥龙翔。其素若何，
春梅绽雪。其洁若何，秋菊被霜。其静若何，松生空谷。
其艳若何，霞映澄塘。其文若何，龙游曲沼。其神若何，月
射寒江。应惭西子，实愧王嫱。奇矣哉，生于孰地，来自
何方，信矣乎，瑶池不二，紫府无双。果何人哉？如斯之
美也！
宝玉见是一个仙姑，喜的忙来作揖问道：“神仙姐姐不知从那里来，如今要往那里去？也不知这是何处，望乞携带携带。”那仙姑笑道：“吾居离恨天之上，灌愁海之中，乃放春山遣香洞太虚幻境警幻仙姑是也：司人间之风情月债，掌尘世之女怨男痴。因近来风流冤孽，缠绵于此处，是以前来访察机会，布散相思。今忽与尔相逢，亦非偶然。此离吾境不远，别无他物，仅有自采仙茗一盏，亲酿美酒一瓮，素练魔舞歌姬数人，新填《红楼梦》仙曲十二支，试随吾一游否？"宝玉听说，便忘了秦氏在何处，竟随了仙姑，至一所在，有石牌横建，上书"太虚幻境"四个大字，两边一副对联，乃是：
假作真时真亦假，无为有处有还无。转过牌坊，便是一座宫门，上面横书四个大字，道是：“孽海情天"。又有一副对联，大书云：
厚地高天，堪叹古今情不尽，
痴男怨女，可怜风月债难偿。
宝玉看了，心下自思道：“原来如此。但不知何为‘古今之情’，何为‘风月之债’？从今倒要领略领略。”宝玉只顾如此一想，不料早把些邪魔招入膏肓了。当下随了仙姑进入二层门内，至两边配殿，皆有匾额对联，一时看不尽许多，惟见有几处写的是：“痴情司"，"结怨司"，"朝啼司"，"夜怨司"，"春感司"，"秋悲司"。看了，因向仙姑道：“敢烦仙姑引我到那各司中游玩游玩，不知可使得？"仙姑道：“此各司中皆贮的是普天之下所有的女子过去未来的簿册，尔凡眼尘躯，未便先知的。”宝玉听了，那里肯依，复央之再四。仙姑无奈，说：“也罢，就在此司内略随喜随喜罢了。”宝玉喜不自胜，抬头看这司的匾上，乃是"薄命司"三字，两边对联写的是：
春恨秋悲皆自惹，花容月貌为谁妍。
宝玉看了，便知感叹。进入门来，只见有十数个大厨，皆用封条封着。看那封条上，皆是各省的地名。宝玉一心只拣自己的家乡封条看，遂无心看别省的了。只见那边厨上封条上大书七字云：“金陵十二钗正册"。宝玉问道：“何为‘金陵十二钗正册’？"警幻道：“即贵省中十二冠首女子之册，故为‘正册’。”宝玉道：“常听人说，金陵极大，怎么只十二个女子？如今单我家里，上上下下，就有几百女孩子呢。”警幻冷笑道：“贵省女子固多，不过择其紧要者录之。下边二厨则又次之。余者庸常之辈，则无册可录矣。”宝玉听说，再看下首二厨上，果然写着"金陵十二钗副册"，又一个写着"金陵十二钗又副册"。宝玉便伸手先将"又副册"厨开了，拿出一本册来，揭开一看，只见这首页上画着一幅画，又非人物，也无山水，不过是水墨ч染的满纸乌云浊雾而已。后有几行字迹，写的是：
霁月难逢，彩云易散。心比天高，身为下贱。风流灵巧
招人怨。寿夭多因毁谤生，多情公子空牵念。
宝玉看了，又见后面画着一簇鲜花，一床破席，也有几句言词，写道是：
枉自温柔和顺，空云似桂如兰，
堪羡优伶有福，谁知公子无缘。宝玉看了不解。遂掷下这个，又去开了副册厨门，拿起一本册来，揭开看时，只见画着一株桂花，下面有一池沼，其中水涸泥干，莲枯藕败，后面书云：
根并荷花一茎香，平生遭际实堪伤。
自从两地生孤木，致使香魂返故乡。宝玉看了仍不解。便又掷了，再去取"正册"看，只见头一页上便画着两株枯木，木上悬着一围玉带，又有一堆雪，雪下一股金簪。也有四句言词，道是：
可叹停机德，堪怜咏絮才。
玉带林中挂，金簪雪里埋。宝玉看了仍不解。待要问时，情知他必不肯泄漏，待要丢下，又不舍。遂又往后看时，只见画着一张弓，弓上挂着香橼。也有一首歌词云：
二十年来辨是非，榴花开处照宫闱。
三春争及初春景，虎兕相逢大梦归。后面又画着两人放风筝，一片大海，一只大船，船中有一女子掩面泣涕之状。也有四句写云：
才自精明志自高，生于末世运偏消。
清明涕送江边望，千里东风一梦遥。后面又画几缕飞云，一湾逝水。其词曰：
富贵又何为，襁褓之间父母违。
展眼吊斜晖，湘江水逝楚云飞。后面又画着一块美玉，落在泥垢之中。其断语云：
欲洁何曾洁，云空未必空。
可怜金玉质，终陷淖泥中。后面忽见画着个恶狼，追扑一美女，欲啖之意。其书云：
子系中山狼，得志便猖狂。
金闺花柳质，一载赴黄粱。后面便是一所古庙，里面有一美人在内看经独坐。其判云：
勘破三春景不长，缁衣顿改昔年妆。
可怜绣户侯门女，独卧青灯古佛旁。后面便是一片冰山，上面有一只雌凤。其判曰：
凡鸟偏从末世来，都知爱慕此生才。
一从二令三人木，哭向金陵事更哀。后面又是一座荒村野店，有一美人在那里纺绩。其判云：
势败休云贵，家亡莫论亲。
偶因济刘氏，巧得遇恩人。后面又画着一盆茂兰，旁有一位凤冠霞帔的美人。也有判云：
桃李春风结子完，到头谁似一盆兰。
如冰水好空相妒，枉与他人作笑谈。后面又画着高楼大厦，有一美人悬梁自缢。其判云：
情天情海幻情身，情既相逢必主淫。
漫言不肖皆荣出，造衅开端实在宁。
宝玉还欲看时，那仙姑知他天分高明，性情颖慧，恐把仙机泄漏，遂掩了卷册，笑向宝玉道：“且随我去游玩奇景，何必在此打这闷葫芦！”
宝玉恍恍惚惚，不觉弃了卷册，又随了警幻来至后面。但见珠帘绣幕，画栋雕檐，说不尽那光摇朱户金铺地，雪照琼窗玉作宫。更见仙花馥郁，异草芬芳，真好个所在。又听警幻笑道：“你们快出来迎接贵客！"一语未了，只见房中又走出几个仙子来，皆是荷袂蹁跹，羽衣飘舞，姣若春花，媚如秋月。一见了宝玉，都怨谤警幻道：“我们不知系何‘贵客’，忙的接了出来！姐姐曾说今日今时必有绛珠妹子的生魂前来游玩，故我等久待。何故反引这浊物来污染这清净女儿之境？”
宝玉听如此说，便吓得欲退不能退，果觉自形污秽不堪。警幻忙携住宝玉的手，向众姊妹道：“你等不知原委：今日原欲往荣府去接绛珠，适从宁府所过，偶遇宁荣二公之灵，嘱吾云：‘吾家自国朝定鼎以来，功名奕世，富贵传流，虽历百年，奈运终数尽，不可挽回者。故遗之子孙虽多，竟无可以继业。其中惟嫡孙宝玉一人，禀性乖张，生性怪谲，虽聪明灵慧，略可望成，无奈吾家运数合终，恐无人规引入正。幸仙姑偶来，万望先以情欲声色z等事警其痴顽，或能使彼跳出迷人圈子，然后入于正路，亦吾兄弟之幸矣。’如此嘱吾，故发慈心，引彼至此。先以彼家上中下三等女子之终身册籍，令彼熟玩，尚未觉悟，故引彼再至此处，令其再历饮馔声色之幻，或冀将来一悟，亦未可知也。”
说毕，携了宝玉入室。但闻一缕幽香，竟不知其所焚何物。宝玉遂不禁相问。警幻冷笑道：“此香尘世中既无，尔何能知！此香乃系诸名山胜境内初生异卉之精，合各种宝林珠树之油所制，名‘群芳髓’。”宝玉听了，自是羡慕而已。大家入座，小丫鬟捧上茶来。宝玉自觉清香异味，纯美非常，因又问何名。警幻道：“此茶出在放春山遣香洞，又以仙花灵叶上所带之宿露而烹，此茶名曰‘千红一窟’。”宝玉听了，点头称赏。因看房内，瑶琴，宝鼎，古画，新诗，无所不有，更喜窗下亦有唾绒，奁间时渍粉污。壁上也见悬着一副对联，书云：
幽微灵秀地，无可奈何天。宝玉看毕，无不羡慕。因又请问众仙姑姓名：一名痴梦仙姑，一名钟情大士，一名引愁金女，一名度恨菩提，各各道号不一。少刻，有小丫鬟来调桌安椅，设摆酒馔。真是：琼浆满泛玻璃盏，玉液浓斟琥珀杯。更不用再说那肴馔之盛。宝玉因闻得此酒清香甘冽，异乎寻常，又不禁相问。警幻道：“此酒乃以百花之蕊，万木之汁，加以麟髓之醅，凤乳之ш酿成，因名为‘万艳同杯’。”宝玉称赏不迭。
饮酒间，又有十二个舞女上来，请问演何词曲。警幻道：“就将新制《红楼梦》十二支演上来。”舞女们答应了，便轻敲檀板，款按银筝，听他歌道是：
开辟鸿蒙……方歌了一句，警幻便说道：“此曲不比尘世中所填传奇之曲，必有生旦净末之则，又有南北九宫之限。此或咏叹一人，或感怀一事，偶成一曲，即可谱入管弦。若非个中人，不知其中之妙。料尔亦未必深明此调。若不先阅其稿，后听其歌，翻成嚼蜡矣。”说毕，回头命小丫鬟取了《红楼梦》原稿来，递与宝玉。宝玉接来，一面目视其文，一面耳聆其歌曰：
《红楼梦引子》开辟鸿蒙，谁为情种？都只为风月情浓。趁着这奈何天，伤怀日，寂寥时，试遣愚衷。因此上，
演出这怀金悼玉的《红楼梦》。
[终身误]都道是金玉良姻，俺只念木石前盟。空对着，山中高士晶莹雪，终不忘，世外仙姝寂寞林。叹人间，美
中不足今方信。纵然是齐眉举案，到底意难平。
[枉凝眉]一个是阆苑仙葩，一个是美玉无瑕。若说
没奇缘，今生偏又遇着他，若说有奇缘，如何心事终虚化？一个枉自嗟呀，一个空劳牵挂。一个是水中月，一个是镜中
花。想眼中能有多少泪珠儿，怎经得秋流到冬尽，春流到
夏！
宝玉听了此曲，散漫无稽，不见得好处，但其声韵凄惋，竟能销魂醉魄。因此也不察其原委，问其来历，就暂以此释闷而已。因又看下道：
[恨无常]喜荣华正好，恨无常又到。眼睁睁，把万事
全抛。荡悠悠，把芳魂消耗。望家乡，路远山高。故向爹娘
梦里相寻告：儿命已入黄泉，天伦呵，须要退步抽身早！
[分骨肉]一帆风雨路三千，把骨肉家园齐来抛闪。
恐哭损残年，告爹娘，休把儿悬念。自古穷通皆有定，
离合岂无缘？从今分两地，各自保平安。奴去也，莫牵
连。
[乐中悲]襁褓中，父母叹双亡。纵居那绮罗丛，谁知娇
养？幸生来，英豪阔大宽宏量，从未将儿女私情略萦心上。
好一似，霁月光风耀玉堂。厮配得才貌仙郎，博得个地久天
长，准折得幼年时坎坷形状。终久是云散高唐，水涸湘江。
这是尘寰中消长数应当，何必枉悲伤！
[世难容]气质美如兰，才华阜比仙。天生成孤癖人皆
罕。你道是啖肉食腥膻，视绮罗俗厌，却不知太高人愈妒，过洁世同嫌。可叹这，青灯古殿人将老，辜负了，红粉朱楼
春色阑。到头来，依旧是风尘肮脏违心愿。好一似，无瑕白
玉遭泥陷，又何须，王孙公子叹无缘。
[喜冤家]中山狼，无情兽，全不念当日根由。一味的
骄奢淫荡贪还构。觑着那，侯门艳质同蒲柳，作践的，公府
千金似下流。叹芳魂艳魄，一载荡悠悠。
[虚花悟]将那三春看破，桃红柳绿待如何？把这韶
