by Tang Xianzu
(Acts as if to shun Li Yi)
I’d like to tarry in the corridor in the shade of moonlight,
But I’d hate to stay in the corridor lit up in candlelight.
(Li Yi bows to Huo Xiaoyu)
Why does the handsome man cast a look at me?
LI YI (Smiles to her):
You must have dropped a hairpin.
HUO XIAOYU:
Have you found one, gentleman?
LI YI, HUO XIAOYU:
Fondling the hairpin and murmuring,
We’re lucky to have the chance encounter
On the Lantern Festival Eve.
Li Yi (To the tune of Yujiaozhi):
Which affluent family are you from?
Why are you going in such a hurry, my fair lady?
HUANSHA:
My young mistress is the daughter of Prince Huo.
LI YI:
What a coincidence! What a coincidence! So it’s Sister Xiaoyu?
HUANSHA:
Yes, it’s her.
LI YI:
I’ve been adoring your mistress for a long time! Why is she coming alone?
HUANSHA:
She’s looking for her hairpin.
LI YI:
The walk on the crowded street tires her delicate feet,
So it’s all for the dropping of the hairpin.
HUANSHA:
Hey, scholar, have you seen the hairpin?
LI YI:
Yes, I have. But please allow me to greet Sister Xiaoyu.
HUO XIAOYU (In a whisper):
Huansha, that won’t do! But ask the scholar where he’s from.
LI YI:
I’m Li Yi from Longxi, and my secondary name is Junyu, the 10th son of the family. I’ve come here to take the imperial examination.
HUO XIAOYU (Takes a look at Li Yi, lowers her head and smiles):
I’ve heard of Mr. Li’s talent for poetry from Bao Siniang, and I’ve been thinking of him all day long. Now I see you in person, but you don’t look as good as I’ve imagined. A talented scholar must be handsome as well, right?
LI YI (Listens and goes forward for a greeting):
Well! You adore talent, Miss, and I admire good looks. We two are a perfect match. What a lucky coincidence for tonight!
HUO XIAOYU (Shuns him shyly):
Luckily, the hairpin’s fallen into the scholar’s hands!
What a pretty hairpin in my bun viewed from the mirror!
But now it’s in the scholar’s sleeve due to the plum twigs.
Huansha, ask the scholar to return my hairpin.
HUO XIAOYU, HUANSHA:
It’d be a pity if this one remains single before the lanterns;
It’d be a pity if that one remains single before the lanterns.
LI YI:
Please allow me to tell you, maid. I’ve remained single for over twenty years, not even engaged. I thought I could never see such lady’s jewelry. Luckily, I’ve met a fairy from the moon, and picked up the hairpin before the plum blossoms. The plum blossoms are a token of matchmaking, and the swallows carved on the hairpin symbolize the happiness of a married couple. So I’ll treasure this hairpin as a token for the marital tie. What would you think?
HUANSHA (Gets annoyed):
How rude you scholar are! You take advantage of the opportunity to express your passions. I must scold you for that!
HUO XIAOYU:
You lousy maid, how could you do that?
(To the previous tune)
The lanterns get us in trouble,
By which the scholar expresses his intention.
Scholar, my hairpin is worth a fortune!
LI YI:
I have the fortune to meet you.
HUO XIAOYU (Smiles aside):
The meeting is worth a fortune tonight;
It seems as joyful as that of the Lanqiao tale.
Return my hairpin!
LI YI:
I’ll choose a good matchmaker and present it to you by then.
Oh, hairpin,
How she sighs and sighs!
But I’ve got the chance to talk with her by the plum twigs.
LI YI, HUO XIAOYU:
It’d be a pity if this one remains single before the lanterns;
It’d be a pity if that one remains single before the lanterns.
HUANSHA:
Her Ladyship would be waiting for long, so let’s go home.
(To the tune of Chuanbazhao)
The flute tune is low
And time urges us to return.
HUO XIAOYU:
I tarry for the scholar’s talent and grace,
I tarry for the scholar’s talent and grace,
Without knowing the moon has glided down.
Huansha, ask the scholar to return my hairpin!
(Bows to Li Yi sidewise)
HUO XIAOYU, HUANSHA:
We’ve got to return though we’ve just met,
We’ve got to return though we’ve just met.
LI YI (Bows):
(To the previous tune)
On the Lantern Festival Eve,
I’ve the luck to meet the fairy from the moon.
HUANSHA:
Scholar,
It’s enough to gaze at the fair miss for so long;
It’s enough to gaze at the fair miss for so long.
Why are you still keeping the hairpin in your hands!
HUO XIAOYU, HUANSHA:
We’ve got to return though we’ve just met;
We’ve got to return though we’ve just met.
LI YI (To the tune of Coda):
Such a fairy shines brighter than the moon;
Spring love is revealed on the Festival Eve.
HUO XIAOYU (Whispers to Huansha):
Remember not to leak a word to anybody tomorrow.
(Exeunt Huo Xiaoyu and Huansha)
LI YI (Left alone on the stage):
How miraculous! How miraculous! I’ve met a fairy tonight.
