第二十二回

第二十二回 听曲文宝玉悟禅机 制灯谜贾政悲谶语

话说贾琏听凤姐儿说有话商量，因止步问是何话。凤姐道：“二十一是薛妹妹的生日，你到底怎么样呢？”贾琏道：“我知道怎么样！你连多少大生日都料理过了，这会子倒没了主意？”凤姐道：“大生日料理，不过是有一定的则例在那里。如今他这生日，大又不是，小又不是，所以和你商量。”贾琏听了，低头想了半日道：“你今儿糊涂了。现有比例，那林妹妹就是例。往年怎么给林妹妹过的，如今也照依给薛妹妹过就是了。”凤姐听了，冷笑道：“我难道连这个也不知道？我原也这么想定了。但昨儿听见老太太说，问起大家的年纪生日来，听见薛大妹妹今年十五岁，虽不是整生日，也算得将笄[1]之年。老太太说要替他作生日。想来若果真替他作，自然比往年与林妹妹的不同了。”贾琏道：“既如此，就比林妹妹的多增些。”凤姐道：“我也这们想着，所以讨你的口气。我若私自添了东西，你又怪我不告诉明白你了。”贾琏笑道：“罢，罢，这空头情我不领。你不盘察我就够了，我还怪你！”说着，一径去了，不在话下。

且说史湘云住了两日，因要回去。贾母因说：“等过了你宝姐姐的生日，看了戏再回去。”史湘云听了，只得住下。又一面遣人回去，将自己旧日作的两色针线活计取来，为宝钗生辰之仪。

谁想贾母自见宝钗来了，喜他稳重和平，正值他才过第一个生辰，便自己蠲资二十两，唤了凤姐来，交与他置酒戏。凤姐凑趣笑道：“一个老祖宗给孩子们作生日，不拘怎样，谁还敢争，又办什么酒戏。既高兴要热闹，就说不得自己花上几两。巴巴的找出这霉烂的二十两银子来作东道，这意思还叫我赔上。果然拿不出来也罢了，金的、银的、圆的、扁的，压塌了箱子底，只是勒掯我们。举眼看看，谁不是儿女？难道将来只有宝兄弟顶了你老人家上五台山[2]不成？那些梯己只留与他，我们如今虽不配使，也别苦了我们。这个够酒的？够戏的？”说的满屋里都笑起来。贾母亦笑道：“你们听听这嘴！我也算会说的，怎么说不过这猴儿。你婆婆也不敢强嘴，你和我的。”凤姐笑道：“我婆婆也是一样的疼宝玉，我也没处去诉冤，倒说我强嘴。”说着，又引着贾母笑了一回，贾母十分喜悦。

到晚间，众人都在贾母前，定昏之馀，大家娘儿姊妹等说笑时，贾母因问宝钗爱听何戏，爱吃何物等语。宝钗深知贾母年老人，喜热闹戏文，爱吃甜烂之食，便总依贾母往日素喜者说了出来。贾母更加欢悦。次日便先送过衣服玩物礼去，王夫人、凤姐、黛玉等诸人皆有，随分不一，不须多记。

至二十一日，就贾母内院中搭了家常小巧戏台，定了一班新出小戏，昆弋两腔[3]皆有。就在贾母上房摆了几席家宴酒席，并无一个外客，只有薛姨妈、史湘云、宝钗是客，馀者皆是自己人。这日早起，宝玉因不见林黛玉，便到他房中来寻，只见林黛玉歪在炕上。宝玉笑道：“起来吃饭去，就开戏了。你爱看那一出？我好点。”林黛玉冷笑道：“你既这样说，你就特叫一班戏来，拣我爱的唱给我看。这会子犯不上跐[4]着人借光儿问我。”宝玉笑道：“这有什么难的。明儿就这样行，也叫他们借咱们的光儿。”一面说，一面拉起他来，携手出去吃了饭。

点戏时，贾母一定先叫宝钗点。宝钗推让一遍，无法，只得点了一折《西游记》。贾母自是欢喜，然后便命凤姐点。凤姐亦知贾母喜热闹，更喜谑笑科诨[5]，便点了一出《刘二当衣》[6]。贾母果真更又喜欢，然后便命黛玉点〔一〕。黛玉因让薛姨妈王夫人等。贾母道：“今日原是我特带着你们取笑，咱们只管咱们的，别理他们。我巴巴的唱戏摆酒，为他们不成？他们在这里白听白吃，已经便宜了，还让他们点呢！”说着，大家都笑了。黛玉方点了一出。然后宝玉、史湘云、迎、探、惜、李纨等俱各点了，按出扮演。

至上酒席时，贾母又命宝钗点。宝钗点了一出《鲁智深醉闹五台山》[8]。宝玉道：“只好点这些戏。”宝钗道：“你白听了这几年的戏，那里知道这出戏的好处，排场又好，词藻更妙。”宝玉道：“我从来怕这些热闹戏。”宝钗笑道：“要说这一出热闹，你还算不知戏呢。你过来，我告诉你，这一出戏热闹不热闹。——是一套北《点绛唇》[9]，铿锵顿挫，韵律不用说是好的了；只那词藻中有一支《寄生草》[10]，填的极妙，你何曾知道。”宝玉见说的这般好，便凑近来央告：“好姐姐，念与我听听。”宝钗便念道：

漫[11]英雄泪，相离处士家[12]。谢慈悲剃度[13]在莲台[14]下。没缘法[15]转眼分离乍[16]。赤条条来去无牵挂。那里讨

烟蓑雨笠卷单行[17]？一任俺芒鞋破钵随缘化[18]！

宝玉听了，喜的拍膝画圈，称赏不已，又赞宝钗无书不知。林黛玉道：“安静看戏罢，还没唱《山门》，你倒《妆疯》[19]了。”说的湘云也笑了。于是大家看戏。

至晚散时，贾母深爱那作小旦的与一个作小丑的，因命人带进来，细看时益发可怜见。因问年纪，那小旦才十一岁，小丑才九岁，大家叹息一回。贾母令人另拿些肉果与他两个，又另外赏钱两串。凤姐笑道：“这个孩子扮上活像一个人，你们再看不出来。”宝钗心里也知道，便只一笑不肯说。宝玉也猜着了，亦不敢说。史湘云接着笑道：“倒像林妹妹〔二〕的模样儿。”宝玉听了，忙把湘云瞅了一眼，使个眼色。众人却都听了这话，留神细看，都笑起来了，说果然不错。一时散了。

晚间，湘云更衣时，便命翠缕把衣包打开收拾，都包了起来。翠缕道：“忙什么，等去的日子再包不迟。”湘云道：“明儿一早就走。在这里作什么？——看人家的鼻子眼睛，什么意思！”宝玉听了这话，忙赶近前拉他说道：“好妹妹，你错怪了我。林妹妹是个多心的人。别人分明知道，不肯说出来，也皆因怕他恼。谁知你不防头就说了出来，他岂不恼你。我是怕你得罪了他，所以才使眼色。你这会子恼我，不但辜负了我，而且反倒委曲了我。若是别人，那怕他得罪了十个人，与我何干呢。”湘云摔手道：“你那花言巧语别哄我。我也原不如你林妹妹，别人说他，拿他取笑都使得，只我说了就有不是。我原不配说他。他是小姐主子，我是奴才丫头，得罪了他，使不得！”宝玉急的说道：“我倒是为你，反为出不是来了。我要有外心，立刻就化成灰，叫万人践踹！”湘云道：“大正月里，少信嘴胡说。这些没要紧的恶誓、散话[21]、歪话，说给那些小性儿、行动爱恼的人、会辖治你的人听去！别叫我啐你。”说着，一径至贾母里间屋里，忿忿的躺着去了。

宝玉没趣，只得又来寻黛玉。刚到门槛前，黛玉便推出来，将门关上。宝玉又不解何意，在窗外只是吞声叫“好妹妹”。黛玉总不理他。宝玉闷闷的垂头自审。袭人早知端的，当此时断不能劝。那宝玉只是呆呆的站在那里。黛玉只当他回房去了，便起来开门，只见宝玉还站在那里。黛玉反不好意思，不好再关，只得抽身上床躺着。宝玉随进来问道：“凡事都有个原故，说出来，人也不委屈。好好的就恼了，终是什么原故起的？”林黛玉冷笑道：“问的我倒好，我也不知为什么原故。我原是给你们取笑的，——拿我比戏子取笑。”宝玉道：“我并没有比你，我并没笑，为什么恼我呢？”黛玉道：“你还要比？你还要笑？你不比不笑，比人家比了笑了的还利害呢！”宝玉听说，无可分辩，不则一声。