华打灭，觅那清淡天和。说什么，天上夭桃盛，云中杏蕊多。
到头来，谁把秋捱过？则看那，白杨村里人呜咽，青枫林下
鬼吟哦。更兼着，连天衰草遮坟墓。这的是，昨贫今富人劳
碌，春荣秋谢花折磨。似这般，生关死劫谁能躲？闻说道，
西方宝树唤婆娑，上结着长生果。
[聪明累]机关算尽太聪明，反算了卿卿性命。生前心已碎，死后性空灵。家富人宁，终有个家亡人散各奔腾。枉费
了，意悬悬半世心，好一似，荡悠悠三更梦。忽喇喇似大厦倾，
昏惨惨似灯将尽。呀！一场欢喜忽悲辛。叹人世，终难定！
[留余庆]留余庆，留余庆，忽遇恩人，幸娘亲，幸娘
亲，积得阴功。劝人生，济困扶穷，休似俺那爱银钱忘骨肉的狠舅奸兄！正是乘除加减，上有苍穹。
[晚韶华]镜里恩情，更那堪梦里功名！那美韶华去之何迅！再休提锈帐鸳衾。只这带珠冠，披凤袄，也抵不了
无常性命。虽说是，人生莫受老来贫，也须要阴骘积儿孙。
气昂昂头戴簪缨，气昂昂头戴簪缨，光灿灿胸悬金印，威赫
赫爵禄高登，威赫赫爵禄高登，昏惨惨黄泉路近。问古来将
相可还存？也只是虚名儿与后人钦敬。
[好事终]画梁春尽落香尘。擅风情，秉月貌，便是败
家的根本。箕裘颓堕皆从敬，家事消亡首罪宁。宿孽总因
情。
[收尾。飞鸟各投林]为官的，家业凋零，富贵的，金
银散尽，有恩的，死里逃生，无情的，分明报应。欠命的，命已还，欠泪的，泪已尽。冤冤相报实非轻，分离聚合皆前定。
欲知命短问前生，老来富贵也真侥幸。看破的，遁入空门，痴
迷的，枉送了性命。好一似食尽鸟投林，落了片白茫茫大地真干净！
歌毕，还要歌副曲。警幻见宝玉甚无趣味，因叹：“痴儿竟尚未悟！"那宝玉忙止歌姬不必再唱，自觉朦胧恍惚，告醉求卧。警幻便命撤去残席，送宝玉至一香闺绣阁之中，其间铺陈之盛，乃素所未见之物。更可骇者，早有一位女子在内，其鲜艳妩媚，有似乎宝钗，风流袅娜，则又如黛玉。正不知何意，忽警幻道：“尘世中多少富贵之家，那些绿窗风月，绣阁烟霞，皆被淫污纨э与那些流荡女子悉皆玷辱。更可恨者，自古来多少轻薄浪子，皆以‘好色不淫’为饰，又以‘情而不淫’作案，此皆饰非掩丑之语也。好色即淫，知情更淫。是以巫山之会，云雨之欢，皆由既悦其色，复恋其情所致也。吾所爱汝者，乃天下古今第一淫人也”
宝玉听了，唬的忙答道：“仙姑差了。我因懒于读书，家父母尚每垂训饬，岂敢再冒‘淫’字。况且年纪尚小，不知‘淫’字为何物。”警幻道：“非也。淫虽一理，意则有别。如世之好淫者，不过悦容貌，喜歌舞，调笑无厌，云雨无时，恨不能尽天下之美女供我片时之趣兴，此皆皮肤淫滥之蠢物耳。如尔则天分中生成一段痴情，吾辈推之为‘意淫’。‘意淫’二字，惟心会而不可口传，可神通而不可语达。汝今独得此二字，在闺阁中，固可为良友，然于世道中未免迂阔怪诡，百口嘲谤，万目睚眦。今既遇令祖宁荣二公剖腹深嘱，吾不忍君独为我闺阁增光，见弃于世道，是以特引前来，醉以灵酒，沁以仙茗，警以妙曲，再将吾妹一人，乳名兼美字可卿者，许配于汝。今夕良时，即可成姻。不过令汝领略此仙闺幻境之风光尚如此，何况尘境之情景哉？而今后万万解释，改悟前情，留意于孔孟之间，委身于经济之道。”说毕便秘授以云雨之事，推宝玉入房，将门掩上自去。
那宝玉恍恍惚惚，依警幻所嘱之言，未免有儿女之事，难以尽述。至次日，便柔情缱绻，软语温存，与可卿难解难分。因二人携手出去游顽之时，忽至一个所在，但见荆榛遍地，狼虎同群，迎面一道黑溪阻路，并无桥梁可通。正在犹豫之间，忽见警幻后面追来，告道：“快休前进，作速回头要紧！"宝玉忙止步问道：“此系何处？"警幻道：“此即迷津也。深有万丈，遥亘千里，中无舟楫可通，只有一个木筏，乃木居士掌舵，灰侍者撑篙，不受金银之谢，但遇有缘者渡之。尔今偶游至此，设如堕落其中，则深负我从前谆谆警戒之语矣。”话犹未了，只听迷津内水响如雷，竟有许多夜叉海鬼将宝玉拖将下去。吓得宝玉汗下如雨，一面失声喊叫：“可卿救我！"吓得袭人辈众丫鬟忙上来搂住，叫：“宝玉别怕，我们在这里！”
却说秦氏正在房外嘱咐小丫头们好生看着猫儿狗儿打架，忽听宝玉在梦中唤他的小名，因纳闷道：“我的小名这里从没人知道的，他如何知道，在梦里叫出来？"正是：
一场幽梦同谁近，千古情人独我痴。
The spirit of Chia Pao-yue visits the confines of the Great Void. The Monitory Vision Fairy expounds, in ballads, the Dream of the Red Chamber.
Having in the fourth chapter explained, to some degree, the circumstances attending the settlement of the mother and children of the Hsueeh family in the Jung mansion, and other incidental matters, we will now revert to Lin Tai-yue.
Ever since her arrival in the Jung mansion, dowager lady Chia showed her the highest sympathy and affection, so that in everything connected with sleeping, eating, rising and accommodation she was on the same footing as Pao-yue; with the result that Ying Ch'un, Hsi Ch'un and T'an Ch'un, her three granddaughters, had after all to take a back seat. In fact, the intimate and close friendliness and love which sprung up between the two persons Pao-yue and Tai-yue, was, in the same degree, of an exceptional kind, as compared with those existing between the others. By daylight they were wont to walk together, and to sit together. At night, they would desist together, and rest together. Really it was a case of harmony in language and concord in ideas, of the consistency of varnish or of glue, (a close friendship), when at this unexpected juncture there came this girl, Hsueeh Pao-ch'ai, who, though not very much older in years (than the others), was, nevertheless, in manner so correct, and in features so beautiful that the consensus of opinion was that Tai-yue herself could not come up to her standard.
What is more, in her ways Pao-Ch'ai was so full of good tact, so considerate and accommodating, so unlike Tai-yue, who was supercilious, self-confident, and without any regard for the world below, that the natural consequence was that she soon completely won the hearts of the lower classes. Even the whole number of waiting-maids would also for the most part, play and joke with Pao-ch'ai. Hence it was that Tai-yue fostered, in her heart, considerable feelings of resentment, but of this however Pao-ch'ai had not the least inkling.