(To the tune of Yulouchun)
It’s a wonder to meet such a fairy from the moon;
Though sleepy I’ll think of my love all night through.
She departs in the red candlelight far away;
I’ll wait to gallop my horse on this moonlit night.
Oh! The carriage is returning in a hurry, and the swallow hairpin is still in my hand, but how could I go home alone?
(Enter Cui Yunming)
CUI YUNMING (To the tune of Yulouchunhou):
The flute tune has been low all through the night,
And the dropping of the hairpin matches the love.
(Enter Wei Xiaqing)
WEI XIAQING:
The couple’s been under the lanterns for quite long;
They’ve whispered softly like fragrant snow falling on plum blossoms.
Hey, Brother Li, is that your miss?
LI YI:
She is truly extraordinary!
(To the tune of Liufanqingyin)
She is a nymph of a lady,
Like the fairies led by the goddess,
Shimmering in the corridor in the moonlight.
On that most precious moment,
Heaven made the hairpin hang on the twigs.
As I picked up the hairpin, she met me with a blush,
Speaking to me affectionately with a smile.
From her tender look and her lowering brows,
I can see that she accepts my love
And we know each other by heart.
WEI XIAQING, CUI YUNMING:
With songs under the lanterns and the moon,
Plum blossoms of love fall into her sleeves.
LI YI:
It’s a pity that the lanterns are distracting
And the crowd is everywhere.
How I wish that the streets would turn narrower
And time would pass slower!
I’ll keep the hairpin as a token of love.
LI YI, WEI XIAQING, CUI YUNMING:
A dream has
just faded away,
And in the flute songs and moonlight,
The people are returning home.
CUI YUNMING:
Since the miss has such affection for you, you should never betray her!
(To the tune of Coda)
The fairy’s departure takes away the spring.
Look at the pair of eyes,
But how would these eyes endure so many glimpses?
LI YI:
All my fortune in my later life depends on this occasion.
The fragrance of the hairpin lingers in the sleeve
As I return from the chance encounter on the Eve.
As I haven’t fully expressed my feelings to my love,
I can’t help searching for her, reluctant to leave.
Scene Seven
Marriage Proposal Broached
(Enter Li Yi)
LI YI (To the tune of Daolianzi):
The blossoms were serene and the moon was full.
The hairpin dropped near the corridor in the lanterns’ light;
Sparkles of affection were transmitted from the starry sky.
(In the pattern of Rumengling)
“Ladies are passing by outside the door
When stars throw light into the windows at dawn.
Quiet and alone at the inn,
I dream of the return path in the moonlight.
Forlorn,
Oh, forlorn,
I murmur to myself in the candlelight.”
I enjoyed the lanterns with Sister Xiaoyu last night. By our eyes and brows, how we exchanged our affections!
(To the tune of Putianle)
Leaning on the railing,
I recall the numerous lanterns and the colourful clouds.
Keeping the red lanterns bright and warm in spring,
She looked back with so much charm upon our first encounter,
As if she were riding on a phoenix toward the moon.
The flute tune faded, the crowd moved, and the hairpin dropped;
She held the plum blossoms in silence.
Now I take off my pendants in the clear moonlight,
And my dream suddenly ends after my return at dawn.
Yet the east wind still intoxicates me,
And the fragrance still lingers with me.
(Enter Bao Siniang)
BAO SINIANG (To the tune of Bushilu):
In the courtyard deep and quiet,
He is reputed for his elegant manners.
He holds the flower stalk in hand,
To seek his flower after awakening from the butterfly dream.
LI YI (Greets Bao Siniang with a smile):
Oh, it’s you!
Your hair is loose though you are well dressed.
You are kind enough to come to this isolated studio.
BAO SINIANG:
Thanks for your compliment!
To see the gentleman greet me with such a smile,
I feel much flattered,
I feel much flattered.
“With a wonder in the world as your true love,
Did you see her clearly before the lanterns?
Don’t frown and don’t worry;
Please tell me your intention in every detail.”
So tell me what you saw before the lanterns last night.
LI YI:
It was such a noisy crowd, so I didn’t see much of anything. But I did pick up a dropped purple swallow jade hairpin. Please take a close look.
BAO SINIANG (Looks at the hairpin):
What a purple jade hairpin!
(To the tune of Zhuomugongzi)
The waves are clear, the knots are bright,
And the jade is neatly embedded.
The frames and leaves are so well carved
That they seem to shine in the sun.
Oh, swallow,
Why are you flying in such a disconcerted manner?
You’ll sit still on the dressing case or the fragrant kerchiefs,
Or perch on the lady’s bun in the mirror.
Who’s conveyed so much affection into this adorable pin?
LI YI (To the previous tune):
Amid laughter from behind the lanterns,
The flood of moonlight ensured true love.
I waited where the hairpin lay,
To greet the one who’d come for the pin.
Thanks to the swallow hairpin,
We talked gently though nothing seemed to settle down,
And linked our hearts in the fragrance of plum blossoms.
