The Chinese myth of the immortal white snake - Shunan Teng

翻译人员: Carol Wang 校对人员: Tianji (Homer) Li

The talented young herbalist named Xu Xian was in trouble.

一名有才的年轻草药医生 叫许仙，遇上麻烦事儿了。

It should have been a victorious moment–

这本该是一件大喜事儿的——

he had just opened his very own medicine shop.

他自己的中药铺刚刚开张。

But he bought his supplies from his former employer,

但他从以前的老板那里进的货，

and the resentful man sold him rotten herbs.

而那个可恶的人呢， 却把腐烂的中药材卖给了许仙。

As Xu Xian wondered what to do with this useless inventory,

当许仙对这些没用的 药材一筹莫展时，

patients flooded into his shop.

病人一下子挤满了他的铺子。

A plague had stricken the city,

原来，一场瘟疫席卷了整个城市，

and he had nothing to treat them.

而他手头却 没有草药去医治他们。

Just as he was starting to panic,

正当他惊慌失措时，

his wife, Bai Su Zhen, produced a recipe to use the rotten herbs as medicine.

他的夫人白素贞发明了一个药方， 配方药正是那些腐烂的中草药。

Her remedy cured all the plague-afflicted citizens immediately.

她的方剂立刻治好了 饱受瘟疫之苦的市民，

Xu Xian’s former boss even had to buy back some of the rotten herbs

就连许仙的前老板 也来到铺子里，

to treat his own family.

买回些腐烂的草药去治疗家人。

Shortly after, a monk named Fa Hai approached Xu Xian,

不久，一位叫法海的 和尚找到许仙，

warning him that there was a demon in his house.

警告说他家里有妖孽，

The demon, he said, was Bai Su Zhen.

而那妖孽正是白素贞！

Xu Xian laughed.

许仙大笑起来，

His kindhearted, resourceful wife was not a demon.

他那善良、机智的 夫人才不是妖孽呢！

Fa Hai insisted.

法海坚持他的说法。

He told Xu Xian to serve his wife realgar wine on the 5th day of the 5th month,

他告诉许仙，五月端午 给他夫人喝点雄黄酒，

when demons’ powers are weakest.

那天妖孽的法力最弱。

If she wasn’t a demon, he explained, it wouldn’t hurt her.

他还解释说，若她非妖孽， 雄黄酒根本伤不到她。

Xu Xian dismissed the monk politely,

许仙礼貌地让和尚走了，

with no intention of serving Bai Su Zhen the wine.

没打算让白素贞喝那雄黄酒。

But as the day approached, he decided to try it.

但五月端午到来的那天， 他决定试一试。

As soon as the wine touched Bai Su Zhen’s lips,

白素贞的嘴唇一碰到雄黄酒，

she ran to the bedroom, claiming she wasn’t feeling well.

她就声称不舒服，冲进了卧室。

Xu Xian prepared some medicine and went to check on her.

许仙弄了点药，去看看她怎样了。

But instead of his wife,

但床上没有妻子，

he found a giant white serpent with a bloody forked tongue in the bed.

他看到的是一条吐着 血红信子的巨大白蛇。

He collapsed, killed by the shock.

他立刻瘫倒在地，吓死了。

When Bai Su Zhen opened her eyes,

当白素贞睁开双眼，

she realized immediately what must have happened.

立刻意识到发生了什么。

The truth was that Bai Su Zhen was an immortal snake

其实，白素贞是一条蛇精，

with formidable magical powers.

法力强大。

She had used her powers to take a human form

她用法力变成人形，

and improve her and her husband’s fortunes.

并帮助自己和丈夫发家致富。

Her magic couldn’t revive Xu Xian,

她的法力无法救活许仙，

but she had one more idea to save him:

但她知道有个救他的法子：

an herb that could grant longevity and even bring the dead back to life,

一棵让人长生不老、 甚至起死回生的仙草，

guarded by the Old Man of the South Pole

这仙草长在昆仑山极顶禁地，

in the forbidden peaks of the Kun Lun Mountains.

由南极仙翁看守。

She rode to the mountains on a cloud,

她驾起祥云来到昆仑山，

then continued on foot passed gateways and arches

然后步行，穿越关卡和拱门，

until she reached one marked “beyond mortals”

一路来到一座银桥前，

hanging over a silver bridge.

桥上写着“隔凡桥”二字。

On the other side,

桥的另一边，

two of the Old Man’s disciples guarded the herb.

南极仙翁的二位童子 看守着仙草。

Bai Su Zhen disguised herself as a monk

白素贞摇身变成一位和尚，

and told them she’d come to invite the Old Man to a gathering of the gods.

告诉童子说，她来邀请 南极仙翁去参加神仙大会。

While they relayed her message,

趁二位童子报信的功夫，

she plucked some leaves from the herb and ran.

她趁机摘了一些 仙草叶子，跑走了。

The servants realized they had been tricked and chased her.

童子发现被骗，转身去追她。

Bai Su Zhen coughed up a magic ball and threw it at one.

白素贞咳出魔球，扔向其中一位。

As the other closed in on her,

当另一位童子已近前攻击她时，

she put the herb under her tongue for safekeeping,

安全起见，她把仙草含到舌下，

but its magic forced both of them into their true forms.

而仙草的法力把她和 童子打回了动物原形。

As the crane’s long beak clamped around her,

正当仙鹤用长喙啄咬她时，

the Old Man appeared.

南极仙翁出现了。

Why, he asked, would she risk her life to steal his herb

他问她，你已是长生不老之身，

when she was already immortal?

为何冒生命之险盗仙草？

Bai Su Zhen explained her love for Xu Xian.

白素贞解释了她对许仙的爱。

Even if he didn’t want to be with her now that he knew she was a demon,

即便现在他知道她是妖孽， 不想和她在一起了，

she was determined to bring him back to life.

她还是决心要救活他。

The two had a karmic connection dating back more than a thousand years.

一千多年前， 他俩有一段业缘。

When Bai Su Zhen was a small snake,

那时，白素贞还是一条小蛇，

a beggar was about to kill her,

一个乞丐正要杀死她时，

but a kind passerby rescued her.

一位善良的过路人救了她。

Her rescuer was Xu Xian in a past life.

救她的人正是许仙的前世。

Touched by her willingness to risk her life for him,

仙翁被她冒死救 许仙的行为感动，

the Old Man permitted her to leave the mountain with the immortal herb.

准许她带着仙草下山。

Bai Su Zhen returned home to revive Xu Xian.

白素贞回到家，救活了许仙。

When he opened his eyes,

当他睁开眼睛，

the terrified look frozen on his face became a smile.

他脸上原来的惊恐 表情化作了笑容，

Demon or not,

管她是不是妖孽，

he was still happy to see his wife.

看到妻子，他依然特别开心。