Pao-yue was, likewise, in the prime of his boyhood, and was, besides, as far as the bent of his natural disposition was concerned, in every respect absurd and perverse; regarding his cousins, whether male or female, one and all with one common sentiment, and without any distinction whatever between the degrees of distant or close relationship. Sitting and sleeping, as he now was under the same roof with Tai-yue in dowager lady Chia's suite of rooms, he naturally became comparatively more friendly with her than with his other cousins; and this friendliness led to greater intimacy and this intimacy once established, rendered unavoidable the occurrence of the blight of harmony from unforeseen slight pretexts.
These two had had on this very day, for some unknown reason, words between them more or less unfriendly, and Tai-yue was again sitting all alone in her room, giving way to tears. Pao-yue was once more within himself quite conscience-smitten for his ungraceful remarks, and coming forward, he humbly made advances, until, at length, Tai-yue little by little came round.
As the plum blossom, in the eastern part of the garden of the Ning mansion, was in full bloom, Chia Chen's spouse, Mrs. Yu, made preparations for a collation, (purposing) to send invitations to dowager lady Chia, mesdames Hsing, and Wang, and the other members of the family, to come and admire the flowers; and when the day arrived the first thing she did was to take Chia Jung and his wife, the two of them, and come and ask them round in person. Dowager lady Chia and the other inmates crossed over after their early meal; and they at once promenaded the Hui Fang (Concentrated Fragrance) Garden. First tea was served, and next wine; but the entertainment was no more than a family banquet of the kindred of the two mansions of Ning and Jung, so that there was a total lack of any novel or original recreation that could be put on record.
After a little time, Pao-yue felt tired and languid and inclined for his midday siesta. "Take good care," dowager lady Chia enjoined some of them, "and stay with him, while he rests for a while, when he can come back;" whereupon Chia Jung's wife, Mrs. Ch'in, smiled and said with eagerness: "We got ready in here a room for uncle Pao, so let your venerable ladyship set your mind at ease. Just hand him over to my charge, and he will be quite safe. Mothers and sisters," she continued, addressing herself to Pao-yue's nurses and waiting maids, "invite uncle Pao to follow me in here."
Dowager lady Chia had always been aware of the fact that Mrs. Ch'in was a most trustworthy person, naturally courteous and scrupulous, and in every action likewise so benign and gentle; indeed the most estimable among the whole number of her great grandsons' wives, so that when she saw her about to go and attend to Pao-yue, she felt that, for a certainty, everything would be well.
Mrs. Ch'in, there and then, led away a company of attendants, and came into the rooms inside the drawing room. Pao-yue, upon raising his head, and catching sight of a picture hung on the upper wall, representing a human figure, in perfect style, the subject of which was a portrait of Yen Li, speedily felt his heart sink within him.
There was also a pair of scrolls, the text of which was:
A thorough insight into worldly matters arises from knowledge; A clear perception of human nature emanates from literary lore.
On perusal of these two sentences, albeit the room was sumptuous and beautifully laid out, he would on no account remain in it. "Let us go at once," he hastened to observe, "let us go at once."
Mrs. Ch'in upon hearing his objections smiled. "If this," she said, "is really not nice, where are you going? if you won't remain here, well then come into my room."
Pao-yue nodded his head and gave a faint grin.
"Where do you find the propriety," a nurse thereupon interposed, "of an uncle going to sleep in the room of a nephew's wife?"
"Ai ya!" exclaimed Mrs. Ch'in laughing, "I don't mind whether he gets angry or not (at what I say); but how old can he be as to reverentially shun all these things? Why my brother was with me here last month; didn't you see him? he's, true enough, of the same age as uncle Pao, but were the two of them to stand side by side, I suspect that he would be much higher in stature."
"How is it," asked Pao-yue, "that I didn't see him? Bring him along and let me have a look at him!"
