Fafner's 遁世居

在「包青天」的故事裡，有一則〈烏盆記〉，講的是被謀財害命的商人，在被燒成烏盆之後，藉著好心的第三者向包公申冤，並以烏盆形態道出冤情，後終報仇雪恨的故事。

從〈烏盆記〉到〈唱歌的骨頭〉

這個故事最特別之處，在於被害人的遺骸被工匠巧手製成了器具，這位已死去的被害人，以器具的形態親口說出被隱瞞的真相。作奸犯科之徒，自以為殺人滅跡、毫無破綻，但天網恢恢，惡人終會得到報應。

在西方的民間傳說裡，也有著類似的故事。《格林童話》的第 28 則〈唱歌的骨頭〉（The Singing Bone），就是其中之一。

Project Gutenberg 中這則故事的英譯全文：

28 The Singing Bone

In a certain country there was once great lamentation over a wild boar that laid waste the farmer's fields, killed the cattle, and ripped up people's bodies with his tusks. The King promised a large reward to anyone who would free the land from this plague; but the beast was so big and strong that no one dared to go near the forest in which it lived. At last the King gave notice that whosoever should capture or kill the wild boar should have his only daughter to wife.

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→ Of the Wild Boar,  illustration from the book The history of four-footed beasts and serpents by Edward Topsell. (from Wikipedia)

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Now there lived in the country two brothers, sons of a poor man, who declared themselves willing to undertake the hazardous enterprise; the elder, who was crafty and shrewd, out of pride; the younger, who was innocent and simple, from a kind heart. The King said, "In order that you may be the more sure of finding the beast, you must go into the forest from opposite sides." So the elder went in on the west side, and the younger on the east.

When the younger had gone a short way, a little man stepped up to him. He held in his hand a black spear and said, "I give you this spear because your heart is pure and good; with this you can boldly attack the wild boar, and it will do you no harm."

He thanked the little man, shouldered the spear, and went on fearlessly.

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← Hercules' Fourth Labor: the Erymanthian Boar

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Before long he saw the beast, which rushed at him; but he held the spear towards it, and in its blind fury it ran so swiftly against it that its heart was cloven in twain. Then he took the monster on his back and went homewards with it to the King.

As he came out at the other side of the wood, there stood at the entrance a house where people were making merry with wine and dancing. His elder brother had gone in here, and, thinking that after all the boar would not run away from him, was going to drink until he felt brave. But when he saw his young brother coming out of the wood laden with his booty, his envious, evil heart gave him no peace. He called out to him, "Come in, dear brother, rest and refresh yourself with a cup of wine."

The youth, who suspected no evil, went in and told him about the good little man who had given him the spear wherewith he had slain the boar.

The elder brother kept him there until the evening, and then they went away together, and when in the darkness they came to a bridge over a brook, the elder brother let the other go first; and when he was half-way across he gave him such a blow from behind that he fell down dead. He buried him beneath the bridge, took the boar, and carried it to the King, pretending that he had killed it; whereupon he obtained the King's daughter in marriage. And when his younger brother did not come back he said, "The boar must have killed him," and every one believed it.

But as nothing remains hidden from God, so this black deed also was to come to light.

Years afterwards a shepherd was driving his herd across the bridge, and saw lying in the sand beneath, a snow-white little bone. He thought that it would make a good mouth-piece, so he clambered down, picked it up, and cut out of it a mouth-piece for his horn. But when he blew through it for the first time, to his great astonishment, the bone began of its own accord to sing:

"Ah, friend, thou blowest upon my bone!
Long have I lain beside the water;
My brother slew me for the boar,
And took for his wife the King's young daughter."

"What a wonderful horn!" said the shepherd; "it sings by itself; I must take it to my lord the King." And when he came with it to the King the horn again began to sing its little song. The King understood it all, and caused the ground below the bridge to be dug up, and then the whole skeleton of the murdered man came to light. The wicked brother could not deny the deed, and was sewn up in a sack and drowned. But the bones of the murdered man were laid to rest in a beautiful tomb in the churchyard.

↑ "How to shout and blow horns." (from Wikipedia)

西方的這類故事，可怕之處在於，加害人是被害人的哥哥（或姊姊）。除了上述德語的《格林童話》外，至少還有法國、義大利、瑞士、英國、冰島、俄國、巴基斯坦、印度和尼日等地，都有類似的傳說。

初版和現今流通版的比較

《格林童話》1812 年的初版，這則故事是發生在三個兄弟之間，到了 1819 年的二版之後，本故事又陸續做了一些風格和文字上的編修，兄弟也簡化成了兩個。以下是我把之前下載來疑似是對岸的翻譯版（最終版），和我翻譯自網路上找到的初版英譯版來互為對照，看一看這個故事在初版和目前流通的版本之間有何差異。

