Let’s Read 聊齋志異：Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio,《考城隍》
This work is a collection of short stories from the 清朝 Qing Dynasty compiled by a 蒲松齢 Pu Songling, who lived from 1640 to 1715. Apparently, it was published after he died, though no one’s exactly sure when.
Let’s start with the title, which is a bit of an enigma. We must note that ｢聊｣ is the fanciful name the author gives to his own 齋 ‘studio/study.’ 聊 is itself basically untranslatable to me, so it’s best to give it a romanization. I’ll go with everyone else and use the Mandarin ‘Liao’. Also, ｢志｣ ‘intention’ in this case is just an old way of writing ｢誌｣ ‘record’. Knowing all this, we can say the title is literally:
聊Liao 齋Studio 志Documents 異Oddities
I think that sounds about right.
By the way, this being a Qing dynasty Chinese studio, I imagine a 齋 would look something like this:
Jumping right into the first story, we have《考城隍》考Examination for the 城隍City God. It might be good to take a look at some information on the Imperial Examination system for this.
予姊丈之祖，宋公諱燾，邑廩生。一日，病臥，見吏人持牒，牽白顛馬來，云：「請赴試。」公言：「文宗未臨，何遽得考？」吏不言，但敦促之。公力疾乘馬從去。
予My 姊丈之elder sister’s husband’s 祖grandfather，宋Song 公Gong, 諱known in life as 燾Dao, was his 邑village’s 廩Granary 生Student. 一One 日day, he was 病sick and 臥lying down, when he 見saw a 吏人government official 持carrying 牒documents, 牽pulling along a 白white-顛topped 馬horse, 來coming to 云say：「You are 請requested to 赴attend a 試test。」公Gong 言said：「The 文宗test examiner 未hasn’t yet 臨seen me—何why 遽suddenly do I 得recieve an 考exam？」The 吏official 不did not 言speak, 但but 敦earnestly 促urged 之him. 公Gong, 力pressing through his 疾sickness, 乘mounted a 馬horse to 從follow [the official], 去leaving.
路甚生疏。至一城郭，如王者都。移時入府廨，宮室壯麗。上坐十餘官，都不知何人，惟關壯繆可識。簷下設几、墩各二，先有一秀才坐其末，公便與連肩。几上各有筆札。俄題紙飛下。視之，八字云：「一人二人，有心無心。」
The 路road was 甚very 生疏unfamiliar. They 至arrived at 一a 城city 郭wall 如like that of the 王者royal 都capital. 移時After a while they 入entered the 府prefecture’s 廨government office; the 宮室spaces were 壯maginificent and 麗elegant. 上Above 坐sat 十ten 餘or more 官officials; 都For all of them, [Gong] 不did not 知know 何人who they were, 惟save it for 關Guan 壯繆Zhuangmou, who 可could be 識recognized. 下Under the 簷eaves of the roof were 設set 几desks and 墩seats, 二two of 各each. 先Already 有there was 一a 秀Distinguished 才Talent 坐sitting at 其the 末end, so 公Gong 便thus 與also 連joined 肩shoulders (sat next to him). 上On the 几desks, 各each 有had an 筆inkbrush and 札paper. 俄Suddenly a 紙paper with a 題theme on it 飛flew下down. [Gong] 視looked at 之it, [its theme having] 八eight 字characters 云reading：「一ONE 人PERSON 二TWO 人PERSON, 有WITH 心INTENTION 無WITHOUT 心INTENTION. 」
二公文成，呈殿上。公文中有云：「有心為善，雖善不賞；無心為惡，雖惡不罰。」諸神傳贊不已。召公上，諭曰：「河南缺一城隍，君稱其職。」
When 二the other fellow’s and 公Gong’s 文writing 成was completed, they 呈presented them to 殿上the court. 中In the middle of 公Gong’s 文passage 有there was 云what says：「[Those] 有with 心intention 為do 善good, 雖though 善good, 不are not 賞rewarded；[those] 無without 心intention 為do 惡evil, 雖though 惡evil, 不are not 罰punished.」The 諸several 神gods 傳expressed 贊praise 不without 已end. They 召summoned 公Gong 上up, 諭proclaiming to him, 曰saying：「河南Henan 缺lacks 一a 城隍City God, and 君you 稱fit 其that 職position.」
公方悟，頓首泣曰：「辱膺寵命，何敢多辭。但老母七旬，奉養無人，請得終其天年，惟聽錄用。」上一帝王像者，即命稽母壽籍。有長鬚吏，捧冊翻閱一過，白：「有陽算九年。」共躊躇間，關帝曰：「不妨令張生攝篆九年，瓜代可也。」乃謂公：「應即赴任；今推仁孝之心，給假九年，及期當復相召。」又勉勵秀才數語。
公Gong, 方immediately 悟comprehending, 頓bowed his 首head and 泣wept, 曰saying：「I 辱gratefully 膺recieve your 寵kind 命decree. 何How [would any] 敢dare 多辭decline? 但However, my 老old 母mother is of 七旬seventy years, and to 奉offer 養care [in her old age], 無there is no 人one. I 請request to 得have 終until the end of 其her 天年natural life, then I will 惟but [wholeheartedly] 聽obey 錄用employment. 」A 上high 一one, 者one with an 帝王emperor’s 像likeness, 即promptly 命commanded [that someone] 稽check the 母mother’s 壽Longevity 籍Ledger. 有There was a 長long-鬚bearded 吏official who 捧held up 冊the book, 翻flipping pages and 閱browsing 一過all the way through, then 白revealing：「有Having 陽days, I 算calculate 九nine 年years. 」[The gods] 共together 躊躇hesitated 間for a time, before 關Guan 帝the Sovereign 曰said：「There is 不no 妨harm whatsoever! 令Have our 生student 張Zhang 攝take the 篆seal [of office], for 九nine 年years, thereupon a 瓜代change of office 可can be done也! 」乃Thus he 謂addressed 公Gong ：「應Naturally, you ought to 即immediately 赴attend to your 任duties；but 今now, 推supporting your 仁kindness and 孝之filial 心heart, I 給grant you 假time off for 九nine 年years. Once we 及reach that 期time, we 當of course should 復once more 召call for 相each other. 」[Afterward, the god] 又also 勉勵encouraged the 秀DIstingushed 才Talent with 數a few 語words.
