EstablishinganIntimateRelationshipwithTao(翻译版）作者：采玉药

Establishing an Intimate Relationship with Tao
结交常与道情深
Lv Yan
吕岩
Preface and Commentator’s Note:
序言以及注释者的注解：
For ages, out of the instinctive terror against Death and theirresistible impulse to Immortality, people have always beensearching for the elixir which is expected to keep people healthyand youthful or even to the extent to stave off the ravages fromall illnesses until to Death. Unfortunately, all endeavors haveseemingly come to a futile end like squaring the circle. It hasalmost become the truth for the human being that no one couldescape from the realm of Azrael. Perhaps I have to tell you thereis no hurry to make such conclusion. As far as I know there is amysterious person whose science of Immortality is so unfathomablethat he had overcome Azrael by smashing the solid door of Deathwith his super-elixir.
  多年以来，出于对死亡的本能恐惧以及对永生不可抗拒的冲动，人们一直试图找寻某种能够保持健康与年轻的灵药，从而避免所有来自疾病和死亡的蹂躏。不幸的是，所有的努力都变得像兜圈子一样徒劳无益。人类无法逃出死神的魔爪，这几乎成为不争的事实。但恐怕我要告诉你，不要急于下这样的结论。据我所知，一位玄妙之士运用他深不可测的长生妙道炼出的金丹（长生不老药）破开了坚固的死亡之门，从而战胜了死神。
    If you are ahistorian or study the history of China, you probably note aphenomenon that a strong belief or cult to Lv Yan，the most famousImmortal in Chinese myth, has been lingering around China,accompanying various folk legends or sacred deeds about himsomewhere or sometime, no matter how much time goes by. In fact, Lvis a real person in Tang dynasty. Until now, some historians whostudy Taoism even considered he may really become an Immortal. Themysterious person, who was once awarded the title of Jinshi as acandidate due to his successful achievement in the highest imperialexaminations and later as a county magistrate, had been studyingthe method of Immortality. One day he suddenly quit his positionand live in solitude as like a hermit and was indulged in pursuingTao persistently and diligently up to reaching its summit, makinghis Kungfu of Tao so subtle, incredible and miraculous that somepeople then believed he eventually translated into an Immortal, akind of superman who is described ideally by Chinese in mythlegend. He was so proficient in the science of immortality thatnobody is expected to exceed him by far.
如果你是一位历史学家或者研究过中国历史，那么你可能会注意到一种现象，那就是对中国神话传说中最著名的神仙——吕岩的强烈信仰和崇拜。在中国这片土地上，无论过去多少时间，在某时某地总会流传一些关于他的各种民间传说和神圣事迹。事实上，吕岩是唐代真实存在过的人。直到现在，一些研究道教的历史学家甚至还认为吕岩可能真的修炼成仙。这位玄妙之士，曾经因参加帝国最高的科举考试获得进士的称号成为官员候选人，后来出任县令，在此过程中一直坚持研究长生之术。直到有一天，他突然辞官归隐，并且沉迷于修道，以期可以达致炼养大成的境地，果然这使得他的修道功夫达到了微妙玄通，深不可识的境界，以至于许多人相信他真的得道成仙（一种在中国的神话故事中被理想化描述的超人）了。他是如此精通长生妙道，以至于在此领域到目前为止无出其右。
If you are acquainted with Classical Chinese writings, you will beastonished to find there are some poems titled Lv Yan. Though thereserved works titled Lv are numerous, there are few mastersmajoring in the science of Immortality who could discern theauthentic works from the fake ones. But I shall offer people a goodopportunity to peep at the odd bits of Lv’s inscrutable science ofTao. I studied Lv’s works for 2 decades, so I distinguished someauthentic poems from all those fakes titled Lv and tried to figureout their abstruse enigmas. However, the meaning of his ancientpoems is so obscure and unintelligible that no one has tried toexplain them in traditional Chinese or modern Chinese, not tomention translating them to the English version. However, I stilldecided to pick up a poem randomly and tried to translate it inmodern English.
如果你熟知中国古典著作，你会惊讶的发现一些署名吕岩的诗作。虽然署名吕岩的作品存世者众，但是鲜有专精于仙学的大师可以从众多的伪作中寻出真品。但是，我将为人们提供一个了解吕岩古奥难懂的道学体系中些微妙理的良机。我研究吕岩的作品将近二十年，所以我将真品从众多署名的伪作中挑选出来，并尝试弄明白其中的奥秘。然而，他的古诗是如此的晦涩难懂，以至于没有人尝试用文言文或者现代汉语去解释他们，更不用说将它们翻译为英文版本了。但是，我仍然决定随机挑选其中的一首，并尝试用现代英语来翻译它。
This is my first trial to translate, narrate, and explain a poem ofLv for the foreign readers with a special affinity to Tao. Pleaseappreciate and cherish the following poem of Lv titled Establishingan Intimate Relationship with Tao.
