by Tang Xianzu
LIU MENGMEI:
You know, nowadays very few people care for men of learning.
HAN ZICAI:
Haven’t you heard that Miao Shunbin, Imperial Envoy for treasure appraisal, cares for men of learning? Before his term of office ends this autumn, he will go as usual to assess treasures in the Treasure Temple near Xiangshan Bay in Macao. Shall we go and try to see him at that time?
LIU MENGMEI:
I’ll be glad to.
A man of sorrow fears to live alone,
Who never hopes to make himself well-known.
The prince takes pride in his own terrace
While men who never read ascend the throne.
Scene Seven
Studying at Home
(Enter Chen Zuiliang)
CHEN ZUILIANG:
“I read and copy poems I wrote last spring;
After meals I guess what tea to bring.
An ant is creeping to the ink-slab pool;
A bee is sucking at blooms with its sting.”
I, Chen Zuiliang, am a tutor in the prefect’s residence, to teach Miss Du The Book of Poetry, following her family tradition. Madam Du has treated me very well. Now that breakfast is over, I’m going to review the notes on The Book of Poetry.
(Reads)
“The waterfowl would coo
Upon an islet in the brooks.
A lad would like to woo
A lass with pretty looks.”
“Like” means “love” while “woo” means “seek after”.
(Looks around)
At this late hour, there’s yet no sign of my pupil. She must have been pampered badly. I have to strike the summoning plate.
(Strikes the summoning plate)
Chunxiang, ask Miss Du to come to class!
(Enter Du Liniang, followed by Chunxiang with books in her hands)
DU LINIANG (To the tune of Raochiyou):
I’ve made up for the day
And come into my study,
A room so bright and full of ray.
CHUNXIANG:
Wise Sayings from the Ancient Times
Really bothers me;
It’s only fit to make the parrots cry for tea.
(Du Liniang and Chunxiang greet Chen Zuiliang)
DU LINIANG:
I wish you happiness, respected tutor.
CHUNXIANG:
I wish you kindness, respected tutor.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
According to The Book of Rites, it is proper for a young mistress to get up at the first cockcrow, wash her hands, rinse her mouth, brush and comb her hair, and then pay respects to her parents. After sunrise, each will attend to her own work. And now your work is to study. You must get up early.
DU LINIANG:
I won’t be late from now on.
CHUNXIANG:
I see. I won’t go to bed tonight and I shall ask you to give us lessons at midnight.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
Have you gone over the poem I taught yesterday?
DU LINIANG:
Yes, I have. I’m expecting your interpretation today.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
Please read the poem.
DU LINIANG (Reads):
“The waterfowl would coo
Upon an islet in the brooks.
A lad would like to woo
A lass with pretty looks.”
CHEN ZUILIANG:
Now listen to me. “The waterfowl would coo.” “Waterfowl” is a bird and “coo” describes the birdcall.
CHUNXIANG:
What kind of call is it?
(Chen Zuiliang imitates the birdcall)
(Chunxiang imitates Chen’s birdcall)
CHEN ZUILIANG:
This kind of bird is fond of the quietness “upon an islet in the brooks”.
CHUNXIANG:
That’s it. It happened yesterday or the day before yesterday, this year or last year. When my young mistress set free the waterfowl in the cage, it flew to the house of Mr Brooks.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
Nonsense! This is an analogy.
CHUNXIANG:
What does it analogise?
CHEN ZUILIANG:
An analogy is the beginning of a poem. It leads to the pretty lass, a quiet girl wooed by a lad.
CHUNXIANG:
Why should he give her wood?
CHEN ZUILIANG:
Shut up!
DU LINIANG:
Mr Chen, I can follow the notes by myself, but will you tell me the general idea of the book?
CHEN ZUILIANG (To the tune of Diaojuese):
Among the Six Classics,
The Book of Poetry is the best
To tell about ladies who are blessed:
About the life in the wild,
There’s Jiang Yuan who conceived a child;
Against jealousy,
There’re consorts who were e’er carefree.
In other poems,
The roosters crow at break of day;
The swallows sadden travellers on the way;
The river rouses great dismay;
The streams are where the lovers stay.
The poems in plain and simple style
Teach the people all the while
To build their homes in smile.
DU LINIANG:
How can it contain so many things?
CHEN ZUILIANG:
In a word, of the three hundred poems in The Book of Poetry,
For you, the mere short phrase
“Without evil thought”
Is of great import.
So much for the poems. Chunxiang, fetch the stationery set for calligraphy.
CHUNXIANG:
Here’s the paper, the ink, the brush and the ink-slab.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
What kind of ink is this?
DU LINIANG:
She’s fetched the wrong kind of ink. It’s the paint for the brows.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
What kind of brush is this?
DU LINIANG (Smiles):
It’s a kind of brush to paint the brows with.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
I’ve never seen these things. Take them away! Take them away! And what kind of paper is this?
DU LINIANG:
It’s ladies’ writing paper.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
Take it away! Take it away! Fetch the writing paper for the gentleman. And what kind of ink-slab is this? Is it single or double?
DU LINIANG:
It’s a mandarin-duck ink-slab.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
Why are there so many eyes on the slab?
DU LINIANG:
They are called “weeping eyes”.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
What are they weeping for? Go and change the whole set.
CHUNXIANG (Aside):
What a boorish old man! I’ll go and change them.
(Exit and re-enter with a new set)
Will these things do?
CHEN ZUILIANG (Examines the writing-set):
Yes.
DU LINIANG:
I know how to copy the characters, but Chunxiang needs your help.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
I’ll watch how you copy the characters.
(Du Liniang copies)
(Chen Zuiliang is surprised)
I’ve never seen such fine writing. What style is it?
DU LINIANG:
It’s the beauty-bloom style, invented by Lady Wei.
CHUNXIANG:
I’ll imitate my young mistress.
DU LINIANG:
It’s too early for you to do that.
CHUNXIANG:
May I ask permission to wash my hands?
(Exit)
DU LINIANG:
May I venture to ask the age of your wife?
CHEN ZUILIANG:
She’s just reached sixty.
DU LINIANG:
I’ll embroider a pair of shoes for her if you tell me the pattern she likes.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
Thanks. As for the pattern, you can follow the teaching of Mencius: “Make shoes without knowing the feet.”
DU LINIANG:
What’s the matter with Chunxiang?
CHEN ZUILIANG:
Shall I call her back?
(Calls Chunxiang three times)
(Re-enter Chunxiang)
CHUNXIANG:
Old rascal!
DU LINIANG (Angrily):
Where have you been, nasty maid?
CHUNXIANG (Smiles):
I’ve been to the toilet. I went by a big garden overgrown with flowers and willows. It’s fun over there.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
Alas! Instead of studying, you played in the garden! I’ll get a cane.
CHUNXIANG:
What do you need a cane for?
(To the previous tune)
How can a maid
Become a scholar of the topmost grade?
It’s but a literary game she played.
CHEN ZUILIANG (Stands up):
There were students in ancient times, who read by the light of the fireflies and the moon.
CHUNXIANG:
The moonlight glares the eye
While fireflies burn and die.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
How about the student who tied his hair to the beam to keep awake and the student who stabbed his thighs?
CHUNXIANG:
You hang on the beam and hurt your hair;
You stab in the thigh and leave a scar there.
What’s the use even if you dare!
(A flower-peddler’s cry within)
Listen, mistress,
A flower-peddler’s cries
Distract my reading eyes.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
You’re again diverting the attention of your mistress. I’ll give you a sound beating.
(Raises the cane)
CHUNXIANG (Dodges):
Oh, dear me,
A tutor beats a maid
In spite of her plea.
(Grabs the cane and throws it to the ground)
DU LINIANG:
You naughty maid! As you have offended the tutor, down on your knees!
(Chunxiang kneels)
Mr Chen, as this is her first offense, it’ll be enough to give her a scolding.
(To the previous tune)
Keep your hands off the garden swing
And keep your feet off the garden ring.
CHUNXIANG:
It all depends.
DU LINIANG:
You’re talking back!
I’ll scorch your wicked mouth with incense-stick
And give your wicked eyes a needle-prick.
CHUNXIANG:
What can I do for you if I’m blind?
DU LINIANG:
You’ll hold the slab beside the desk,
Recite the poems and read the lines
And never do anything grotesque.
CHUNXIANG:
Please pardon me for doing something grotesque.
DU LINIANG (Seizes Chunxiang’s hair):
How many hairs will you lack?
How many welts will be on your back?
My mother keeps whips on the stack!
CHUNXIANG:
I’ll never do it again.
DU LINIANG:
Now you understand?
CHEN ZUILIANG:
Well, I’ll spare you this time. Stand up!
(Chunxiang rises to her feet)
CHEN ZUILIANG (To the tune of Coda):
A girl just learns for joy;
Otherwise, she’s like a boy.
You may go back when your homework is done. I’ll have a chat with your father.
CHEN ZUILIANG, DU LINIANG, CHUNXIANG:
It is indeed a shame
To waste the time as in a game.
(Exit Chen Zuiliang)
CHUNXIANG (Points scornfully at Chen’s back):
A bull! A silly old dog! He’s an out-and-out boor!
DU LINIANG (Pulls at Chunxiang):
You naughty maid! “Your teacher for a day is your father for a lifetime.” Hasn’t he got the right to beat you? By the way, where’s the garden?
CHUNXIANG (Feigns to ignore, but points when Du Liniang asks a second time with a smile):
Over there!
DU LINIANG:
What are the sights?
CHUNXIANG:
As for the sights, there are half a dozen of pavilions and a couple of swings. There’s a meandering stream and an artificial hill, plus beautiful flowers and grass.
