Saturday, May 9, 2009

金庸小說的山中老人

金庸小說《倚天屠龍記》中有一段關於聖火令武功的來源:

謝遜道:「明教傳自波斯,這首波斯曲子跟明教有些淵源,卻不是明教的歌兒。這曲子是兩百多年前波斯一位著名的詩人峨默做的,據說波斯人個個會唱。當日我聽韓夫人唱了這歌頗受感觸,問起來歷,她曾詳細說給我聽。

「其時波斯大哲野芒設帳授徒,門下有三個傑出的弟子:峨默長於文學,尼若牟擅於政事,霍山武功精強。三人意氣相投,相互誓約,他年禍福與共,富貴不忘。後 來尼若牟青雲得意,做到教王的首相。他兩個舊友前來投奔,尼若牟請於教王,授了霍山的官職。峨默不願居官,只求一筆年金,以便靜居研習天文曆數,飲酒吟 詩。一一依從,相待甚厚。

「不料雄心勃勃,不甘久居人下,陰謀叛變。事敗後結黨據山,成為威震天下的一個宗派首領。該派專以殺人為務,名為依斯美良派,當十字軍之時,西域提起 『山中老人』霍山之名,無不心驚色變。其時西域各國君王喪生於『山中老人』手下者不計其數。韓夫人言道,極西海外有一大國,叫做英格蘭,該國國王愛德華得 罪了山中老人,被他遣人行刺,國王身中毒刃,幸得王后捨身救夫,吸去傷口中毒液,國王方得不死。霍山不顧舊日恩義,更遣人刺殺波斯首相尼若牟。首相臨死時 口吟峨默詩句,便是這兩句『來如流水兮逝如風,不知何處來兮何所終』了。韓夫人又道,後來『山中老人』一派武功為波斯明教中人習得。波斯三使武功詭異古 怪,料想便出於這山中老人。」

究竟這故事來源何處?峨默,尼若牟,霍山,又是何許人呢?

用google一查,找到了這網頁:
http://www.gamez.com.tw/archive/tid-116977.html

此網頁解釋了山中老人和尼若牟的來源。山中老人有可能是哈桑·伊本·薩巴,而尼若牟即是尼扎木.穆勒克。歷史上都有其人。

開始有趣了,想進一步調查。上述網頁中的人物只有中文譯名,開始有點難查。於是決定先找找尼扎木.穆勒克的英文名。不難查,是Nizam al—Mulk。

再用wikipedia查Nizam al—Mulk,找到以下文章:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nizam_al-Mulk

其中一段很有趣:
"This account is particularly interesting in light of a possibly apocryphal story recounted by Jorge Luis Borges. In this story a pact is formed between a young Nizam ul-Mulk (at that time known as Abdul Khassem) and his two friends, Omar Khayyam and Hassan-i-Sabah. Their agreement stated that if one should rise to prominence, that they would help the other two to do likewise. Nizam ul-Mulk was the first to do this when he was appointed vizier to the sultan Alp Arslan. To fulfill the pact he offered both friends positions of rank within the court. Omar refused the offer, asking instead to be given the means to continue his studies indefinitely. This Nizam did, as well as building him an observatory. Although Hassan, unlike Omar, decided to accept the appointment offered to him, he was forced to flee after plotting to dispose Nizam as vizier. Subsequently, Hassan came upon and conquered the fortress of Alamut, from where he established the Assassins."

這不就是金庸的山中老人故事嗎?

峨默(Omar Khayyam),尼若牟(Nizam ul-Mulk),霍山(Hassan-i-Sabah)出來了。三個都是真有其人。至於三人師兄弟關係,Jorge Luis Borges是根據The Three Schoolmates的傳說來寫的。可能這傳說太吸引,金庸和Borges都使用了。

註: 山中老人霍山的Assassins組織,正是英語中殺手(assassin), 行刺(assassination)的來源。

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