黛玉又道：“这一节还恕得。再者，你为什么又和云儿使眼色？这安的是什么心？莫不是他和我顽，他就自轻自贱了？他原是公侯的小姐，我原是贫民的丫头，他和我顽，设若我回了口，岂不他自惹人轻贱呢。是这主意不是？这却也是你的好心，只是那一个偏又不领你这好情，一般也恼了。你又拿我作情，倒说我小性儿，行动肯恼。你又怕他得罪了我，我恼他。我恼他，与你何干？他得罪了我，又与你何干？”

宝玉见说，方才与湘云私谈，他也听见了。细想自己原为他二人，怕生隙恼，方在中间调和，不想并未调和成功，反已落了两处的贬谤。正合着前日所看《南华经》上，有“巧者劳而智者忧，无能者无所求，饱食而遨游，泛若不系之舟”[22]；又曰“山木自寇，源泉自盗”[23]等语。因此越想越无趣。再细想来，目下不过这两个人，尚未应酬妥协，将来犹欲为何？想到其间，也无庸分辩回答，自己转身回房来。林黛玉见他去了，便知他回思无趣，赌气去了，一言也不曾发，不禁自己越发添了气，便说道：“这一去，一辈子也别来，也别说话。”

宝玉不理，回房躺在床上，只是瞪瞪的。袭人深知原委，不敢就说，只得以他事来解释，因说道：“今儿看了戏，又勾出几天戏来。宝姑娘一定要还席的。”宝玉冷笑道：“他还不还，管谁什么相干。”袭人见这话不是往日的口吻，因又笑道：“这是怎么说？好好的大正月里，娘儿们姊妹们都喜喜欢欢的，你又怎么这个形景了？”宝玉冷笑道：“他们娘儿们姊妹们欢喜不欢喜，也与我无干。”袭人笑道：“他们既随和，你也随和，岂不大家彼此有趣。”宝玉道：“什么是‘大家彼此’！他们有‘大家彼此’，我是‘赤条条来去无牵挂’。”谈及此句，不觉泪下。袭人见此光景，不肯再说。宝玉细想这句意味，不禁大哭起来，翻身起来至案，遂提笔立占一偈云：

你证我证，心证意证。

是无有证，斯可云证。

无可云证，是立足境。[24]

写毕，自虽解悟，又恐人看此不解，因此亦填一支《寄生草》，也写在偈后。自己又念一遍，自觉无挂碍，中心自得，便上床睡了。

谁想黛玉见宝玉此番果断而去，故以寻袭人为由，来视动静。袭人笑回：“已经睡了。”黛玉听说，便要回去。袭人笑道：“姑娘请站住，有一个字帖儿，瞧瞧是什么话。”说着，便将方才那曲子与偈语悄悄拿来，递与黛玉看。黛玉看了，知是宝玉一时感忿而作，不觉可笑可叹，便向袭人道：“作的是顽意儿，无甚关系。”说毕，便携了回房去，与湘云同看。次日又与宝钗看。宝钗看其词曰：

无我原非你，从他不解伊。肆行无碍凭来去。茫茫着甚悲愁喜，纷纷说甚亲疏密。从前碌碌却因何，到如今〔三〕回头试想真无趣！[26]

看毕，又看那偈语，又笑道：“这个人悟了。都是我的不是，都是我昨儿一支曲子惹出来的。这些道书禅机[27]最能移性。明儿认真说起这些疯话来，存了这个意思，都是从我这一只曲子上来，我成了个罪魁了。”说着，便撕了个粉碎，递与丫头们说：“快烧了罢。”黛玉笑道：“不该撕，等我问他。你们跟我来，包管叫他收了这个痴心邪话。”

三人果然都往宝玉屋里来。一进来，黛玉便笑道：“宝玉，我问你：至贵者是‘宝’，至坚者是‘玉’。尔有何贵〔四〕？尔有何坚？”宝玉竟不能答。三人拍手笑道：“这样钝愚，还参禅呢。”黛玉又道：“你那偈末云，‘无可云证，是立足境’，固然好了，只是据我看，还未尽善。我再续两句在后。”因念云：“无立足境，是方干净。”宝钗道：“实在这方悟彻。当日南宗六祖惠能[29]，初寻师至韶州，闻五祖弘忍在黄梅，他便充役火头僧。五祖欲求法嗣[30]，令徒弟诸僧各出一偈。上座神秀[31]说道：‘身是菩提树，心如明镜台，时时勤拂拭，莫使有尘埃。’[32]彼时惠能在厨房碓米[33]，听了这偈，说道：‘美则美矣〔五〕，了则未了。’因自念一偈曰：‘菩提本非树，明镜亦非台，本来无一物，何处染尘埃？’[35]五祖便将衣钵[36]传他。今儿这偈语，亦同此意了。只是方才这句机锋，尚未完全了结，这便丢开手不成？”黛玉笑道：“彼时不能答，就算输了，这会子答上了也不为出奇。只是以后再不许谈禅了。连我们两个所知所能的，你还不知不能呢，还去参禅呢。”宝玉自己以为觉悟，不想忽被黛玉一问，便不能答；宝钗又比出“语录”[37]来，此皆素不见他们能者。自己想了一想：“原来他们比我的知觉在先，尚未解悟，我如今何必自寻苦恼。”想毕，便笑道：“谁又参禅，不过一时顽话罢了。”说着，四人仍复如旧。

忽然人报，娘娘差人送出一个灯谜儿，命你们大家去猜，猜着了每人也作一个进去。四人听说忙出去，至贾母上房。只见一个小太监，拿了一盏四角平头白纱灯，专为灯谜而制，上面已有一个，众人都争看乱猜。小太监又下谕道：“众小姐猜着了，不要说出来，每人只暗暗的写在纸上，一齐封进宫去，娘娘自验是否。”宝钗等听了，近前一看，是一首七言绝句，并无甚新奇，口中少不得称赞，只说难猜，故意寻思，其实一见就猜着了。宝玉、黛玉、湘云、探春四个人也都解了，各自暗暗的写了半日。一并将贾环、贾兰等传来，一齐各揣机心都猜了，写在纸上。然后各人拈一物作成一谜，恭楷写了，挂在灯上。

太监去了，至晚出来传谕：“前日娘娘所制，俱已猜着，惟二小姐与三爷猜的不是。小姐们作的也都猜了〔六〕，不知是否。”说着，也将写的拿出来。也有猜着的，也有猜不着的，都胡乱说猜着了。太监又将颁赐之物送与猜着之人，每人一个宫制诗筒[39]，一柄茶筅[40]，独迎春、贾环二人未得。迎春自为玩笑小事，并不介意，贾环便觉得没趣。且又听太监说：“三爷说的这个不通，娘娘也没猜，叫我带回问三爷是个什么。”众人听了，都来看他作的什么，写道是：

大哥有角只八个，二哥有角只两根。

大哥只在床上坐，二哥爱在房上蹲。

众人看了，大发一笑。贾环只得告诉太监说：“一个枕头，一个兽头[41]。”太监记了，领茶而去。

贾母见元春这般有兴，自己越发喜乐，便命速作一架小巧精致围屏灯来，设于堂屋，命他姊妹们各自暗暗的作了，写出来粘于屏上，然后预备下香茶细果以及各色玩物，为猜着之贺。贾政朝罢，见贾母高兴，况在节间，晚上也来承欢取乐。设了酒果，备了玩物，上房悬了彩灯，请贾母赏灯取乐。上面贾母、贾政、宝玉一席，下面王夫人、宝钗、黛玉、湘云又一席，迎、探、惜三个又一席。地下婆娘丫鬟站满。李宫裁、王熙凤二人在里间又一席。贾政因不见贾兰，便问：“怎么不见兰哥？”地下婆娘忙进里间问李氏，李氏起身笑着回道：“他说方才老爷并没去叫他，他不肯来。”婆娘回复了贾政。众人都笑说：“天生的牛心古怪。”贾政忙遣贾环与两个婆娘将贾兰唤来。贾母命他在身旁坐了，抓果品与他吃。大家说笑取乐。

往常间只有宝玉长谈阔论，今日贾政在这里，便惟有唯唯而已。馀者湘云虽系闺阁弱女，却素喜谈论，今日贾政在席，也自缄口禁言〔七〕。黛玉本性懒与人共，原不肯多语。宝钗原不妄言轻动，便此时亦是坦然自若。故此一席虽是家常取乐，反见拘束不乐。贾母亦知因贾政一人在此所致之故，酒过三巡，便撵贾政去歇息。贾政亦知贾母之意，撵了自己去后，好让他们姊妹兄弟取乐的。贾政忙陪笑道：“今日原听见老太太这里大设春灯雅谜，故也备了彩礼酒席，特来入会。何疼孙子孙女之心，便不略赐与儿子半点？”贾母笑道：“你在这里，他们都不敢说笑，没的倒叫我闷。你要猜谜时，我便说一个你猜，猜不着是要罚的。”贾政忙笑道：“自然要罚。若猜着了，也是要领赏的。”贾母道：“这个自然。”说着便念道：

猴子身轻站树梢。

——打一果名。[43]

贾政已知是荔枝，便故意乱猜别的，罚了许多东西；然后方猜着，也得了贾母的东西。然后也念一个与贾母猜，念道：

身自端方，体自坚硬。

虽不能言，有言必应。

——打一用物。[44]

说毕，便悄悄的说与宝玉。宝玉意会，又悄悄的告诉了贾母。贾母想了想，果然不差，便说：“是砚台。”贾政笑道：“到底是老太太，一猜就是。”回头说：“快把贺彩送上来。”地下妇女答应一声，大盘小盘一齐捧上。贾母逐件看去，都是灯节下所用所顽新巧之物，甚喜，遂命：“给你老爷斟酒。”宝玉执壶，迎春送酒。贾母因说：“你瞧瞧那屏上，都是他姊妹们做的，再猜一猜我听。”

贾政答应，起身走至屏前，只见头一个写道是：

能使妖魔胆尽摧，身如束帛气如雷。

一声震得人方恐，回首相看已化灰。[45]

贾政道：“这是炮竹嗄。”宝玉答道：“是。”贾政又看道：

天运人功理不穷，有功无运也难逢。

因何镇日纷纷乱，只为阴阳数不同。[46]

贾政道：“是算盘。”迎春笑道：“是。”又往下看是：

阶下儿童仰面时，清明妆点最堪宜。

游丝一断浑无力，莫向东风怨别离。[47]

贾政道：“这是风筝。”探春笑道：“是。”又看道是：

前身色相总无成，不听菱歌听佛经。

莫道此生沉黑海，性中自有大光明〔八〕。[49]

贾政道：“这是佛前海灯嗄。”惜春笑答道：“是海灯。”

贾政心内沉思道：“娘娘所作爆竹，此乃一响而散之物。迎春所作算盘，是打动乱如麻。探春所作风筝，乃飘飘浮荡之物。惜春所作海灯，一发清净孤独。今乃上元佳节，如何皆作此不祥之物为戏耶？”心内愈思愈闷，因在贾母之前，不敢形于色，只得仍勉强往下看去。只见后面写着七言律诗一首，却是宝钗所作，随念道：

朝罢谁携两袖烟，琴边衾里总无缘。

晓筹不用鸡人报，五夜无烦侍女添。

焦首朝朝还暮暮，煎心日日复年年。

光阴荏苒须当惜，风雨阴晴任变迁。[50]

贾政看完，心内自忖道：“此物还倒有限。只是小小之人作此词句，更觉不祥，皆非永远福寿之辈。”想到此处，愈觉烦闷，大有悲戚之状，因而将适才的精神减去十分之八九，只垂头沉思。

贾母见贾政如此光景，想到或是他身体劳乏亦未可定，又兼之恐拘束了众姊妹不得高兴玩耍，即对贾政云：“你竟不必猜了，去安歇罢。让我们再坐一会，也好散了。”贾政一闻此言，连忙答应几个“是”字，又勉强劝了贾母一回酒，方才退出去了。回至房中只是思索，翻来覆去竟难成寐，不由伤悲感慨，不在话下。

且说贾母见贾政去了，便道：“你们可自在乐一乐罢。”一言未了，早见宝玉跑至围屏灯前，指手画脚，满口批评，这个这一句不好，那一个破的不恰当，如同开了锁的猴子一般。宝钗便道：“还像适才坐着，大家说说笑笑，岂不斯文些儿。”凤姐自里间忙出来插口道：“你这个人，就该老爷每日令你寸步不离方好。适才我忘了，为什么不当着老爷，撺掇叫你也作诗谜儿。若果如此，怕不得这会子正出汗呢。”说的宝玉急了，扯着凤姐儿，扭股儿糖似的只是厮缠。贾母又与李宫裁并众姊妹说笑了一会，也觉有些困倦起来。听了听已是漏下四鼓，命将食物撤去，赏散与众人，随起身道：“我们安歇罢。明日还是节下，该当早起。明日晚间再玩罢。”且听下回分解。

[1] 笄（jī机）——用金属、玉石、骨角等物制成的别头发用的一种簪子。古代女子十五岁而始戴笄，表示成年，可以许嫁。见《礼记·内则》。故后来称女子到了成年为“及笄”或“将笄之年”。

[2] 顶了你老人家上五台山——旧俗出殡，主丧的“孝子”在灵前头顶铭旌，持幡领路，叫作“顶灵”。这里的“顶”，即“顶灵”。五台山：在山西省五台县，是我国古代佛教“圣地”之一。这里因为讳言死，故用“上五台山”暗喻“死后登仙成佛”。

[3] 昆弋（yì异）两腔——两种戏曲声腔。昆腔即昆山腔，起源于江苏昆山县，经明人魏良辅等加工整理后，盛行于明代后期和清代。用昆腔唱的词曲（包括南曲和北曲）叫作昆曲。弋腔，即弋阳腔，起源于江西弋阳县。

[4] 跐（cǐ此）——蹬踏，也可引申为仰仗。清·福格《听雨丛谈》卷十一“跐”条：“京师人以足蹬物而升曰跐。”

[5] 科诨（hùn混）——插科打诨的简称，指穿插在戏曲中令人发笑的滑稽动作和对话。诨：指古代戏曲中逗笑的台词。

[6] 《刘二当衣》——弋阳腔剧目。自明传奇《裴度还带》第十三出《刘二勒债》改编，演财主刘二官人悭吝成性，用计扣下其姐夫裴度的当物以抵押前帐。该出演为弋阳腔有两种不同的戏路子：其一内容基本未变，称《扣当》（或《叩当》）；其二则演破落后的刘二官人去当铺当衣，叫《叩当》，亦名《刘二当衣》，有车王府本，注明“丑刘二官人当旧衣，诨戏。”此处当为后一种，因其谑笑科诨，合乎贾母爱热闹的脾性。

〔一〕 “命黛玉点”，原无“点”字，从梦稿本补。

[8] 《鲁智深醉闹五台山》——又叫《山门》或《醉打山门》，是清初邱园（或作朱佐朝）所作《虎囊弹》传奇中的一出。现存《缀白裘》中。演《水浒》中鲁智深打死恶霸郑屠后，在五台山出家避难，因不守佛门清规，破戒醉酒，大闹寺院山门，被他师父智真长老打发离山的故事。

[9] 一套北《点绛唇》——《点绛唇》：曲牌名，由同名词牌演变而来。有南曲、北曲两种。南曲入黄钟宫，用词的全阕。北曲入仙吕宫，只用词的前半阕，通章押韵。《山门》的唱段是用的一套北曲，以仙吕《点绛唇》开头，所以说“是一套北《点绛唇》”。

[10] 《寄生草》——曲牌名，是《点绛唇》套曲中的一支曲子。在《山门》中为鲁智深拜别师父时所唱。

[11] 漫（wèn问）——漫：随意，不经意。：揩拭。

[12] “相离”句——处士：不做官的隐居之士。这里指七宝村的赵员外。鲁智深打死郑屠后，先在他家避难，后因走漏风声，只得离开那里去五台山出家当和尚。

[13] 剃度——佛家语。指佛教徒剃去须发，接受戒条，出家为僧的仪式。佛教认为这是超度人们脱离生死苦难之始，故称“剃度”。

[14] 莲台——也叫“莲华台”，即佛像所坐的莲花状台座。

[15] 缘法——缘分；机缘。

[16] 乍——这里是仓促之意。

[17] “烟蓑”句——烟蓑雨笠：即蓑衣斗笠。卷单行：即离寺而去。游方僧入寺寄寓，须先将衣钵袋挂在僧堂的钩上，得到住持的许可，才能住下，这种手续叫“挂褡”，也叫“挂单”。离寺就叫“卷单”。“单”即僧人的执照。

[18] “芒鞋”句——芒鞋：草鞋。随缘化：即随机缘而求人布施，这里有随遇而安的意思。化：即化缘，指僧徒向人劝募乞讨。

[19] 《妆疯》——北曲折子戏，演唐代尉迟敬德因不肯挂帅出征而假装疯病的故事。本元代无名氏杂剧《功臣宴敬德不伏老》第三折，俗称《妆疯》。

〔二〕 “林妹妹”，各脂本均同。程乙本作“林姐姐”。

[21] 散话——与正事无干的闲话。

[22] “巧者劳而智者忧”几句——语出《庄子·列御寇》。意思是心灵手巧的人总是辛苦劳碌，聪明智慧的人总是多思多虑，而无挂无碍的人则什么也不追求，吃饱了就任兴漫游，好像没有缆绳拴住的小船，自由自在地随水漂流。无能：在这里是自忘其能，无所挂碍的意思。

[23] “山木自寇，源泉自盗”——“山木自寇”语出《庄子·人间世》。意思是山中的树木因成材而招人来砍伐。“源泉自盗”似从《庄子·山木》中“甘井先竭”之句化出，意思是源泉之水因甘美而惹人来盗饮。

[24] “你证我证”一偈——证：印证；证验。佛教用语中又作领悟解。此偈用意双关，既是谈禅，也是说情。就后一义说，其大意是：彼此都想从对方得到感情的印证而频添烦恼；看来只有到了灭绝情意，无须再证验时，方谈得上感情上的彻悟；到了万境归空，什么都无可证验之时，才是真正的立足之境。黛玉所续二句说：连立足之境也没有，那才是真正的干净了。

〔三〕 “到如今”，原用小字双行抄写，似系曲子中的“衬字”，因易与夹批混同，从梦稿、戚序、蒙府、甲辰本排入正文。

[26] “无我原非你”一首——此曲为宝玉对“你证我证”一偈的解释。意亦双关，以谈禅之名谈情。“无我原非你”：没有我也就没有你，你我相互依存，意取《庄子·齐物论》：“非彼无我，非我无所取。”原意是，没有它（“道”、真宰）就没有我，没有我也就没有东西来体现它了。“从他不解伊”：任凭他人不理解你好了。从：任凭。伊：你。“肆行无碍凭来去”：自己何妨随心所欲地自由行动呢。

[27] 道书、机锋、禅机、参禅——道书：这里指道家的书或用道家思想写的文字。机锋：禅宗僧徒认为用语言文字正面表述禅理是不可能的，主张“以心传心，不立文字”，因而多用比喻或隐语来试探，让人猜度、印证，甚至一言不发，靠某些特定的动作来表达心意。凡此都称之为机锋。禅机：即佛门禅宗所宣扬的“妙谛”（真理）。参禅：也叫悟禅，就是通过静心思虑，排除杂念的方法，来参悟佛教的“真理”。

〔四〕 “尔有何贵”，“尔”原作“你”，从梦稿、甲辰本改。

[29] 南宗六祖惠能——据传，南天竺人菩提达摩于五世纪初来中国传播禅法，建立了早期禅宗，被推为禅宗东土始祖。达摩传慧可（二祖），慧可传僧粲（三祖），僧粲传道信（四祖），道信传弘忍（五祖）。弘忍死后，禅宗分成南北两宗。北宗以神秀为六祖，南宗以惠能为六祖。惠能，一作慧能，中国佛教禅宗的实际创立者。初投弘忍门下当“行者”，在碓房里舂米。因作“菩提本无树”一偈，得到弘忍的赏识，便将禅法秘授与他，并付予法衣，史称南宗六祖。后来中国佛教史上的禅宗和思想史上的禅学，一般指南宗和惠能的禅学。

[30] 法嗣——佛门宗派传法的继承人。隋唐以后的佛教宗派，模仿世俗的封建宗法制度，把师徒之间的传承关系看作像父子继承的关系一样，故仿宗法制度的方式建立自己的谱系，即所谓“法裔”、“法嗣”的制度。

[31] 上座神秀——神秀，少年出家，投禅宗五祖弘忍门下，是个博学的和尚。弘忍生前，是寺中的上座（僧职，地位仅次于住持）；弘忍死后，成为禅宗北派的创始人，史称北宗六祖。

[32] “身是菩提树”一偈——菩提树：常绿乔木，据《西域记》载即毕钵罗树，相传释迦在此树下悟道成佛。“菩提”为梵文音译，其义为“觉悟”。尘：佛教以色、声、香、味、触、法为“六尘”。认为它“坋污净心”。这首偈代表了禅宗北宗的主张，认为人自身虽有佛性，但因受尘世杂念搅扰，必须通过坐禅，逐渐修炼，方能领悟，因称“渐悟”。

[33] 碓（duì对）米——即舂米，用杵在石臼中捣米。碓：舂米用具。

〔五〕 “美则美矣”，原无“矣”字，从各本补。

[35] “菩提本非树”一偈——这首偈代表了禅宗南宗“顿悟”的主张，同北宗的“渐悟”相对。即认为所谓“觉悟”不是外在的而只要向内心寻求，因此主张不用诵经、坐禅、布施，只要体会佛经的精神，主观上顿时觉悟，便可立地成佛。

[36] 衣钵——佛家师徒间传承授受的法器。衣：指袈裟。钵：指僧人盛饭食器。典出《传灯录》，谓禅宗五祖弘忍将衣钵传与六祖惠能。后世本此，凡师徒相传，都称传承衣钵。

[37] 语录——古代一种语体文。起源于唐代，僧徒用当时通俗口语记载其师的传授，叫“语录”。到了宋代，儒家讲学风起，门生弟子仿照佛家语录体将其师言论直录成书，语录体遂大行于世。

〔六〕 “也都猜了”，原作“也有猜着了”，从梦稿、舒序、甲辰本改。

[39] 诗筒——装诗歌草稿用的竹筒。庚辰本脂批：“诗筒，身边所佩之物，以待偶成之句草录暂收之。”又，古人将诗笺盛入筒中，便于往来传递，亦称诗筒。

[40] 茶筅（xiǎn险）——用竹子做的洗涤茶具的刷箒。脂评有注：“破竹如帚以净茶之积也。”

[41] 兽头——古代建筑塑在屋檐角上的两角怪兽。明杨慎《升庵外集》：“螭吻，好望，今屋上兽头是也。”俗传龙生九子，其一为螭吻。

〔七〕 “缄口禁言”，“缄”原作“插”，点改为“”，当系“缄”字之误，径改。

[43] 贾母灯谜——“站树梢”，义同“立枝”，“立”“荔”谐音，故谜底为“荔枝”。“荔枝”又与“离枝”谐音，故脂批说此谜的寓意在暗示“所谓‘树倒猢狲散’是也”。

[44] 贾政灯谜——谜底是砚。“必”与“笔”谐音，谜面即“有言必（笔）应”。又“砚”“验”谐音，意寓贾母等人所作灯谜中的谶言，必将得到应验。

[45] 元春灯谜——此谜是元春得宠和短寿的形象写照。“能使”句，迷信传说爆竹能驱除鬼魅。见《荆楚岁时记》，故云妖魔胆摧。首二句喻元春为妃后身价百倍，声势烜赫。后两句暗示元春昙花一现，贾府好景不长。

[46] 迎春灯谜——此谜隐寓迎春一生的遭际。天运：即天数。人功：算盘上的珠子，要靠人去拨，故曰人功。镇日：整天，“镇”“整”通。阴阳：指上下排算珠，兼指男女、夫妻。数：运数，命运。

[47] 探春灯谜——此谜是以断线风筝暗示探春远嫁不归。“清明”句，说清明时节是最适宜放风筝的好时光，与第五回判词中“清明涕送江边望”之句参看，实点出佚稿中她出嫁的季节。游丝：本指春天昆虫吐出飘荡在空中的飞丝，这里指放风筝的线。浑：全。

〔八〕 本回底本至惜春之谜止，下缺，从戚序本补。底本回末另页保存有宝钗谜，谜前批明“暂记宝钗制谜云”七字。谜中“晓筹不用鸡人报”，底本作“晓筹不用人鸡报”。

[49] 惜春灯谜——此谜暗示惜春为尼的归宿。“前身”句，意为前世因迷恋尘世色相，未能修成正果。色相：佛教用语，一切有形质、颜色、相貌可见的东西，都叫色相。无成：没有悟道成佛。不听菱歌：即看破红尘。乐府诗中菱歌莲曲，内容多属男女情歌。沉黑海：投身佛门与人间繁华欢乐绝缘，从世人来看，就像沉入漆黑的海底。性：佛性。《六祖坛经·决疑品》第三：“性在身心存，性去身心坏。佛向性中作，莫向身外求。自性迷即是众生，自性觉即是佛。”大光明：佛祖释迦牟尼曾称大光明王，后以此代指佛。

[50] 宝钗灯谜——谜底是更香，用以暗示薛宝钗以后孤凄寡居的结局。“朝罢”句，从杜甫《和贾至早朝大明宫》中“朝罢香烟携满袖”句化出，暗寓荣华过后，两手空空之意。“琴边”句，意谓更香与弹琴时的鼎炉之香和熏被褥之香均无关，意寓宝钗同琴瑟和谐的夫妻生活终究是没有缘分的。晓筹：代指早晨的时刻。筹：这里指古代计时用的竹筹或铜筹。鸡人：古代宫中头戴“绛帻”（红布头巾，象征雄鸡鸡冠）专职司晨报晓的卫士。五夜：即五更。“焦首”二句：以香从头上点燃和由外向内燃烧的情状，喻人苦恼忧煎的生活。荏苒（rěn　rǎn忍染）：时间渐渐过去的样子。更香：古时为夜间打更制造的一种线香，每燃完一支恰是一更，故称更香。

CHAPTER 22. Bao-yu finds Zen enlightenment in an operatic aria And Jia Zheng sees portents of doom in lantern riddles

Hearing that Xi-feng wanted to consult him about something, Jia Lian halted and asked her what it was.

‘It’s Bao-chai’s birthday on the twenty-first,’ said Xi-feng. ‘What do you think we ought to do about it?’

‘How should I know?’ said Jia Lian. ‘You’ve managed plenty of big birthday celebrations before in your time. Why have you become so helpless all of a sudden?’

‘There are fixed rules for everything when you are planning a big grown-up celebration,’ said Xi-feng; ‘but in Bao-chai’s case she’s neither exactly grown-up nor exactly a child any longer. That’s why I wanted your advice.’

Jia Lian lowered his head and thought for a moment.

‘Why, you’re being stupid!’ he said presently. ‘There’s a precedent right in front of you. What about Dai-yu? All you’ve got to do is find what arrangements you made in the past for her and do exactly the same for Bao-chai now.’

‘Do you suppose I didn’t think of that?’ said Xi-feng with scorn. ‘I’m not that stupid! The point is that yesterday, because of something Grandma said, I started asking them all their birthdays and ages, and it seems that on this birthday of hers on the twenty-first Bao-chai is going to be fifteen. Now that doesn’t qualify for a full-scale celebration, but it is a sort of coming-of-age, and when Grandma heard about it she said she wanted to sponsor something for it herself. So obviously, whatever we do, it can’t be quite the same as what we’ve done in the past for Dai-yu.’

‘Well in that case,’ said Jia Lian, ‘take what you did for Dai-yu as a basis and just add on a bit.’

‘That’s what I’d thought of doing,’ said Xi-feng; ‘but I wanted to see what you thought before doing anything definite, because I didn’t want to go adding extras on my own initiative and then have you complaining that you hadn’t been properly consulted.’

‘You can cut that out!’ said Jia Lian – though not ill-humouredly. ‘You know you don’t really mean a word of it! Just stop snooping on me all the time, that’s all I ask. You won’t hear any complaints from me then about not being consulted!’

With that he walked off: but whither, or to whom, our narrative does not disclose.

It tells us instead that Shi Xiang-yun, having spent a considerable part of the New Year holiday with the Jias, was now on the point of returning home, but was urged by Grandmother Jia to wait for Bao-chai’s birthday and not go back until she had seen the plays. Xiang-yun agreed to stay and sent someone home with instructions to tell them that she would be returning a little later than planned and to fetch a couple of pieces of her own embroidery that she could give to Bao-chai as a birthday-present.

Ever since Bao-chai’s first arrival, Grandmother Jia had been pleasurably impressed by her placid and dependable disposition, and now that she was about to spend her first ‘big’ birthday in the Jia household, the old lady resolved to make it a memorable one. Taking twenty taels of silver from her private store, she summoned Xi-feng and directed her to spend it on providing wine and plays for a celebration. Xi-feng made this the occasion for a little raillery.

‘If the old lady says she wants her grandchild’s birthday celebrated,’ she said, ‘then celebrated it must be, and we must all jump to it without arguing! But if she’s going to start asking for plays as well, all I can say to that is that if she’s in the mood for a bit of fun, I’m afraid she’s going to have to pay for it. She’s going to have to cough up something out of those private savings of hers she’s been hoarding all these years – not wait until the last minute and then fish out a measly little twenty taels to pay for the party: that’s just another way of telling us we’ve got to pay for it ourselves. I mean, if you were really hard up, it would be another matter: but you’ve got boxes and boxes of boodle – the bottoms are dropping out of them, they’re so full! It’s pure meanness, that’s what it is! You forget, Grannie, when you go to heaven young Bao-yu won’t be the only one who’ll walk ahead of the hearse. You’ve got other grandchildren too, don’t forget! You don’t have to leave everything to him. The rest of us may not be much use, but you mustn’t be too hard on us. Twenty taels! Do you really think that’s enough to pay for a party and plays?’

At this point the entire company burst into laughter, which Grandmother Jia joined in herself.

‘Just listen to her!’ she said. ‘I thought I had a fairly sharp tongue, but I’m no match for this one: “Clack-clack, clack-clack” – it’s worse than a pair of wooden clappers! Even your mother-in-law daren’t argue with me, my dear! Don’t pick on me!’

‘Mother-in-law is just as soppy about Bao-yu as you are,’ said Xi-feng. ‘I’ve got no one to tell my troubles to. And you say I’m sharp-tongued!’

Xi-feng’s mock-lugubriousness set the old lady off in another squall of laughter. She loved to be teased, and Xi-feng’s bantering put her in great good humour.

That night, when the young folk had finished paying their evening duty and were standing round her laughing and talking a while before retiring to their own apartments, Grandmother Jia asked Bao-chai what sort of plays she liked best and what her favourite dishes were. Bao-chai was well aware that her grandmother, like most old women, enjoyed the livelier, more rackety sort of plays and liked sweet and pappy things to eat, so she framed her answers entirely in terms of these preferences. The old lady was delighted.

Next day presents of clothing and various other objects, to which Lady Wang, Xi-feng, Dai-yu and the rest had all contributed, were sent round to Bao-chai’s. Our narrative supplies no details.

At last the twenty-first arrived. A dear little stage had been erected in the courtyard outside Grandmother Jia’s apartment and a newly trained troupe of child actors able to perform both Kun-qu and the noisier Yi-qiang type of plays had been engaged. In the apartment’s main sitting-room a semicircle of little tables were arranged facing outwards towards the stage and laid in preparation for a feast. No outsiders were invited. The guests of honour were Aunt Xue, Shi Xiang-yun, and Bao-chai herself. All the others invited were members of the family.

Early that morning Bao-yu, not seeing Dai-yu around, went to look for her in her room and found her still reclining on the kang.

‘Get up and have something to eat!’ he said. ‘The players will be starting shortly. Tell me some play you like so that I shall know which one to choose!’

‘If you’re so anxious to please me,’ said Dai-yu coldly, ‘you ought to hire a troupe specially and put on all my favourites. It’s a cheap sort of kindness to treat me at someone else’s expense!’

‘Never mind!’ said Bao-yu. ‘When we hire a troupe for you, you’ll be able to return the compliment.’

He hauled her up from the kang, and the two of them went off hand in hand together.

As soon as they had eaten, it was time to talk about choosing the plays and Grandmother Jia called on Bao-chai to begin. Bao-chai made a show of declining; but it was her birthday, and in the end she gave in and selected a piece about Monkey from The Journey to the West. Grandmother Jia was pleased.

Aunt Xue was now invited to pick a play, but as her own daughter had just chosen, she refused. Grandmother Jia did not press her and passed on to Xi-feng. Xi-feng would normally have refused to take precedence over her aunt and mother-in-law, who were both present, but Grandmother had commanded and must be obeyed. As she happened to know that the old lady’s partiality for lively plays was particularly strong in the case of those which had lots of jokes and clowning in them, she selected a piece entitled Liu Er Pawns His Clothes in order to make sure that this element was not lacking from the programme. As she had anticipated, Grandmother Jia was even more delighted by this second choice.

Next Dai-yu was asked to choose. She deferred to Aunt Xing and Aunt Wang; but Grandmother Jia was insistent:

‘I’ve brought you young people here today for some fun,’ she said. ‘I want you to enjoy yourselves. Never mind about them! I didn’t go to all this trouble just for their sakes! They are lucky to be here at all, having all this good food and entertainment for nothing: you surely don’t think that on top of that I’m going to let them choose the plays?’

The others all laughed, and Dai-yu chose a play. Then Bao-yu, Shi Xiang-yun, Ying-chun, Tan-chun, Xi-chun and Li Wan each chose a play in turn, after which the little players proceeded to perform them in the order in which they had been selected.

When the time came to bring in the wine and begin the feast, Grandmother Jia invited Bao-chai to choose again. This time she asked for Zhi-shen at the Monastery Gate.

‘Why do you keep choosing plays like that?’ said Bao-yu.

‘To hear you talk, it doesn’t sound as if all your years of play-going have taught you much,’ said Bao-chai. ‘This is an excellent play, both from the point of view of the music and of the words.’

‘I can’t stand noisy plays,’ said Bao-yu. ‘I never could.’

‘If you call this a noisy play,’ said Bao-chai, ‘it proves that you don’t know what you’re talking about. Come over here and I’ll explain. This Zhi-shen at the Monastery Gate is a “Ruby Lips” sequence in the Northern mode. That means, musically speaking, that it is in a vigorous, somewhat staccato style. In fact the musical excellence of this piece goes without saying. But apart from that, the libretto is good, too. The words of Zhi-shen’s “Clinging Vine” aria, which is the last but one in the sequence, are particularly fine.’

Bao-yu was interested, drew his chair closer, and begged her to let him hear them. Lowering her voice so as not to disturb the others, she half-sang, half-recited them for his benefit:

‘I dash aside the manly tear

And take leave of my monkish home.

A word of thanks to you, my Master dear,

Who tonsured me before the Lotus Throne:

’Twas not my luck to stay with you,

And in a short while I must say adieu,

Naked and friendless through the world to roam.

I ask no goods, no gear to take away,

Only straw sandals and a broken bowl,

To beg from place to place as best I may.’

Bao-yu listened enthralled, tapping his knee and nodding his head in time to her singing. When she had done, he agreed enthusiastically about the excellence of the words and congratulated her on the extraordinary breadth of her knowledge.

‘Sh!’ said Dai-yu, looking round crossly in Bao-yu’s direction. ‘Can’t you be a bit quieter and attend to the play? This is Zhi-shen at the Monastery Gate we’re supposed to be listening to, not Jing-de Acts the Madman!’

Xiang-yun found this very funny.

They continued to watch plays until the evening. Grandmother Jia had taken a particular fancy to the little player who had acted the heroine’s parts and the one who had played the clown, and when the last performance was over, she asked for them to be brought in to see her. She found them very ‘sweet’ – even more so on a closer inspection – and asked them their ages. The leading lady turned out to be eleven and the clown only nine! There were murmurs and exclamations from all present when they heard this, and Grandmother Jia told someone to give them delicacies from the table and a present of money each, in addition to what they would receive as members of the troupe.

Meanwhile Xi-feng appeared to be very much amused about something.

‘The way that child there is made-up makes him look so like someone we know,’ she said. ‘Haven’t any of you noticed?’

Bao-chai knew whom she was referring to, but merely nodded her head slightly without replying. Bao-yu, too, nodded, but did not dare to reply. Only Xiang-yun was tactless enough to say anything:

‘Oh, I know!’ she blurted out. ‘Like Cousin Lin, you mean?’

Bao-yu shot a quick glance in her direction; but it was too late. Xiang-yun’s reply had prompted the others to look more carefully, with the result that they all instantaneously burst out laughing, so striking was the resemblance. Shortly after this the party broke up.

During the evening Xiang-yun ordered Kingfisher to start packing. Kingfisher remonstrated:

‘What’s the hurry? Why not wait till we’re going? There’ll be plenty of time before we go.’

‘We’re going first thing tomorrow,’ said Xiang-yun. ‘What’s the point of staying any longer? You can see from the looks on their faces that we are not welcome here.’

Bao-yu chanced to overhear this remark and hurried in to her:

‘You’re wrong to be offended with me, coz. The others all know how sensitive Cousin Lin is, and they wouldn’t answer because they were afraid of upsetting her. When you suddenly spoke up without realizing, I knew she was bound to be upset, and that’s the reason why I looked at you like that. I was worried for your sake, because I was afraid she would be offended with you. That you should now get angry with me is really rather unfair. If it had been anyone else but you, I shouldn’t have minded whether they offended her or not. I shouldn’t have felt that much concern about them.’

Xiang-yun silenced him with an imperious wave of her hand:

‘You can save your fine speeches for someone else. They’re wasted on me. Obviously I’m not in the same class as your Cousin Lin. It’s all right for other people to laugh at her; but as soon as I say anything about her, I’m at once in the wrong. I’m not really worthy to speak about her at all. She’s the young lady of the house. I’m only a little nobody!’

‘I was only thinking of you,’ said Bao-yu in great agitation, ‘yet now you put me in the wrong. May I straightway turn into dust and be trodden beneath ten thousand feet if I had any but the kindest intentions!’

‘You are too glib with your ridiculous oaths,’ said Xiang-yun. ‘This is no time for swearing. You can keep that kind of talk for that sensitive, easily upset person you were talking about. She knows how to handle you. Don’t try it on me: it makes me thick!’

With these words she walked off into the inner room of Grandmother Jia’s apartment and lay down on the kang in a rage.

Very much out of countenance, Bao-yu went off to look for Dai-yu. She must have been waiting for him, for just as he was entering the room, she pushed him out again and shut the door. Totally at a loss to understand her behaviour, he called to her softly through the window:

‘Dai, dear! Dai!’

But she took no notice.

Bao-yu stood there disconsolately, hanging his head in silence. Nightingale knew what was happening, but judged the time not ripe for her to intervene; so he continued to stand there like an idiot, until at last Dai-yu thought he must have gone back to his own room, and opened the door again. When she saw him still standing there, she had not the heart to shut the door on him a second time, and allowed him to follow her back into the room.

‘There’s always a reason for everything,’ he said. ‘If you tell people what it is, they don’t feel so bad about it. You can’t suddenly get angry with me for no reason whatever. What is all this about?’

‘Don’t ask me!’ said Dai-yu coldly. ‘I don’t know. I’m only a figure of fun – the sort of person you might compare with a child actor in order to get a good laugh from the others.’

‘I never made the comparison,’ said Bao-yu hotly, ‘and I never laughed at you. Why should you be angry with me?’

‘You would like to have made the comparison; you would like to have laughed,’ said Dai-yu. ‘To me your way of not comparing and not laughing was worse than the others’ laughing and comparing!’

Bao-yu found this unanswerable.

‘However,’ Dai-yu went on, ‘that I could forgive. But what about that look you gave Yun? Just what did you mean by that? I think I know what you meant. You meant to warn her that she would cheapen herself by joking with me as an equal. Because she’s an Honourable and her uncle’s a marquis and I’m only the daughter of a commoner, she mustn’t risk joking with me, because it would be so degrading for her if I were to answer back. That’s what you meant, isn’t it? Oh yes, you had the kindest intentions. Only unfortunately she didn’t want your kind intentions and got angry with you in spite of them. So you tried to make it up with her at my expense, by telling her how touchy I am and how easily I get upset. You were afraid she might offend me, were you? As if it were any business of yours whether she offended me or not, or whether or not I got angry with her!’

When Bao-yu heard her say this, he knew she must have overheard every word of his conversation with Xiang-yun. He reflected that he had only acted in the first place from a desire to keep the peace between them: yet the only outcome of his good intentions had been a telling-off by either party. It put him in mind of something he had read a day or two previously in Zhuang-zi:

The cunning waste their pains;

The wise men vex their brains;

But the simpleton, who seeks no gains,

With belly full, he wanders free

As drifting boat upon the sea.

and of another passage from the same book about timber trees inviting the axe and sweet springs being the cause of their own contamination. The more he thought about it, the more dejected he became.

‘If I can’t even get on with the few people I live with now,’ he asked himself, ‘how am I going to manage later on…?’

At that point in his reflections it seemed to him that there was no further point in arguing, and he turned to go back to his room.

Dai-yu realized that he must have thought of something upsetting to go off like this. But not to be answered was altogether too provoking. She felt the anger mounting inside her.

‘All right, go!’ she shouted after him. ‘And don’t ever come back! And don’t ever speak to me again!’

Bao-yu ignored her. He went straight back to his own room, threw himself on the bed, and lay staring at the ceiling. Aroma knew what the trouble was but dared not, for the time being at any rate, refer to it. She tried distracting him with talk of other matters.

‘I suppose there’ll be more plays after today, won’t there? Miss Bao is sure to give a return party, isn’t she?’

‘Whether she does or not,’ said Bao-yu, ‘what concern is it of mine?’

This was certainly not the sort of answer Aroma was used to getting. She tried again, smiling breezily:

‘That’s no way of looking at it! This is the New Year holidays, when their ladyships and the young ladies are all enjoying themselves. We can’t have you mooning around like this!’

‘Whether their ladyships and the young ladies are enjoying themselves or not,’ said Bao-yu, ‘what concern is it of mine?’

Aroma laughed.

‘Seeing that they’re all doing their best to be agreeable, couldn’t you try to do likewise? Surely it’s much better all round if everyone will give and take a bit?’

‘What do you mean, “give and take a bit”?’ said Bao-yu in the same lack-lustre voice as before. ‘They can give and take a bit if they like. My destiny is a different one:

naked and friendless through the world to roam.’

A tear stole down his cheek as he recalled the line from the aria.

He continued to ponder its words and to savour their meaning, and ended up by bursting into tears and crying outright. Jumping up from the bed, he went over to his desk, took up a writing-brush, and wrote down the following lines in imitation of a Buddhist gᾱthᾱ:

I swear, you swear,

With heart and mind declare;

But our protest

Is no true test.

It would be best

Words unexpressed

To understand,

And on that ground

To take our stand.

After writing it, he was still not satisfied. Though now enlightened himself, he feared that someone reading his gᾱthᾱ might not be able to share his enlightenment. Accordingly, with the words of the ‘Clinging Vine’ aria still running in his head, he added another set of verses after it to explain his point. That done, he read the whole through to himself out loud, then, with a wonderful feeling of liberation, went to bed and fell fast asleep.

Curious to know the sequel to Bao-yu’s departure, Dai-yu, on the pretext of wanting to see Aroma about something, eventually came round herself to have a look. Aroma told her that Bao-yu was already in bed asleep. She was on the point of going back again when Aroma smilingly detained her:

‘Just a moment, Miss! There’s a note here. Would you like to see what it says?’

She handed her the sheet of paper containing Bao-yu’s gᾱthᾱ and the ‘Clinging Vine’ poem. Dai-yu could see that they must have been written under the influence of their recent quarrel and could not help feeling both amused by them and a little sorry. But all she said to Aroma was:

‘It’s only a joke. Nothing of any consequence.’

She took it with her back to her own room and showed it to Xiang-yun. Next day she showed it to Bao-chai as well. Bao-chai glanced at the second poem. This is what Bao-yu had written:

You would have been at fault, if not for me;

But why should I care if they disagree?

Free come, free go, let nothing bar or hold me!

No more I’ll sink and soar between gloom and elation,

Or endlessly debate the depth of our relation.

What was the point of all of that past pother?

When I look back on it, it seems scarce worth the bother.

Then she read the gᾱthᾱ. She laughed.

‘I’m afraid this is all my fault. It must have been that aria I told him about yesterday which started it all. Those Taoist writings and Zen paradoxes can so easily lead people astray if they do not understand them properly. I shall never forgive myself if he is going to start taking this sort of nonsense seriously and getting it fixed in his head. It will all be because of that aria!’

She tore the paper into tiny pieces and gave them to one of the maids:

‘Here, burn this – straight away!’

Dai-yu laughed at her.

‘You needn’t have torn it up. If you will both come with me and wait while I put a question to him, I can guarantee to drive this nonsense from his mind once and for all.’

The three girls went round to Bao-yu’s room together.

‘Bao-yu,’ said Dai-yu, addressing him in a heavily mock-serious manner, ‘I wish to propound a question to you: “Bao” is that which is of all things the most precious and “yu” is that which is of all things the most hard. Wherein lies your preciousness and wherein lies your hardness?’

Bao-yu was unable to think of an answer. The girls all laughed and clapped their hands.

‘Ha, ha, ha! He can’t reply. For a student of Zen he does seem remarkably obtuse!’

‘You say in your gᾱthᾱ,’ Dai-yu continued,

‘“ … It would be best

Words unexpressed

To understand,

And on that ground

To take our stand.”

Now that’s all right as far as it goes, but it doesn’t go far enough. I should like to add a few lines to it. Like this:

But, I perpend,

To have no ground

On which to stand

Were yet more sound.

And there’s an end!’

‘Ah, that’s better!’ said Bao-chai. ‘That sounds like a real “insight”. When the Sixth Patriarch Hui-neng first came to Shao-zhou looking for a teacher, he heard that the Fifth Patriarch Hong-ren was living at the monastery on Yellow-plum Mountain, so he found employment there in the monastery kitchen. When the Fifth Patriarch wanted to choose a successor, he ordered each of the monks to compose a gᾱthᾱ. The Elder Shen-xiu recited this one:

“Our body like the Bo-tree is,

Our mind’s a mirror bright.

Then keep it clean and free from dust,

So it reflects the light!”

Hui-neng happened to be hulling rice in the kitchen at the time, and he shouted out, “That’s not bad, but it’s still not quite right.” Then he recited this gᾱthᾱ of his own:

“No real Bo-tree the body is,

The mind no mirror bright.

Since of the pair none’s really there,

On what could dust alight?”

The Fifth Patriarch at once handed him his robe and bowl as a sign that he was to succeed him. Your improvement on Cousin Bao’s gᾱthᾱ is on very much the same lines, Dai. There’s just one thing, though: what about that “koan” of yours he couldn’t answer? Surely you’re not going to let him get away with it?’

‘Failure to answer means defeat,’ said Dai-yu. ‘In any case, if he were to answer now, it would hardly count. The only condition I impose as victor is that he should henceforth be forbidden to talk any more about Zen. You see,’ she told Bao-yu, ‘even Bao-chai and I know more about it than you do. It’s too ridiculous that you should set yourself up as a Zen authority!’

Bao-yu had in fact believed that he had attained an Enlightenment; but now suddenly here was Dai-yu propounding koans he couldn’t answer and Bao-chai quoting with easy familiarity from the Sayings of the Patriarchs – though neither had shown any evidence of these accomplishments in the past. It was clear that their understanding of these matters was far in advance of his own. He consoled himself with the reflection that if they, whose understanding was so superior, were manifestly still so far from Enlightenment, it was obviously a waste of time for him to go on pursuing it. Having reached this comfortable conclusion, he accepted Dai-yu’s condition with a laugh:

‘Who wants to be an authority on Zen? It was only a joke, any way!’

Just then it was announced that the Imperial Concubine had sent someone round from the Palace with a lantern-riddle which they were to try and guess. After they had guessed the answer, they were each to make up a riddle of their own and send it back to her.

As soon as they heard this, the four of them hurried to the reception room in Grandmother Jia’s apartment, where they found a young eunuch with a square, flat-topped lantern of white gauze specially made for hanging riddles on. There was one hanging on it already which they crowded round to read while the eunuch gave them their instructions:

‘When the young ladies have guessed, will they please not tell anyone the answer, but write it down secretly. The answers will be collected and taken back to the Palace in a sealed envelope so that Her Grace can see for herself who has guessed correctly.’

Bao-chai went up to the lantern and looked at the riddle, which was in the form of a quatrain. It was not a particularly ingenious one, but she felt obliged to praise it, and therefore remarked that it was ‘hard to guess’ and pretended to have to think about the answer, though in truth it had been obvious to her at a glance. Bao-yu, Dai-yu, Xiang-yun and Tan-chun had also guessed the answer and were busy writing it down. Presently Jia Huan and Jia Lan were summoned, and they too wrote something down after a good deal of puzzling. After that everyone made up a riddle about some object of their choice, wrote it out in the best kai-shu on a slip of paper, and hung it on the lantern, which was then taken away by the eunuch.

Towards evening the eunuch returned and reported what the Imperial Concubine had had to say about the results:

‘Her Grace’s own riddle was correctly guessed by everyone except Miss Ying and Master Huan. Her Grace has thought of answers to all the riddles sent her by the young ladies and gentlemen, but she does not know whether or not they are correct.’

He showed them the answers written down. Some were right and some were wrong, but even those whose riddles had been incorrectly answered deemed it prudent to pretend that the answers they had received were the right ones.

The eunuch proceeded to distribute prizes for answering the Imperial Concubine’s riddle. Everyone who had guessed correctly received an ivory note-case made by Palace craftsmen and a bamboo tea-whisk. Ying-chun and Jia Huan were the only ones who did not receive anything. Ying-chun treated the matter as a joke and rapidly dismissed it from her mind, but Jia Huan was very much put out. To make matters worse, the eunuch went on to query Jia Huan’s own riddle:

‘Her Grace says that she has not answered Master Huan’s riddle because she could not make any sense of it. She told me to bring it back and ask him what it means.’

Intrigued, the others crowded round to look. This is what Jia Huan had written:

‘Big brother with eight sits all day on the bed;

Little brother with two sits on the roof’s head.’

There was a loud laugh when they had finished reading it. Jia Huan told the eunuch the answer: a head-rest and a ridge-end. The eunuch made a note of it and, after taking tea, departed once more.

Fired with enthusiasm by Yuan-chun’s example, old Lady Jia decided to hold a riddle party. A very elegant lantern in the form of a three-leaved screen was hurriedly constructed on her orders and set up in the hall. When that had been done, she told all the boys and girls to make up a riddle – being careful to keep the answers to themselves – write it on a slip of paper, and stick it on her lantern-screen. Then, having prepared the best fragrant tea to drink, a variety of good things to eat, and lots of little gifts to serve as prizes, she was ready to begin. Jia Zheng observed the old lady’s excitement when he got back from Court and came along himself in the evening to join in the fun.

There were three tables. Grandmother Jia, Jia Zheng, Bao-yu and Jia Huan sat at the table on the kang, while below, Lady Wang, Bao-chai, Dai-yu and Xiang-yun sat at one table and Ying-chun, Tan-chun and Xi-chun at another. The floor below the kang was thronged with old women and maids in attendance. Li Wan and Xi-feng had a table to themselves in an inner room.

‘Where’s my little Lan?’ said Jia Zheng, not seeing Jia Lan at any of the tables.

