The Journey to the West, Revised Edition, Volume 4
Page 16
We tell you now about Pilgrim, who flew up out of the place and changed into his true form as he reached the entrance of the cave. “Open up,” he cried. Eight Rules laughed and said, “Sha Monk, Elder Brother’s here.” The two of them lowered their weapons for Pilgrim to jump out.
Eight Rules walked forward to tug at him, saying, “Is there a monster-spirit? Is our master there?” “Yes! Yes! Yes!” replied Pilgrim.
“Master must be suffering in there,” said Eight Rules. “Is he tied up or is he trussed up? Do they want to steam him or boil him?”
“Nothing of that sort,” said Pilgrim. “She only wants to prepare a vegetarian banquet so that she can do that thing with him.”
“Lucky you! Lucky you!” said Eight Rules. “You must have drunk some wedding wine!” “O Idiot!” said Pilgrim. “Master’s life is in danger! What wedding wine have I drunk?” “Why did you come back then?” asked Eight Rules.
Pilgrim gave a thorough account of how he found the Tang Monk and how he went into transformation. Then he said, “Brothers, no more of these foolish thoughts. Master is here. When old Monkey goes back this time, he will certainly rescue him.”
At once he entered the cave again and changed into a fly to alight on the towered gate. There he heard the fiend panting hard and giving the following instruction: “Little ones, just bring me some food for the offering. I don’t care whether it’s vegetarian or not. I’ll entreat Heaven and Earth to be my go-between and witness, for I am determined to marry that priest.” On hearing this, Pilgrim smiled and said to himself, “This monster-spirit is completely shameless! She has a priest locked up at home in broad daylight for fun and games! But let’s not rush things. Let old Monkey go inside to have a look first.”
With a buzz he flew to the east corridor, where he saw his master sitting in the room with clear teardrops rolling down his cheeks. Pilgrim crawled in there and landed on his bald head, crying, “Master!” Recognizing his voice, the elder jumped up all at once and said spitefully through clenched teeth, “Wretched ape! Any other person who has the gall to do something, at least the gall is wrapped inside the person’s body. But in your case, it’s your gall that has you wrapped inside! How much could those utensils that you smashed by flaunting your magic transformation be worth? But if you provoke the monster-spirit and arouse her lechery, she won’t bother about dietary laws and will insist on copulating with me. What am I to do then?”
“Master,” said Pilgrim softly, trying to placate him, “please don’t be offended. I have a plan to rescue you.”
“How will you rescue me?” asked the Tang Monk.
“When I flew up just now,” replied Pilgrim, “I noticed that she has a garden in the rear. Trick her to go play with you in the garden. I’ll rescue you then.”
“How will you rescue me in the garden?” asked the Tang Monk once more.
Pilgrim said, “When you get to the garden with her, you should stop walking once you reach the peach trees. Let me fly up to one of the branches and change into a red peach. You pretend that you want to eat a fruit and pluck off the red one that I change into. Undoubtedly she will want to pluck one off also. Insist on giving yours to her. The moment she takes a bite, I’ll enter her stomach. Then I’ll punch through her belly and tear her guts apart. When she’s dead, you’ll be free.”
“If you have the ability,” said Tripitaka, “all you need is to fight with her. Why must you want to get inside her belly?”
“Master, you’re just not too sensible!” said Pilgrim. “If this cave of hers were easy to get into and out of, then I could fight with her. But it is not; in fact, the crooked paths here are exceedingly hard to negotiate. If I move against her, the whole nest of them, old and young, may have me bogged down. What shall I do then? I have to use this underhanded method to mop things up!”
Nodding his head in belief, Tripitaka said only, “You must stay close to me.” “I know! I know!” said Pilgrim. “I’m on your head!”
After master and disciple had formulated their plan, Tripitaka got up and, supporting himself on the shutters, called out: “Lady! Lady!” When the monster-spirit heard him, she ran near to him and said, giggling, “Dear6 Wonderful Man, what do you want?”