I hid the hairpin in my sleeve,
A windfall bestowed by Heaven.
BAO SINIANG (To the tune of Haojiejie):
When Heaven makes such a match,
This swallow hairpin is the token.
The fair miss made the promise in person,
And you met each other before the token.
BAO SINIANG, LI YI:
With the lanterns lit,
The meeting is a fairy tale on its own,
So none would go for another fairyland!
LI YI (To the previous tune):
Is this some arrangement like the Lanqiao tale?
This is some wonder descending from the moon.
Though it’s still chilly for the dew and flowers in early spring,
She comes down from the fairyland for true love.
BAO SINIANG, LI YI:
With the lanterns lit,
The meeting is a fairy tale on its own,
So none would go for another fairyland!
LI YI:
Please take this hairpin as the token for the marriage. Then I’ll present her a pair of precious white jade pendants.
BAO SINIANG (To the tune of Coda):
A single swallow longs to match a mate.
LI YI:
The hairpin loser leans on the dressing-table in pensive mood.
BAO SINIANG:
The sparkling light last night presages the marriage of the couple.
To meet a fairy before the lanterns under the moon
Is like meeting Yunying in the wonderful Lanqiao tale.
The hairpin in the sleeve is like the fabled jade pestle,
So there’s no more need for a match by Heaven.
Scene Eight
Marriage Proposal Granted
(Enter Huo Xiaoyu and Huansha)
HUO XIAOYU (To the tune of Boxing):
I sit still in my chamber with light makeup,
Feeling the warmth and chill in early spring.
The lamplight is dim and the moonlight is pale;
How I gaze and gaze, feeling desolate and lonely!
Although the hairpin swallow circles in the sky,
The curtains are too thick for the reunion.
HUANSHA:
She seems intoxicated in her heart,
And yet feels shy in her mind.
Who is she longing for?
She wakes up only to find
The moon is still above the plum branch.
HUO XIAOYU (In the pattern of Yingtianchang):
“While the lantern wheels were turning round
And the moonlight was flooding,
I tried to recognize him from the laughter.
He half hid himself behind the lanterns
And inquired leisurely, the hairpin in his hand.
Who could truly understand his inquiry?
Then our hearts touched each other,
Yet my intention might be mistaken in the encounter.
When the crowd dispersed,
I returned alone,
Leaning on the railing in a pensive mood.”
Huansha, where goes the scholar who picked up the hairpin?
(To the tune of Zizijin)
Spring crawled into the boudoir;
The moonlight shone on the plum blossoms.
Time urged us to enjoy the blossoms,
And I wore the most exquisite hairpins for the Festival.
On my way back from watching the lanterns,
>
Due to the plum blossoms in the moonlight,
I got my hairpin caught on the plum twigs.
Hairpin, hairpin,
Although I found out at once,
Why should it fall into the scholar’s hands?
What a scholar!
He took it in his hands!
HUO XIAOYU, HUANSHA:
One of the hairpins flew away,
So it’s missing from the pair.
What could I do when I met the scholar?
He held the missing hairpin in his hand,
And held it so elegantly and leisurely,
So happily and merrily.
It made me so annoyed,
So eager.
It’s all for the meeting on the spring night.
HUANSHA (To the previous tune):
Two swallows were torn apart by accident,
But the true lover won the trophy.
He put the hairpin into his sleeve,
Imagining how the hairpin stuck on the lady’s hair.
He walked along the street at leisure,
And the moonbeam was dim on the plum trees at dusk.
Hairpin, hairpin,
The scholar held it in his hand.
He met a fair miss,
Such a fair miss,
Who bowed to him in a trance.
HUO XIAOYU, HUANSHA:
One single hairpin flew away alone,
So it’s missing from the pair.
What could I do when I met the scholar?
He held the missing hairpin in his hand,
And held it so elegantly and leisurely,
So happily and merrily.
It made me so annoyed,
So eager.
It’s all for the meeting on the spring night.
(Enter Bao Siniang)
BAO SINIANG (To the tune of Ruzhuan):
As the chill of spring is thawing,
It’s time for an outing to collect the herbs.
I move my delicate feet
And arrive at the vermilion gate.
I wonder who is inside the door.
(The parrot mimics inside: “Guest’s coming! Guest’s coming!”)
HUO XIAOYU (Startled):
When curtains stir up the shadows,
The parrot reports the coming of a guest.
HUANSHA:
It’s a fine day today.
Who’s at the door?
(Greets Bao Siniang)
HUO XIAOYU:
Ah! It’s Bao Siniang.
How come that you are here?
BAO SINIANG:
I know you must be in your boudoir.
Miss Huo, you love to wear the purple swallow jade hairpins. Where are they now?
HUO XIAOYU:
I don’t feel like wearing them today.
BAO SINIANG:
You must have lost one, I dare say?
HUO XIAOYU (Smiles):
How could I have lost it?
BAO SINIANG:
If I say you lost one, you have surely lost one; but if I say you’ll make the pair, you’ll surely make the pair. It all depends on your will.