by Tang Xianzu
But I did not expect that we would walk such a distance.
Shilang, I do this for your pleasure. Look!
Our happy faces are mirrored in the wine.
LI YI:
You just ask me to drink rather than listen to me.
HUO XIAOYU:
None of your idle talk! There seems to be a voice beyond the bamboo grove.
It seems to be Bao Siniang from the sporting house.
LI YI:
Call Bao Siniang at once!
(Twittering of birds within)
Oh! I can see nobody over there.
(To the tune of Yujiaozhi)
In the depth of the garden,
The birdsong is mistaken for someone’s voice.
Xiaoyu, look at the startled birds taking flight!
A couple of startled green birds
Are hovering above the lilac flowers.
As your toasts have intoxicated me, I will make you drunken too.
(Huo Xiaoyu refuses and chews at the flower petals with a smile)
LI YI:
Xiaoyu,
Don’t feign your reluctance to drink
And ask for exemption in coyness.
You bite at the flower buds
And steal a peep at me while looking at the oriole.
HUO XIAOYU:
Shilang, you may have placed your love on the wrong person, as I shall be pining away. What worries me is that your newly-wed wife will become old sooner or later while men are always longing for a change. Lyrics of deserted wives have been chanted in sighs since ancient times. I have heard of the tales of women who were firm in love and willing to be buried in the same grave with their lovers. I am predestined to serve you and my heart is as firm as the grinding stone in my love for you. I can make my vow to the heaven, but you have great ambitions as you come from a distinguished family in Longxi. When the disturbances there are quelled, you will surely go back and look for a spouse of your equal status. As a withered flower will naturally be cast away, how can I complain about your frivolity! I’d like to tell you my long-cherished desire.
LI YI:
Please speak it out!
HUO XIAOYU:
Now I am eighteen and you are twenty. When you are thirty, I will be twenty-eight. At that time, if you’d like to marry a woman from Maoling and discard a woman like Su Hui, I will have nothing to complain even if I die.
LI YI:
What nonsense you are talking! You are not the ancient Zhuo Wenjun, married to the frivolous Sima Xiangru who was once intent on a woman from Maoling, while I am the faithful Dou Tao, whose wife was Su Hui. We will be man and wife forever who live in the same room and be buried in the same grave.
HUO XIAOYU:
It is hard to predict the future. I am just joking.
(To the tune of Yubaodu)
I will serve you for ten years,
Pleasing you with my beauty and youth.
With tender affection I will keep your company
By day and by night.
When we are nearing thirty,
I will be losing my beauty,
And everything then will be changed,
Leaving behind a fond dream or a sweet memory.
LI YI:
You should not make wild guesses. My heart will always be loyal to you.
(To the tune of Yushantui)
You are young and beautiful as a peach-blossom,
With your petticoat soft and fragrant,
Your delicate voice inducing lovesickness,
And your slim body enticing endearment.
Now that I have a rare beauty like you,
What other distinguished flowers shall I admire?
A heartless man will be condemned by the heaven.
If I should betray you,
I would be sick every spring.
HUO XIAOYU:
Shilang, in my jewelry locket, there are pieces of columned writing-paper, a bamboo-tube writing-brush and a conch-shaped ink-stick. You can write a few lines as a keepsake for the rest of my life. When you leave for an official position one day, I will read it as if I saw my man!
LI YI:
That will do!
(Yingtao fetches the writing-paper and the writing-brush)
LI YI:
Xiaoyu, look at the Kunming Lake, where the statues of the Cowboy and the Weaving Girl are erected! I shall make my vow in front of it and write a few lines.
(Chants the poem)
“Our overlapped shadows have linked hearts
In a chamber by the Kunming Lake.
I vow by the Weaving Girl by the water
And the Cowboy on the opposite bank.
My love will last till final destruction of Heaven and Earth,
When the seas have gone dry and the rocks melted with the sun.
We shall be of the same ashes through all the kalpas,
And I shall never forget my vow for a day.”
HUO XIAOYU:
Thank you!
(Bows to express her thanks)
(To the tune of Chuanbozhao)
I am grateful for your love,
My dear man,
As your vow shows your boundless love.
I am afraid that you merely write in black and white,
I am afraid that you merely write in black and white
To love me till the seas have gone dry.
You might be mouthing fine words,
But do not remember to keep your own vow.
Shilang, now that you have made your vow, this tour is worthwhile for me. As it is getting late now, please be on our way back as early as possible!
YINGTAO:
By a path near the rockery and the lake, we are not far away from home.
(Returns)
HUO XIAOYU (To the tune of Yiduojiao):
The spring sights are becoming dim
When we walk on the fragrant path at dusk,
Hearing the birds sing in the distant mountains.
Over the mountain summit,
The sun is still hanging high,
And the night clouds are floating in the sky.
The flowers and leaves will fall asleep,
The flowers and leaves will fall asleep,
While the returning crows no longer croak.
(Huo Xiaoyu stumbles)
LI YI (Helps her up):
I enjoy walking in the moonlight since I am by your side. Why do you walk in such a hurry that you stumble and get your shoe-seams split? Now walk slowly! The moon is rising.