One of the serving-women went into the inner room to ask Li Wan. She rose to reply out of respect for her father-in-law:

‘He refuses to come because he says his Grandpa Zheng hasn’t invited him.’

The others were much amused when the woman relayed this answer back to Jia Zheng.

‘He’s a stubborn little chap when he’s made his mind up!’ they said. But they thought none the worse of him for that.

Jia Zheng quickly sent Jia Huan with two of the old women to fetch him. When he arrived, Grandmother Jia made him squeeze up beside her on her side of the table and gave him a handful of nuts and dried fruits to eat. The little boy’s presence provided the company with something to laugh and talk about. But not for long. Bao-yu, who normally did most of the talking on occasions like this, was today reduced by his father’s presence to saying no more than ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to remarks made by other people. As for the rest: Xiang-yun, in spite of her sheltered upbringing, was normally an animated, not to say indefatigable talker, but this evening she too seemed to have been afflicted with dumbness by Jia Zheng’s presence; Dai-yu was at the best of times unwilling to say very much in company from a sort of aristocratic lethargy which was a part of her nature; and Bao-chai, whose punctilious correctness made her always sparing in the use of words, even though on this occasion she was probably the least uncomfortable of those present, said little to advance the conversation. As a consequence, what should have been a jolly, intimate family party was painfully unnatural and restrained.

Grandmother Jia knew as well as everyone else that this state of affairs was entirely owing to Jia Zheng’s presence, and after the wine had gone round for the third time, she attempted to drive him off to bed. Jia Zheng, for his part, was perfectly well aware that he was being driven away so that the younger people could feel freer to enjoy themselves and, smiling forcedly, appealed against his banishment:

‘When they told me earlier today that you were planning to give a riddle party, I specially prepared a contribution to the feast so that I might come and join you. You have so much affection for your grandchildren, Mama. Can you not spare just a tiny bit for your son?’

Grandmother Jia laughed:

‘They can’t talk naturally while you are here. All you are doing is making it gloomy for me. I can’t abide it. Well, if you’ve come to answer riddles, I’ll give you a riddle. But if you can’t guess the answer, you will have to pay me a forfeit.’

‘Yes, of course,’ said Jia Zheng eagerly. ‘And if I guess right, I shall expect to be given a prize.’

‘Of course,’ said Grandmother Jia. ‘The monkey’s tail reaches from tree-top to ground. It’s the name of a fruit.’

Jia Zheng knew that the answer to this hoary old chestnut was ‘a longan’ (long ’un), but pretended not to, and made all kinds of absurd guesses, each time incurring the obligation to pay his mother a forfeit, before finally giving the right answer and receiving the old lady’s prize. Then he propounded a riddle of his own for her:

‘My body’s square,

Iron-hard am I.

I speak no word,

But words supply.

– It’s a useful object.’

He whispered the answer to Bao-yu, who, readily understanding what was expected of him, surreptitiously passed it on to Grandmother Jia. The old lady, having thought for a bit and decided that it sounded all right, said:

‘An inkstone.’

‘Bravo, Mamma! Right first time!’ said Jia Zheng, and turning round to address the servants, he asked them to bring in the presents for Lady Jia. There was an answering call from the women below, and presently a number of them came forward bearing trays and boxes of various shapes and sizes which they handed up onto the kang. Grandmother Jia examined them one by one. They all contained traditional Lantern Festival presents, but in new and exquisite designs and of the very highest quality. The old lady was obviously pleased.

‘Come, children!’ she commanded jovially. ‘Give the Master a drink!’

Bao-yu stood up and poured wine from the wine-kettle into a little cup and Ying-chun handed it ceremoniously to her uncle.

‘Have a look at the riddles on the screen,’ said Grandmother Jia when Jia Zheng, with equal ceremony, had drained the cup. ‘They were all made up by the children. See if you can tell me the answers.’

Jia Zheng rose from his seat and went up to the lantern-screen. The first riddle he saw was Yuan-chun’s:

At my coming the devils turn pallid with wonder.

My body’s all folds and my voice is like thunder.

When, alarmed by the sound of my thunderous crash,

You look round, I have already turned into ash.

An object of amusement.

‘Would that be a firework?’ said Jia Zheng.

‘Yes,’ said Bao-yu.

Jia Zheng looked again, this time at Ying-chun’s:

Man’s works and heaven’s laws I execute.

Without heaven’s laws, my workings bear no fruit.

Why am I agitated all day long?

For fear my calculations may be wrong.

A useful object.

‘An abacus?’

There was a laugh from Ying-chun:

‘Yes.’

The next riddle was Tan-chun’s:

In spring the little boys look up and stare

To see me ride so proudly in the air.

My strength all goes when once the bond is parted,

And on the wind I drift off broken-hearted.

An object of amusement.

‘It looks as if that ought to be a kite,’ said Jia Zheng.

‘Yes,’ said Tan-chun.

The next riddle he looked at was Dai-yu’s:

At court levée my smoke is in your sleeve:

Music and beds to other sorts I leave.

With me, at dawn you need no watchman’s cry,

At night no maid to bring a fresh supply.

My head burns through the night and through the day,

And year by year my heart consumes away.

The precious moments I would have you spare:

But come fair, foul, or fine, I do not care.

A useful object.

‘That must be an incense-clock.’

Bao-yu answered for her:

‘Yes.’

Jia Zheng looked at the next riddle:

Southward you stare,

He’ll northward glare.

Grieve, and he’s sad.

Laugh, and he’s glad.

A useful object.

‘Very good!’ said Jia Zheng. ‘If the answer is “a mirror”, it is a very good riddle.’

Bao-yu laughed:

‘That is the answer.’

‘Who is it by?’ said Jia Zheng. ‘There is no name on it.’

‘I expect that one is by Bao-yu,’ said Grandmother Jia.

Jia Zheng said nothing and passed on to the next one in silence. It was by Bao-chai:

My ‘eyes’ cannot see and I’m hollow inside.

When the lotuses surface, I’ll be by your side.

When the autumn leaves fall I shall bid you adieu,

For our marriage must end when the summer is through.

A useful object.

Jia Zheng knew that the answer must be ‘a bamboo wife’, as they call those wickerwork cylinders which are put between the bedclothes in summertime to make them cooler; but a growing awareness that all the girls’ verses contained images of grief and loss was by now so much affecting him that he felt quite unable to go on.

‘Enough is enough!’ he thought. ‘What can it be that makes these innocent young creatures all produce language that is so tragic and inauspicious? It is almost as if they were all destined to be unfortunate and short-lived and were unconsciously foretelling their destiny.’

The gloom into which this reflection plunged him was evident in the melancholy expression on his face and in his bowed and dejected stance. Grandmother Jia noticed it but attributed it to fatigue. She feared that in this melancholy mood his continued presence would place an even greater restraint on the young folk’s gaiety.

‘I think you really oughtn’t to stay,’ she said. ‘Why don’t you go and lie down? The rest of us will sit up for a bit, but I don’t expect we shall go on very much longer.’

‘Yes,’ said Jia Zheng, roused from his reverie by her voice. ‘Yes, of course.’

But he forced himself to resume his former jovial manner and to drink another cup or two of wine with her before finally retiring. Back in his own apartment, he became lost in reverie once more; but whichever direction his thoughts took him in, he remained melancholy and troubled.

Meanwhile the party he had just left was proceeding somewhat differently.

‘Now, my dears, you can enjoy yourselves!’ Grandmother Jia said as soon as he had left the room; and the words were no sooner out of her mouth than Bao-yu leaped up from his seat and over to the screen and began criticizing the riddles on it – this one had a line wrong here – that one’s words didn’t suit the subject – pointing with his finger and capering about for all the world like a captive monkey that had just been let off its chain.

‘Can’t we sit down and enjoy ourselves quietly, as we were doing just now,’ said Dai-yu, ‘instead of all this prancing about?’

Xi-feng put in a word too, emerging from the inner room to say it:

‘You ought to have Uncle Zheng with you every day and never budge an inch from his side!’ She turned to the others: ‘What a pity I didn’t think of it at the time: we ought to have got Uncle to make him compose some more riddles for us. Then we should have seen him sweat!’

Bao-yu was greatly exasperated by this remark and tried to seize hold of her. Xi-feng tried to ward him off, and the result was that the two of them became locked in a sort of playful wrestling-match.

Grandmother Jia continued for a while to laugh and joke with Li Wan and the girls, but soon began to feel tired and sleepy. The night-drum was sounding, and when they stopped to listen they found it was already the beginning of the fourth watch. She ordered the food to be cleared away, telling the servants that they might have what was left over for themselves.

‘Time for bed, children!’ she said, rising to her feet. ‘We can do this again tomorrow, if you like; but now we must have some sleep.’

With that the party gradually broke up and they all dispersed to their rooms.

What happened thereafter will be told in the following chapter.