by Tang Xianzu
(To the tune of Coda)
Any scholar is able to compose poems,
But difficult to find an appreciative wife.
The story is spread because of the anonymous Gallant Knight.
If the hairpin love cannot withstand setbacks,
The Gallant Knight in yellow will be out of the way.
As resentments appear every year,
So love sentiments arise every day.
The millets are cooked in the Handan dream,
While ants are personified in the Nanke dream.
The poetic justice at the end of the play
Makes the audience happy and gay.
The Peony Pavilion
Translated by Wang Rongpei
Table of Contents
Scene One
Prelude
Scene Two
A Scholar’s Ambition
Scene Three
Admonishing His Daughter
Scene Four
A Pedagogue’s Complaints
Scene Five
Employing the Tutor
Scene Six
An Outing
Scene Seven
Studying at Home
Scene Eight
Inspecting the Farms
Scene Nine
Cleaning the Garden
Scene Ten
An Amazing Dream
Scene Eleven
Madam’s Admonishment
Scene Twelve
Seeking the Dream
Scene Thirteen
Leaving Home
Scene Fourteen
Drawing Her Own Image
Scene Fifteen
Brooding on an Invasion
Scene Sixteen
Inquiring about the Disease
Scene Seventeen
A Taoist Nun
Scene Eighteen
Making Diagnoses
Scene Nineteen
The Female Chieftain
Scene Twenty
Premature Death
Scene Twenty-One
An Audience with the Envoy
Scene Twenty-Two
A Hard Journey
Scene Twenty-Three
The Judgement in Hell
Scene Twenty-Four
Picking up the Portrait
Scene Twenty-Five
Recalling Her Daughter
Scene Twenty-Six
Cherishing the Portrait
Scene Twenty-Seven
The Roaming Soul
Scene Twenty-Eight
Union with the Ghost
Scene Twenty-Nine
The Nun’s Suspicion
Scene Thirty
Disrupting the Love Affair
Scene Thirty-One
Preparing for War
Scene Thirty-Two
Vowing between Man and Ghost
Scene Thirty-Three
Clandestine Schemes
Scene Thirty-Four
Asking for Medicine
Scene Thirty-Five
Returning to Life
Scene Thirty-Six
Wedding and Departure
Scene Thirty-Seven
The Pedagogue’s Alarm
Scene Thirty-Eight
The Invasion
Scene Thirty-Nine
Sojourn in Lin’an
Scene Forty
Looking for His Master
Scene Forty-One
Late for the Examination
Scene Forty-Two
Military Transfer
Scene Forty-Three
Military Defence
Scene Forty-Four
Concern for Her Parents
Scene Forty-Five
The Bandits’ Wily Scheme
Scene Forty-Six
Outwitting the Bandits
Scene Forty-Seven
Lifting the Siege
Scene Forty-Eight
Reunion with Her Mother
Scene Forty-Nine
Sojourn near the Huai River
Scene Fifty
Spoiling the Banquet
Scene Fifty-One
Announcing the Results
Scene Fifty-Two
Searching for Liu Mengmei
Scene Fifty-Three
Interrogating Liu Mengmei
Scene Fifty-Four
Learning the Good News
Scene Fifty-Five
Happy Reunion at Court
Scene One
Prelude
(Enter Announcer)
ANNOUNCER (To the tune of Dielianhua):
All the men prefer remaining free;
Yet howe’er they try,
They are as worried as can be.
Among the sentimental tales I write,
Love is as mysterious as the sea.
I write the tale from morning till night.
With candles burning bright,
Enlightening me in the brightest ray.
When a beauty falls in love with a man,
The Peony Pavilion sees her ardent way.
“Du Bao, the magistrate,
Has a daughter by the name of Liniang,
Who strolls on a sunny springtime date.
When she dreams of a scholar breaking willows,
She’s thrown into a grievous state.
She draws a self-portrait
And pines away lamenting o’er her fate.
When three years have passed by,
Liu Mengmei comes along
To meet her in the garden once again.
