by Tang Xianzu
(Sobs)
(To the tune of Shizixu)
If she is detained in the palace,
She must be scared as a delicate girl.
The roads are dark as lights go out,
But there are still young wanderers.
ZHENG LIUNIANG:
If she is harassed by the ruffians, she will surely stab herself with a thin-toothed comb, or jump headlong into a well.
She would surely struggle with the ruffians,
Cursing them in a rage
Or wailing under a plum tree.
She would be sad and distressed
In the light of the setting moon.
Shilang, sit in the chamber waiting till cockcrow to find out her whereabouts at dawn!
(Wails and sits down in sorrow)
(Enter the female courtier with court-maids holding lanterns and Huo Xiaoyu with the flute)
HUO XIAOYU (To the tune of Fendie’er):
I return in the company of the lanterns
At the time of daybreak.
(Knocks at the door)
ZHENG LIUNIANG, LI YI (Open the door in surprise):
Oh! It is Xiaoyu in the bright candlelight!
FEMALE COURTIER:
Fall on your knees and listen to His Majesty’s decree: “As I am fond of poetry, I search widely for well-written lines. I have heard that Li Yi from Longxi is well-versed in poetry and that his wife Huo Xiaoyu is the daughter of my uncle Prince Huo. She lost contact with her husband on the Lantern Festival and was afraid to walk alone at night. I greatly appreciate her wits in preserving her chastity when she happened to find a jade flute. Now she is escorted back to Li Yi’s house with bestowed candles from the palace as well as the jade flute she found. The memorial of her thanks to the court does not need to be submitted. The decree is to be sent to Prince Huo’s residence.” Kowtow and thank His Majesty’s grace!
(All cup their hands in obeisance)
LI YI:
Please stay for a cup of tea!
FEMALE COURTIER:
As His Majesty will have an audience early in the morning, we dare not stay here for long. We must be leaving now. Good-bye!
(Exeunt the female courtier and court-maids)
(Zheng Liuniang and Huo Xiaoyu embrace each other)
ZHENG LIUNIANG:
You must have been scared, my daughter!
LI YI:
You must have been scared, my dear wife!
HUO XIAOYU:
Thanks to His Majesty’s favor, I have not been scared. How could I get out of the palace in the hastening order of the courtiers after I lost contact with you? I was walking in haste when I stumbled on a purple jade flute. I considered that there were lots of pleasure-seeking dandies wandering outside the palace. Even if I got out of the palace, I might lose my chastity. So I hid myself at the western end of the hall and allowed myself to be arrested and taken to Lady Guo’s palace in the Yongxiang Lane for interrogation. I told her my fathers’ name and Li Yi’s talent as well as his family. Lady Guo showed due respect to me and brought me in the presence of His Majesty, who bestowed on me the jade flute and the palace candles. I can hardly requite the favor from His Majesty.
ZHENG LIUNIANG, LI YI, HUO XIAOYU (To the tune of Yifengshu):
It is a blessing that the stainless jade
And the palace candles are bestowed.
His Majesty has granted me the favor
To leave the palace in great honor.
When the court-maids snuff out the candles,
I return from the palace in the cold night.
It will be a tale on everybody’s lips
That I walk in the flowery palace
Until I return with the flute at dawn.
ZHENG LIUNIANG:
Shilang, you’d better accompany Xiaoyu to take a nap.
Startled from the festivities in the palace,
The phoenix was separated from her mate.
She met the emperor in escaping the city guards
And daybreak saw her return to her own gate.
Scene Twenty
A Happy Stroll
(Enter Yingtao)
YINGTAO:
“To paint a person’s mien is difficult
But the flowers are beautiful in a round shape.
Over the new tunes of ‘Cold Armors’,
We taste the mellow and fragrant rice wine.”
I am Yingtao. After my princess was married to Li Yi, they matched Qing’er with me and Wu’er with sister Huansha. It is true indeed,
“The white is fit for the white,
While the black is fit for the black.”
But there is one thing that I feel worried about. As Qing’er is witty and smart, he is always bossed around by Shilang so that I cannot stay with him except at night. In contrast, Wu’er and his wife enjoy themselves together all the time in the kitchen. As the saying goes,
“The quick-witted runs here and there
For everybody to see day and night,
While the slow-witted stays indoors
For his wife to see at night.”
Mr. Li and my princess stay together all the time deeply attached to each other because he has not taken up a position yet and has enough leisure time. Today he told Qing’er to have the servants open the garden of Prince Huo and have the mattress, cushions and couches ready for them to take a nap when they stroll in the garden. The madam told me to prepare the white jade pot to be filled with new wine and ten lotus-shaped bowls to be placed on the lacquer tea-table with delicious snacks in the bowls. Here comes the couple to the garden now!
(Enter Huo Xiaoyu)
HUO XIAOYU (To the tune of Yumeiren):
I have a slim waist, a white neck and tender skin,
My thick black hair spreading at my temples.
With raven eyebrows of deep attachment
At my youthful age,
I display my affection in attractive manners.
