by Tang Xianzu
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 tune of Sanhuantou)
Between the lines of your verse,
I read your suspicion and doubts;
From the trace on the writing paper,
I see your weeping eyes.
While the wild geese come back in files,
They cannot bring enough messages
To clear the misunderstanding between us.
How much of your sad feeling
Has been expressed through words?
LI YI, SCOUT WANG:
Instead of bringing good news,
The letter arouses worries.
LI YI:
Scout Wang, did you talk nonsense to my wife?
SCOUT WANG:
No.
LI YI:
The poem sounds strange.
SCOUT WANG:
Indeed. General Lu threatened to torture me because I sent the letter for you. He warned me not to do it again, because he intended to take you in as his son-in-law. So I had to tell your wife about it.
LI YI:
What nonsense!
(To the previous tune)
General Lu,
How can you be serious with jokes in a banquet,
With casual remarks by the flowers,
Or with totally unfounded rumours?
You spread the rumours
And try to separate us.
My dear wife,
You should try to find the ins and outs
When you hear the rumours.
What you write in your poem
Makes me all the more upset.
LI YI, SCOUT WANG:
Instead of bringing good news,
The letter arouses worries.
Although I am a thousand miles away,
I dream of my dear wife every day.
She must have written the poem at night,
With tears glittering in the candlelight.
Scene Forty-One
Arranging a Marriage
(Enter Attendant)
ATTENDANT (To the tune of Zizishuang):
I’m an attendant
Of no important official status.
I smell bad
With a running nose.
I’m most obedient
To my master’s instructions.
I try my best
To snatch money by all means.
I’m General Lu’s attendant. Though I have no official rank, I have enough money to spend. My master General Lu commands seventy-two squads of guards in the capital and sixty-four military camps outside the capital. I ask for some reward from them for my daily service and pocket a small portion of money from the businesses in my charge. Thus, I can always collect a little money each day.
VOICE WITHIN:
Aren’t you an upstart?
ATTENDANT:
Of course not. My purse is always leaking. Now I hear the signals that General Lu will soon begin office.
(Enter General Lu)
GENERAL LU (To the tune of Yipibu):
Favoured by His Majesty,
I’m a minister
That exerts the mightiest power.
With all the seals in my hands,
Who dares to show disobedience?
“I’m the most influential official,
And I have a daughter called Mo Chou.
She is pretty yet single,
Waiting for a proper man as her spouse.”
I’m General Lu, summoned back to the court to take charge of military affairs. I’m granted the delegated power to take action before reporting to His Majesty. As I’ve got a single daughter not yet married, I have much interest in a young man, but he acts strangely and always talks nonsense to evade the issue. So far he hasn’t yielded to my intention to marry my daughter to him. Yesterday he returned to the capital. Afraid that he would go home, I’ve put him in the guesthouse without allowing him out. When he sees how powerful I am, he will have to yield. In spite of all the measures, I’ve invited his friend Wei Xiaqing to persuade him. Here he comes.
(Enter Wei Xiaqing)
WEI XIAQING (To the tune of Baoding’er):
What can I do to help the general
Who has great influence and power?
(Greets General Lu)
It’s been a long time since I came here last. Now I’m here again to pay you great respect.
GENERAL LU:
Please don’t stand on formalities. I have something to consult you.
WEI XIAQING:
What can I do for you?
GENERAL LU (To the tune of Suochuanglang):
Mr. Li is an outstanding literary talent;
My daughter is young and beautiful.
Mr. Wei,
Please persuade your good friend
To yield and be my son-in-law.
Don’t you know I have great power and influence?
However he persists,
He can’t escape
From my command and trap.
WEI XIAQING (Aside):
It turns out that General Lu wants Mr. Li to marry his daughter. If that happens, Huo Xiaoyu is betrayed and deserted. I’ll tell him the real situation with Mr. Li.
(To the previous tune)
No one can compare with you in wealth and position,
But please take this into consideration.
With a solemn vow of love to his wife,
He would not do anything unfaithful.
GENERAL LU (Laughs):
I can destroy anything and anyone if I want, let alone Huo Xiaoyu.
WEI XIAQING (Aside):
Mr. Li,
As the general is powerful and sinister,
I’m really afraid
To be such a matchmaker.
ATTENDANT (Whispers):
Mr. Wei, my master asks you to be a matchmaker for his daughter. How dare you disobey?
(To the previous tune)
He commands all the officials in the court,
And must find a talent for his daughter.
He must have his wish fulfilled,
So take the pledge of marriage and make Li change his mind.
WEI XIAQING (Whispers back):
It’s not necessary for me to take the pledge of marriage to him as a matchmaker. I’ll try to persuade him as a friend.