Du Liniang gains her second life.
When Liu is about to seek office in Lin’an,
There arrives a mob of rebellious men.
As Du Bao is besieged inside the town,
His daughter is in a panic then.
Liu Mengmei goes to seek information,
But his good will is beyond Du’s ken.
When his love affair is in great trouble,
News comes that Liu is allotted office
And Liu at last fulfills his yen.”
Du Liniang draws a portrait true to life;
Chen Zuiliang brings about the peace once more;
Liu Mengmei meets his resurrected wife;
Du Bao gives tortures to his son-in-law.
Scene Two
A Scholar’s Ambition
(Enter Liu Mengmei)
LIU MENGMEI (To the tune of Zhenzhulian):
Among the houses of distinction in Hedong,
The most renowned has been the house of Liu.
In astrologic terms,
The fortune star is due.
As their descendants are poor scholars,
They do not have a brilliant sight in view.
The saying goes that studies bring the wealth,
But where is pretty lady
And where is gold?
Although wretched poverty may discourage me,
I am as honest as of old.
“I’ve studied hard but have made no success,
A southern scholar in the deepest stress.
Howe’er, endowed with favours from above,
Profoundest learning is what I possess.
Because I study hard till late at night,
I can write essays with far-reaching sight.
When I win the laurel in the future days,
I’ll prove that I am really smart and bright.”
My name is Liu Mengmei, also called Chunqing. A descendant of Liu Zongyuan, poet and Prefect of Liuzhou in the Tang Dynasty, I have lived with my family in Lingnan. My father was a minister without portmanteau and my mother was conferred the title of County Lady.
(With a sigh)
As an orphan since my early childhood, I have scraped a bare living. Now that I have grown up to be over twenty, I am intelligent enough to pass the county examination. Unfortunately, as I haven’t got the right opportunity to hold an office, I’m still living in cold and hunger. My ancestor Prefect Liu had a servant Hunchback Guo, a gardener for his official residence in Liuzhou. This
man has a hunchback descendant who works as a gardener here in Guangzhou and helps me with my daily life. However, this is not the right way for a worthy man to live through his life. Day by day I am in a melancholy mood. It happens that I had a strange dream half a month ago. I dreamed of a belle standing under a plum tree in a garden. She was of medium height and looked at me in a coy manner. She said, “Sir, sir, you are destined to meet me as your love and then start your career.” That is why I change my name to Mengmei which literally means “dreaming of the plums” and also call myself Chunqing which literally means “spring lord”. Truly,
“Long dream or short, it is anyway a dream;
Year in year out, time and tide moves like a stream.”
(To the tune of Jiuhuichang)
Although I’ve changed my name offhand,
Does the beauty know in her dreamland?
Although I long to wed and get a post,
I Liu Mengmei will never make a boast.
For fear that beauty fades away too soon,
I seem to sit on pins and needles
And cry for the moon.
I use no fireflies when I read and learn;
Beyond the east wall stays the girl I yearn.
The lucky star will shine on me someday
And I’ll no longer fidget in dismay.
By then I’ll ride across the streets,
Accept the hearty greetings
And pick from beauties on their seats.
Let me forget about it. I have a friend by the name of Han Zicai. As a descendant of Han Yu, he stops over at the Terrace of Prince Zhao Tuo. He is tending to his ancestral shrines, but he is an eloquent speaker. I’d like to pay a visit to his place.
When plums and willows grow before the gate,
I see the king but doubts arise when dreams abate.
My heart contains a hundred blooms in buds,
But as to find a branch, I have to wait.
Scene Three
Admonishing His Daughter
(Enter Du Bao)
DU BAO (To the tune of Mantingfang):
A well-known scholar from Sichuan
And now the prefect of Nan’an,
In and out of office, I’ve done what I can.
In robes and golden belt I’m dressed,
Which shows my ranking higher than the rest.
As my hair is turning grey degree by degree,
I’d like to retire and have time free,
But I’m afraid the emperor will not agree
And I still have to wait and see.
