唐僧師徒喝的“素酒”是什么酒？
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作者：王曉輝
《西游記》第十二回，玄奘從長安出發(fā)，前往西天取經(jīng)。唐太宗李世民在城關(guān)外親自為玄奘舉酒送行：
玄奘又謝恩，接了御酒道：“陛下，酒乃僧家頭一戒，貧僧自為人，不會(huì)飲酒?！碧诘溃骸敖袢罩?，比他事不同。此乃素酒，只飲此一杯，以盡朕奉餞之意?！比夭桓也皇?。接了酒，……復(fù)謝恩飲盡，辭謝出關(guān)而去。
唐太宗捧給玄奘的是一杯“素酒”，素酒是什么酒？酒是由糧食或者水果釀造的，當(dāng)然是素的，難道還有用肘子或者雞腿釀的酒嗎？
我們先來看看兩位翻譯家是怎樣理解這段話的。
余國藩教授的譯文：
Thanking him, Xuanzang accepted the wine and said, "Your Majesty, wine is the first prohibition of priesthood. Your poor monk has practiced abstinence since birth." "Today's journey," said Taizong, "is not to be compared with any ordinary event. Please drink one cup of this dietary wine, and accept our good wishes that go along with the toast." Xuanzang dared not refuse; he took the wine and ... thanked the emperor once more and drained the cup.
詹納爾教授的譯文：
Thanking the Emperor for his kindness, he accepted the cup of wine with the words, "Your Majesty, liquor is the first of the things from which a monk must abstain, and so I have never drunk it." "Today's journey is exceptional," Taizong replied, "and besides, this is a nonalcoholic wine, so you should drink this cup and let us feel that we have seen you off properly." Unable to refuse any longer, Sanzang took the wine ... and thanking the Emperor once more he drained the cup ...
從上面的譯文看，兩位譯者都注意到了“素酒”的含義，只是表達(dá)方式有差異。余國藩教授用dietary wine來翻譯素酒，dietary是diet的形容詞形式，指為健康等目的特別設(shè)計(jì)的飲食，如diet coke（無糖可樂）和diet drinks（低熱量飲料）。dietary wine在這里可以理解為專為齋戒的人準(zhǔn)備的低度酒或不含酒精的飲料。詹納爾教授將“素酒”直接翻譯成nonalcoholic wine（不含酒精的飲料），簡潔明了，更易于外國讀者接受。
那么，素酒到底是什么酒？出家人究竟能不能喝酒呢？
素酒一般指沒有經(jīng)過蒸餾的低度酒，米酒、水果釀制的酒均屬于素酒一類。素酒又叫小酒，《宋史·食貨志》里提到：“自春至秋，醞成即鬻，謂之小酒……臘釀?wù)翦?，候夏而出，謂之大酒”。我不是釀酒的行家，僅能從字面上理解個(gè)大概。不過，出家人對于糧食釀制的酒還是比較介意的。古代社會(huì)生產(chǎn)力低下，填飽肚子已經(jīng)非常不易，用糧食來釀酒則是一件十分奢侈的事情，在佛家看來，屬于糟蹋糧食，奪人口糧，甚至是間接殺生。所以，《西游記》中唐僧師徒喝的素酒極有可能是水果釀制的低度酒。這一點(diǎn)，我們從小說的描述中也能找到一些佐證。
《西游記》第八十二回，金鼻白毛老鼠精將唐僧捉住，要與這位和尚哥哥成親：
那妖精露尖尖之玉指，捧晃晃之金杯，滿斟美酒，遞與唐僧，口里叫道：“長老哥哥妙人，請一杯交歡酒兒。”三藏羞答答的接了酒，望空澆奠，心中暗祝道：“護(hù)法諸天、五方揭諦、四值功曹：弟子陳玄奘，自離東土，蒙觀世音菩薩差遣列位眾神暗中保護(hù)，拜雷音見佛求經(jīng)，今在途中，被妖精拿住，強(qiáng)逼成親，將這一杯酒遞與我吃。此酒果是素酒，弟子勉強(qiáng)吃了，還得見佛成功；若是葷酒，破了弟子之戒，永墮輪回之苦！”孫大圣，他卻變得輕巧，在耳根后，若像一個(gè)耳報(bào)，但他說話，惟三藏聽見，別人不聞。他知師父平日好吃葡萄做的素酒，教吃他一鍾。
從上面唐僧的心理獨(dú)白我們知道，如果是素酒，勉強(qiáng)吃了，還不算罪過；如果是葷酒（高度酒），就算是破戒，那麻煩就大了。另外，孫悟空還向我們透露了一個(gè)重要信息，那就是唐僧平時(shí)還是喜歡喝一點(diǎn)小酒的，當(dāng)然是葡萄做的素酒。
為什么出家人可以喝一點(diǎn)低度酒呢？原來，戒也是有區(qū)別的。在佛門五戒中，飲酒戒是唯一的“遮戒”。遮，制止之意，是對輕罪的禁戒。《佛教漢英詞典》中“遮戒”的翻譯是secondary commandment / secondary rule。其它如殺、盜、淫、妄等戒，均屬“性戒”（commandment based on the primary laws of human nature），即當(dāng)初無論佛陀是否制戒，原本就應(yīng)當(dāng)持守之戒。喝酒本身不是問題，喝大了才是問題，容易讓人偏離正道，犯殺、盜、淫、妄等“性戒”。所以，飲酒戒關(guān)注的不是喝不喝，而是喝什么、喝多少。唐僧師徒雖然出家持戒，但也不是活在真空當(dāng)中，還要同皇帝、官府、百姓，甚至妖精打交道，一些特殊的場合，還是要應(yīng)酬的，如唐太宗送行的素酒，唐僧能不給面子嗎？
