牛峤·王生 The Story of the Foxes - The Book of Fantasy

☆The Story of the Foxes - The Book of Fantasy Niu Chiao, ninth-century Chinese poet and saaant. He wrote more than thirty books. The story of Foxes 　　 　　Wang saw two Foxes standing on their hind legs and leaning against a tree. One of them held a sheet of paper in its hand, and they laughed together as though they were sharing a joke. Wang tried to frighten them off but they stood their ground, and finally he shot at the one holding the page. The Fox was hit in the eye and Wang took away the piece of paper. At the inn Wang told the story to the other guests. While he spoke a gentleman having a bandage eye came in. He listened to Wang’s story with interest and asked if he might not be shown the paper. Wang was just about to produce it when the innkeeper noticed that the newcomer had a tail. “He is a Fox!” he shouted, and on the spot the gentleman turned into a Fox and fled. The Foxes tried time after time to recover the paper, which was filled with indecipherable writing, but repeatedly set back. Wang decided at last to return home. On the road he met his whole family, who were on their way to the capital. They said that he had ordered them to undertake the journey, and his mother showed him the letter in which he asked them to sell off all their property and join him in the city. Wang, studying the letter, saw that the page was blank. Although they no longer had a roof over their heads, he ordered, “Let’s go back.” 　　One day a younger brother appeared whom everyone had given up for dead. He asked about the family’s misfortunes and Wang told him the whole story. “Ah,” said the brother when Wang came to the part about the Foxes, “there lies the roof of all the evil.” Wang showed him the page in question. Tearing it from Wang’s hand, the brother stuffed the sheet into his pocket and said, “At last I have back what I wanted.” Then, changing himself into a Fox, he made his escape. 考 ★王生 《太平广记》卷四百五十三狐七引牛峤《灵怪录》 《十国春秋·卷四十四前蜀十列传》：牛峤字松卿，一字延峰，陇西人也，唐相僧孺之后。博学有文，以歌诗著名。乾符五年登进士第，历官拾遗、补阙、校书郎。高祖以节度使镇西川，辟为判官，及开国，拜给事中，卒。有集三十卷，歌咏三卷。自言窃慕李贺长歌，举笔辄效之。尤善制小辞，女冠子云：“繍带芙蓉帐，金钗芍药花。”菩萨蛮云：“山月照山花，梦回灯影斜。”皆峤佳句也。 王生 　　杭州王生者，建中初，辭親之上國，收拾舊業，將投于親知，求一官耳。行至圃田下道，尋訪外家舊莊。日晚，柏林中見二野狐，倚樹如人立，手執王生一黃紙文書，相對笑語，傍若無人。生乃叱之，不為變動。生乃取彈，因引滿彈子，且中其執書者之目。二狐遺書而走。王生遽往，得其書，才一兩紙，文字類梵書，而莫究識，遂緘于書袋中而去。其夕，宿于前店，因話于主人，方訝其事。忽有一人攜裝來宿，眼疾之甚，若不可忍，而語言分明。聞王生之言，曰：“大是異事，如何得見其書？”王生方將出書，主人見患眼者一尾垂下床，因謂生曰：“此狐也！”王生遽收書于懷中，以手摸刀逐之，則化為狐而走。一更后，復有人扣門。王生心動，曰：“此度更來，當以刀箭敵汝矣！”其人隔門曰：“爾若不還我文書，后無悔也！”自是更無消息。王生秘其書，緘縢甚密。 　　行至都下，以求官伺謁之事，期方賒緩-，即乃典貼-舊業田園，卜居近坊，為生生之計。月余，有一僮自杭州而至，缞裳-入門，手執凶訃，王生迎而問之，則生已丁家難-矣，聞之慟哭。生因視其書，則母之手字云："吾本家秦，不願葬于外地，今江東田地物業，不可分毫破除，但都下業可一切處置，以資喪事。備具皆畢，然后自來迎接。" 　　王生乃盡貨田宅，不候善價，得其資，備塗芻之禮和，無所欠少。既而復籃舁禮東下，以迎靈輿-。及至揚州，遇見一船子，上有數人，皆喜笑歌唱。漸近視之，則皆王生之家人也。意尚謂其家貨之，今屬他人矣。 　　須臾，又有小弟妹搴簾而出，皆彩服笑語。驚怪之際，則其家人船上驚呼曰：“郎君來矣，是何服飾之異也！”王生潛令人問之，乃見其母驚出。生遽毀其缞绖，行拜而前。母迎而問之。其母駭曰：“安得此理！”王生乃出母送遺書，乃一張空紙耳。母又曰：“吾所以來此者，前月得汝書云，近得一官，令吾盡貨江東之產，為入京之計。今無可歸矣！”及母出王生所寄之書，又一空紙耳。 　　王生遂發使入京，盡毀其凶喪之具，因鳩集余資，自淮卻扶持-，且往江東。所有十無一二，才得數間屋，僅以庇風雨而已。有弟一人，別且數歲，一旦忽至，見其家道敗落，因徵其由。王生具話本末，又述妖狐事，曰："但應以此為禍耳。"其弟驚嗟。因出妖狐之書以示之。其弟才執其書，退而置諸懷中曰："今日還我天書！"言畢，乃化作一狐而去。