“All my life an honoured official in Nan’an,
I do much better than the ordinary man.
I serve my term of office with clean hands;
When I retire, I’ll stay in my native lands.”
I am Du Bao, Prefect of Nan’an, also called Zichong and descended from Du Fu of the Tang Dynasty. I have lived with my family in Sichuan and now I am past fifty. I passed the imperial examination when I was twenty and became a prefect three years afterwards. I have been renowned for my clean government. My wife is Lady Zhen, a descendent of Empress Zhen of the Wei Dynasty. Her family has been living near Mount Emei and has enjoyed a good reputation for generations. My wife has given birth to a daughter only, a gifted and pretty girl by the name of Liniang. I have not made any arrangements for her marriage yet. It is universally acknowledged that a virtuous girl should be well educated. As I have some time free from my office, I’ll call my wife and discuss it with her. As the saying goes,
“Well learned, Cai Yong had a daughter of good fame;
A poor official, Deng You lost his son but earned his name.”
(Enter Lady Zhen)
LADY ZHEN (To the tune of Raochiyou):
A descendent from Princess Zhen
And a resident in Sichuan,
I’ve been conferred the title Lady of Nan’an.
(Greets her husband)
DU BAO:
“Without much worth, I serve the court although I’m aged;
LADY ZHEN:
Without much work, I’ve got a title from the king.
DU BAO:
How does Liniang pass her time in spring?
LADY ZHEN:
In needlework alone is she engaged.”
DU BAO:
Our daughter is good at needlework. In the past and at present, virtuous girls should be well educated. When she marries a scholar, she can share a talk with him. What do you think about it?
LADY ZHEN:
I agree with you.
(Enter Du Liniang, followed by her servant maid Chunxiang carrying a tray of wine vessels)
DU LINIANG (To the previous tune):
The oriole is fond to sing
At such a lovely time of spring.
How can I e’er requite
My parents for their caressing light?
(Greets her parents)
Bliss on you, Dad and Mom.
DU BAO:
Why do you tell your maid to bring the wine here, child?
DU LINIANG (Kneels):
In such a fine spring day, you are taking a rest in the rear hall. I’d like to offer you three cups of wine with my best wishes to you in the spring.
DU BAO (With a smile):
Thank you very much.
DU LINIANG (To the tune of Yushantui):
With bliss on you, my dad and mom,
That is where all my joy comes from.
With everlasting spring air in the hall,
You drink the wine and bring joy to all.
Oh father dear, oh mother dear!
I wish you’d have a son this year
To stay with you and bring you cheer.
DU BAO, LADY ZHEN:
Fill high the cups with vernal wine
For our dear son and daughter fine!
DU BAO:
Fill in a cup for your mistress, Chunxiang.
(To the previous tune)
My ancestor Du Fu wandered all his life
And felt ashamed to face his son and wife.
(Weeps)
My lady, I am more pitiable than my ancestor Du Fu.
He could yet write about his lovely son
While I have my daughter as my only fun.
LADY ZHEN:
Don’t get worried, my lord! If we find a good son-in-law, he will be as good as a son.
DU BAO (Smiles):
Yes, indeed!
LADY ZHEN:
A daughter brings the same bliss as a son.
There is no need to make the grudge
When only half of your life-course is run.
DU BAO, LADY ZHEN:
Fill high the cups with vernal wine
For our dear son and daughter fine!
DU BAO:
Take the wine vessels away, my child!
(Exit Du Liniang)
DU BAO:
Chunxiang, tell me what your young mistress does by the day in her bower.
CHUNXIANG:
She does embroidery in her bower.
DU BAO:
How much embroidery does she do?
CHUNXIANG:
She does her embroidery with a nap.
DU BAO:
What do you mean by “nap”?
CHUNXIANG:
A brief sleep.
DU BAO:
So, so! Madam, you just said that she was engaged in needlework alone, and you went as far as to allow her to take naps! How are you teaching your daughter! Call the girl back!
(Enter Du Liniang)
DU LINIANG:
What can I do for you, Dad?