二公稽首並下。秀才握手，送諸郊野。自言長山張某。以詩贈別，都忘其詞，中有「有花有酒春常在，無燭無燈夜自明」之句。公既騎，乃別而去。
二The other fellow and 公Gong 稽首bowed to the floor, and 並side-by-side 下descended [the court]. The 秀Distingushed 才Talent 握手shook [Gong’s] hand, and 送accompanied 諸him 郊out of the city to the 野countryside. He 言called 自himself 張Zhang-某something of 長山Changshan. 以With 詩a poem, he 贈gifted [Gong] 別at their parting. 都For most of it [I] 忘forget 其the 詞words, but 中in the middle 有there were 句lines 之of「有With 花flowers, 有with 酒drinks, in 春spring 常everlasting 在we be; 無without 燭candles, 無without 燈lanterns, 夜night 自by itself 明be lit.」公Gong, 既already 騎straddled on his horse, 乃thus 別parted from him 而and 去left.
及抵里，豁若夢寤。時卒已三日，母聞棺中呻吟，扶出，半日始能語。問之長山，果有張生，於是日死矣。後九年，母果卒，營葬既畢，浣濯入室而沒。
及Upon 抵里returning home, he had a 豁sudden clarity of mind 若as if he had 寤awaken from a 夢dream。In all this 時time, he’d 卒been dead 已already for 三three日days. His 母mother 聞heard from 中in the 棺coffin 呻吟moaning and groaning, and 扶helped [her son] 出out. Only after 半half the 日day did he 始begin to be 能able to 語speak. He 問asked 之her about 長山Changshan, and 果indeed 有there was the 生student 張Zhang, who 於on 是that 日day 矣did 死die. 後After 九nine 年years, the 母mother 果indeed 卒died. 營Management of the 葬funeral 既having been 畢completed, [Gong] 浣washed 濯and cleansed, 入entered his 室room, 而and then 歿passed away.
其岳家居城中西門內，忽見公鏤膺朱幩，輿馬甚衆，登其堂，一拜而行。相共驚疑，不知其為神，奔訊鄉中，則已沒矣。公有自記小傳，惜亂後無存，此其略耳。
其His 岳家father-in-law’s family 居resided 中in the 城city 內within (near) the 西western 門gate; 忽Suddenly, they 見saw 公Gong—with 鏤carved and decorated 膺breast-strap-clad and 朱red 幩trappings-clad 輿carriage 馬horses in 甚great 眾multitudes—登ascend to 其the 堂hall, do 一one 拜kowtow, 而then 行depart. 相Exchanging glances, they 共together were 驚surprised and 疑confused, 不not 知knowing of 其his 為becoming a 神spirit. They 奔rushed to 訊make inquiries 中in the 鄉village, 則then [learning he] 已had already 歿died矣!
公Gong 有had 自self-記written a 小傳biographical sketch, but 惜regretably, 後after the 亂rebellion, 無there is no 存remaining [copy of it]. 此This is 其its 略abridgement 耳and nothing more.
(This Japanese page and this English book really helped with reading/translating this one.)
Anyway, that was the first story in this collection, what a story for a mere abridgment! I had a lot of fun with this, and it was surprisingly surreal.
Keep in mind that this wasn’t written as fiction; people at that time in China really believed these stories were real. This isn’t a piece of folk myth, it’s an excerpt of a biography. That mindset could help with grounding the surrealism.
Now that took me about four days... Huh. Wonder if all the stories will take me that long.
