by Tang Xianzu
All the year round I wind silk threads,
Which are like the traces of my tears.”
I’m Bao Siniang. I’ve been keeping company with Miss Huo Xiaoyu recently. She’s heard that her man Li Yi has been ordered back by the court, but there has been no message from him yet, which makes her wan and shallow. Thinking of the old days when I enjoyed the company of dandies from rich families, I also feel sad now.
(To the tune of Luojiangyuan)
When beautiful autumn sights fade,
I become increasingly thin and pallid.
I’m kept awake by the crickets’ chirp,
Counting the fireflies and waving a round fan in hand,
So lonely with no one to talk to.
There’s no companion by my side
Except for the candlelight and my own shadow.
How lonely and sad I am!
(Enter Scout Wang)
SCOUT WANG:
“I was entertained with wine last time,
But now I come again with bad news.”
I’m Scout Wang, now sent by General Lu on an errand to Huo’s house to tell them that Military Consultant Li Yi has married and lived with the general’s daughter, which the general thinks will surely drive Li’s former wife crazy. General Lu is selfish but I have to obey him and do as he tells. I was kindly entertained by Mrs. Li last time when I brought her Mr. Li’s letter. This time I must take care how to tell her the bad news. I hear there’s a well-informed Bao Siniang around here. Let me ask for her advice.
(Greets Bao Siniang)
Will you please give me some water to drink?
BAO SINIANG:
Where are you from?
SCOUT WANG:
I’m a scout from Military Consultant Li Yi’s camp.
BAO SINIANG (Surprised):
Where’s Mr. Li now?
SCOUT WANG:
He’s ordered back by the court but has been appointed by General Lu to be the Military Consultant for the Mengmen Garrison.
BAO SINIANG:
Will he come back soon?
SCOUT WANG:
No. I’m afraid he has to yield to Miss Lu.
BAO SINIANG:
What do you mean?
SCOUT WANG:
He may be married to and living with Miss Lu.
BAO SINIANG:
How heartless he is!
(To the tune of Xiangbianman)
That guy is so shameless
That he must have a bad end.
He’s most refined and talented,
But also hard to be known inside out.
Now what a sin he has committed!
The pretty young lady is unfortunate
And always in a daze.
Even an outsider like me
Will strike the railings in great wrath.
Now you come with me to Miss Huo and tell her in detail what has happened. You’ll surely be tipped for your information.
SCOUT WANG:
Yes, I see.
BAO SINIANG (To the previous tune):
We get some information
That will soon be leaked out.
It brings a lot of complicated feelings,
Other than mere sadness.
Tonight,
Let’s curse that relentless man
To bring the poor wife some comfort.
When he comes back,
We’ll give him a sound beating.
(To the tune of Coda)
Is your information true or false?
SCOUT WANG:
It’s true and doubtless.
Please pass it to the lady alone in her house.
SCOUT WANG, BAO SINIANG:
The poor lady surely can’t bear the sad news.
Autumn brings a message from a remote place,
While spring witnesses orioles and swallows.
The egrets can’t be seen until they fly up from the snows;
The parrots’ voice betrays their hiding place in willows.
Scene Thirty-Nine
Writing a Poem in Tears by Candlelight
(Enter Huo Xiaoyu)
HUO XIAOYU (To the tune of Wangyuanxing):
With jade hairpins dangling on head,
I stand by the window admiring autumn flowers outside.
The incense has burnt out when I sober up from wine last night,
With tears soaking the rouge on my face,
Feeling all the more lonely and miserable in the west wind.
(In the pattern of Haoshijin)
“When it’s drizzling outside,
Bitterness and sadness increase at my heart.
Emaciated by the west wind,
I even lack the strength to miss my man.
The sound of autumn insects and working looms comes into my ears,
While the hazy and dismal autumn scenery spreads before my eyes.
The red lotus petals have fallen in the pond,
Leaving bitter seeds alone at the flower’s heart.”
Autumn has deepened since I received my man’s letter. I wanted to drop him a line, but there’s no messenger to carry it for me. How melancholy I am! Huansha, I haven’t seen Bao Siniang these days. What’s happened? Indeed,
“When the house is desolate in the cold autumn wind,
Staying alone at dusk is the hardest for me to stand.”
(Enter Bao Siniang)
BAO SINIANG (To the tune of Yan’ermei):
With important information I hurry to Huo’s house,
Unable to walk faster in my small embroidered shoes.
The young lady must be feeling lonely at dusk,
And playing the flute in a depressed mood,
Looking all the more pallid and languid.
(Greets Huo Xiaoyu)
HUO XIAOYU:
Why didn’t you come recently?
BAO SINIANG:
I didn’t pay you a visit as I’ve been busy these days. May I ask how long Mr. Li has been away?
HUO XIAOYU:
He’s been away for nearly three years.
