The Peach Thief

　　When I was a boy, I went to the prefectural capital to take the preliminary examinations. It happened to be the Spring Festival. By old custom, the day before the start of spring, merchants and tradesmen of all kinds would put up decorated arches and proceed with drums and pipes to the provincial treasury—a ceremony called "Welcoming Spring." I went along with a friend just to watch the fun.

　　That day, the crowd was packed solid, like a wall. Up in the main hall sat four officials, all in red robes, facing each other from east and west. I was still young then and had no idea what their titles were. All I could hear was the deafening hubbub of voices and the blare of drums and horns.

　　Suddenly, a man appeared, leading a boy with unkempt hair. He carried a shoulder pole with boxes on either end. He knelt down as if to say something. With all the noise and commotion, I couldn't make out a word, but I saw the officials up in the hall burst into laughter. Then a man in a dark robe called out in a loud voice for him to perform a trick. The man acknowledged the order and rose to his feet. "What trick shall I do?" he asked. The officials exchanged a few words. A clerk came down and asked what he was good at. He replied, "I can make things grow out of season." The clerk reported back, and after a moment, he came down again with the order: "Perform a peach."

　　The magician said, "Very well." He took off his coat and draped it over his square bamboo box. Then, with a deliberately aggrieved look, he grumbled, "His Honor is being most unreasonable. The ice hasn't even thawed yet. Where am I supposed to find a peach? If I don't get one, I'll make the gentlemen up there angry. What am I to do?"

　　His son said, "Father, you've already agreed. How can you back out now?"

　　The magician pondered for a long time, looking utterly vexed. Then he said, "I've thought it through. In early spring, with snow still on the ground, there's no place in the human world to find one. Only in the Queen Mother of the West's orchard—where the trees never wither, winter or summer—might there be a peach. I'll have to steal one from Heaven."

　　His son said, "Heavens! Can Heaven be climbed by a ladder?"

　　The father said, "I have my ways." He opened the box and pulled out a coil of rope—about a hundred yards long. He found one end and tossed it into the air. The rope hung there, suspended in midair, as if hooked onto something. He threw it higher and higher until it disappeared into the clouds, and the rope in his hand ran out.

　　Then he called to his son, "Come here, child. I'm old and feeble, too heavy and clumsy to make the climb. You'll have to go." He handed the rope to the boy. "Hold this and climb."

　　The boy took the rope, his face full of reluctance. "Father, you've gone completely daft! With a thread like this, you want me to climb ten thousand feet into the sky? If it breaks halfway up, what will be left of me?"

　　The father patted and coaxed him, saying, "I've already given my word. I can't take it back now. Please, just this once. Don't complain. If you can steal a peach, there's sure to be a reward of a hundred pieces of silver. I'll find you a beautiful wife."

　　So the boy took the rope and began to climb. Hand over hand, foot following foot, he went up like a spider on its thread. Soon he rose into the clouds and was seen no more.

　　After a long while, a peach fell from the sky. It was the size of a bowl. The magician was overjoyed. He presented it to the officials in the hall. They passed it around for a long time, examining it, but none could tell whether it was real or not.

　　Suddenly, the rope came tumbling down to the ground. The magician cried out in alarm, "Oh no! Someone up there has cut my rope! What will become of my son?"

　　A moment later, something fell. He looked—it was the boy's head. Holding it in his arms, he wept, "This is it. The guardians of the orchard caught him. My boy is gone!"

　　Then a foot fell. Soon after, pieces of his body came raining down, one after another, until nothing was left. The magician, overcome with grief, picked up each piece and put them into his box, then closed the lid. "I am an old man," he said, "with only this one son. He has followed me all over the land, north and south. Now, because I obeyed His Honor's command, he has died this terrible death. I must carry him away and bury him."

　　He went back up to the hall and knelt down. "For the sake of that peach, my son is dead. If you gentlemen will take pity on a poor man and help me bury him, I will repay you even in the next life."