(In the pattern of Chunguanghao)
“By the warm gauze window
And behind the painted mica screen,
I stand with my hair drooping casually.
I feel all the drowsiness after sleep
In this season of high spring.”
YINGTAO:
“By beautiful fingers I cut silk flowers
As topping on the crunchy refreshments.
Princess,
Your worries on your mind
Are shown on your knitted eyebrows.”
HUO XIAOYU:
What worries do you think are on my mind?
YINGTAO:
Before you were married to Mr. Li, you had fun on the swings with me, played the games of casting the gold coins, fighting the quails, betting on the litchi, throwing the red beans, and hide-and-seek with me, and you were always in a happy mood. Since you met Mr. Li and got married a month ago, you have been staying with him in your chamber without playing games with me anymore. Now I see you frown all the time. There must be something disturbing with you.
HUO XIAOYU:
Yingtao, how can you understand me? Before marriage, I could do whatever I liked. But I am not allowed to act like this now, as I am a wife and I should please my man day and night, which makes me a bit bored. Today he wants me to stroll around the garden with him. How can I walk ten miles a day? But I have to keep him company.
YINGTAO:
Princess, you used to sleep the whole night until daybreak, but now you chat with Mr. Li till well after midnight, and then you toss and turn and can hardly get enough sleep. It is true that to be a good wife is not easy.
HUO XIAOYU:
Quit your nonsense! You are supposed to get all the tableware ready by now. Shilang is coming soon for a stroll in the garden.
(Enter Li Yi)
LI YI (To the tune of Shanglinchun):
I read in my leisure time,
With the books piled on the desk
And the ink-slab dotted with petals drifting through the window.
A rooster is fluttering its wings with vigor over the wall,
While people feel drowsy in the lengthy daytime.
(Turns around and snuggles up to Huo Xiaoyu)
“Your frivolity is worthy to be painted,
Which stirs the amorous desire in my heart.”
I have been reading some poetic essays and practicing calligraphy, which makes me feel tired. Let’s go for a stroll in the garden and walk around the ponds and hills!
HUO XIAOYU:
It is about ten miles to walk along those hills and ponds in the garden. If we are not in a hurry, it will be dark when we return. I have told Huansha and Wu’er to wait on my mother at home and prepare some snacks and wine so that we can set out at an early time. But I am afraid that my small shoes would slip on the moss, so will you please keep a steady pace?
LI YI:
That is my duty as the husband. Yingtao, go ahead and wait for us at the Pavilion of a Hundred Flowers! We shall walk slowly.
(Walks)
“Spring comes at the end of the second month
When the day begins to grow longer.
The overhanging willows herald the warming rooms
While the blooming flowers bring a fragrant house.”
Alas! What a winding and quiet view the garden entrance presents! Let’s walk in slowly!
(To the tune of Huameixu)
The willows sway along the petal-dotted path,
Leading to a natural retreat in the garden.
It is time for the tender flowers to grow in warmth
And for the young people to enjoy their youth.
(Lowers his head and enters the garden)
Tilt your head for your protruding hairpin!
(When a hairpin falls, Li Yi picks it up and sticks it in Huo Xiaoyu’s hair)
The golden goose and insect hairpin drops from your head,
On the mossy ground slightly imprinted with footsteps.
Let’s enjoy love in private behind the flowers!
HUO XIAOYU:
Shilang, why did you say in private?
LI YI:
There is an Ever-Spring Pavilion ahead amid the flowers, where no one ever goes and the lawn looks like a green blanket. We should not miss our love there.
HUO XIAOYU;
It is a lovely place. Let’s walk around the flowers near the Ever-Spring Pavilion!
(To the tune of Huangying’er)
I steal a glance at the sunny spring
In morning splendor, moistening mist,
Steaming glow and gentle wind.
When the filaments shiver in the breeze
And the stamens and pistils enfold,
The bird’s nest weighs down the willows.
The flower-shaped gold pin
Is stuck into the hair sideways
By my slim fingers.
LI YI:
Here we are! In the pavilion is a couch equipped with a gold-threaded cushion.
HUO XIAOYU:
As I thought that you would come alone, I asked Qing’er to put them here so that you can take a nap. Now that I’ve come with you, you’ll have no time for a nap. After you drink a cup of wine, we’ll go for a stroll.
LI YI:
We may sleep here for a while as well.
HUO XIAOYU:
How embarrassing it is!
(Makes a toast to Li Yi)
Let’s pray to the Flower God! Flower God, do bless us with a happy life together!
(Feeds Li Yi with the wine)
(Li Yi holds the wine cup and feeds Huo Xiaoyu with the wine)
(Huo Xiaoyu gets intoxicated)
LI YI (Supports Huo Xiaoyu to sit down):
(To the tune of Sishihua)
The beauty is intoxicated by the nectar,
With her skin fair and delicate
And her voice in a tremor.
When she smells the flowers,
How charming she is!
The golden threads hang from her hairpin,
Her light yellow trousers blow up in the wind,
And her embroidered skirt is creased when she is seated.
Her sandal-powdered face
Is rosy and tender,
Blushing after a few drinks
Beside the weeping willows.
It is not her tiredness from viewing the flowers
But the after-effects of her drunkenness
That enliven her flower of a face.
HUO XIAOYU (Struggles to get away from the clasp of Li Yi’s arms):
Release your embrace! I can sit by myself.
LI YI:
You were at my disposal since you were drunk just now.
HUO XIAOYU:
I was not drunk.
YINGTAO:
The Huashan Mountain and the Kunming Lake are dimly visible ahead, while the eight streams flowing through Chang’an can be seen from the tower. Was this tower built by Prince Huo, Princess?
HUO XIAOYU:
Yes, it was. And it is called the Halting-Spring Tower. Look, Shilang, how delicate the inside of the tower is! A pity that Prince Huo is gone!
(To the tune of Zhaoluopaodai)
By the twelve screens with phoenix designs,
We gaze at the verdant mountains
Fading away into the distance.
The world is filled with transient foams,
Like the infinite stars and mists in the sky.
In the cave surrounded by flowers,
Prince Huo cultivated for years in pursuit of immortality.
The Huaqing Palace on Mount Xiulin
Used to be his abode.
The beauties play the zither music
Of woe over the flowing Zhanghe River that never returns.
Shilang, you have never met my father.
He solicited talents
For the imperial court,
And pursued the Taoist canons.
He frowned all day long
And counted the moss by himself,
But who knows that he aspired for immortality?
LI YI:
Don’t be so melancholy, Xiaoyu! Let’s go for a walk to the rockery!
(Li Yi and Huo Xiaoyu step downstairs)
LI YI (To the tune of Jiesancheng):
The uneven path zigzags along
Under the lingering purple-colored clouds
And across the luxuriant flowers and plants.
With the waterfall pouring from the top,
The rockery looks like a lotus flower cutting from the clouds
Or like the Xiangjiang River rushing through the Wuxia Gorge.
This place is worth a visit,
But it is discarded by the Yan Jidao-like genius,
Who aims at attaining immortality.
HUO XIAOYU:
Why did you mention the Wuxia Gorge and the Xiangjiang River?
LI YI:
The Wuxia Gorge is where the king of the Chu State met with a goddess, while the Xiangjiang River is associated with the two concubines of King Shun who were not allowed to follow their husband after he became an immortal in the Jiuyi Mountains. It is the same case as your mother who cannot follow your father when he goes to live in the Huashan Mountain for Taoist practice.
HUO XIAOYU (Sighs):
It is true indeed. In speaking of the Xiangjiang River,
“Please look at the riverside bamboos,
Whose flecks are not the tear-stains of men.”
(Walks)
(To the tune of Huanxisha)
With the wind seemingly blowing at the Xiangjiang cliffs,
This garden is a miniature of the natural wonders,
Where the river water splatters the silver pearls.
I shall play the zither and the flute
To express my lovesickness when I look into the mirror.
The music will tinkle and permeate into the water
When I strike the bamboo with my golden hairpin
To win a betting of gold coins.
LI YI:
Why should we bet by gold coins between man and wife?
HUO XIAOYU:
We shall bet by the gold-coin flower.
LI YI:
Then let’s take the nuptial flower as the gold-coin flower!
HUO XIAOYU:
You will begin with the Bamboo Tune, and I will follow you.
LI YI:
That’s a good idea.
(Starts the tune)
(Sings)
The matchmaker’s red thread is tied
HUO XIAOYU:
Into a tight knot,
LI YI:
While the silk produced in the Yue area extends
HUO XIAOYU:
To express my profound love.
LI YI:
The willows dangle on me
HUO XIAOYU:
With care and affection,
LI YI:
And the lotus flower withers
HUO XIAOYU:
To reveal its seed of a pure heart.
LI YI:
It is a real case of man singing and wife following!
YINGTAO:
The Kunming Lake is ahead. It is drizzling now, Master and Princess, so let’s hurry to the Pearl Pavilion built by Prince Huo at the lakeshore and drink a few more cups before we go back!
(Li Yi and Huo Xiaoyu walk fast)
(To the tune of Qiaohesheng)
We’ll shelter from the drizzling rain,
We’ll shelter from the drizzling rain,
To keep warm against cold.
The looming clouds drape low like the beauty’s hair,
While the mist and fragrance drift in the breeze.
With the round fan covering our heads,
We step on the soft lawn,
A green carpet to hold our weight.
The cushion is embroidered with gold threads
In designs of tiny ripples
And dashing swallows through the flowers.
When mandarin ducks play in the lake,
We exchange charming glances of flirtation.
We’ll walk shoulder to shoulder
Until we reach our chamber
To take off our underwear.
HUO XIAOYU:
Here we are in the Pearl Pavilion! Shilang, you should behave yourself and speak properly.
(To the tune of Zhuomu’er)
The frivolous man and the amorous wife
Add vitality to the painting of spring cardamoms.
Shilang, you are embracing so tightly that my headwear gets messed up.
But your joy and love have brightened up my headwear.
I did some embroidery on my collar at home before I came out for a walk.
Several stitches were done to embroider the grapes,