BAO SINIANG:
He’s struck some good luck!
HUO XIAOYU (Surprised):
What good luck?
BAO SINIANG:
Have a guess.
HUO XIAOYU (To the tune of Hongna’ao):
Has he fended off the enemy with his literary talent?
Has he been promoted to a high official position?
Is he now on the way back to the court,
Proudly riding a horse followed by fluttering flags?
He’s accomplished so many military merits
That I can also win an honour from His Majesty.
Good news comes before his arrival,
No wonder there’s propitious snuff in the candle.
BAO SINIANG (To the previous tune):
We thought he’d won great prestige;
We thought the notes of his triumphant bugle reached the capital;
We worried about whether his official appointment encountered obstacle;
We worried about whether his homeward journey ran into trouble.
Who’d expect he did not return home after his promotion?
You have been waiting patiently at home for his return these years,
So it’s hard to tell you the truth
That may throw you into great sadness.
HUO XIAOYU:
Then why did you say he’s struck some good luck?
(To the previous tune)
Is he detained in the frontier by military affairs?
Has he fallen ill because of awful homesickness?
Has he suffered failure in battles,
Or has he been struck by bad luck?
My man,
If you died from bad luck,
My tears would flood the Great Wall.
And there’ll be only my lonely reflection in the mirror
That you gave me as a betrothal gift.
BAO SINIANG (To the previous tune):
Y
ou worry about his hard life in the frontier;
You worry about his safety on the battlefield.
But he might have been attracted by another girl,
Casting your love and tenderness out of mind.
If he should be indulged in his fancy for the new sweetheart,
You can write a letter to change his mind.
If you are in doubt,
There’s a messenger here
To tell you more.
(Enter Scout Wang)
SCOUT WANG:
“All the trouble comes from the frivolous man,
And will bring the lady much annoyance.”
I kowtow to madam.
HUO XIAOYU:
Are you Scout Wang who brought my man’s painted screen last time?
SCOUT WANG:
You have watery eyes.
BAO SINIANG:
Nonsense!
SCOUT WANG:
Oh, pardon me. I mean you have expressive eyes.
HUO XIAOYU:
How many daughters has General Lu got? Is it true that Mr. Li has become his son-in-law?
SCOUT WANG:
He’s got only one daughter. She is talented and pretty. When Mr. Li worked under General Lu in the Mengmen Garrison, the two fell in love with each other. So now the wedding is being arranged.
HUO XIAOYU:
Is it settled?
SCOUT WANG:
Yes, it’s being settled.
HUO XIAOYU (Weeps):
How heartless you are, my man!
(To the tune of Qiyanhui)
I can’t help weeping upon hearing the news,
And recalling our first encounter by the moonlit plum blossoms.
We are unfortunately destined
To enjoy transient happiness.
Hoaxing me with honeyed words,
He won my heart with ease.
Fooled and deserted by the heartless man,
I would die in vain even if I commit suicide.
(Enter Lady Zheng)
LADY ZHENG:
In leisure I lean by the window,
Admiring flowers in full bloom.
There’s fragrance of incense in the room
While crows are cawing above the willows.
So Bao Siniang is here. Where is this scout from? Why is the young lady crying so hard?
BAO SINIANG:
This is Scout Wang who brought Mr. Li’s painted screen last year. He comes to inform us that Mr. Li is going to marry General Lu’s daughter.
LADY ZHENG:
Which General Lu? How relentlessly Li treats us!
(To the previous tune)
Beautiful flower
Are cultivated through years of care.
The spring
Embodies all their beauty
That is full of energy.
They enhance the magnificence of our house
And raise the decent family status.
I expected to depend on that young man,
But he’s relentlessly deserted us!
SCOUT WANG:
It’s late. I must be off now.
HUO XIAOYU:
Huansha, light the candle. I will write a poem to my man.
(Enter Huansha with a candle)
HUO XIAOYU (Writes):
(To the tune of Liuhuaqi)
Immersed in shock and resentment,
I recall the vow of love between us
On a cold day by the dim candlelight.
I can’t see my man
Except in constant dreams.
He doesn’t care how I feel,
But only sees the new sweetheart in her beauty,
Forgetting all about my deep love for him.
LADY ZHENG:
Have you finished your poem?
(Reads the poem)
“The orchids flourish with leaves luxuriant and green,
To match the pomegranate blossoms delicate and bright.
We used to enjoy a happy life together,
Indulged in deep love for each other.
Our love was as valuable as flames in the winter stove,
Yet you should desert it like an unused fan in autumn.
There are so many high mountains
That ruthlessly separate and estrange us.
Even grass will sprout in the warmth of spring,
How can you be indifferent to my tender feelings?
Whoever you please and pay attention to,
Don’t forget that I am still waiting for you.
