by Tang Xianzu
“With a view of shining weapons, swaying willows
And singing birds under the eaves,
A summer tower is newly built.
With beaded curtains lowered at twilight,
We lustily sing an ancient melody.
All the consultants gathered here are prominent,
With no one jealous of others’ talent.
While rain is pouring down outside,
There is singing and dancing at the banquet.”
I, Liu Gongji, am now stationed in the west of the Yumen Pass. Li Junyu, my consultant, is really a talented and graceful man. Since there are no longer any wars, we are holding a banquet to escape the summer heat. Recently, Dahexi and Xiaohexi have begun to pay us tributes. What good news it is!
(Music within)
(Enter Li Yi)
LI YI (To the tune of Fanbusuan):
In June when warfare ends,
Breeze gently sways the curtain.
Governor Liu is very considerate
To hold a grand banquet in my honour.
(Liu Gongji and Li Yi greet each other)
LIU GONGJI:
“A high tower is built for cool enjoyment;
LI YI:
A magnificent banquet is held at the military camp.
LIU GONGJI:
You’re a man of marvelous literary talent;
LI YI:
A great commander like you shows a useful man due respect.”
LIU GONGJI:
We’re sworn brothers and co-operate well in the military affairs. I’ve been too busy these days to hold a celebration banquet in your honour. Let’s have a drink of wine on this summer tower on such a hot day. Attendant, serve wine.
(Enter the attendant)
ATTENDANT:
“So high and cool is the tower as if it has snowed;
So long is the daytime that much incense is burnt.”
Here’s the wine.
LIU GONGJI (To the tune of Xinujiao):
On our expedition a long way from home,
We hold a victory banquet
In jubilant atmosphere.
Now that warfare has come to an end,
We can now be fully relaxed.
At noontime,
Under the tree shade which looks like a chariot awning,
On the mossy steps where spears are laid unused,
Drumbeats are heard from behind the flowers.
At long last,
When this hard military expedition is over,
How can we not enjoy full relaxation?
LI YI (To the previous tune):
When you give orders
In your commander’s office,
The wind has stopped on the embroidered flags,
And the clouds have dispersed on the travel pass
All the way to Liangzhou.
The scorching heat is unbearable,
Yet with silk kerchief on head,
And feather fan in hand,
You play the flute in high spirits
For the good news from the front.
At the serene dusk,
Swallows return to the nest
And incense smoke curls up above the windows.
(Enter the attendant with a wine jug)
ATTENDANT:
“We have pure and mellow wine
That gives off an aroma so fine.”
My lord, here’s the wine Dahexi has presented to our Jiuquan County.
LIU GONGJI:
This should be attributed to our consultant, Mr. Li Yi. Attendant, serve the wine.
(To the tune of Heimaxu)
The wine
Smells better than ghee.
Made from ripe grapes,
It’s fresh, green and crystal clear.
For this alone I’d rather move to Jiuquan County,
Than to be stationed here in Liangzhou.
LI YI:
The wine,
Stored in the basement for one year,
Is mellow and pure.
With the grapes squeezed
And the impure contents removed,
Crystal-clear wine is produced.
(Enter the attendant with watermelons)
ATTENDANT:
“As the Northern Dipper is as high as the Southern Dipper,
So the watermelons are as big as the white gourds.”
My lord, our Ganzhou County brings you watermelons, the tribute from Xiaohexi.
LIU GONGJI:
This should be attributed to our consultant, Mr. Li Yi. Attendant, serve the watermelons.
(To the previous tune)
The watermelon
Is taken out of an icy well.
We cut open the green, clear and smooth shell,
Wrap it in gauze and store it in a shady place.
So fresh is the red pulp,
With luscious juice flowing out!
LI YI:
The icy juice in the shell,
Sweet as the nectar,
Drops onto the plate like pearls.
Iced in the well water,
The pulp is bright red and crisp,
Which other fruits lack.
LIU GONGJI:
Let’s enjoy the view on the Tower of Watching the Capital.
LI YI:
What’s the point of watching the capital?
LIU GONGJI (To the tune of Jinyixiang):
Trees beyond the Yumen Pass are luxuriant,
With a thick leafy shade.
Duckweeds are rising and falling in river,
Stirred by the gentle breeze.
When you look out of the tower, where is the capital?
LI YI:
I’m afraid that one day
This tower will be deserted,
Leaving behind the frontier music
And the floating clouds.
In the dense leafy shade,
I strike up a tune
And sing aloud by the pillars.
I listen to the reed pipe playing,
Which seems to lament on the elapse of time.
Chattering birds fly around for branches to alight,
While the startled cicada falls on the dewy ground.
LIU GONGJI, LI YI (To the tune of Jiangshuiling):
I wonder where my settled home is,
With these mountains, rivers and passes in my dream,
And my drunken shadow in the moonlit cup.
