The Complete Dramatic Works of Tang Xianzu
Page 53
(Looks in the mirror and sighs)
(To the tune of Yanguosheng)
With silken cloth,
I wipe the mirror clean
And move my pen to paint the scene.
Oh, my image,
This is how you look like:
Two dimpled cheeks,
A cherry mouth,
Two thin brow-streaks,
The hair-locks floating north and south.
My eyebrows stretch to the hair
Above my eyes that talk
And shine with ornaments I wear.
CHUNXIANG (To the tune of Qingbeixu):
With a pleasant smile,
The slender mistress stands against the eastern breeze,
But feels depressed when springtime flees.
DU LINIANG:
Against the background of hills,
With huts beside the rills,
I paint a picture of a maid,
A maid who wanders in the shade,
Fumbles plums and feels dismayed.
She leans against a rocky seat,
Beside the willow-tree retreat.
With palm-tree leaves the picture is complete.
Chunxiang, hold up the picture. Does the maid in the picture look like me?
CHUNXIANG (To the tune of Yufurong):
It’s easy to paint a picture of a maid,
But hard to show her inner trait.
You see in the picture the reflections
Of flowers in the mirror or the moon in the lake.
DU LINIANG (Cheers up):
What a lovely picture! Oh,
I know full well how I look like;
Additional strokes will spoil my psyche.
CHUNXIANG:
It’s a pity that you do not have a husband by your side.
If you become a bride
At an early date,
The pair will feel elated side by side!
DU LINIANG:
To tell you the truth, Chunxiang, I met a man during my garden stroll.
CHUNXIANG (In surprise):
How was it possible, Mistress?
DU LINIANG:
It was a dream!
(To the tune of Shantaofan)
I had a merry time with the man;
I’ll search my mind and do what I can
To add him in the picture here,
But that’ll reveal my secret love, I fear.
My delicate figure in the picture
Is like the lonely autumn moon;
Which handsome man will join me soon?
It occurs to me, Chunxiang, that the scholar in my dream snapped off a willow-twig as a gift for me. Is it an omen that my would-be husband is a Mr Liu, which means “willow”? I’ve composed an occasional poem that alludes to my yearning. What about inscribing it at the top of the picture?
CHUNXIANG:
A good idea!
DU LINIANG (Recites the poem when she inscribes it):
“A close inspection shows her as her self;
A distant look displays her as an elf.
Her future spouse who shares the pillow
Will be found by the plum or willow.”
(Puts down the pen and sighs)
Chunxiang, in the past and at present, beauties either have pictures drawn by their husbands or draw their own pictures as gifts to their lovers. But to whom shall I present this picture?
(To the tune of Weifanxu)
My heart is filled with weal and woe:
A joy to see her dress shine bright
And her pendants glow;
A grief to see her pine away
As time and tide relentlessly flow.
Love’s labour’s lost!
Who will shed his tears for her?
Who will ever call for her?
(In tears)
What ill fate
That she must wait to see her mate!
Chunxiang, bring the gardener quietly.
(Chunxiang calls for the gardener. Enter the young gardener)
YOUNG GARDENER:
“I live among the flowers all my days;
The mistress loses her brilliant rays.”
What can I do for you, Mistress?
DU LINIANG:
Have this picture mounted by the scroll-maker. Make sure that the job is well done.
(To the tune of Baolaocui)
Who will mount this picture here
To make a better souvenir?
The silk material must be white
While margins must not be wide.
To keep secret, you must keep your mouth shut tight.
In sunny days, the scroll must be well dried
Lest it decay in the broad daylight
And my painting be vilified.
YOUNG GARDENER:
When the picture is mounted, where shall I hang it, Mistress?
DU LINIANG (To the tune of Coda):
In my chamber it shall be displayed;
CHUNXIANG:
It fits much better in the fairy temple.
DU LINIANG, CHUNXIANG:
But with the rain and wind it’ll fade.
CHUNXIANG:
As pearls and jewels go against her bent;
DU LINIANG:
She weeps for flowers to her heart’s content.
CHUNXIANG:
When it reveals its genuine worth,
DU LINIANG:
It pales the prettiest maid on earth.
Scene Fifteen
Brooding on an Invasion
(Enter the Jin Emperor, followed by his attendants)
JIN EMPEROR (To the tune of Yizhihua):
At heaven’s will we overthrew the Liao
And share the world with House of Zhao;
The ceremonies at court have altered now.
With beat of drums and sound of bells,
The ministers arrive with northern smells.
Our countenances make the southerners laugh:
Our beaked noses,
Our freckled faces,
Our curls of hair.
“Upon our vast terrain of land and dust,
New ministers enjoy the new king’s trust.
Why should we northerners put up with the sands?
Why should they southerners live on fertile lands?”
I’m Dignai, emperor of the great Jin Dynasty. Although I am a barbarian, I love to read poems. It’s over thirty years since my grandfather Ogda grabbed the northern part of the Song Dynasty while Emperor Zhao Gou fled and made Hangzhou the new capital. It’s said that Zhao Gou has built Hangzhou into a city more beautiful than Bianliang, the former capital. He and his followers make merry day and night on the West Lake. As a ci poem has it,
“Osmanthus blossoms during autumn days
And lotus flowers bloom along the bays.”
So I can easily raise a million troops and occupy that part of the land. According to military strategy, I’d better employ a southerner as my guide. It happens that Li Quan, a bandit chief in Huaiyang, is brave enough to fight ten thousand men. As he is loyal to me, I have bestowed upon him the title of Gilded Prince. I’ve told him to raise his own troops in three years and to cause trouble in his area. At the same time, he should look for the opportunity for me to start my military excursion. How I wish I could find some fun on the West Lake!