(Turns around)
WEI XIAQING, ATTENDANT:
Marriage is predestined.
I just try my best to persuade him
And let him decide.
For the daughter of the powerful general,
A young talent is willfully chosen as son-in-law.
He shouldn’t make any vain attempt
To escape from this marriage any more.
Scene Forty-Two
Refusing a Forced Marriage
(Enter Li Yi)
LI YI (To the tune Xiaopenglai):
I become wan and sallow
To be confined in the guesthouse.
I have no one to share the flowers,
I have no one to drink with,
And I get drunk in loneliness.
(In the pattern of Nanxiangzi)
“For how many years have I been away from my wife?
I have no choice but to weep by myself.
I dream of returning home,
But detained here,
I have no freedom.
I’d like to ascend a high tower
Until I see my house.
If my wife knows we’re so close,
Her sadness
Will be profound and endless.”
I’m Li Yi, now summoned back to the court from the Mengmen Garrison. I intended to return home immediately and reunite with my wife, but
the domineering General Lu puts me in house arrest here. As I wonder why he does this, I’ll ask his attendant, who will come here soon.
(Enter Wei Xiaqing, followed by Attendant)
WEI XIAQING (To the tune of Xixiangfeng):
Who can restrain a talented scholar?
The general’s flower of a daughter.
But the general’s marriage arrangement
Might cause much resentment.
(Greets Li Yi)
LI YI:
“I didn’t expect to see you here;
WEI XIAQING:
You know our friendship is profound.
LI YI:
I’ve been eager to return home,
WEI XIAQING:
Junyu,
But you’ll be the most unfaithful man.”
LI YI:
Why do you say I’ll be the most unfaithful man?
WEI XIAQING:
Let’s stop talking like this. General Lu’s attendant is here.
(Attendant greets Li Yi)
LI YI:
Xiaqing, why do you say I’ll be the most unfaithful man?
WEI XIAQING:
Junyu, have you forgotten our conversation about your faithfulness to your wife on your wedding day?
LI YI:
How can I forget it?
(To the tune of Yanyujin)
I miss my wife’s dainty figure
Against the blooming lotus in autumn.
Our happy life was so transient
And I had to start on the journey,
Leaving my wife behind.
WEI XIAQING:
Did you send a letter home?
LI YI:
I sent her a painted screen to erase her worries,
And she returned with a poem dotted with tear stains.
WEI XIAQING:
The wild geese have long been back.
LI YI:
I have got used to loneliness;
Like a wild goose,
I wonder when I can meet my love again.
WEI XIAQING:
Now I introduce you to a new love.
LI YI (Startled):
To whom?
WEI XIAQING (To the tune of Erduan):
A beauty,
Not yet married,
Is to share your love.
LI YI:
Where is she from?
WEI XIAQING:
General Lu has a daughter. He asks me to act as the matchmaker.
You can marry again,
To enjoy a privileged and luxurious life.
LI YI (Sighs):
Don’t say so!
Not predestined to marry Miss Lu,
How can I agree to the marital tie?
I have to pretend ignorance.
WEI XIAQING (In a low voice):
Won’t you enjoy such a marriage?
LI YI (In a low voice):
Xiaqing, why won’t I enjoy something else? But I know General Lu and his brothers are influential persons in the court. So I can’t offend him too much.
I’ll be grateful
If you can tell General Lu I’m hesitant and dismal.
Attendant,
How hoary and sick now I look!
Miss Lu,
Born in such a noble family,
How will you love a frustrated man?
ATTENDANT (To the tune of Sanduan):
Like a high mountain,
General Lu dominates all the officials;
He selects you for your unique excellence.
How can you decline his offer?
Your refusal to the arrangement
May bring about an unhappy result.
(In a low voice)
Your Excellency, don’t you know General Lu is the most powerful official?
Please don’t be so obstinate,
And give consent for the present;
You can still find other ways out.
WEI XIAQING:
What he says sounds reasonable and convincing.
You can disregard your official career,
But General Lu’s punishment is really hard to bear.
LI YI (To the tune of Siduan):
Without my knowing it,
I’ve got stuck in my office.
Without rhyme or reason,
I fall into the trap.
(In sadness)
With my wife staying alone for so many years,
I long to see her again,
Now that I have left the remote frontiers.
Attendant, please pay tribute and respect to General Lu for me.
I’m suffering boundless agitation
Which depends on your favour
For a satisfactory solution.
ATTENDANT:
I know what to say before General Lu. But you shouldn’t be too obstinate.
LI YI:
How can I forget the pledge of jade hairpins
And the vow I made for my faith?