【配圖：彭靖雯】
《西游記》小說中，唐僧幾次飲酒，控制得都很好，能推辭盡量推辭，實(shí)在推不開，只飲一杯，更多情況下是讓徒弟代飲。當(dāng)然，悟空、八戒和沙僧還是很愿意承擔(dān)這項(xiàng)任務(wù)的。小說第十九回有一段關(guān)于師徒在高老莊參加答謝宴會(huì)的描寫，非常有意思：
高老把素酒開樽，滿斟一杯，奠了天地，然后奉與三藏。三藏道：“不瞞太公說，貧僧是胎里素，自幼兒不吃葷?！崩细叩溃骸耙蛑蠋熐逅兀辉覄?dòng)葷。此酒也是素的，請一杯不妨?！比氐溃骸耙膊桓矣镁?。酒是我僧家第一戒者?！蔽蚰芑帕说溃骸皫煾?，我自持齋，卻不曾斷酒。”悟空道：“老孫雖量窄，吃不上壇把，卻也不曾斷酒?！比氐溃骸凹热绱?，你兄弟們吃些素酒也罷。只是不許醉飲誤事?！?遂而他兩個(gè)接了頭鍾。各人俱照舊坐下，擺下素齋。說不盡那杯盤之盛，品物之豐。
從這一段描寫我們可以看出，僧人的飲酒戒是相對寬松的，至少小說里是這樣。悟空和八戒從來就沒有斷過酒，而且唐僧也允許他們吃些素酒。另外，唐僧叮囑徒弟不要“醉飲誤事”，說明素酒不是不含酒精的飲料，而是有一定度數(shù)的。
詹納爾教授的譯文：
Squire Gao opened a pot of wine, from which he filled a cup and poured a libation to Heaven and Earth before handing it to Sanzang. "Frankly, sir," Sanzang said, "I have been a vegetarian from the womb, and have not consumed strong-flavoured food since my earliest childhood."
"Venerable master, I know that you are a vegetarian," Squire Gao replied, "which is why I haven't pressed any meat or strong-flavoured food upon you. But this wine is made from vegetable matter, so a cup of it will do no harm." "I don't drink either," Sanzang explained, "as alcohol is the first of the prohibitions of the priesthood." "Master," Pig hastily interjected, "I may be a vegetarian, but I haven't given up liquor." "And although I haven't strong head for the stuff and can't finish a whole jar of it, I haven't given it up either," Monkey added. "In that case you two had better drink some; but don't get drunk and ruin everything," said Sanzang. The pair of them then took the first cup, after which everyone sat down again as the vegetarian dishes were brought in. Words could not describe the flowing cups, the well-filled dishes, and the splendid food.
高老莊的莊主是鄉(xiāng)紳，書中稱其為高老；悟空沒大沒小，管人家叫老高。高老與老高，一顛一倒，相差不少，詹納爾教授的翻譯是Squire Gao（高老）和Gao, old chap（老高）。余國藩教授將高老譯成old Mr. Gao，顯得很現(xiàn)代很西洋。“胎里素”，being vegetarian from birth或者being vegetarian from the womb均可。出家人所說的“葷”的概念，并不單純指肉食，還包括蔥、蒜等有刺激味道的蔬菜，翻譯成英文就是meat and strong-flavoured food。最后一句話，“說不盡那杯盤之盛，品物之豐”，是漢語文學(xué)作品中常見的表達(dá)方式，但要想恰如其分地譯成英文并不容易。余國藩教授的譯文：We cannot tell you in full what a richly laden table that was, and what varieties of delicacies were presented. 詹納爾教授的譯文：Words could not describe the flowing cups, the well-filled dishes, and the splendid food. 兩位譯者的翻譯，一個(gè)周密細(xì)致，一個(gè)簡單明了，都值得我們學(xué)習(xí)參考。
一杯素酒，竟然引出這么多話來。中國文化，歷史悠久，博大精深，許多詞匯都有其獨(dú)特的內(nèi)涵。如果不了解中文詞匯的含義及其背后的文化背景，怎么能準(zhǔn)確地翻譯給外國讀者呢？即便勉力為之，也會(huì)出漏洞，經(jīng)不住推敲。
