宾馆

Luxury Hotel

一位居士告诉我说，我去世界各地，都住在最豪华的宾馆里。今天，我一定要请您享受一下五星级宾馆的待遇。

A layperson told me that when he travels around world, he always stays at the most deluxe hotels. Wanting me to get a taste of luxury amenities, he insisted on treating me to a stay at a five-star hotel.

就这样，我被安排进了成都最豪华的锦江宾馆。刚下出租，从服务生为我开门到取行李，已能深深地体会到五星级宾馆无微不至的服务，走进宾馆，豪华的大厅更是令人耳目一新。走进房间，那价值昂贵的家具，宽敞柔软的床铺，洁净舒适的卫生间，无不令人惬意。

Thus I was booked into the top hotel in Chengdu, the Jin Jiang Hotel. From the moment the cab pulled up, I saw the very meticulous and individual services of a five-star hotel—opening the door, helping with the luggage, and so on. Stepping inside the lobby, the glittering decor was eye-catching; in the guest room, the extravagant furniture, roomy comfortable bed, and spotless bathrooms all promised to offer a most pleasant getaway.

走进餐厅，琳琅满目的中外各式食物应有尽有，挑逗着人们的食欲。在舒缓轻柔的音乐声中，我度过了一段美好的时光。我想，世间人所公认的最美妙的享受，恐怕也莫过于此了吧。

In the restaurant, there were full spreads of sumptuous foods, be they Chinese delicacies or other exotic cuisines, whetting everyone’s appetite. I had a great time enjoying the feast in soft melodious music and imagined that this experience must border on the topmost pleasures by popular standards of the world.

但我也不由得偷偷计算了一下，我今天的消费相当于几万条泥鳅的生命，如果能将这笔钱用于放生，那该多好啊！

However, I couldn’t help but guess how the expenses of my stay could be equated to the lives of tens of thousands of eels. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this money were used to release live beings instead!

躺在奢华的床铺上，想起冯梦龙的《喻世明言》中的一个故事，有个富翁白天吃着山珍海味，晚上躺在豪华的床上，却做着身处地狱的噩梦，令他痛苦不堪。他家的牧童，白天吃着猪狗般的食物，晚上躺在草垫上，却在梦中享受着天人般的快乐。富翁为了与牧童交换梦境，不惜白日做工，吃猪狗食，就为等待一个晚上的欢乐。

Lying on the lush bed, I recalled a story in Feng Menglong’s collection “Stories Old and New”: A certain wealthy man in the daytime feasts on the nicest dishes of every kind, but at night he is plagued by nightmares of being thrown into hell and suffering tremendous torture. His shepherd boy, on the other hand, always has blissful dreams in which he enjoys celestial happiness, even though during the day he eats rotten food and at night sleeps on a pile of hay. The rich man offers to trade dreams with the herd boy. Then the rich man thinks nothing of doing hard labor and eating only putrid food in daytime, as blissful dreams will be waiting for him at night.

最后，当牧童发现虽然白天可以肆意享乐，但晚上饱受痛苦的滋味实在难以堪忍时，也最终做回了自己的牧童。所以，躺在美妙的床上，不一定能做出美妙的梦来，躺在露天的草地上，说不定真能做出什么新版本的“黄粱美梦”。

The shepherd boy at first indulges himself in all the lavish enjoyments during the day. But then he grows weary of the nightly tortures. When it becomes too much to bear he chooses to return to his shepherd life. Therefore, a luxurious bed will not guarantee a good dream. On the other hand, a makeshift bed on the open meadow may be conducive for a modern version of “golden millet dream.”

想着想着，不知不觉地睡着了。醒来后发现，虽然没做噩梦，但柔软的席梦思着实让我不争气的背痛了好半天。

Drifting in my thoughts, I fell asleep. Upon waking up, I discovered that although I did not have bad dreams, the fancy soft bed made my poor back hurt for quite a while.

壬午年五月初七半夜　
2002年6月17日
强忍着背痛
书于锦江宾馆地毯之上

At midnight, 7th of May, Year of RenWu
June 17, 2002
Written while fighting back pains, on the carpet in the Jian Jiang Hotel