In my drunkenness I might spoil the jade kettle
Or break the coral.
My hair has turned grey
Before my ambition is realized
And I still have a long way to go in my service for the court.
At the banquet,
At the banquet,
Brilliant talents gather;
Outside the camp gate,
Outside the camp gate,
The moon shines and stars glitter.
LIU GONGJI:
Mr. Li Yi,
(To the tune of coda)
We now enjoy watermelons in high spirits;
Sooner or later you’ll win merits in the battles.
At that time you may leave here for the court
And write articles to sing praise of His Majesty.
LI YI:
As I’m grateful for your appreciation of my talents, I’ll improvise a poem for you.
LIU GONGJI (Laughs):
I’ll be glad to hear.
LI YI (Chants the poem):
Day by day we drink to our hearts’ content,
Indulged in music and songs of every kind.
As I’m grateful for your kindness,
I’ll keep my promotion out of mind.
Scene Thirty-Two
Scheming to Take in the Talent
(Enter General Lu)
GENERAL LU (To the tune of Yexingchuan):
As the highest-ranking official at court,
I intermarry with the emperor’s in-laws
And socialize with the most influential eunuchs.
Or the importance of connections,
That young scholar is really an idiot.
“Holding the key military power and post,
I’m sent by His Majesty to guard a strategic fort.
Li Yi is too arrogant for his talent,
Which definitely does him no good.”
I’m General Lu. Three years ago, I managed to dispatch Li Yi to the outlying west frontier as a military consultant, because he was too arrogant and did not obey me. I heard that he expressed his dissatisfaction with the court in his poem for Governor Liu, “As I’m grateful for your kindness, / I’ll keep my promotion out of mind”, which I should have reported to His Majesty. But the situation now is that I’ve just been decreed to guard a strategic fort, and that Governor Liu is summoned back to act as chief commander of the imperial armies. I’d better act accordingly and ask for the permission from His Majesty to transfer Li Yi to my army as a consultant without being allowed to go back home first. I’ll try to take him in as my son-in-law when he is under my command in the army. If he is still disobedient, I’ll report his dissatisfaction with the court to His Majesty. I’ve sent for his friend Wei Xiaqing for a discussion on this matter. Now here he comes.
(Enter Wei Xiaqing)
WEI XIAQING (To the tune of Boxing):
When the hot summer has just passed,
Autumn displays different sights.
On prosperous roads in Chang’an,
Senior officials bustle about in the autumn wind.
When can I meet
My friend in a remote place?
Now I am at the gate of General Lu’s house,
Which is magnificently decorated,
And I shall soon meet him in person.
GENERAL LU (Greets Wei Xiaqing):
“I’ll treat a friend from afar with hospitality;
WEI XIAQING:
A powerful person like you will guard the western frontier.
GENERAL LU:
I want you to recommend a talent as my consultant;
WEI XIAQING:
I pay homage to you amidst the military flags.”
GENEARL LU:
Mr. Wei, you are Li Junyu’s best friend. What would you say if I were to transfer Mr. Li to my army as a military consultant?
WEI XIAQING:
Li Junyu has been in the army at the west frontier for as long as three years, so I think he should be transferred to work at the imperial court. Moreover, I’m afraid that the position of a military consultant is beyond his ability.
GENERAL LU:
What is the point of transferring Mr. Li to the imperial court since he expresses dissatisfaction with His Majesty in his poem for Governor Liu? To work under me is just as good.
(To the tune of Luoguling)
As Li has much literary talent,
I’d like to befriend him and promote him,
But how eccentric his temperament is!
WEI XIAQING:
Mr. Li naively takes it for granted
That his articles would be appreciated and bought.
Even though he is a man of great genius,
Who would admire him with loud cheers?
GENERAL LU:
I won’t mind if he doesn’t come,
But no one else would appreciate him.
GENERAL LU, WEI XIAQING:
Days and years have elapsed
In a place far from the court.
By order from His Majesty,
Li will soon come back.
We’ll meet here in such a happy mood
That even the bleak scenery will look good.
GENERAL LU (To the previous tune):
The idea has always been in my mind
To have Li Yi under my command
As a resourceful military consultant.
WEI XIAQING:
Li’s promotion and appointment by the court is doubtless;
But what is the duration of his military service?
GENERAL LU:
Fortunately, the strategic fort we guard is not at the frontier.
WEI XIAQING:
No matter where the fort lies,
Working at the imperial court is the best choice.
GENERAL LU:
How impressive and vigorous we officers look!
How do you know military consultants won’t be officials at court?
GENERAL LU, WEI XIAQING:
Days and years have elapsed
In a place far from the court.
By order from His Majesty,
Li will soon come back.
We’ll meet here in such a happy mood
That even the bleak scenery will look good.
WEI XIAQING:
Since you attach so much importance to Li Junyu, he will surely contribute his brilliant talent. I’m afraid I must be off now.
(To the tune of Coda)
For friendship
I’ve come at your invitation;
GENERAL LU:
Because of Li’s talent I have a transference intention.
Mr. Wei,
Who dare say I’m a rash and thoughtless general
That doesn’t know how to recruit talented people?
(Exit Wei Xiaqing)
GENERAL LU (Left alone on the stage):
How funny! Mr. Wei surely doesn’t know my scheme. How is it that my attendant has not come yet?
(Enter the attendant)
ATTENDANT:
“Hearing the bell ringing from the imperial palace,
I bring back the decree that concerns Mr. Li.”
My lord, His Majesty decrees that Li Yi is to be transferred to your garrison as a military consultant and to set off at once without going back home first.
GENERAL LU (Laughs):
He’s now under my control. Give my orders that the troops are to set off at once.
With brave soldiers at my command,
A clever scheme comes up in my mind.
When he is under my control,
There is no way out for him to find.
Scene Thirty-Three
Woes on an Autumn Night
(Enter Huo Xiaoyu followed by Huansha)
HUO XIAOYU (To the tune of Niannujiaoxu):
No sooner has the rain stopped
Than the sky clears up
And everything is enveloped in the mist at dusk.
By the flapping curtain with jade hooks,
I stand still looking far into distance.
HUANSHA:
Other houses are filled with music,
But you have no desire for elaborate dressing,
While stars are glittering and the sky is clear.
HUO XIAOYU, HUANSHA:
The tryst with my lover is long in waiting,
Yet I hear nothing but the tingling of my pendants.
HUO XIAOYU (In the pattern of Linjiangxian):
“As spring passes and autumn comes with the rain,
My longing for the distant lover is transferred by the shooting stars.
HUANSHA:
Now that your hair ornaments sway in the autumn wind,
Please stop weeping for the moment
And expect your lovers’ reunion on the celestial bridge.
HUO XIAOYU:
For celestial lovers this is a happy night,
And so all anxieties in one year are erased
HUANSHA:
When decorated houses are full of whispers and fragrance.
HUO XIAOYU, HUANSHA:
Who will have the best luck?
Who will let slip the precious night?”
HUO XIAOYU:
Huansha, today is the seventh day of the seventh month when the celestial lovers will meet on the celestial bridge. Now that candles and fruits to celebrate this festival have been prepared and displayed, you can send for my mother and Bao Siniang. They may have come already.
(Enter Lady Zheng)
LADY ZHENG (To the tune of Si
niang’er):
As staying indoors all day I don’t feel autumn’s advent,
This good night makes me all the more distressed
At the thought of the celestial lovers in long separation.
Looking at the sky,
Hearing crows fly on this autumn night,
I find that my hair has turned grey.
Why do you want me here, my daughter?
HUO XIAOYU:
Bliss on you, Mom! Today is the Double-Seventh Festival. I want to spend the night with you and Bao Siniang.
LADY ZHENG:
Is Bao Siniang coming?
(Enter Bao Siniang)
BAO SINIANG (To the tune of Raochiyou):
Your decorated house is quiet,
With candlelight flickering on the beautiful garment.
Who can have the most wishes realized on this night every year?
(Greets Lady Zheng and Huo Xiaoyu)
Bliss on you, Your Ladyship and Miss Huo. I see you have fruits and candles ready tonight. Do you also follow the custom of praying for good luck?
LADY ZHENG:
What’s the point of my praying for good luck? I’m here just because my daughter invites me. I suppose you are also invited here.
BAO SINIANG:
We can only keep our wishes at heart without speaking them out. And the wishes can be realized if a spider weaves webs in this house. Your Ladyship, let’s do obeisance to the sky for our wish.
(Does obeisance to the sky)
“A celestial bridge is formed tonight
For separated lovers to meet again.
Fruits and candles are displayed for unsaid wish;
We expect spiders to weave webs that bring good luck.”
LADY ZHENG:
What a good sight tonight!
(To the tune of Niannujiaoxu)
For both Heaven and the human world,
This is the most enjoyable night,
Under a clear and pure sky.
The courtyard is enclosed in the twilight,
With stars glittering overhead,
While celestial lovers clearly see the lonely sight
In the moonlight.
The mica screen is unfolded,
The crystal curtain is rolled up,
And the faint moon in a light breeze
Makes a hazy scene.
ALL:
Let’s look and see
How many separated lovers can meet
Like those in the celestial world.
HUO XIAOYU (To the previous tune):
The sky
Looks different tonight.
Lest the texture be moistened by the mist,
The Weaving Girl stares in expectation,
While her separated lover
Is looking at her in the far distance.
Who can bear witness to their love and tenderness?
The Weaving Girl,
Too glad to dress up
And too excited to weave on,
Walks with her eyes on the Cowboy across the river.