DU LINIANG:
I didn’t know there’s such a wonderful place. But let’s go back to my room for the moment.
I can sing poems just as a lark;
CHUNXIANG:
A pity that we miss the park.
DU LINIANG:
With boundless sorrows in my heart,
DU LINIANG, CHUNXIANG:
We’ll walk on lawns before it’s dark.
Scene Eight
Inspecting the Farms
(Enter Du Bao, followed by his attendants and butler)
DU BAO (To the tune of Yeyouchao):
Where shall I go inspecting the farm?
I’ll gather poems of springtime charm.
The turtledove’s song I hear;
Behind my carriage runs the deer.
Under trees I’ll take a rest in good cheer.
“The season, the season
Is now in the middle of the spring.
After timely rain the fog is thick
When I go around to check everything.
As farm-work takes the foremost place,
Peace and order I shall bring.”
Spring comes early to the Nan’an Prefecture, which is located between the Yangtze River and the Guangdong Province. As a prefect, I spend most of the time in my mansion and know little about what is happening in the remote villages and who is neglecting his farm-work. Yesterday I ordered that sweet wine be prepared to reward the farmers. I believe everything is ready by now.
(Enter the county official)
COUNTY OFFICIAL:
“I carry out the order from above
And have it done by villagers I love.”
Your Excellency, the sweet wine for your inspection is ready.
DU BAO:
Get ready to set out. See to it that when we approach the village, people should be kept in order.
(The attendants answer the order and the party sets off)
DU BAO:
As the poem goes,
“I’m on a tour to ensure the yields,
Not to see the sights in the fields.”
(Exeunt all)
(Enter village elders)
VILLAGE ELDERS (To the previous tune):
Grey-hairs care less for daily strife;
The children’s games enrich our life.
Here comes the prefect on his tour,
With his horse trotting slow and sure.
Will he meet the farmers, rich and poor?
We are village elders from Qingle Township of the Nan’an Prefecture. We are glad to have Prefect Du in office for three years. Kind and honest, he gets rid of evil practice and promotes virtue. In all the villages, rules and regulations are established, local organisations are set up, and public granaries and village schools are in operation. It’s indeed our blessing. Now he’s on a tour to inspect the farms, and so we’ll go and greet him in the official pavilion. Here come the bailiffs carrying sweet wine.
(Enter the bailiffs carrying sweet wine)
BAILIFFS (To the tune of Puxiange):
We outrun thieves in chasing race;
Today we leave the office without a trace,
Bearing sweet wine at quick pace.
(Stumble)
We nearly spilt the wine,
But the fault is not mine.
VILLAGE ELDERS:
Welcome to our village.
BAILIFFS:
As the jar is cracked and some wine is leaking, please find some excuse for us.
VILLAGE ELDERS:
No problem. Put the jars aside and then have a drink in the village tavern.
(Step aside)
(Exeunt the bailiffs)
Community chiefs, put the chair in the proper place. Prefect Du is coming.
(Enter Du Bao with his attendants)
DU BAO (To the tune of Paige):
The apricot flowers turn red
And green sweet sedges spread —
It’s getting warmer day by day.
Above the fence the tavern flags float high;
While chimney smoke spirals to the sky.
(Village elders come forward to welcome Du Bao)
ALL:
The pelicans sing;
The cuckoo songs ring;
The office closes for the spring.
Bring no guards;
Make no clamour;
Don’t disturb farmers in the yards.
ATTENDANT:
Your Excellency, here we are at the official pavilion.
(Village elders greet Du Bao)
DU BAO:
Respected elders, what’s the name of this village and township?
VILLAGE ELDERS:
This is the Number One Township Qingle.
DU BAO:
Let me have a good look.
(Looks around)
A pretty place with a pretty name Qingle — tranquil and happy. Just look,
“The hills are clear;
The rills are clear.
When you walk in the wilds,
Spring clouds appear.”
VILLAGE ELDERS:
Indeed,
“The officials are clear;
Their followers are clear.
When lawsuits decrease,
The pastorals appear.”
DU BAO:
Respected elders, do you know the purpose of my spring inspection?
(To the tune of Bashengganzhou)
When wheat grows lush in the fields,
Green waves rise and fall,
Predicting bumper yields.
Gentle is the rain
That moistens the plain.
As the fields are richly spaced,
I hate to have them lie in waste.
I also fear that a pointless feud
Delays the work you’ve pursued.
VILLAGE ELDERS:
In the old days, we were harassed by the officials during the day and by the burglars during the night, but since Your Excellency took office,
(To the previous tune)
Our life is turning better day by day.
That’s why we elders greet you on the way
And children hail you while they play.
Like spring sunshine from above,
You shower us with endless love.
When dogs no longer bark at night
And farmers plough the fields with might,
The country life presents a thriving sight.
(The song “The Slippery Track” is heard from within)
DU BAO: