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景陽岡武松打虎 translation, part 3 (水滸傳)

This is the third part of a translation of the story 景陽岡武松打虎 (‘Wu Song Fights a Tiger on Jingyang Mountain’) from chapter 22 of 水滸傳 (‘Water Margin’), a 14th Century vernacular text that’s now one of the Four Classic Novels.

[← Part 2](/china/baihua/wusong-da-hu-2/” rel="prev “景陽岡武松打虎 translation, part 2 (水滸傳)") · Part 3 · Part 4 →

武松走了一直，酒力發作，焦熱起來， Wu Song kept walking, feeling the effects of the wine flaring up,

一隻手提哨棒，一隻手把胸膛前袒開， one hand carrying his staff, and one hand undoing his shirt;

踉踉蹌蹌，直奔過亂樹林來； he staggered about, rushing haphazardly through the woods;

見一塊光撻撻大青石，把那哨棒倚在一邊，放翻身體， he saw a chunk of glossy, smooth limestone, and, putting his staff to one side, laid down on it;

卻待要睡，只見發起一陣狂風。 but when he was about to sleep, he felt the beginnings of a gale.

那一陣風過了，只聽得亂樹背後撲地一聲響， After the guest of wind had passed, he heard a strange noise from behind the trees,

跳出一隻吊睛白額大蟲來。 and out leapt a tiger, with white spots above its eyes!

武松見了，叫聲「阿呀」，從青石上翻將下來， As soon as Wu Song saw it, he cried out "Argh!", and rolled off the stone;

便拿那條哨棒在手裏，閃在青石邊。 he grabbed his staff in his hand, and dodged to the side of the limestone.

那大蟲又饑，又渴，把兩隻爪在地上略按一按， The tiger was ravenous and thirsty, and put its two paws on the ground and dug in,

和身望上一撲，從半空裏攛將下來。 before throwing itself upwards and swooping back down in mid air.

武松被那一驚，酒都作冷汗出了。 Wu Song was terrified, and the wine had him in a cold sweat.

說時遲，那時快； This is slow to tell, but it happened quickly;

武松見大蟲撲來，只一閃 ，閃在大蟲背後。 Wu Song saw that the tiger had pounced, and dodged round behind it.

那大蟲背後看人最難， It was most difficult for the tiger to see behind itself,

便把前爪搭在地下，把腰胯一掀，掀將起來 。 so it dug in its front paws and whipped around at the waist, whirling around.

武松只一閃，閃在一邊。 Wu Song dodged to the side.

大蟲見掀他不著，吼一聲， The tiger saw that it hadn't spun onto him and roared,

卻似半天裏起個霹靂，振得那山岡也動， and it seemed as if half the the sky was filled with thunder, shaking so much that it moved the mountain;

把這鐵棒也似虎尾倒豎起來隻一翦。 the tiger raised its iron-like tail up high in one swipe.

武松卻又閃在一邊。 But Wu Song dodged once more to the side.

原來那大蟲拿人只是一撲，一掀，一翦； Before, that tiger had caught people with one pounce, one twist and one swipe;

三般捉不著時，氣性先自沒了一半。 but when it failed to grab him three times, its spirit was reduced by half.

那大蟲又翦不著，再吼了一聲，一兜兜將回來。 That tiger failed to swipe him again, and roared once more, and circled around.

武松見那大蟲復翻身回來，雙手輪起哨棒， Wu Song saw that the tiger had turned round again, and span his staff in one hand;

盡平生氣力，只把那條哨棒折做兩截，只拿得一半在手裏。 using all his energy, he snapped the staff in half, and kept one in his hand.

[← Part 2](/china/baihua/wusong-da-hu-2/” rel="prev “景陽岡武松打虎 translation, part 2 (水滸傳)") · Part 3 · Part 4 →

If you notice a mistake or could improve the translation, please comment below!


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