　　The officials in the hall were horrified. Each of them gave him some money. The magician took the money, tied it around his waist, and then tapped on his box, calling out, "Baba'er! Aren't you going to come out and thank the gentlemen for their gifts? What are you waiting for?"

　　Suddenly, a boy with disheveled hair pushed open the lid of the box from inside and climbed out. He kowtowed toward the north, toward the officials in the hall. It was the magician's son.

　　Because his trick was so extraordinary, I still remember it to this day. Later, I heard that the White Lotus Sect could perform such magic. Perhaps this man was one of their descendants.


中文如下：

　　偷桃

　　原文

　　童时赴郡试，值春节。旧例，先一日，各行商贾，彩楼鼓吹赴藩司，名曰“演春”。余从友人戏瞩。

　　是日，游人如堵。堂上四官皆赤衣，东西相向坐。时方稚，亦不解其何官，但闻人语哜嘈，鼓吹聒耳。忽有一人，率披发童，荷担而上，似有所白。万声汹动，亦不闻为何语，但视堂上作笑声。即有青衣人大声命作剧。其人应命方兴，问：“作何剧？”堂上相顾数语。吏下，宣问所长。答言：“能颠倒生物。”吏以白官。少顷复下，命取桃子。

　　术人声诺。解衣覆笥上，故作怨状，曰：“官长殊不了了！坚冰未解，安所得桃？不取，又恐为南面者所怒。奈何！”其子曰：“父已诺之，又焉辞？”术人惆怅良久，乃云：“我筹之烂熟。春初雪积，人间何处可觅？唯王母园中，四时常不凋谢，或有之。必窃之天上，乃可。”子曰：“嘻！天可阶而升乎？”曰：“有术在。”乃启笥，出绳一团，约数十丈，理其端，望空中掷去，绳即悬立空际，若有物以挂之。未几，愈掷愈高，渺入云中，手中绳亦尽。乃呼子曰：“儿来！余老惫，体重拙，不能行，得汝一往。”遂以绳授子，曰：“持此可登。”子受绳有难色，怨曰：“阿翁亦大愦愦！如此一线之绳，欲我附之，以登万仞之高天。倘中道断绝，骸骨何存矣！”父又强呜拍之，曰：“我已失口，悔无及。烦儿一行。儿勿苦，倘窃得来，必有百金赏，当为儿娶一美妇。”子乃持索，盘旋而上，手移足随，如蛛趁丝，渐入云霄，不可复见。

　　久之，坠一桃，如碗大。术人喜，持献公堂。堂上传视良久，亦不知其真伪。忽而绳落地上，术人惊曰：“殆矣！上有人断吾绳，儿将焉托！”移时，一物堕，视之，其子首也。捧而泣曰：“是必偷桃为监者所觉。吾儿休矣！”又移时，一足落。无何，肢体纷堕，无复存者。术人大悲。一一拾置笥中而阖之，曰：“老夫止此儿，日从我南北游。今承严命，不意罹此奇惨！当负去瘗之。”乃升堂而跪，曰：“为桃故，杀吾子矣！如怜小人而助之葬，当结草以图报耳。”坐官骇诧，各有赐金。术人受而缠诸腰，乃扣笥而呼曰：“八八儿，不出谢赏，将何待？”忽一蓬头僮首抵笥盖而出，望北稽首，则其子也。

　　以其术奇，故至今犹记之。后闻白莲教能为此术，意此其苗裔耶？

　　【翻译】

　　未考中秀才的时候，我去济南参加府考，恰好赶上过春节。按照旧的风俗，立春前一天，各行各业的商栈店铺，都要扎起五彩牌楼，敲锣打鼓地到藩司衙门去祝贺，这叫做“演春”。我也跟着朋友去看热闹。

　　那一天，游人很多，四面围得像一堵堵墙似的。只见衙门大堂上有四位身穿红色官服的官员，东西相对而坐。那时我年纪还小，也不知道他们都是些什么官，只觉得周围人声嘈杂，锣鼓喧天，震耳欲聋。忽然，有一个人带着一个披散着头发的小孩，挑着担子走上前来，跪着好像说了几句话。当时人声鼎沸，也没听见说了些什么，只见堂上的人发笑，便有一个身穿青衣的人大声下令，让他表演戏法。那人答应一声站起来，问道：“演什么戏法？”堂上的官员们商量了几句，派一个属吏下来问他擅长演什么戏法。他回答说：“我能变出不按季节时令生长的东西。”属吏把他的话回报堂上，一会儿又走下堂来，命令那人变桃子

　　变戏法的人答应下来。他脱下衣服覆盖在方形的竹筐上，故意作出埋怨的样子，说：“长官实在不明事理，厚厚的冰冻还没有化开，到哪儿去找桃子呢？不找吧，又怕惹当官的发脾气。怎么办呢？”他的儿子说：“爸爸已经答应了，又怎么能推辞呢？”变戏法的人发愁地想了一会儿，才说：“我盘算很久了。现在是冰天雪地的初春季节，在人间到哪儿去找桃子？只有天上王母娘娘的桃园里，果木一年四季都不凋谢，也许会有。一定得到天上去偷，这样才行。”他儿子说：“嚄！天也能登着台阶爬上去吗？”他爸爸回答说：“我有法术呢。”于是打开竹筐，拿出一团绳子，大概有几十丈长，理出绳子的一端，往天上一扔，绳子立即悬在空中，好像是挂在了什么东西上。没过多会儿，绳子越抛越高，渐渐伸入到飘缈的云彩里去了，他手里的绳子也放到了尽头。这时，那人招呼儿子，说：“孩子过来！我年老力衰，身子笨重不灵便了，爬不上去，还得你去一趟。”说完，就把绳子交给孩子，说：“拉着它就可以爬上去了。”儿子接过绳子，一脸为难，埋怨说：“爸爸你也太糊涂了，这么一根细线似的绳子，让我拉着它爬上万丈高的天。倘若是爬到中间绳子断了，到哪里去找我的尸骨呀！”父亲又强行拍抚哄劝他说：“我已经失口答应了，后悔也来不及。还是麻烦你上去一趟。孩子你别叫苦，要是能偷得桃子来，长官一定会有上百两银子的赏钱，我就给你娶个漂亮媳妇。”儿子这才抓住绳子，盘旋着爬了上去。手挪动，脚跟随，就像蜘蛛在丝上攀行一样，渐渐地越爬越高，没入云霄看不见了。

　　过了很久，天上落下来一个桃子，有碗口那么大。变戏法的人十分高兴，拿着它献到了公堂上。堂上各个官员传看了很久，也不知它是真的还是假的。忽然绳子坠落到了地上，变戏法的人大吃一惊说：“危险了！上边有人弄断了我的绳子，孩子可靠什么下来啊！”又过了一会儿，一个东西掉落下来，一看，是他儿子的头。那人抱着头颅大哭说：“一定是偷桃时被看守的人发现了，我的儿子这回可完了！”又过了一会儿，一只脚也掉了下来。接着，四肢、躯干都一截一截地纷纷落下，再没有什么东西了。变戏法的人非常悲痛，他把肢体一一捡放到竹箱里，盖上盖子，说：“我老头子只有这么一个儿子，每天跟着我走南闯北。现在听从了长官的命令去取桃子，没想到死得这么惨！我得把他背回去埋掉。”于是他又到堂上跪下，说：“为了桃子的缘故，害了我的儿子！长官们要是可怜小的，帮助我安葬了他，我来世一定结草衔环报答各位老爷。”堂上坐着的几个官员十分惊骇，纷纷拿出赏银给他。变戏法的人接过钱缠在腰上，然后拍了拍竹筐说：“八八儿，不出来谢长官们的赏，还等什么呢？”忽然，一个头发乱蓬蓬的小孩子用头顶开竹筐盖爬了出来，朝着北面大堂上的官员们叩起了头——正是变戏法那个人的儿子。

　　因为这个变戏法的人法术奇异，所以到现在我还记得这件事。后来听人说白莲教也能变这样的戏法，心想那父子俩是不是就是白莲教的后代呢？