DU BAO:
Just now I asked Chunxiang about you. How can you be taking naps during the day? After you’ve finished your embroidery, you have plenty of books to read on the shelves. When some day you are married, you will be learned and know the rites. In this way, your dad and mom will feel honoured. Your mom has not done her duty to teach you.
(To the tune of Yubaodu)
Although I
always live a meagre life,
I’ve ne’er neglected learning in my strife.
In my home as my daughter you have grown,
But very soon you’ll stand upon your own.
As I’m too busy to teach you every day,
You should follow your mom in every way.
LADY ZHEN (To the previous tune):
Liniang, although you’re not a boy,
You’ve brought me all the joy.
I look upon you as the pearl of pearls
And you are really now the girl of girls.
My dear, please keep your father’s words in mind,
You must be of the intelligent kind.
DU LINIANG:
I’ve grown up in a prefect’s home,
Indulging myself in the paint and comb.
Now I draw a picture of the swing,
Then I weave the lovebirds on the wing.
From now on I’ll make full use of my time,
Reading all the books sublime.
LADY ZHEN:
That’s good indeed, but you’d better have a lady tutor to teach you.
DU BAO:
That won’t do.
(To the previous tune)
In my official residence,
Her tutor ought to be a scholar with common sense.
LADY ZHEN:
My daughter does not have to read all the books,
But she should know something about the rites.
DU BAO, LADY ZHEN:
In this way she will not only know how to spin,
But also be an intelligent virgin.
DU BAO:
It’s not difficult to find her a tutor, but he must be well treated.
(To the tune of Coda)
Madam, as you love your daughter, grudge no expense
And give the tutor tasty food from hence.
When I do anything with creed,
The books are all I need.
Why is a tutor summoned to the house?
He is to teach my daughter under age.
As I have not a son born by my spouse,
Can my daughter be a genuine sage?
Scene Four
A Pedagogue’s Complaints
(Enter Chen Zuiliang)
CHEN ZUILIANG (To the tune of Shuangquanjiu):
Perusing books by night and day,
I’m poor but always wait and wait.
As lucky star ne’er shines my way,
I am reduced to this sad state.
To add pain to my deep distress,
The asthma gets me in a mess.
“I drink less for my bad disease;
I cook less for my scanty fees.
While no one lives high in the sky,
A grey-haired sage on earth would sigh.”
I am Chen Zuiliang, also called Bocui, student of the Confucian Academy in the Prefecture of Nan’an. I came from a doctor’s family but have pursued the Confucian learning since early childhood. I entered the academy at the age of twelve and received stipend from the government. In these forty-five years I sat for examinations fifteen times without success. Unfortunately, I turned out to be the last in the previous examination and was deprived of my stipend by the supervisor. To make things worse, out of work as a tutor for two years, I only scraped a meagre existence. Therefore, those young fellow students mockingly changed my name from Chen Zuiliang to Chen Jueliang, which literally means “Devoid of Food”. Besides, as I am well-versed in medicine, prophecy and geomancy, they have changed my other name from Bocui to Baizasui, which literally means “Jack of All Trades”. Now that I shall arrive at the age of sixty by next year, I do not cherish any more hope. I am now running the pharmacy handed down from my grandfather. As the saying goes, “A Confucian scholar becomes a doctor, just as the vegetable becomes the pickles.” — Forget about it. Yesterday I heard that our Prefect Du was looking for a tutor for his daughter. A lot of people vie with each other for the post. But why? First, to have something to show off to their kith and kin; second, to make some connections in the government office; third, to earn some money; fourth, to alter the archives through the help of the servants and butlers; fifth, to prepare for posts somewhere else; sixth, to scare the inferior officials; seventh, to cheat their family members. These seven considerations drive them to vie with each other for the post. However, they have not realised that official residence is a hazardous place. Besides, a girl student is even more difficult to deal with. Neither soft words nor hard words will do with her. If I get into some trouble with her, I’ll really be in a dilemma. As an old man, I’d better follow the saying,