(To the tune of Yueshanghaitang)
On her delicate feet,
The red embroidered shoe-seams split.
I am reluctant to open the gate
And block the garden flowers.
This happy spring tour
Gives my eyes a charming view.
We return home
In the moonlight,
And Yingtao will knock the copper gate-bell.
(Knocks at the door)
(Huansha opens the gate, holding a candle and letting them in)
HUO XIAOYU:
Has my mother gone to bed?
HUANSHA:
She is waiting for you in the living-room with wine ready. Please come in!
LI YI (To the tune of Coda):
With profound love
And in high spirits,
I see the shadow of flowers casting on the railings.
HUO XIAOYU:
Shilang, I’d like to appreciate the moon after drinking the wine with you.
We’ll watch the silk-tree flowers in the spring courtyard.
The breeze brushes at the sleeves and tilts the hair,
When we have dinner in the bright red room.
I will soon have a cozy sleep tonight,
To best enjoy the music in the bloom.
Scene Twenty-One
Winning the Laurel
(Enter officials and officers)
OFFICIALS, OFFICERS (To the tune of Tianxiale):
The Imperial A
cademy leads to the court,
Where the palace hall is glorified by the lotus flowers.
The sun shines beyond the capital city,
Where the meritorious deeds are inscribed on the steles.
Good morning, everyone! The results of the imperial examinations are announced today. His Majesty nominates in person that Li Yi is the Number-One Scholar, who is allowed to present himself at the court. All the scholars are supposed to be waiting outside the palace gate now.
(Enter Li Yi)
LI YI (To the tune of Busuanzi):
The lucky bird is flying around me
While auspicious clouds are hovering above my head.
The best scholar is nominated by His Majesty,
Who rejoices over the gathering of talents.
(Enter a courtier)
COURTIER:
Here is His Majesty’s decree, which says, “All the wise ancient emperors tried to solicit the gifted and the talented. This righteous practice has been widely followed to carry on the old tradition. Distinguished people are selected and promoted to their respective posts while their descendants likewise are bestowed high honor and positions. All the emperors, whether wise or mediocre, follow this practice. Since I ascended the throne, talents of all kinds have swarmed in to serve the country. If I lay too much emphasis on men of literary talents, there will be no guarantee to the peace of the territories. Therefore, I have nominated various talents to consult on the literary and military strategies. I am relieved to see that each of them will give full play to his special talents. I have nominated five hundred candidates who have passed the imperial examinations. At the top of the list is Li Yi, whose essays and poems I have been reading for long and whose high reputation I have been appreciating. He is allowed to express his gratitude in the Taiji Hall and to take office as an Imperial Academician as soon as possible. He is to go to serve as the military consultant in the army under Prime Minister Du Huangshang in the Shuofang area. His appointment document is to be drafted by the Secretariat.”
LI YI (Expresses his gratitude to the emperor and goes out of the palace gate):
(To the tune of Diliuzi)
The sage emperor,
The sage emperor
Gives an audience to his ministers.
The ministry of rites,
The ministry of rites
Has eight important sections.
From among the people,
Excellent officials are selected
And recommended to the court,
Where they are given due honor and positions
And are granted a grand banquet beside the Qujiang Pool.
(To the previous tune)
In the past,
In the past
I wrote essays in vain.
In the palace yard,
In the palace yard
I got drunk when I was not nominated.
In the brothel house,
With all the curtains rolled up,
I will pick from those I know.
To pick the name written on the fragrant paper,
Which one should I sleep with tonight?
(To the tune of Coda)
As flowers bloom all over the yard when the bells ring,
So there is no limit to wealth and rank when you are nominated.
There are always stories for people to pass down.
For one more talent in the court
He has a brilliant future of high rank.
The Apricot Garden is in the late spring,
But he is the topmost candidate who drank.
Scene Twenty-Two
Parting with Reluctance
(Enter Li Yi)
LI YI (To the tune of Fanbusuan):
The spring is in its last phase
When ministers retreat from the court.
With urgent tidings from the border area,
The sword will have to leave the sheath.
(In the pattern of Huanxisha)
“As the court abounds in capable people,
I am sent from the palace
To the remote frontier regions.
When frontier wars draws me away from home,
I shall serve in the army that is stationed there
But my heart is linked with a faithful heart.”
I am Li Yi. I am ranked at the top among the talented scholars, so I am appointed an Imperial Academician. As the war in Shuofang is still under way, Prime Minister Du Huangshang is dispatched to the frontier and I am decreed to be his military consultant. I am happy to learn that Shi Xiong came at the top in the imperial test of martial arts, Hua Qin wrote a report to His Majesty yesterday and asked to be dispatched to the frontier to make contributions, and Shang Zipi has asked His Majesty for permission to return to the west. I have sent Qing’er to go to the Secretariat and inquire about His Majesty’s response.
(Enter Qing’er)
QING’ER:
“While time passes slowly in the palace,
Flowers bloom over the Ministry of Justice.”
Master, here is the court gazette!
LI YI (Reads the gazette):
Oh! The Personnel Ministry handed in the memorial on the sixteenth day of the second month that to handle the affairs in the Songpan area, Grand General Hua Qin is to be transferred to Xichuan because there is no military governor there. On the seventeenth day, the Military Ministry handed in the memorial that Shi Xiong, the champion in the imperial test of martial arts, is to be transferred to Longxi to handle the affairs related the Tubos. On the eighteenth day, the Ministry of Rites handed in the memorial concerning the rites for the return of Shang Zipi, son of the Tubo King, that a banquet is to be held in the Guanglu Temple, and that the Imperial Academy is to draft a document of response to the Tubos. Alas! The three friends of mine will be separated when I go to Shuofang as the military consultant. How sad I am since I do not know when we can meet again! Qing’er, go and inquire when they are going to set out!
QING’ER:
It is decreed that all of you are to set out early tomorrow morning. I have just met their gateman, who told me that the three masters would come here to say farewell.
LI YI:
In that case, prepare a banquet as soon as possible!
(Enter Hua Qing, Shi Xiong and Shang Zipi)
HUA QING, SHI XIONG, SHANG ZIPI (To the tune of Yeyouchao):
Eminent people leave for the northwest one after another,
Feeling the deep sorrow of parting in times of war.
Riding on jade bridled steeds,
And holding the sharp-edged swords,
We have loyal hearts for our country.
(Greet each other)
“Having just enjoyed a happy spring outing,
We now have to part from each other.
There’s no need to talk about the distance between us,
Since we are separated by rivers and mountains.”
LI YI:
The Songpan area where Hua Qing will go to serve as the military governor is inland. But the Longxi area where Shi Xiong will go is the place ravaged by the Tubos, and I wonder when Shang Zipi will come back again after he returns home in the Tubos’ territory. How sorrowful we are for us sworn brothers to leave for different remote places!
HUA QING:
Shang Zipi will come back sooner or later after he returns home this time. Shi Xiong will have a bright future since he is making contributions at his young age. As I am old, I’m afraid that I will stay at the frontier for the rest of my life and I will not have the chance to see you again.
LI YI:
You will return to the court in victory like the ancient generals Jiang Ziya and Ma Yuan. It is just the separation at this very moment that makes you feel sentimental and upset. When Shi Xiong recovers the Longxi area by depending on His Majesty’s power and prestige, please visit my father’s grave for me! When Shang Zipi sends messengers, please drop me a line! I will set out for Shuofang tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. It is h
ard to predict the future as I shall go through tortuous and dangerous passes and mountains. A true man must cherish great ambitions and aim at achieving success and reputation. Let’s drink and sing to our hearts’ content at today’s parting!
HUA QING, SHI XIONG, SHANG ZIPI:
We don’t feel like drinking now because we’ll soon be on our way.
LI YI:
Please do drink a cup since we won’t be able to drink together any more. Qing’er, fill in the wine cups!
QING’ER:
“The horse neighs at the road of departure
While the wine fills the cup of separation.”
Here is the wine, Master!
(Fills in the wine cups)
LI YI (To the tune of Zaoluopao):
The wine adds woe to the sorrow at our farewell,
When the generals will leave for the frontier
And Shang Zipi will go a long way back home.
Feather-decorated army flags flutter past the parting pavilion,
With their bright colors mirrored in the river water.
LI YI, HUA QING, SHI XIONG, SHANG ZIPI:
The mountain paths wind forward
When the black steeds start off late in the day.
The companions are decreed to set out,
With parting sorrow at the moment.
We have to tear ourselves away from our friends.
HUA QING (To the previous tune):
Departure is made in overwhelming sorrow,
Which can even make the monkeys wail
And the cranes linger above.
It is hard to imagine the reunion date for the long distance
And for the various detentions we might encounter.
The four of us
LI YI, HUA QING, SHI XIONG, SHANG ZIPI:
Bear well-made bows
And sharp-edged swords.
Full of energy and aspiration,
For what are we to show valiance at the frontier?
In Seleukia we shall meet the envoy from the west again.
SHANG ZIPI:
Shilang, when you say that you will meet the envoy from the west again in Seleukia, you are expecting me to return to the middle kingdom. But you know, although I am reluctant to leave Mount Tai and Mount Hua in China, I have to go back home as I am an envoy. And I am afraid that it will be hard for me to keep in touch with you as I will live in seclusion in the Kunlun Mountains after I go back. I will remain single and will not serve as a bureaucrat.
LI YI:
Zipi, although you are indulged in the mountains such as Mount Tai, Mount Hua and the Kunlun Mountains, the Tubo King might not allow you to do so. If he insists on your service, how can you live up to his expectations? Jurong after his mission to the State of Jin and Youyu after his mission to the State of Jin did meritorious deeds in consolidating the friendly contact between the central plain and the western regions. Zipi, you should persuade the Tubo King to pacify the frontier and secure the stability in the border regions. In that case, how can you confine yourself in the mountains and look on with folded arms?