Looking in the direction of your garrison,
I eagerly send my best regards.
Please learn from migrating geese that return every year,
Rather than flowing water that never comes back.”
(To the previous tune)
The letter is written with eyebrow pencil,
Dipped in waves of tears
And sealed with meticulous care.
BAO SINIANG:
You have great faith and sincerity in him,
And weigh with deliberation the words in your poem.
LADY ZHENG:
Why not tell him directly your feelings?
Your love has suffered too much disturbance.
HUO XIAOYU (To the tune of Yujiafan):
Why am I so wan and indolent?
Why do I contract my eyebrows so tight?
Because there’s family discipline to restrain my faraway man,
But no law to deal with the willful minister.
You will remarry the daughter of an influential family,
Like all other officials who have their first wives and concubines.
Of course we shall wait and see
Who enjoys the higher status
To make everyone happy at home.
LADY ZHENG (To the previous tune):
You write such a long poem that the incense has burnt down,
And seal the letter with such sad tears that the candle has gone out,
Because Li has cast a heavy shadow on our house.
(Points at Bao Siniang)
Your wrong matchmaking brings us pains.
BAO SINIANG:
We should blame the pair of purple jade hairpins
That led to this marriage.
Who could have expected
He would cast off the old love
And bring in the new.
HUO XIAOYU (To the tune of Pudeng’e):
He’s a scoundrel and lecher
That hunts beautiful women one after another.
I hate what he’s done to me,
But won’t hold a grudge against him.
As he’s graceful and talented,
But a little unrestrained,
Let’s give him a lenient rebuke.
Just tell him I’m afraid
That anyone would snatch away my man.
LADY ZHENG (To the previous tune):
As you two are destined to meet again,
You will have a lot to say by then.
BAO SINIANG:
The first time he heard about the young lady,
He was immediately happy and satisfied.
It did not take him long and much money
To succeed in his offer of marriage.
Since the young lady is from a decent family,
How can she be treated so casually
Like wild flowers with no one to care.
(Scout Wang kowtows and is about to leave with the letter)
HUO XIAOYU:
Scout!
(To the tune of Yibujin)
Tell my man to read the poem seriously
And to remember my increasing gloom
For his heartlessness and mischief.
(Exit Scout Wang)
Though you have become a senior officer,
I suffer so much when we stay apart.
Leaning by the window in cold candlelight,
I write to you with a broken heart.
Scene Forty
Crying over Wife’s Letter
/> (Enter Li Yi)
LI YI:
“Luxuriant and fragrant with no one to admire,
Flowers and grass will wither at night.
As I always have my mind set on home,
My wife appears everyday in dream.”
Since I was transferred to General Lu’s army as a consultant, I have heard that General Lu intends to take me in as his son-in-law, but I’ll just pretend not to know anything about it. How can I forget my wife?
(To the tune of Guaguling)
In my idleness, I miss my wife,
So pretty, so graceful and so elegant.
She used to get up late,
With her pretty face tilted on her slim fingers in bed,
Enjoying the orioles’ sweet songs,
And then dressing herself before the mirror.
With a contented heart,
She’d gaze at her beautiful hair.
It’s hard to paint her infinite charm
Like the splendour of the moon in spring.
(To the previous tune)
She was much spoiled in my presence;
How is she now when I’m not beside her?
The inscribed screen for her embodies my great attachment,
But will it be left covered with dust?
Dark night comes too soon for my lonely wife,
Who yearns day and night for my sweet love.
Anxiously she’ll think about me from dawn to dusk,
With delicate eyebrows tightly contracted.
(Enter Scout Wang)
SCOUT WANG:
“My clothes still bear the fragrance in Lady Li’s house;
My horse is still sweaty after traveling long ways.”
I am Scout Wang. By General Lu’s order, I went to visit Consultant Li’s wife and passed on the fake information that Mr. Li would be taken in as General Lu’s son-in-law. And I came back with a letter from Mr. Li’s wife. Here I am at his residence. Let me enter the house and greet him.
LI YI:
Oh, it’s you, Scout Wang. Where have you been?
SCOUT WANG:
I’ve just come back from your home. You know, I was scolded by General Lu for taking your letter to your wife last time. Recently, General Lu sent me to your hometown on an errand, so I went to visit your wife. Here is her letter for you.
(Kowtows and presents the letter)
LI YI:
Oh, it’s a poem by my wife.
(Reads the poem)
“The orchids flourish with leaves luxuriant and green,
To match the pomegranate blossoms delicate and bright.
We used to enjoy a happy life together,
Indulged in deep love for each other.
Our love was as valuable as flames in the winter stove,
Yet you should desert it like an unused fan in autumn.
There are so many high mountains
That ruthlessly separate and estrange us.
Even grass will sprout in the warmth of spring,
How can you be indifferent to my tender feelings?