ATTENDANT (To the tune of Wuduan):
You are anxious
To defer the wedding,
Which needs my intervention.
WEI XIAQING:
The attendant will report this to General Lu, so it’s not necessary for me to go again.
(Whispers to Attendant)
This marriage is heaven blessed,
In which Mr. Li has an interest
But won’t speak it out.
LI YI:
Already tangled in this marriage,
I just need more time to consider.
(Attendant takes leave)
Wait a moment.
Please attend to the matter for me.
Xiaqing,
Detained here with no freedom at all,
I don’t want the information to get around.
WEI XIAQING:
I know what you mean. See you later.
LI YI:
“We’re old friends but can’t talk for long;
WEI XIAQING:
You’ve found a new wife to bring you wealth and fame.
ATTENDANT:
A bond brings you together over great distances;
LI YI:
Without a bond you won’t meet though face to face.”
(Exit)
WEI XIAQING (Left alone on the stage):
“When his wife is out of his sight,
Leisurely thoughts fill his mind.
As we can paint a tiger’s skin, but not its bones;
So we can know a man’s face, but not his heart.”
Why do I say so? I still remember the first time Li Yi met Huo Xiaoyu in the lantern light. He picked up Xiaoyu’s missing hairpin and gave it back to her as a pledge of love, and he made the vow by incense that they would stay together in life or in death. But he did not send a single letter home during his three years in the army. Now staying in General Lu’s house, he still denies that it’s his intention. He’s not at all resolved in refusing this marriage arrangement. All he says is ambiguous and shows his reluctance to refuse. It seems that all women are infatuated but it’s not the same case with men. I’ll make a comment on Li Yi,
(To the tune of Jinwutong)
Overflowing with talent,
The man is well liked.
He keeps the old jade hairpin,
And wears a new marital belt.
Look at him,
He’s eager to get the new and better,
But mouthing fine words all the time.
He could just tell me his idea directly, but why did he say that he didn’t “want the information to get around”?
What he does and says
Will surely breed suspicion and bitterness.
I’ll talk with Cui Yunming. As to Xiaoyu,
She’ll be deeply hurt by Li’s love and betrayal.
His speech in hesitation and panic
Shows how inconstant he is in love.
For a talent to be married into a wealthy house,
People have different comments below and above.
; Scene Forty-Three
Jewels to Be Bought for the Wedding
(Enter General Lu)
GENERAL LU (To the tune of Wangjiangnan):
Endowed with imperial favour,
I have a luxurious house
And a pretty daughter with no flaw.
I’ll choose the most excellent
From the young talents to be my son-in-law.
“Warriors with swords guard my residence in autumn wind;
Lotuses are blossoming in the exquisitely carved pond.
My daughter would be as noble as a phoenix,
Once married to a man of genius.”
I’m rich and powerful enough, but I have yet to select an excellent young man to match my daughter. By my order, Wei Xiaqing and my attendant went on an errand to Li Junyu’s residence as matchmakers. His residence is not far from here. Why are they not back yet?
(Enter Attendant)
ATTENDANT:
“Music and songs provide great pleasures;
I act as a messenger bird to make the match.”
My lord, I’ve just been to Li Junyu’s residence with Mr. Wei. That young man dare not refuse our proposal of marriage, and just said that he wanted to think it over. Mr. Wei asked me to tell you about it.
(To the tune of Chanqiao’er)
Mr. Li says that he must do justice to his wife,
As they have taken a solemn vow of love by the flowers.
GENERAL LU (Laughs):
Does he know I like him?
ATTENDANT:
He is thankful for your appreciation,
And will depend on you for promotion.
GENERAL LU, ATTENDANT:
An auspicious date is to be set;
A happy wedding is to be arranged.
When the wedding day finally arrives,
Jewels are to be worn on the bride’s head.
GENERAL LU (To the previous tune):
Though sons of prime ministers have literary grace,
Dare that young man say a general’s daughter is rude?
ATTENDANT:
How dare he!
GENERAL LU:
Then why didn’t he accept the offer at once?
Does he think it will bring him disgrace?
GENERAL LU, ATTENDANT:
An auspicious date is to be set;
A cheerful wedding is to be arranged.
When the wedding day finally arrives,
Jewels are to be worn on the bride’s head.
ATTENDANT (To the previous tune):
The bird startled by strong winds quickly flees the woods;
The fish hiding in slow waters finally take the bait.
To reach our goal, we need time and patience,
For he has not learned to appreciate favours.
GENERAL LU, ATTENDANT:
An auspicious date is to be set;
A happy wedding is to be arranged.
When the wedding day finally arrives,
Jewels are to be worn on the bride’s head.
GENERAL LU: