Water Margin - Jin Shengtan's Critical Edition (Two Volumes)

Author: (Ming) Shi Nai'an / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-06-01
Features:
Look at the secluded corners of the book forest, where many are elegant scholars.
Fame and profit do not concern them.
To carve ice and cut snow, to smile and wield the hook of Wu.
Commenting on the former kings and later emperors,
Distinguishing truth from falsehood,
Occupying the Central Plains,
The seven heroes troubled the Spring and Autumn period.
Rise and fall like brittle willows,
Life like a hollow boat.
Seeing countless who achieve fame,
Countless who seek fame,
And countless who flee fame.
Suddenly, under the new moon by the long river,
The changes to on the road.
Surprised by seeking fish in the trees,
Imagining a destitute monkey choosing trees,
And fearing it might be an injured bowman among the curved trees.
Better to raise the cup in hand and listen to new melodies.
Alas! When this book was completed, it was named Water Margin.
Are these one hundred and eight people real or not?
If they are real, what hearts led them to the Water Margin?
If they are not real, then what grievances and sorrows must the author have in his heart to create one hundred and eight people, and to distant them by the waterside?
I have heard that all land belongs to the king, and all under heaven belongs to the king.
If these one hundred and eight people are not real, it is one thing;
If they are real, could they truly wish that places like Anzi City and Lao'er Valley were no longer part of the Zhao dynasty?
When I read Mencius, I often sigh at the lines:
"Bo Yi fled Zhou to the northern shore of the Bohai Sea,"
"Tai Gong fled Zhou to the eastern shore of the Bohai Sea."
Although Zhou was evil, one could not flee from him;
The coast was far, but still part of Zhou's land.
These two elders urged others to leave the old and embrace the new,
Even for a sage, this was not the highest virtue.
Mencius himself claimed to want to learn from Confucius,
Yet he was still influenced by the habits of wandering scholars in the Warring States period,
Hence, he still had such words, which could not fully satisfy later readers.
If Confucius were here, he would surely not have said otherwise.
Now, if these one hundred and eight people are real,
They go beyond the ambition of Bo Yi and Tai Gong to flee Zhou by the sea.
The great principle is extinguished—how can it serve as a lesson?
If these one hundred and eight people are not real,
Then it is the author's creation.
I do not know what grievances and sorrows the author must have had to create this.
Yet even a sage like Mencius was not free from minor flaws,
How can we blame the author of folk tales?
Later scholars, when reading this book, may pity the author's heart.
Ancient scholars often took several years to,
Several years to gather materials,
And several more years to revise and polish,
Before finally completing a book.
Modern readers, who do not know how to appreciate books,
Often rush through them carelessly,
Thus, all the masterful moments,
All the awkward turns,
All the unexpected twists,
All the difficult transitions,
All the natural developments,
All the brilliant innovations,
All the necessary additions and omissions,
All the additions tacked on later,
All the insertions at the beginning—
All these countless methods and intricacies,
Are lost in confusion,
And only the rough outline of events—whether success or failure—is retained,
To serve as fuel for casual talk over wine and tea.
Alas! The Records of the Three Kingdoms described the literature of the Five Emperors as not refined,
Yet now, tales of outlaws in the wilderness are suddenly spoken of by scholars.
How lamentable!
I deeply pity that readers' spirits do not awaken,
And that the author's intentions are lost,
Unaware of the author's hardships,
And thus fail to appreciate the masterful work.
Therefore, without hesitation, I have written this critique.
This chapter is titled "Prologue" in the ancient text.
A prologue is when one thing leads to another.
Using the plague as a prologue to bring forth prayers and sacrifices;
Using prayers and sacrifices to bring forth the Taoist master;
Using the Taoist master to bring forth Hong Xin;
Using Hong Xin to bring forth his mountain journey;
Using his mountain journey to bring forth the opening lines;
Using the opening lines to bring forth the Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends—this is the "main prologue."
Later, using the two sages, Zhen Xian and Xi Yi, to bring forth the destiny of the calamity;
Using Emperor Wu De, Bao Zheng, and Di Qing to bring forth the names of the stars;
Using a tiger and a snake in the mountains to bring forth Chen Da and Yang Chun;
Using Hong Xin's arrogance to bring forth Gao Qi and Cai Jing;
Using the lecherous Taoist boy to bring forth the seventy-first chapter, where Fang Fu makes a horse appraisal—this is the "wonderful prologue."
In the midst of the chaos of the Five Dynasties,
Suddenly, the clouds part and the sky is seen.
For a hundred years, grass and trees are nourished by new rain and dew,
And the land of a thousand miles is still the old realm.
In ordinary alleys, silks and satins are displayed,
And in several towers, strings are played.
In days of peace under heaven,
Ode and flowers are endless, and the day is long for napping.
How beautiful!
A great book, beginning and ending with poetry.
"Under heaven, peace," it begins,
And "Under heaven, peace," it ends.
These eight lines of poetry were written by a famous scholar in the court of Emperor Shen Zong of the Song dynasty,
Surnamed Shao, styled Yaofu, and known as Master Kangjie.
A master of calculations.
He lamented the turmoil of the Five Dynasties and the Tang,
When the morning belonged to Liang and the evening to Jin.
It was said:
"Zhu, Li, Shi, Liu, and Guo;
Liang, Tang, Jin, Han, and Zhou;
Fifteen emperors in all,
Fifty years of chaos!"
The numbers "fifteen" and "fifty" are reversed in the Grand Map of the I Ching, which is marvelous.
Later, Heaven's cycle of justice brought forth Emperor Wu De of the Wu De army.
The book calls him Emperor Wu De, seeing this era,
Without resorting to fancy words.
The sage of this age, born under red light,
Red light fills the sky,
While demons are born under black mist.
An extraordinary fragrance lingers for days,
As if the Thunderbolt Immortal from the upper realms had descended.
This serves as a prelude to the Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends.
The hero is brave and wise,
Unmatched by any emperor in history.
With a staff as tall as his body,
He pacified four hundred prefectures, making them all Zhao.
What exquisite words!
It is clear that all martial arts in the book follow the system of one king.
This emperor pacified the world and calmed the Central Plains,
Establishing the Great Song dynasty and making Bianliang the capital.
A ruler among nine dynasties and eight emperors,
A founding emperor for four hundred years.
Therefore, Master Shao Yaofu praised:
"Suddenly, the clouds part and the sky is seen!"
Just as the people see the light of day again.
At that time, on Mount Hua in the west, there lived Chen Tan, a hermit and another master of calculations.
In the minds of these two sages, they had calculated six sixths and thirty-six,
And seventy-two seats.
A man of high virtue and deep Tao,
Capable of discerning the changes of wind and clouds.
One day, riding a donkey down the mountain,
He was walking along the Hua Yin road when he heard travelers talking:
"A large volume of commentary is hidden here."
"Chai Shizong of the capital has abdicated in favor of Zhao Jian."
When Chen Tan heard this, he rejoiced, placing his hands on his forehead,
And laughed loudly on his donkey.
When asked why, the hermit replied:
"The world is now settled: Heaven's will, Earth's harmony, and human unity are aligned."
From the Geng Shen year, he ascended the throne,
And established the dynasty, ruling for seventeen years of peace before passing the throne to his younger brother, the Taizong emperor.
He stood at the beginning, pointed to the Song,
Passed the throne to his younger brother,
And the succession was uncertain.
Taizong ruled for twenty-two years before passing the throne to Emperor Zhenzong,
Who then passed it to Emperor Renzong.
This Emperor Renzong was the Red-Footed Immortal from the upper realms,
And also a prelude to the Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends.
At birth, he cried day and night without stopping.
The court issued an edict, offering a reward for anyone who could cure the prince.
Moved by Heaven, Taibai Xingjin descended,
And suddenly appeared a star.
A star for the one hundred and eight, a prelude.
It transformed into an old man, who tore up the edict and claimed he could stop the prince's crying.
The officials led him to the palace, where he met Emperor Zhenzong.
The emperor's decree sent him to the inner courtyard to examine the prince.
The old man held the prince close and whispered eight words in his ear,
And the prince stopped crying.
A strange and wonderful story.
The old man did not reveal his name but vanished in a gust of wind.
What were the eight words he whispered?
"Poetry has Wen Qu, and martial arts have Wu Qu."
Suddenly, two more stars appeared from a single one,
A prelude to the one hundred and eight, marvelous.
Eight words, yet only four characters—strange and wonderful.
Indeed, it was the Jade Emperor who sent two stars from the Ziwei Palace to aid this emperor.
Stars are counted by seats—strange.
Stars can descend—strange.
Stars are dispatched by the Jade Emperor—strange.
The Jade Emperor sends stars to aid the emperor—strange.
Wen Qu is the lord of the southern suburbs, the Grand Secretary of Longtu Pavilion, Bao Zheng,
And Wu Qu is the general who conquered the Western Xia, Di Qing.
The descent of Shen and Yu, the listing of stars—excellent use of change.
These two virtuous ministers came to aid the emperor.
This emperor ruled for forty-two years, changing nine reign names.
From the first year of Tiansheng to the ninth year,
At that time, the world was at peace, the five grains were abundant,
The people prospered, the roads were free of theft,
And the houses were secure at night—this was the first "reign of abundance."
One reign of abundance, two reigns of abundance, three reigns of abundance—
All based on fact or fiction,
A marvelous phrase.
From the first year of Mingdao to the third year of Huangyou,
These nine years were also prosperous—the second "reign of abundance."
From the fourth year of Huangyou to the second year of Jia Shi,
These nine years saw a great harvest—the third "reign of abundance."
For a total of twenty-seven years of three "reigns of abundance."
Nine years of the first reign,
Then nine years of the second reign,
Then nine years of the third reign—
A total of twenty-seven years of three "reigns of abundance."
All these ideas came from Masters Kangjie and Xi Yi.
At that time, the people enjoyed some happiness,
Who would have thought that extreme joy would lead to sorrow?