這個故事和《格林童話》第 47 則的〈杜松樹〉（The Juniper Tree）也有些許類似。

另外，〈烏盆記〉也是齣京劇劇目，以下是其簡介，可與〈唱歌的骨頭〉相互比較。

京劇劇目

一名《奇冤報》，又名《定遠縣》。係老生傳統戲，各流派在演唱上有不同處理。

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故事梗概

南陽緞商劉世昌結帳回家，行至定遠縣遇雨，借宿窯戶趙大家。趙見財起意，將其用酒毒死，後將屍燒制烏盆，被鞋工張別古要帳索去。劉鬼魂哭訴，張代鳴冤，包拯杖斃趙大。

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烏盆記

定遠縣小沙窩村有一老者，姓張，排行老三，以打柴為生，人稱「別古」——與眾不同謂之「別」，不合時宜謂之「古」。此人耿直，好行仗義。一日，閒暇無事，偶然想起：「三年前東塔灣趙大欠我一擔柴火錢，四百有零，今日無事，何不走走。」於是拄了竹杖，到了趙大的門首，只見房舍煥然一新，不敢敲門， 問了鄰舍之人，方知是趙大發了財，如今都稱他「趙大官人」了。

老頭子聽了，不由得心中納悶，暗想道：「趙大這小子，長處掐，短處捏，連柴火錢都賒著，他怎麼會突然發財呢？」轉到門口，便將竹杖敲打那門，口中叫道：「趙大！趙大！」只聽裡面答應道：「是誰這麼大叫大嚷的？」門打開，只見趙大衣帽鮮明，果然不是先前光景。趙大見是張三，連忙說道：「我道是誰，原來是張大哥啊！請到家裡坐。」

正說間，只見走出一個婦人來，打扮得怪模怪樣的，捏著腔兒問道：「官人，你同誰說話呢？」張三一見，向著趙大道：「好呃！你還幹這個營生呢！怪得發財！」趙大道：「你休得胡說，這是你弟妹。」張三無奈，只得隨著進來。只見一摞一摞的瓦盆，堆得不少，彼此讓座，趙大叫婦人倒茶。張三道：「我不喝茶，你該我的四百多文錢，總要還我的，不用鬧這些軟局子。」趙大道：「張大哥，你放心，哪能短了你的區區四百多文錢！」張三道：「大兄弟如今發了，還把四百錢瞧在眼裡！」

說話間，只見趙大拿了四百錢遞與張三。張三接過，揣在懷中，站起身來說：「不是我愛小，我上了年紀的人，夜裡時常起夜，你把那小盆子給我一個，就算該我的零錢罷，從此兩下開交。」趙大道：「你還是如此的倔強！這些盆子俱是揀選出來的，並無沙眼，你挑一個就是了。」張三挑了一個，夾在懷中，轉身就走，也不告別，逕自去了。

一天夜裡，張別古在似夢非夢中聽見盆子叫喚道：「我是揚州客人，你如何向我口中小便？」張別古大驚，問道：「這盆子，你若是冤枉，請分明說來，我與你申雪。」烏盆遂答道：「我是揚州人，姓李名浩，本是做緞行生意，只因乘騾回家，行李沉重，那日天晚，在趙大家借宿，不料趙大夫妻好狠，將我殺害，謀了資財，又將我血肉骨胳燒化，和泥做成這盆子，望求老伯替我在包公座下申明此冤，報仇雪恨，就是冤魂在九泉之下，也是感恩不盡的！」張別古醒來，越想越覺得個中必有蹊蹺。可憐那李浩，無緣無故被惡人所害不覺動了他的俠義心腸。

次曰，遂帶這盆子去縣府首告。包公問其備細，張三將趙大夫妻情況及夜來烏盆所言訴說一遍，包公遂喚手下將烏盆攜進階下問之，烏盆全不答應，包公怒道：「你這老頭兒將此妖惑官府，還不速速退去。張三被責，將烏盆帶回家下，悔恨不已。夜來盆子又叫道：「老者休悶，今日見包公，因無衣裳蓋掩，這冤枉難訴。願以衣裳借我，再去見包公，待我一一陳訴，決無異說。」

張三不得已，次日以衣裳掩蓋烏盆，去見包公，訴說詳情。包公又問之，盆子哭訴冤情，發出的嘰裡咕嚕聲音，眾人皆懵然不知所云，唯包公大駭。遂貼出告示：三日後，包公審烏盆案。包公這時把隨從丁千、丁萬喚到跟前，附耳吩咐數語。

趙大村上的人，聞得包公老爺要審烏盆，誰不覺得稀奇新鮮？男女老少議論紛紛。趙大夫妻聽了嚇得心驚肉跳。

三日後，公差押趙大夫妻二人到堂，包公細問殺李浩因由，二人不肯招認。包公喚出丁千、丁萬當堂把趙大夫妻夜間對話陳述一遍，二人嚇得渾身哆嗦，直喊要喝水。包公令收入監中跟勘。將夫妻二人分開問之。先問其妻，包公道：「你二人將李浩謀殺了，奪取黃金百兩，將他燒骨為灰，和泥作盆。黃金是你收藏了，你夫分明認著，你還抵賴什麼？」

其妻驚恐，遂告包公道：「是有金百兩埋在牆中。」公差果於牆中取出黃金。包公問趙大：「你妻子卻取得黃金百兩在此，分明是你二人謀死，還不招認！」二人面面相覷，只得招認了。包公判二人謀財害命，俱以死罪斬訖；「別古」首告得實，賞銀二十兩；將烏盆並原劫銀兩，著令李浩親族領回葬之。

內容與圖片取材自「百度百科」