"He's separated," they all ventured as they laughed, "by a distance of twenty or thirty li, and how can he be brought along? but you'll see him some day."
As they were talking, they reached the interior of Mrs. Ch'in's apartments. As soon as they got in, a very faint puff of sweet fragrance was wafted into their nostrils. Pao-yue readily felt his eyes itch and his bones grow weak. "What a fine smell!" he exclaimed several consecutive times.
Upon entering the apartments, and gazing at the partition wall, he saw a picture the handiwork of T'ang Po-hu, consisting of Begonias drooping in the spring time; on either side of which was one of a pair of scrolls, written by Ch'in Tai-hsue, a Literary Chancellor of the Sung era, running as follows:
A gentle chill doth circumscribe the dreaming man, because the spring is cold. The fragrant whiff, which wafts itself into man's nose, is the perfume of wine!
On the table was a mirror, one which had been placed, in days of yore, in the Mirror Palace of the Emperor Wu Tse-t'ien. On one side stood a gold platter, in which Fei Yen, who lived in the Ch'ao state, used to stand and dance. In this platter, was laid a quince, which An Lu-shan had flung at the Empress T'ai Chen, inflicting a wound on her breast. In the upper part of the room, stood a divan ornamented with gems, on which the Emperor's daughter, Shou Ch'ang, was wont to sleep, in the Han Chang Palace Hanging, were curtains embroidered with strings of pearls, by T'ung Ch'ang, the Imperial Princess.
"It's nice in here, it's nice in here," exclaimed Pao-yue with a chuckle.
"This room of mine," observed Mrs. Ch'in smilingly, "is I think, good enough for even spirits to live in!" and, as she uttered these words, she with her own hands, opened a gauze coverlet, which had been washed by Hsi Shih, and removed a bridal pillow, which had been held in the arms of Hung Niang. Instantly, the nurses attended to Pao-yue, until he had laid down comfortably; when they quietly dispersed, leaving only the four waiting maids: Hsi Jen, Ch'iu Wen, Ch'ing Wen and She Yueh to keep him company.
"Mind be careful, as you sit under the eaves," Mrs. Ch'in recommended the young waiting maids, "that the cats do not start a fight!"
Pao-yue then closed his eyes, and, little by little, became drowsy, and fell asleep.
It seemed to him just as if Mrs. Ch'in was walking ahead of him. Forthwith, with listless and unsettled step, he followed Mrs. Ch'in to some spot or other, where he saw carnation-like railings, jade-like steps, verdant trees and limpid pools--a spot where actually no trace of any human being could be met with, where of the shifting mundane dust little had penetrated.
Pao-yue felt, in his dream, quite delighted. "This place," he mused, "is pleasant, and I may as well spend my whole lifetime in here! though I may have to lose my home, I'm quite ready for the sacrifice, for it's far better being here than being flogged, day after day, by father, mother, and teacher."
While he pondered in this erratic strain, he suddenly heard the voice of some human being at the back of the rocks, giving vent to this song:
Like scattering clouds doth fleet a vernal dream; The transient flowers pass like a running stream; Maidens and youths bear this, ye all, in mind; In useless grief what profit will ye find?
Pao-yue perceived that the voice was that of a girl. The song was barely at an end, when he soon espied in the opposite direction, a beautiful girl advancing with majestic and elastic step; a girl quite unlike any ordinary mortal being. There is this poem, which gives an adequate description of her:
Lo she just quits the willow bank; and sudden now she issues from the flower-bedecked house; As onward alone she speeds, she startles the birds perched in the trees, by the pavilion; to which as she draws nigh, her shadow flits by the verandah! Her fairy clothes now flutter in the wind! a fragrant perfume like unto musk or olea is wafted in the air; Her apparel lotus-like is sudden wont to move; and the jingle of her ornaments strikes the ear. Her dimpled cheeks resemble, as they smile, a vernal peach; her kingfisher coiffure is like a cumulus of clouds; her lips part cherry-like; her pomegranate-like teeth conceal a fragrant breath. Her slender waist, so beauteous to look at, is like the skipping snow wafted by a gust of wind; the sheen of her pearls and kingfisher trinkets abounds with splendour, green as the feathers of a duck, and yellow as the plumes of a goose; Now she issues to view, and now is hidden among the flowers; beautiful she is when displeased, beautiful when in high spirits; with lissome step, she treads along the pond, as if she soars on wings or sways in the air. Her eyebrows are crescent moons, and knit under her smiles; she speaks, and yet she seems no word to utter; her lotus-like feet with ease pursue their course; she stops, and yet she seems still to be in motion; the charms of her figure all vie with ice in purity, and in splendour with precious gems; Lovely is her brilliant attire, so full of grandeur and refined grace. Loveable her countenance, as if moulded from some fragrant substance, or carved from white jade; elegant is her person, like a phoenix, dignified like a dragon soaring high. What is her chastity like? Like a white plum in spring with snow nestling in its broken skin; Her purity? Like autumn orchids bedecked with dewdrops. Her modesty? Like a fir-tree growing in a barren plain; Her comeliness? Like russet clouds reflected in a limpid pool. Her gracefulness? Like a dragon in motion wriggling in a stream; Her refinement? Like the rays of the moon shooting on to a cool river. Sure is she to put Hsi Tzu to shame! Bound to put Wang Ch'iang to the blush! What a remarkable person! Where was she born? and whence does she come? One thing is true that in Fairy-land there is no second like her! that in the Purple Courts of Heaven there is no one fit to be her peer! Forsooth, who can it be, so surpassingly beautiful!
Pao-yue, upon realising that she was a fairy, was much elated; and with eagerness advanced and made a bow.
"My divine sister," he ventured, as he put on a smile. "I don't know whence you come, and whither you are going. Nor have I any idea what this place is, but I make bold to entreat that you would take my hand and lead me on."
"My abode," replied the Fairy, "is above the Heavens of Divested Animosities, and in the ocean of Discharged Sorrows. I'm the Fairy of Monitory Vision, of the cave of Drooping Fragrance, in the mount of Emitted Spring, within the confines of the Great Void. I preside over the voluptuous affections and sensual debts among the mortal race, and supervise in the dusty world, the envies of women and the lusts of man. It's because I've recently come to hear that the retribution for voluptuousness extends up to this place, that I betake myself here in order to find suitable opportunities of disseminating mutual affections. My encounter with you now is also not a matter of accident! This spot is not distant from my confines. I have nothing much there besides a cup of the tender buds of tea plucked by my own hands, and a pitcher of luscious wine, fermented by me as well as several spritelike singing and dancing maidens of great proficiency, and twelve ballads of spiritual song, recently completed, on the Dream of the Red Chamber; but won't you come along with me for a stroll?"
Pao-yue, at this proposal, felt elated to such an extraordinary degree that he could skip from joy, and there and then discarding from his mind all idea of where Mrs. Ch'in was, he readily followed the Fairy.
They reached some spot, where there was a stone tablet, put up in a horizontal position, on which were visible the four large characters: "The confines of the Great Void," on either side of which was one of a pair of scrolls, with the two antithetical sentences:
When falsehood stands for truth, truth likewise becomes false; When naught be made to aught, aught changes into naught!
Past the Portal stood the door of a Palace, and horizontally, above this door, were the four large characters: "The Sea of Retribution, the Heaven of Love." There were also a pair of scrolls, with the inscription in large characters:
Passion, alas! thick as the earth, and lofty as the skies, from ages past to the present hath held incessant sway; How pitiful your lot! ye lustful men and women envious, that your voluptuous debts should be so hard to pay!
Pao-yue, after perusal, communed with his own heart. "Is it really so!" he thought, "but I wonder what implies the passion from old till now, and what are the voluptuous debts! Henceforward, I must enlighten myself!"
Pao-yue was bent upon this train of thoughts when he unwittingly attracted several evil spirits into his heart, and with speedy step he followed in the track of the fairy, and entered two rows of doors when he perceived that the Lateral Halls were, on both sides, full of tablets and scrolls, the number of which he could not in one moment ascertain. He however discriminated in numerous places the inscriptions: The Board of Lustful Love; the Board of contracted grudges; The Board of Matutinal sobs; the Board of nocturnal tears; the Board of vernal affections; and the Board of autumnal anguish.
