The Chinese myth of the immortal white snake - Shunan Teng

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Carol Wang

The talented young herbalist named Xu Xian was in trouble.

年輕有才華的草藥醫生 許仙遇到了麻煩。

It should have been a victorious moment–

這本來應該是值得慶祝的一刻—— 他自己的藥舖剛開張。

he had just opened his very own medicine shop.

But he bought his supplies from his former employer,

但他向他的前任僱主購買貨品，

and the resentful man sold him rotten herbs.

而這位憤恨不滿的前僱主 把腐壞的藥草賣給他。

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

當許仙正在傷腦筋要如何 處理這些無用的庫存時，

patients flooded into his shop.

病人湧入了他的店。

A plague had stricken the city,

瘟疫在該城市爆發，

and he had nothing to treat them.

他卻沒有東西可以治療他們。

Just as he was starting to panic,

他正要開始慌張時，

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

他的妻子，白素貞，

開出了一張把腐壞藥草 當藥物使用的處方。

Her remedy cured all the plague-afflicted citizens immediately.

她的藥物立即治好了 所有被瘟疫所苦的市民。

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

許仙的前任僱主甚至得要 買回一些腐壞的藥草

to treat his own family.

來治療他自己的家人。

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

沒多久，有一位叫做 法海的和尚去找許仙，

warning him that there was a demon in his house.

警告許仙，說他的家裡有惡魔。

The demon, he said, was Bai Su Zhen.

他說，這惡魔就是白素貞。

Xu Xian laughed.

許仙笑了。

His kindhearted, resourceful wife was not a demon.

他那心地善良又機智的 妻子不可能是惡魔。

Fa Hai insisted.

法海很堅持。

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

他叫許仙在端午節那天 給他的妻子喝雄黃酒，

when demons’ powers are weakest.

那是惡魔的力量最弱的時刻。

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

他解釋說，如果她 不是惡魔就不會受傷害。

Xu Xian dismissed the monk politely,

許仙禮貌地請和尚離開，

with no intention of serving Bai Su Zhen the wine.

沒打算要讓白素貞喝雄黃酒。

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

但，當那一天到來時， 他決定一試。

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

雄黃酒才一接觸到白素貞的嘴脣，

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

她就奔向臥房，聲稱她不舒服。

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

許仙準備了一些藥， 去看她的狀況。

But instead of his wife,

但，他看到在床上的不是他的妻子，

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

而是隻巨大的白蛇， 伸出分叉的血紅色舌頭。

He collapsed, killed by the shock.

這驚嚇讓他崩潰而死。

When Bai Su Zhen opened her eyes,

當白素貞睜開雙眼，

she realized immediately what must have happened.

她立刻猜到發生了什麼事。

The truth was that Bai Su Zhen was an immortal snake

真相是，白素貞是長生不老的蛇，

with formidable magical powers.

有著可怕的法力。

She had used her powers to take a human form

她用法力將自己變成人形，

and improve her and her husband’s fortunes.

改善她和丈夫的財務。

Her magic couldn’t revive Xu Xian,

她的魔法無法讓許仙復生，

but she had one more idea to save him:

但她還有一個點子可以救他：

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

有一種藥草可以讓人長壽， 甚至能讓死者復生，

guarded by the Old Man of the South Pole

這種藥草被保存在 崑崙山高峰上的禁地，

in the forbidden peaks of the Kun Lun Mountains.

由南極仙翁看守。

She rode to the mountains on a cloud,

她乘雲前往崑崙山，

then continued on foot passed gateways and arches

接著步行走過通道和拱門，

until she reached one marked “beyond mortals”

抵達了一座銀色橋樑， 上面標註著「隔凡橋」。

hanging over a silver bridge.

On the other side,

在另一端，仙翁的 兩位弟子在看守藥草。

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

Bai Su Zhen disguised herself as a monk

白素貞喬裝成和尚，

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

告訴他們說她是來 邀請仙翁參加神的聚會。

While they relayed her message,

他們去傳達口信時， 她摘取了一些藥草葉便轉身逃跑。

she plucked some leaves from the herb and ran.

The servants realized they had been tricked and chased her.

這些僕人發現自己 被騙了，馬上去追她。

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

白素貞咳出了一顆魔法球， 扔向其中一人。

As the other closed in on her,

當另一人接近她時，

she put the herb under her tongue for safekeeping,

她為了保護藥草， 把它放到了自己的舌頭下，

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

但它的魔力迫使他們 都現出了原形。

As the crane’s long beak clamped around her,

當鶴的長喙鉗住她時，

the Old Man appeared.

仙翁出現了。

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

他問她，為什麼要 冒著生命危險來偷藥草？

when she was already immortal?

她不是已經長生不老了嗎？

Bai Su Zhen explained her love for Xu Xian.

白素貞解釋了她對許仙的愛。

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

即使現在許仙知道了她是惡魔， 不可能想和她在一起，

she was determined to bring him back to life.

她仍然下定決心要讓他起死回生。

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

他們兩人的業緣， 可追溯至超過一千年前。

When Bai Su Zhen was a small snake,

當時白素貞是隻小蛇，

a beggar was about to kill her,

一名乞丐正要殺害她，

but a kind passerby rescued her.

但一名好心的路人救了她。

Her rescuer was Xu Xian in a past life.

這名救星就是前世的許仙。

Touched by her willingness to risk her life for him,

她願意為他冒生命危險， 讓老翁很感動，

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

因此允許她帶著長生不老的 藥草離開崑崙山。

Bai Su Zhen returned home to revive Xu Xian.

白素貞返家後讓許仙復活。

When he opened his eyes,

他睜開雙眼時，

the terrified look frozen on his face became a smile.

臉上僵住的驚恐神情 轉變成了一個微笑。

Demon or not,

不論他的妻子是不是惡魔， 他都很高興見到她。

he was still happy to see his wife.