  这是我第一次尝试为外国读者翻译，叙述和解释吕的一首关于与道相亲的诗作。接下来请欣赏并珍视吕岩的这篇名为“结交常与道情深”的诗作。

I am fascinated with Tao so crazily as if he is mysole intimate that I couldn’t part with him even amoment.
结交常与道情深，日日随他出又沉。
Comment: Immortal Lv hereby wants to convey, if one dreams topractice Inner Alchemy and sublimate himself into an immortal, heshould first make firm decision to become a spiritual superman witha strong will as like making a rope out of sand, to endure numeroustribulations yet still remain confident in success, to give up allmortal’s desires and lusts and gradually cultivate Taoist feelingsor moods to meet the requirement of pursuing Tao, which is a quietsalubrious state of spirit, and to persist in it untilsuccess.
注解：吕仙特此想传达的是，如果一个人梦想实践内炼之法并修炼成仙，那么他首先要做出一个坚定的决断，即成为一个具有强大意志的精神超人，如同“以沙结绳”一般忍受诸般苦难但仍然保有对成功的信心，放弃一般人的凡情俗欲，逐渐培养出宁静祥和的泰和圣境以契合求道的要求，并且葆有这种心境直至成就。
So it is favorable to diligently extract Supernal Elixir like fineGold from invisible Water of life, which is the only truthful wayto reach the Sacred Heaven of Immortal before passing through therugged path of Hell.
若要自通云外鹤，直须勤炼水中金。
Comment: the above bold phrase is a special terms of the science ofimmortality containing ancient Chinese philosophy which is soprofound and elusive that almost all modern or ancient Chinesepeople couldn’t understand it, even for the experts or mastersmajoring in Taoism, it is also very difficult for them toaccurately grasp it. Perhaps I could interpret it in such words: ifyou are determined to become a supernatural being from a fragilemortal life, you shall have to genetically remove all lethal wartof mortal life, which has been co-existing in human life fromgeneration to generation, as well as try to acquire tenaciously thesuper-elixir as fine as sand from Tao by operating the mysticalknow-how, which is deemed as the most secret core of Taoism and ischerished by Immortal with its value weighting over a mountain ofpure gold.
注解：上述豪迈的诗句是包含了中国古代哲学的长生妙道的特殊术语，它是如此深刻和难以捉摸，以至于几乎所有现代和古代中国人都无法理解它，甚至对于专家或者专研道教的大师也很难准确的领会它。也许我可以用这样的话来解释它：如果你要决心从脆弱的凡俗生命中脱颖而出变为超越凡俗的生命存在，你就必须从遗传上去除凡人生命中世代相传的死亡赘疣，此外通过操作被认为是道家最玄妙的，被神仙所珍视的，其利益远超精金的核心诀窍，坚持地如针挑沙般从道中摘取“长生果”。
On the moment when the accomplishment of my super-elixir, the onlya bit pity I am concerned about is the reality that the universewhere the mortal inhabits become so narrow for me; while aftertaking the super-elixir, I shall never be worried about anydiseases or disasters inflicted on the mortal.
丹成只恐乾坤窄，饵了宁忧疾患侵。
Comment: Immortal Lv hereby narrated the function of super-elixirand the magic realm after Sage-being-in-Tao in a way of metaphor.It is certain that when knocking the door of Immortality open withthe help of the mysteriously powerful super-elixir, you shallbecome the master of your fate.
注解：吕仙特此以隐喻的方式讲述圣人得道之后的灵药功能和玄妙境界。可以肯定的是，当你在神秘强大的灵丹帮助下打开了长生之门，你自己便成为了命运的主人。
Until now I have been qualified to enter into the immortal world inTao, but it is no hurry to do that because I want to saunter aroundthe human world concealing my identity of Divinity while disguisingas a mortal, so I am at ease with sipping Nectar wine during thesame time tipsily composing my poetry.
未去瑶台犹混世，不妨杯酒喜闲吟。
Comment: the intention of Lv’s such behavior is subjectivelyinterpreted by some masters of Taoism and the faithful followersthat Lv actually wants to look for suitable talents or geniuseswith a special affinity for Tao who are worthy of imparting thescience of Tao. Obviously an Immortal of Sage-being-in-Tao haspermanently been in a state of unimaginable and quiet joy whichmankind shall never understand and experience, beyond all agoniesor sufferings from the realistic world as well as all afflictionsof feelings as mankind. Furthermore, the divine scent of Immortalidentity shall scare Azrael and the evil of illness far away, so anImmortal can perch at ease on the world of mortal at hisdiscretion.
注解：吕岩的这种行为的意图是由一些道教大师和忠实的追随者所主观臆断的，吕实际上是想寻找那些具有与道相合资质的可以负荷长生大道的天才来传授。显而易见的是，一位长生的得道真人可以长久的处在一种平静喜悦之中，而凡人对此状态是永远无法理解和体验的。此状态可以超越一切从现实世界以及凡人的感情世界所遭受的痛苦。此外，长生真人的神圣气息可以吓退死神，并使灾病远离。所以，一个真人可以在凡尘俗世“作道优游深独居”。