After he had perused these inscriptions, he felt impelled to turn round and address the Fairy. "May I venture to trouble my Fairy," he said, "to take me along for a turn into the interior of each of these Boards? May I be allowed, I wonder, to do so?"
"Inside each of these Boards," explained the Fairy, "are accumulated the registers with the records of all women of the whole world; of those who have passed away, as well as of those who have not as yet come into it, and you, with your mortal eyes and human body, could not possibly be allowed to know anything in anticipation."
But would Pao-yue, upon hearing these words, submit to this decree? He went on to implore her permission again and again, until the Fairy casting her eye upon the tablet of the board in front of her observed, "Well, all right! you may go into this board and reap some transient pleasure."
Pao-yue was indescribably joyous, and, as he raised his head, he perceived that the text on the tablet consisted of the three characters: the Board of Ill-fated lives; and that on each side was a scroll with the inscription:
Upon one's self are mainly brought regrets in spring and autumn gloom; A face, flowerlike may be and moonlike too; but beauty all for whom?
Upon perusal of the scroll Pao-yue was, at once, the more stirred with admiration; and, as he crossed the door, and reached the interior, the only things that struck his eye were about ten large presses, the whole number of which were sealed with paper slips; on every one of these slips, he perceived that there were phrases peculiar to each province.
Pao-yue was in his mind merely bent upon discerning, from the rest, the slip referring to his own native village, when he espied, on the other side, a slip with the large characters: "the Principal Record of the Twelve Maidens of Chin Ling."
"What is the meaning," therefore inquired Pao-yue, "of the Principal Record of the Twelve Maidens of Chin Ling?"
"As this is the record," explained the Fairy, "of the most excellent and prominent girls in your honourable province, it is, for this reason, called the Principal Record."
"I've often heard people say," observed Pao-yue, "that Chin Ling is of vast extent; and how can there only be twelve maidens in it! why, at present, in our own family alone, there are more or less several hundreds of young girls!"
The Fairy gave a faint smile. "Through there be," she rejoined, "so large a number of girls in your honourable province, those only of any note have been selected and entered in this record. The two presses, on the two sides, contain those who are second best; while, for all who remain, as they are of the ordinary run, there are, consequently, no registers to make any entry of them in."
Pao-yue upon looking at the press below, perceived the inscription: "Secondary Record of the twelve girls of Chin Ling;" while again in another press was inscribed: "Supplementary Secondary Record of the Twelve girls of Chin Ling." Forthwith stretching out his hand, Pao-yue opened first the doors of the press, containing the "supplementary secondary Record," extracted a volume of the registers, and opened it. When he came to examine it, he saw on the front page a representation of something, which, though bearing no resemblance to a human being, presented, at the same time, no similitude to scenery; consisting simply of huge blotches made with ink. The whole paper was full of nothing else but black clouds and turbid mists, after which appeared the traces of a few characters, explaining that--
A cloudless moon is rare forsooth to see, And pretty clouds so soon scatter and flee! Thy heart is deeper than the heavens are high, Thy frame consists of base ignominy! Thy looks and clever mind resentment will provoke, And thine untimely death vile slander will evoke! A loving noble youth in vain for love will yearn.
After reading these lines, Pao-yue looked below, where was pictured a bouquet of fresh flowers and a bed covered with tattered matting. There were also several distiches running as follows:
Thy self-esteem for kindly gentleness is but a fancy vain! Thy charms that they can match the olea or orchid, but thoughts inane! While an actor will, envious lot! with fortune's smiles be born, A youth of noble birth will, strange to say, be luckless and forlorn.
Pao-yue perused these sentences, but could not unfold their meaning, so, at once discarding this press, he went over and opened the door of the press of the "Secondary Records" and took out a book, in which, on examination, he found a representation of a twig of Olea fragrans. Below, was a pond, the water of which was parched up and the mud dry, the lotus flowers decayed, and even the roots dead. At the back were these lines:
The lotus root and flower but one fragrance will give; How deep alas! the wounds of thy life's span will be; What time a desolate tree in two places will live, Back to its native home the fragrant ghost will flee!
Pao-yue read these lines, but failed to understand what they meant. He then went and fetched the "Principal Record," and set to looking it over. He saw on the first page a picture of two rotten trees, while on these trees was suspended a jade girdle. There was also a heap of snow, and under this snow was a golden hair-pin. There were in addition these four lines in verse:
Bitter thy cup will be, e'en were the virtue thine to stop the loom, Thine though the gift the willow fluff to sing, pity who will thy doom? High in the trees doth hang the girdle of white jade, And lo! among the snow the golden pin is laid!
To Pao-yue the meaning was again, though he read the lines over, quite unintelligible. He was, about to make inquiries, but he felt convinced that the Fairy would be both to divulge the decrees of Heaven; and though intent upon discarding the book, he could not however tear himself away from it. Forthwith, therefore, he prosecuted a further perusal of what came next, when he caught sight of a picture of a bow. On this bow hung a citron. There was also this ode:
Full twenty years right and wrong to expound will be thy fate! What place pomegranate blossoms come in bloom will face the Palace Gate! The third portion of spring, of the first spring in beauty short will fall! When tiger meets with hare thou wilt return to sleep perennial.
Further on, was also a sketch of two persons flying a kite; a broad expanse of sea, and a large vessel; while in this vessel was a girl, who screened her face bedewed with tears. These four lines were likewise visible:
Pure and bright will be thy gifts, thy purpose very high; But born thou wilt be late in life and luck be passed by; At the tomb feast thou wilt repine tearful along the stream, East winds may blow, but home miles off will be, even in dream.
After this followed a picture of several streaks of fleeting clouds, and of a creek whose waters were exhausted, with the text:
Riches and honours too what benefit are they? In swaddling clothes thou'lt be when parents pass away; The rays will slant, quick as the twinkle of an eye; The Hsiang stream will recede, the Ch'u clouds onward fly!
Then came a picture of a beautiful gem, which had fallen into the mire, with the verse:
Thine aim is chastity, but chaste thou wilt not be; Abstraction is thy faith, but void thou may'st not see; Thy precious, gemlike self will, pitiful to say, Into the mundane mire collapse at length some day.
A rough sketch followed of a savage wolf, in pursuit of a beautiful girl, trying to pounce upon her as he wished to devour her. This was the burden of the distich:
Thy mate is like a savage wolf prowling among the hills; His wish once gratified a haughty spirit his heart fills! Though fair thy form like flowers or willows in the golden moon, Upon the yellow beam to hang will shortly be its doom.
Below, was an old temple, in the interior of which was a beautiful person, just in the act of reading the religious manuals, as she sat all alone; with this inscription:
In light esteem thou hold'st the charms of the three springs for their short-liv'd fate; Thine attire of past years to lay aside thou chang'st, a Taoist dress to don; How sad, alas! of a reputed house and noble kindred the scion, Alone, behold! she sleeps under a glimmering light, an old idol for mate.
Next in order came a hill of ice, on which stood a hen-phoenix, while under it was this motto:
When time ends, sure coincidence, the phoenix doth alight; The talents of this human form all know and living see, For first to yield she kens, then to control, and third genial to be; But sad to say, things in Chin Ling are in more sorry plight.
This was succeeded by a representation of a desolate village, and a dreary inn. A pretty girl sat in there, spinning thread. These were the sentiments affixed below:
When riches will have flown will honours then avail? When ruin breaks your home, e'en relatives will fail! But sudden through the aid extended to Dame Liu, A friend in need fortune will make to rise for you.
Following these verses, was drawn a pot of Orchids, by the side of which, was a beautiful maiden in a phoenix-crown and cloudy mantle (bridal dress); and to this picture was appended this device:
What time spring wanes, then fades the bloom of peach as well as plum! Who ever can like a pot of the olea be winsome! With ice thy purity will vie, vain their envy will be! In vain a laughing-stock people will try to make of thee.
At the end of this poetical device, came the representation of a lofty edifice, on which was a beauteous girl, suspending herself on a beam to commit suicide; with this verse:
Love high as heav'n, love ocean-wide, thy lovely form will don; What time love will encounter love, license must rise wanton; Why hold that all impiety in Jung doth find its spring, The source of trouble, verily, is centred most in Ning.
Pao-yue was still bent upon prosecuting his perusal, when the Fairy perceiving that his intellect was eminent and bright, and his natural talents quickwitted, and apprehending lest the decrees of heaven should be divulged, hastily closed the Book of Record, and addressed herself to Pao-yue. "Come along with me," she said smiling, "and see some wonderful scenery. What's the need of staying here and beating this gourd of ennui?"
In a dazed state, Pao-yue listlessly discarded the record, and again followed in the footsteps of the Fairy. On their arrival at the back, he saw carnation portieres, and embroidered curtains, ornamented pillars, and carved eaves. But no words can adequately give an idea of the vermilion apartments glistening with splendour, of the floors garnished with gold, of the snow reflecting lustrous windows, of the palatial mansions made of gems. He also saw fairyland flowers, beautiful and fragrant, and extraordinary vegetation, full of perfume. The spot was indeed elysian.
He again heard the Fairy observe with a smiling face: "Come out all of you at once and greet the honoured guest!"
These words were scarcely completed, when he espied fairies walk out of the mansion, all of whom were, with their dangling lotus sleeves, and their fluttering feather habiliments, as comely as spring flowers, and as winsome as the autumn moon. As soon as they caught sight of Pao-yue, they all, with one voice, resentfully reproached the Monitory Vision Fairy. "Ignorant as to who the honoured guest could be," they argued, "we hastened to come out to offer our greetings simply because you, elder sister, had told us that, on this day, and at this very time, there would be sure to come on a visit, the spirit of the younger sister of Chiang Chu. That's the reason why we've been waiting for ever so long; and now why do you, in lieu of her, introduce this vile object to contaminate the confines of pure and spotless maidens?"
As soon as Pao-yue heard these remarks, he was forthwith plunged in such a state of consternation that he would have retired, but he found it impossible to do so. In fact, he felt the consciousness of the foulness and corruption of his own nature quite intolerable. The Monitory Vision Fairy promptly took Pao-yue's hand in her own, and turning towards her younger sisters, smiled and explained: "You, and all of you, are not aware of the why and wherefore. To-day I did mean to have gone to the Jung mansion to fetch Chiang Chu, but as I went by the Ning mansion, I unexpectedly came across the ghosts of the two dukes of Jung and Ning, who addressed me in this wise: 'Our family has, since the dynasty established itself on the Throne, enjoyed merit and fame, which pervaded many ages, and riches and honours transmitted from generation to generation. One hundred years have already elapsed, but this good fortune has now waned, and this propitious luck is exhausted; so much so that they could not be retrieved! Our sons and grandsons may be many, but there is no one among them who has the means to continue the family estate, with the exception of our kindred grandson, Pao-yue alone, who, though perverse in disposition and wayward by nature, is nevertheless intelligent and quick-witted and qualified in a measure to give effect to our hopes. But alas! the good fortune of our family is entirely decayed, so that we fear there is no person to incite him to enter the right way! Fortunately you worthy fairy come at an unexpected moment, and we venture to trust that you will, above all things, warn him against the foolish indulgence of inordinate desire, lascivious affections and other such things, in the hope that he may, at your instigation, be able to escape the snares of those girls who will allure him with their blandishments, and to enter on the right track; and we two brothers will be ever grateful.'
"On language such as this being addressed to me, my feelings of commiseration naturally burst forth; and I brought him here, and bade him, first of all, carefully peruse the records of the whole lives of the maidens in his family, belonging to the three grades, the upper, middle and lower, but as he has not yet fathomed the import, I have consequently led him into this place to experience the vision of drinking, eating, singing and licentious love, in the hope, there is no saying, of his at length attaining that perception."
Having concluded these remarks, she led Pao-yue by the hand into the apartment, where he felt a whiff of subtle fragrance, but what it was that reached his nostrils he could not tell.
To Pao-yue's eager and incessant inquiries, the Fairy made reply with a sardonic smile. "This perfume," she said, "is not to be found in the world, and how could you discern what it is? This is made of the essence of the first sprouts of rare herbs, growing on all hills of fame and places of superior excellence, admixed with the oil of every species of splendid shrubs in precious groves, and is called the marrow of Conglomerated Fragrance."
At these words Pao-yue was, of course, full of no other feeling than wonder.
The whole party advanced and took their seats, and a young maidservant presented tea, which Pao-yue found of pure aroma, of excellent flavour and of no ordinary kind. "What is the name of this tea?" he therefore asked; upon which the Fairy explained. "This tea," she added, "originates from the Hills of Emitted Spring and the Valley of Drooping Fragrance, and is, besides, brewed in the night dew, found on spiritual plants and divine leaves. The name of this tea is 'one thousand red in one hole.'"
At these words Pao-yue nodded his head, and extolled its qualities. Espying in the room lutes, with jasper mountings, and tripods, inlaid with gems, antique paintings, and new poetical works, which were to be seen everywhere, he felt more than ever in a high state of delight. Below the windows, were also shreds of velvet sputtered about and a toilet case stained with the traces of time and smudged with cosmetic; while on the partition wall was likewise suspended a pair of scrolls, with the inscription:
A lonesome, small, ethereal, beauteous nook! What help is there, but Heaven's will to brook?
Pao-yue having completed his inspection felt full of admiration, and proceeded to ascertain the names and surnames of the Fairies. One was called the Fairy of Lustful Dreams; another "the High Ruler of Propagated Passion;" the name of one was "the Golden Maiden of Perpetuated Sorrow;" of another the "Intelligent Maiden of Transmitted Hatred." (In fact,) the respective Taoist appellations were not of one and the same kind.
In a short while, young maid-servants came in and laid the table, put the chairs in their places, and spread out wines and eatables. There were actually crystal tankards overflowing with luscious wines, and amber glasses full to the brim with pearly strong liquors. But still less need is there to give any further details about the sumptuousness of the refreshments.
Pao-yue found it difficult, on account of the unusual purity of the bouquet of the wine, to again restrain himself from making inquiries about it.
"This wine," observed the Monitory Dream Fairy, "is made of the twigs of hundreds of flowers, and the juice of ten thousands of trees, with the addition of must composed of unicorn marrow, and yeast prepared with phoenix milk. Hence the name of 'Ten thousand Beauties in one Cup' was given to it."
Pao-yue sang its incessant praise, and, while he sipped his wine, twelve dancing girls came forward, and requested to be told what songs they were to sing.
"Take," suggested the Fairy, "the newly-composed Twelve Sections of the Dream of the Red Chamber, and sing them."
The singing girls signified their obedience, and forthwith they lightly clapped the castagnettes and gently thrummed the virginals. These were the words which they were heard to sing:
At the time of the opening of the heavens and the laying out of the earth chaos prevailed.
They had just sung this one line when the Fairy exclaimed: "This ballad is unlike the ballads written in the dusty world whose purport is to hand down remarkable events, in which the distinction of scholars, girls, old men and women, and fools is essential, and in which are furthermore introduced the lyrics of the Southern and Northern Palaces. These fairy songs consist either of elegaic effusions on some person or impressions of some occurrence or other, and are impromptu songs readily set to the music of wind or string instruments, so that any one who is not cognisant of their gist cannot appreciate the beauties contained in them. So you are not likely, I fear, to understand this lyric with any clearness; and unless you first peruse the text and then listen to the ballad, you will, instead of pleasure, feel as if you were chewing wax (devoid of any zest)."
After these remarks, she turned her head round, and directed a young maid-servant to fetch the text of the Dream of the Red Chamber, which she handed to Pao-yue, who took it over; and as he followed the words with his eyes, with his ears he listened to the strains of this song:
Preface of the Bream of the Red Chamber.--When the Heavens were opened and earth was laid out chaos prevailed! What was the germ of love? It arises entirely from the strength of licentious love.
What day, by the will of heaven, I felt wounded at heart, and what time I was at leisure, I made an attempt to disburden my sad heart; and with this object in view I indited this Dream of the Bed Chamber, on the subject of a disconsolate gold trinket and an unfortunate piece of jade.
Waste of a whole Lifetime. All maintain that the match between gold and jade will be happy. All I can think of is the solemn oath contracted in days gone by by the plant and stone! Vain will I gaze upon the snow, Hsueeh, (Pao-ch'ai), pure as crystal and lustrous like a gem of the eminent priest living among the hills! Never will I forget the noiseless Fairy Grove, Lin (Tai-yue), beyond the confines of the mortal world! Alas! now only have I come to believe that human happiness is incomplete; and that a couple may be bound by the ties of wedlock for life, but that after all their hearts are not easy to lull into contentment.
Vain knitting of the brows. The one is a spirit flower of Fairyland; the other is a beautiful jade without a blemish. Do you maintain that their union will not be remarkable? Why how then is it that he has come to meet her again in this existence? If the union will you say, be strange, how is it then that their love affair will be but empty words? The one in her loneliness will give way to useless sighs. The other in vain will yearn and crave. The one will be like the reflection of the moon in water; the other like a flower reflected in a mirror. Consider, how many drops of tears can there be in the eyes? and how could they continue to drop from autumn to winter and from spring to flow till summer time?
But to come to Pao-yue. After he had heard these ballads, so diffuse and vague, he failed to see any point of beauty in them; but the plaintive melody of the sound was nevertheless sufficient to drive away his spirit and exhilarate his soul. Hence it was that he did not make any inquiries about the arguments, and that he did not ask about the matter treated, but simply making these ballads the means for the time being of dispelling melancholy, he therefore went on with the perusal of what came below.
Despicable Spirit of Death! You will be rejoicing that glory is at its height when hateful death will come once again, and with eyes wide with horror, you will discard all things, and dimly and softly the fragrant spirit will waste and dissolve! You will yearn for native home, but distant will be the way, and lofty the mountains. Hence it is that you will betake yourself in search of father and mother, while they lie under the influence of a dream, and hold discourse with them. "Your child," you will say, "has already trodden the path of death! Oh my parents, it behoves you to speedily retrace your steps and make good your escape!"
Separated from Relatives. You will speed on a journey of three thousand li at the mercy of wind and rain, and tear yourself from all your family ties and your native home! Your fears will be lest anguish should do any harm to your parents in their failing years! "Father and mother," you will bid them, "do not think with any anxiety of your child. From ages past poverty as well as success have both had a fixed destiny; and is it likely that separation and reunion are not subject to predestination? Though we may now be far apart in two different places, we must each of us try and preserve good cheer. Your abject child has, it is true, gone from home, but abstain from distressing yourselves on her account!"
Sorrow in the midst of Joy. While wrapped as yet in swaddling clothes, father and mother, both alas! will depart, and dwell though you will in that mass of gauze, who is there who will know how to spoil you with any fond attention? Born you will be fortunately with ample moral courage, and high-minded and boundless resources, for your parents will not have, in the least, their child's secret feelings at heart! You will be like a moon appearing to view when the rain holds up, shedding its rays upon the Jade Hall; or a gentle breeze (wafting its breath upon it). Wedded to a husband, fairy like fair and accomplished, you will enjoy a happiness enduring as the earth and perennial as the Heavens! and you will be the means of snapping asunder the bitter fate of your youth! But, after all, the clouds will scatter in Kao T'ang and the waters of the Hsiang river will get parched! This is the inevitable destiny of dissolution and continuance which prevails in the mortal world, and what need is there to indulge in useless grief?
Intolerable to the world. Your figure will be as winsome as an olea fragrans; your talents as ample as those of a Fairy! You will by nature be so haughty that of the whole human race few will be like you! You will look upon a meat diet as one of dirt, and treat splendour as coarse and loathsome! And yet you will not be aware that your high notions will bring upon you the excessive hatred of man! You will be very eager in your desire after chastity, but the human race will despise you! Alas, you will wax old in that antique temple hall under a faint light, where you will waste ungrateful for beauty, looks and freshness! But after all you will still be worldly, corrupt and unmindful of your vows; just like a spotless white jade you will be whose fate is to fall into the mire! And what need will there be for the grandson of a prince or the son of a duke to deplore that his will not be the good fortune (of winning your affections)?
The Voluptuary. You will resemble a wolf in the mountains! a savage beast devoid of all human feeling! Regardless in every way of the obligations of days gone by, your sole pleasure will be in the indulgence of haughtiness, extravagance, licentiousness and dissolute habits! You will be inordinate in your conjugal affections, and look down upon the beautiful charms of the child of a marquis, as if they were cat-tail rush or willow; trampling upon the honourable daughter of a ducal mansion, as if she were one of the common herd. Pitiful to say, the fragrant spirit and beauteous ghost will in a year softly and gently pass away!
The Perception that all things are transient like flowers. You will look lightly upon the three springs and regard the blush of the peach and the green of the willow as of no avail. You will beat out the fire of splendour, and treat solitary retirement as genial! What is it that you say about the delicate peaches in the heavens (marriage) being excellent, and the petals of the almond in the clouds being plentiful (children)? Let him who has after all seen one of them, (really a mortal being) go safely through the autumn, (wade safely through old age), behold the people in the white Poplar village groan and sigh; and the spirits under the green maple whine and moan! Still more wide in expanse than even the heavens is the dead vegetation which covers the graves! The moral is this, that the burden of man is poverty one day and affluence another; that bloom in spring, and decay in autumn, constitute the doom of vegetable life! In the same way, this calamity of birth and the visitation of death, who is able to escape? But I have heard it said that there grows in the western quarter a tree called the P'o So (Patient Bearing) which bears the fruit of Immortal life!
The bane of Intelligence. Yours will be the power to estimate, in a thorough manner, the real motives of all things, as yours will be intelligence of an excessive degree; but instead (of reaping any benefit) you will cast the die of your own existence! The heart of your previous life is already reduced to atoms, and when you shall have died, your nature will have been intelligent to no purpose! Your home will be in easy circumstances; your family will enjoy comforts; but your connexions will, at length, fall a prey to death, and the inmates of your family scatter, each one of you speeding in a different direction, making room for others! In vain, you will have harassed your mind with cankering thoughts for half a lifetime; for it will be just as if you had gone through the confused mazes of a dream on the third watch! Sudden a crash (will be heard) like the fall of a spacious palace, and a dusky gloominess (will supervene) such as is caused by a lamp about to spend itself! Alas! a spell of happiness will be suddenly (dispelled by) adversity! Woe is man in the world! for his ultimate doom is difficult to determine!
Leave behind a residue of happiness! Hand down an excess of happiness; hand down an excess of happiness! Unexpectedly you will come across a benefactor! Fortunate enough your mother, your own mother, will have laid by a store of virtue and secret meritorious actions! My advice to you, mankind, is to relieve the destitute and succour the distressed! Do not resemble those who will harp after lucre and show themselves unmindful of the ties of relationship: that wolflike maternal uncle of yours and that impostor of a brother! True it is that addition and subtraction, increase and decrease, (reward and punishment,) rest in the hands of Heaven above!
Splendour at last. Loving affection in a mirror will be still more ephemeral than fame in a dream. That fine splendour will fleet how soon! Make no further allusion to embroidered curtain, to bridal coverlet; for though you may come to wear on your head a pearl-laden coronet, and, on your person, a jacket ornamented with phoenixes, yours will not nevertheless be the means to atone for the short life (of your husband)! Though the saying is that mankind should not have, in their old age, the burden of poverty to bear, yet it is also essential that a store of benevolent deeds should be laid up for the benefit of sons and grandsons! (Your son) may come to be dignified in appearance and wear on his head the official tassel, and on his chest may be suspended the gold seal resplendent in lustre; he may be imposing in his majesty, and he may rise high in status and emoluments, but the dark and dreary way which leads to death is short! Are the generals and ministers who have been from ages of old still in the flesh, forsooth? They exist only in a futile name handed down to posterity to reverence!