“Lady,” said Tripitaka, “Since I left Chang’an to journey westward, there was not a day when I did not have to climb a mountain or ford a river. When I stayed at the Sea-Pacifying Monastery the other day, I caught a bad cold. Only today has my condition improved somewhat, for I have been perspiring. I am grateful to you for bringing me to your immortal residence, but having sat here all day I feel sickly again. Is there a place where you can take me for some relaxation?”
Highly pleased, the fiend said, “If dear Wonderful Man shows this kind of interest, I’ll be delighted to take you strolling in the garden.” She then cried out: “Little ones, bring me the key to open the garden. Sweep out the path.”
Pushing open the shutters, this monster-spirit led the Tang Monk out by the hand. Look at those many little fiends of hers, all with oiled hair and powdered faces, all sinuous and lissome! They surged around the Tang Monk and headed straight for the garden. Marvelous monk!
He found no ease in this troop of satin and silk;
He played deaf and dumb in such brocaded grove.
He only could face Buddha, who had an iron mind and heart;
No mortal fond of wine and sex would succeed in scripture-fetching.
When they reached the entrance of the garden, the monster-spirit whispered lovingly to him, saying, “Dear Wonderful Man, enjoy yourself here. You may truly relax and unwind.” Walking hand in hand with her into the garden, the Tang Monk raised his head to look around. It was indeed a lovely place. What he saw were
Paths twisting and turning,
Profusely coated with specks of green moss;
Handsome silk-gauze windows,
Each faintly enclosed by embroidered screens.
When a gentle breeze rises,
Western silk and eastern damask spread out fluttering;
When a fine rain recedes,
Ice-flesh and jade-substance appear seductive.
The sun warms fresh apricots,
Red like the skirts that immortals hang out to dry;
The moon illumes the plantain,
Green like feathered fans whirled by a goddess.
By the painted walls on four sides
Orioles sing amid ten thousand willows;
Around the leisure cottage
Butterflies swirl through the yard’s cherry-apples.
Look further at the fragrance-holding alcove,
The green-moth alcove,
The wine-dispelling alcove,
And the romance alcove,
One on top of the other where
The rolled-up red curtains
Are drawn by hooks like shrimp-whiskers.
Look also at the grief-relieving kiosk,
The purity-draped kiosk,
The brow-painting kiosk,
And the four rains kiosk,
Each a noble edifice
With floriate plaques
Inscribed with seal scripts.
Look at the crane-bathing pool,
The goblet-washing pool,
The moon-pleasing pool,
And the tassel-cleansing pool,
Where golden scales glisten among green lilies and reeds;
There are, too, the ink-flower arbor,
The strange-chest arbor,
The proper-weal arbor,
And the cloud-adoring arbor,
Where mellow wine floats within jade flasks and cups.
Beyond and before the pools and kiosks
There are rocks from Lake Tai,
Purple-blooming rocks,
Parrot-falling rocks,
And rocks of Sichuan rivers,
Around which the green tiger-whisker rush are planted.
East and west of the alcoves and arbors,
There are false wooden hills,
Kingfisher-screen hills,
Wind-whistling hills,
Jade-agaric hills,
On each grow thickets of phoenix-tail bamboos.
The tumi7 props
And the cinnamon rose props
Near the stand of swing,
They all seem like brocade curtains and silk drapes.
The pine-and-cypress kiosk,
The magnolia kiosk,
Facing the rose bush kiosk,
Both resemble a green city’s embroidered veils.
The shaoyao8 rails,
The peony groves,
Their flowers vie for denseness in purple and red;
The yehe9 terrace,
The white jasmine fence,
Both bring forth grace and glamor year after year.
The magnolia adorned with drops of dew
Should be sketched or drawn;
The hibiscus blazing red toward the sky
Should be hymned or sung.
Speaking of scenery,
Let’s not boast of Langyuan or Penglai;
To compare such beauty
One need not count Yao’s yellow or Wei’s purple.10
In late spring when one fences with grass,
This garden lacks only divine blooms of jade.
The elder, walking hand in hand with the fiend to enjoy the garden, could hardly look at all the rare flowers and exotic plants. After going past many arbors and kiosks and entering gradually, as it were, the lovely scenery, he saw all at once that they had arrived in front of the peach orchard. Pilgrim gave his master’s head a pinch and the elder knew immediately what he meant.
Flying up to one of the branches, Pilgrim with one shake of his body changed into a peach, a lovely red one. The elder said to the monster-spirit, “Lady, you have here
Fragrant blooms in the yard,
Ripened fruits on the boughs—
Fragrant blooms in the yard that bees vie to sip;
Ripened fruits on the boughs that birds fight to pluck.
But why is it that on this particular peach tree the peaches are both red and green?”
With a giggle the monster-spirit said, “When Heaven is lacking in yin and yang, the sun and the moon will not shine; when the Earth is lacking in yin and yang, male and female cannot be distinguished. The same principle applies to the fruits of this peach tree. Those on the sunny side are ripened first by the warmth, and that’s why they are red; those on the shady side will grow but without the benefit of the sun, and that’s why they are still green. This is the principle of yin and yang.”
“I thank my lady for the instruction,” said Tripitaka, “for this humble cleric indeed had no idea this was so.” He immediately reached forward and plucked a red peach, and the monster-spirit too went and plucked a green one. Bowing, Tripitaka presented the red peach to the fiend, saying, “Lady, you are fond of colors, so please take this red peach. Give me the green one to eat.”
The monster-spirit indeed exchanged it with him, saying in secret delight to herself, “Dear monk! A true man11 indeed! We aren’t husband and wife even for one day, and he’s already so affectionate!” Her delight, in fact, caused her to behave more cordially than ever to the Tang Monk. When he took the green peach and began eating it at once, the monster-spirit was only too pleased to keep him company. Opening her cherry lips to reveal her silvery teeth, she was about to take a bite. But Pilgrim Sun had always been impetuous. Before she could sink her teeth into the fruit, he immediately rolled inside her mouth and somersaulted through her throat down to her stomach. Terribly frightened, the monster-spirit said to Tripitaka, “O Elder, this fruit is really something! How could it roll down there before I even bit it?”
“Lady,” said Tripitaka, “a newly ripened fruit is most edible. That’s why it goes quickly.” “But I haven’t even spat out the pit,” said the monster-spirit, “and it has gone down already.” “When you’re in such an excellent mood, Lady,” replied Tripitaka, “you have a good appetite. That’s why it goes down even before you manage to spit out the pit.”
In her stomach, Pilgrim changed back to his true form and cried, “Master, don’t banter with her. Old Monkey has already scored!”
“Disciple, do try not to be too harsh,” replied Tripitaka. Hearing that, the monster-spirit said, “Whom are you talking to?”
“To my disciple, Sun Wukong,” replied Tripitaka.
“Where is Sun Wukong?” asked the monster-spirit.
“In your stomach, of course!” replied Tripitaka. “Isn’t he the red peach you just ate?”
Horrified, the monster-spirit said, “Finished! Finished! If this ape-head has crawled inside my belly, I’m as good as dead! Pilgrim Sun, what do you plan to do after using all your schemes and plots to get inside my belly?” “Not much!” replied Pilgrim spitefully inside her. “I’ll just devour
Your six loaves of liver and lung,12
Your triple-haired and seven-holed heart.
All five viscera I’ll clean out,
One rattling spirit you’ll become!”
On hearing this, the monster-spirit was scared out of her wits. Trembling all over, she embraced the Tang Monk to say, “O Elder! I thought we were
Fated to be by one scarlet thread13 bound,
Two hearts as one like fish in water found.
Who knows birds of love will thus be parted,
That spouses will sever brokenhearted?
Our affair fails for Blue Bridge tide14 is high;
Our meeting’s vain as temple incense15 dies.
Drawn to each other we must now disperse.
Which year will I once more with you converse?”
Inside her belly Pilgrim heard her speaking in this manner, and he was afraid that the compassionate elder might be deceived again. At once he began to wave his fists and stamp his feet, to assume boxing postures and do gymnastic exercises with his four limbs, nearly punching through her leather bag in the process. Unable to endure the pain, the monster-spirit dropped to the ground and dared not speak for a long time.
When Pilgrim found that she was silent, he thought that she might be dead and decided to ease up somewhat. Catching her breath, she cried, “Little ones, where are you?” When those little fiends, you see, entered the garden, they all knew how to behave. Instead of congregating in one place, they scattered to play—plucking flowers or fencing with grasses—so as to allow the monster-spirit to flirt freely with the Tang Monk. When they suddenly heard the summons, they ran to the spot and found the monster-spirit fallen to the ground, pale and groaning, hardly able even to crawl. Hurriedly they tried to raise her as they crowded around, all asking, “Mistress, what’s wrong? Are you having a heart attack?”
“No! No!” replied the monster-spirit. “Don’t ask, but I have someone in my stomach! Just get this monk out, quickly, so that my life may be preserved.” Those little fiends indeed went forward and tried to pull the elder out.
“Don’t any of you dare raise your hand!” yelled Pilgrim inside her belly. “If you want to, you yourself must present my master to the outside world. When we get there, I’ll spare you.”
The monster-spirit, of course, had no other motivation than pity for her own life. Struggling to her feet, she swiftly placed the Tang Monk on her back and strode toward the outside. Running after her, the little fiends asked, “Mistress, where are you going?” The monster-spirit said, “Let’s get this fellow outside!
If we the moon above the five lakes retain,
There’s always a spot to drop the hook again!
Let me find someone else instead.”
Dear monster-spirit! She mounted the cloudy luminosity and immediately reached the entrance of the cave, where a loud clangor of arms could be heard. “Disciple,” said Tripitaka, “I can hear the sound of weapons outside.”
Pilgrim said, “It has to be Eight Rules wielding his muckrake. Call him.” Tripitaka at once called out: “Eight Rules!”
Eight Rules heard him and s
aid, “Sha Monk, Master has come out!” The two of them removed the rake and the staff, and the monster-spirit carried the Tang Monk outside. Aha! Truly it is that
Mind Monkey, responding within, subdues a fiend;
Wood and Earth guarding the door receive a sage monk.
We do not know whether the monster-spirit will preserve her life; let’s listen to the explanation in the next chapter.
EIGHTY-THREE
Mind Monkey knows the elixir source;
Fair girl returns to her true nature.
We were telling you about Tripitaka, who was escorted out of the cave by the monster-spirit. Sha Monk drew near and asked, “Master, you’ve come out, but where’s Elder Brother?” “He’s calculating enough,” said Eight Rules, “so he must have accompanied Master out here somehow.”
Pointing at the monster-spirit, Tripitaka said, “Your Elder Brother is in her belly.”
“How dirty and smelly!” said Eight Rules with a giggle. “What’s he doing in her belly? Come out!”
Pilgrim cried out from within: “Open wide your mouth and let me come out!” The fiend opened her mouth as bidden. Pilgrim reduced his size and crawled up to her throat; he was about to go out, but fearing that she might bite him, he took out the iron rod and blew his immortal breath onto it, crying, “Change!” It changed into a small nail, which propped up the roof of her mouth. With a bound he leaped clear of her mouth, taking along with him the iron rod as he jumped. One stretch of his torso helped him to assume his characteristic appearance, as he struck with uplifted rod. The monster-spirit also picked up her pair of treasure swords and blocked his blow with a loud clang. The two of them thus began a fierce battle on the top of the mountain:
Double swords flying that slash at the face;
A golden-hooped rod that aims at the head.
One is a Heav’n-born ape with a mind-monkey frame;
One is an Earth-born spirit with a fair-girl form.
The two of them
Are full of hate;
Gladness breeds rancor, causing a mighty bout.
That one desires primal yang to be her mate;
This one fights pure yin to form the holy babe.1
The upraised rod fills the sky with chilly fog;