FENG-TU: THE CHINESE HADES

豐都：中國的冥界

Foot by fire—Plato's priest—Covered with temple—Dry well—Two wives of Emperor of the Dead—Gigantic knife—Iron well cover—Our protectors—Representations of Hades—Women pilgrims—Getting a new mask—Mobbing—Pious priest—Pretty women—Rippling laughter .

腳在火邊——柏拉圖的祭司——寺廟遍布——乾井——死亡皇帝的兩位妻子——巨型刀具——鐵井蓋——我們的保護者——冥界的描繪——女朝聖者——換新面具——被圍觀——虔誠的祭司——美麗的女子——悅耳的笑聲。

CHAPTER IX

FENGTU: THE CHINESE HADES

All through China, whenever anyone dies, a letter is solemnly written to Fengtu-cheng. Has a letter from there ever been received in England before? Written in English too, in this region peopled by Chinese ghosts, reckoning all those who do not speak Chinese as dumb people. The letters to Fengtu are solemnly burned by the Taoist priest, who writes them, as the best way of delivering them to the Emperor of the Dead, whose visible home is there, as that of the T'ien Tze, the Emperor of the Living, is at Peking.

The Boy had just handed in his accounts, and there was one item that startled me that night: "Pluto's Priest, 5000 cash." "Pluto's Priest! Whatever do you mean?" I exclaimed. But the Boy was stolid. "That priest—that come to the boat," was all he said. "But who taught you to call him Pluto's Priest?" "My savey he belong Pluto's Priest." It seemed it must be in his book. We all have books to learn languages from. And it seems Pluto's Priest had a book too, a red book very big — with such big in it that no less than 5000 cash could be ent And as his temple is said to have been bi the After Han Dynasty (a.d. 220) it would pity if it were not kept in repair. It is a top of a hill, all covered with temples, and a lovely, green-roofed pagoda at the foot, hill is also covered with beautiful trees, and mands one of those fascinating views o Yangtze, that tempt one to look on and on. there is nothing very beautiful in the temple nor anything in the red sandstone hill on w! stands, or the smiling scenery on which it to explain why it is dedicated to the Lord Dead. The Elysian Fields, though not p larly awe-inspiring, have at least a dea air.

We saw the dry well, that is said tG down to the river bed, but the burning that is being continually thrown in to si depth has filled it up to within about thi of the surface. We saw also the image Emperor of the Dead seated between 1 wives. That on the left hand is said to skeleton of a woman, acquired as his seco some three hundred years ago, when i really on her way in her wedding chai married to someone else, a mere mort.

第九章

豐都：中國的冥界

在整個中國，無論誰去世，都會莊重地寫一封信寄往豐都城（Fengdu-cheng）。有沒有來自那裡的信件寄到過英國？而且還是用英語寫的？在這片充滿中國鬼魂的土地上，那些不會說中文的人都被視為啞巴。道士莊重地將寫給豐都的信焚燒，這是把信送到死者之皇帝——冥帝的最好方式，正如天子——活人之皇帝居住在北京一樣，冥帝的家位於豐都城。

僕人剛剛遞交了他的帳目，其中有一項讓我那晚非常驚訝：「冥王的道士，5000文錢。」

「冥王的道士！你這是什麼意思？」我驚呼道。

但僕人不為所動：「那個道士——來到船上的那個。」他只是這麼說。

「可是誰教你叫他冥王的道士？」

「我知道他是冥王的道士。」看來這必定是他書裡學到的。我們每個人都有書來學語言。冥王的道士似乎也有一本書，是一本非常大的紅色書籍——其中的內容如此重要，以至於少於5000文錢都不足以支付。而且據說他的廟是後漢朝（公元220年）所建，如果不加以維護，實在是可惜。這座廟位於一座山頂，周圍是許多寺廟，山腳下還有一座美麗的綠頂寶塔。山上也覆蓋著美麗的樹木，並且能俯瞰長江的壯麗景色，讓人忍不住一直觀看。

不過，這座寺廟本身並沒有什麼特別美麗的地方，也沒有紅色砂岩山或周圍的笑靨般景色可以解釋它為何要獻給死者之主。樂土（Elysian Fields），雖然並不是特別令人敬畏，但至少有一種死氣沉沉的氛圍。

我們看到了那口乾井，據說它通向河床，但因為人們不斷往裡面投香，香灰已將井填滿，距離井口大約還剩三分之一。我們還看到了冥帝的雕像，冥帝坐在兩個妻子中間。據說他左手邊的那個妻子是三百年前的一具女性骸骨，她本來正在乘婚轎去嫁給另一個凡人，但最終成了冥帝的第二任妻子。

FENGTU: THE CHINESE HADES 91