Death ensues when things propitious reign! Upon the ornamented beam will settle at the close of spring the fragrant dust! Your reckless indulgence of licentious love and your naturally moonlike face will soon be the source of the ruin of a family. The decadence of the family estate will emanate entirely from Ching; while the wane of the family affairs will be entirely attributable to the fault of Ning! Licentious love will be the main reason of the long-standing grudge.
The flying birds each perch upon the trees! The family estates of those in official positions will fade! The gold and silver of the rich and honoured will be scattered! those who will have conferred benefit will, even in death, find the means of escape! those devoid of human feelings will reap manifest retribution! Those indebted for a life will make, in due time, payment with their lives; those indebted for tears have already (gone) to exhaust their tears! Mutual injuries will be revenged in no light manner! Separation and reunion will both alike be determined by predestination! You wish to know why your life will be short; look into your previous existence! Verily, riches and honours, which will come with old age, will likewise be a question of chance! Those who will hold the world in light esteem will retire within the gate of abstraction; while those who will be allured by enticement will have forfeited their lives (The Chia family will fulfil its destiny) as surely as birds take to the trees after they have exhausted all they had to eat, and which as they drop down will pile up a hoary, vast and lofty heap of dust, (leaving) indeed a void behind!
When the maidens had finished the ballads, they went on to sing the "Supplementary Record;" but the Monitory Vision Fairy, perceiving the total absence of any interest in Pao-yue, heaved a sigh. "You silly brat!" she exclaimed. "What! haven't you, even now, attained perception!"
"There's no need for you to go on singing," speedily observed Pao-yue, as he interrupted the singing maidens; and feeling drowsy and dull, he pleaded being under the effects of wine, and begged to be allowed to lie down.
The Fairy then gave orders to clear away the remains of the feast, and escorted Pao-yue to a suite of female apartments, where the splendour of such objects as were laid out was a thing which he had not hitherto seen. But what evoked in him wonder still more intense, was the sight, at an early period, of a girl seated in the room, who, in the freshness of her beauty and winsomeness of her charms, bore some resemblance to Pao-ch'ai, while, in elegance and comeliness, on the other hand, to Tai-yu.
While he was plunged in a state of perplexity, the Fairy suddenly remarked: "All those female apartments and ladies' chambers in so many wealthy and honourable families in the world are, without exception, polluted by voluptuous opulent puppets and by all that bevy of profligate girls. But still more despicable are those from old till now numberless dissolute roues, one and all of whom maintain that libidinous affections do not constitute lewdness; and who try, further, to prove that licentious love is not tantamount to lewdness. But all these arguments are mere apologies for their shortcomings, and a screen for their pollutions; for if libidinous affection be lewdness, still more does the perception of licentious love constitute lewdness. Hence it is that the indulgence of sensuality and the gratification of licentious affection originate entirely from a relish of lust, as well as from a hankering after licentious love. Lo you, who are the object of my love, are the most lewd being under the heavens from remote ages to the present time!"
Pao-yue was quite dumbstruck by what he heard, and hastily smiling, he said by way of reply: "My Fairy labours under a misapprehension. Simply because of my reluctance to read my books my parents have, on repeated occasions, extended to me injunction and reprimand, and would I have the courage to go so far as to rashly plunge in lewd habits? Besides, I am still young in years, and have no notion what is implied by lewdness!"
"Not so!" exclaimed the Fairy; "lewdness, although one thing in principle is, as far as meaning goes, subject to different constructions; as is exemplified by those in the world whose heart is set upon lewdness. Some delight solely in faces and figures; others find insatiable pleasure in singing and dancing; some in dalliance and raillery; others in the incessant indulgence of their lusts; and these regret that all the beautiful maidens under the heavens cannot minister to their short-lived pleasure. These several kinds of persons are foul objects steeped skin and all in lewdness. The lustful love, for instance, which has sprung to life and taken root in your natural affections, I and such as myself extend to it the character of an abstract lewdness; but abstract lewdness can be grasped by the mind, but cannot be transmitted by the mouth; can be fathomed by the spirit, but cannot be divulged in words. As you now are imbued with this desire only in the abstract, you are certainly well fit to be a trustworthy friend in (Fairyland) inner apartments, but, on the path of the mortal world, you will inevitably be misconstrued and defamed; every mouth will ridicule you; every eye will look down upon you with contempt. After meeting recently your worthy ancestors, the two Dukes of Ning and Jung, who opened their hearts and made their wishes known to me with such fervour, (but I will not have you solely on account of the splendour of our inner apartments look down despisingly upon the path of the world), I consequently led you along, my son, and inebriated you with luscious wines, steeped you in spiritual tea, and admonished you with excellent songs, bringing also here a young sister of mine, whose infant name is Chien Mei, and her style K'o Ching, to be given to you as your wedded wife. To-night, the time will be propitious and suitable for the immediate consummation of the union, with the express object of letting you have a certain insight into the fact that if the condition of the abode of spirits within the confines of Fairyland be still so (imperfect), how much the more so should be the nature of the affections which prevail in the dusty world; with the intent that from this time forth you should positively break loose from bondage, perceive and amend your former disposition, devote your attention to the works of Confucius and Mencius, and set your steady purpose upon the principles of morality."
Having ended these remarks, she initiated him into the mysteries of licentious love, and, pushing Pao-yue into the room, she closed the door, and took her departure all alone. Pao-yue in a dazed state complied with the admonitions given him by the Fairy, and the natural result was, of course, a violent flirtation, the circumstances of which it would be impossible to recount.
When the next day came, he was by that time so attached to her by ties of tender love and their conversation was so gentle and full of charm that he could not brook to part from K'o Ching. Hand-in-hand, the two of them therefore, went out for a stroll, when they unexpectedly reached a place, where nothing else met their gaze than thorns and brambles, which covered the ground, and a wolf and a tiger walking side by side. Before them stretched the course of a black stream, which obstructed their progress; and over this stream there was, what is more, no bridge to enable one to cross it.
While they were exercising their minds with perplexity, they suddenly espied the Fairy coming from the back in pursuit of them. "Desist at once," she exclaimed, "from making any advance into the stream; it is urgent that you should, with all speed, turn your faces round!"
Pao-yue lost no time in standing still. "What is this place?" he inquired.
"This is the Ford of Enticement," explained the Fairy. "Its depth is ten thousand chang; its breadth is a thousand li; in its stream there are no boats or paddles by means of which to effect a passage. There is simply a raft, of which Mu Chu-shih directs the rudder, and which Hui Shih chen punts with the poles. They receive no compensation in the shape of gold or silver, but when they come across any one whose destiny it is to cross, they ferry him over. You now have by accident strolled as far as here, and had you fallen into the stream you would have rendered quite useless the advice and admonition which I previously gave you."
These words were scarcely concluded, when suddenly was heard from the midst of the Ford of Enticement, a sound like unto a peal of thunder, whereupon a whole crowd of gobblins and sea-urchins laid hands upon Pao-yue and dragged him down.
This so filled Pao-yue with consternation that he fell into a perspiration as profuse as rain, and he simultaneously broke forth and shouted, "Rescue me, K'o Ching!"
These cries so terrified Hsi Jen and the other waiting-maids, that they rushed forward, and taking Pao-yue in their arms, "Don't be afraid, Pao-yue," they said, "we are here."
But we must observe that Mrs. Ch'in was just inside the apartment in the act of recommending the young waiting-maids to be mindful that the cats and dogs did not start a fight, when she unawares heard Pao-yue, in his dream, call her by her infant name. In a melancholy mood she therefore communed within herself, "As far as my infant name goes, there is, in this establishment, no one who has any idea what it is, and how is it that he has come to know it, and that he utters it in his dream?" And she was at this period unable to fathom the reason. But, reader, listen to the explanations given in the chapter which follows.
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【选集】红楼一春梦 |
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