(To the tune of Northern Erfanjiang’ershui)
Share and share alike,
Share and share alike,
But I have made a lucky strike.
The arrow on my map is pointed to the south,
To the best dominion in the south.
JIN ATTENDANTS:
What’s good over there?
JIN EMPEROR (With a laugh):
Have you heard of
The charming maiden on the shore,
Who smiles and leans against the oar?
JIN ATTENDANTS:
Is the West Lake as large as our Nanhai and Beihai Lakes in Beijing?
JIN EMPEROR:
The lake is over a hundred miles in circumference.
Upon the waves the flowers dance in crowds
And send their scent beyond the clouds.
All through the endless nights,
The songs and music ring around.
JIN ATTENDANTS:
Your Majesty, let’s borrow it and have some fun.
JIN EMPEROR:
I’ve sent some painters in disguise and made a sketch of the whole scene. I am painted as riding a horse on the highest peak of Mount Wu by the lake. How mighty and powerful I am!
Mount Wu is unique,
But I ride atop the peak.
The southern land is low
And I have seen it lie below.
(Dances for joy)
Look, how I make the show!
JIN ATTENDANTS:
Your Majesty, as we can’t reach the West Lake at once, where will you stay over the night?
JIN EMPEROR (To the tune of Northern Coda):
Before I ride my horse around the West Lake,
I’ll march toward Luoyang and take a break.
The rest of Zhao’s realm will soon be at stake.
Narrow is the river, small the sky;
How our military flags float high!
Can we drink up all the southern wine
When all the southern land is mine?
Scene Sixteen
Inquiring about the Disease
(Enter Lady Zhen)
LADY ZHEN (To the tune of Sandengle):
What does this life mean to me?
My daughter has not many days to see
And I’ll be childless, like a lonely tree.
(In tears)
Like a pearl held on my palm,
Like flesh torn from my heart,
For my daughter I weep and lose my calm.
Oh heavens!
Why should health stay with others
While illness strikes my daughter who has no brothers?
“Delicate as a bloom,
She should be blessed, I presume.
Yet cruel wind and rain
Torment her with grave pain.
She should have stayed in her room,
Instead of going out to watch the moon.
Filled with sorrow in my growing years,
I feel so dizzy with large drops of tears.”
Now that I am approaching fifty years of age, I’ve got my only daughter Liniang. What disease is it that has laid her down for half a year? Judging from her appearance and behaviour, her disease does not seem to have come from cold or heat. I’ll question Chunxiang as she must know something about the reason. Where’s the mischievous Chunxiang?
(Enter Chunxiang)
CHUNXIANG:
I’m coming.
“Without a clever boy to help me out,
I serve a miss who can’t be up and about.
When I hear the madam call my name,
I know I have to bear the scold and blame.”
LADY ZHEN:
Your young mistress used to be in perfect health, but she has been ill since you became her maid half a year ago. I’m really distressed, distressed! Now tell me about her appetite these days.
CHUNXIANG (To the tune of Zhumating):
Little does she eat,
Nothing does she do,
And nobody does she meet.
She weeps by herself,
She laughs by herself
And thinks by herself.
LADY ZHEN:
She’s seen the doctor.
CHUNXIANG:
No doctor can put her at ease;
No pills can cure her disease.
LADY ZHEN:
What is she suffering from?
CHUNXIANG:
I don’t know.
She lies in bed in autumn days,
But caught the illness in spring days.
LADY ZHEN (Sobs):
What’s the matter with her?
(To the previous tune)
Her slender form
Grows thinner than the norm.
It must be your fault!
She was tempted by spring flowers,
Enticed by flighty birds
And lured by frivolous words!
On your knees, you devil! Hand me the rod!
CHUNXIANG (Kneels on the ground):
I really don’t know.
LADY ZHEN:
How do you make her pine away?
How do you lead her astray?
CHUNXIANG:
My young mistress went to the garden, picking flowers and playing with willows, but I don’t know how she got ill.
LADY ZHEN (Gets irritated and beats Chunxiang):
I beat you for your artful tongue
And honeyed tunes you’ve sung!
CHUNXIANG:
Please pardon me, Madam, and I’ll tell you the whole story. It happened on the day when we visited the back garden and you came across us on our way back. She told me about a young scholar who snapped off a willow-twig and asked her to write a poem. She said she did not write anything because he was a stranger.
LADY ZHEN:
Well, so far so good. And what happened then?
CHUNXIANG:
Then, then the scholar came forward and carried my young mistress straight to the Peony Pavilion.
LADY ZHEN:
What for?
CHUNXIANG:
How can I know? It’s just her dream.
LADY ZHEN:
Her dream?
CHUNXIANG:
Yes, her dream.
LADY ZHEN:
She must be haunted. Ask the master to come here and I’ll talk it over with him.
CHUNXIANG:
Master, please come here.
(Enter Du Bao)
DU BAO:
“An aged man cares not for the title of earl,
But for his daughter precious as a pearl.”
Madam, how’s our daughter like this?
LADY ZHEN (In tears):
Listen to what I have to say, my lord,
(To the previous tune)
It gives me pain to speak
About what ails her and makes her weak.
Confined in bed most of the time,
Now she smiles, now she weeps;
Her illness comes without reason or rhyme.
It so happened that when Liniang visited the back garden, she dreamt of a man holding a willow-twig and carrying her away.
(With a sigh)
She smeared the willow sprite with sod
Or maybe upset the flower god.
My lord,
Invite a Taoist priest to use his charm
Lest ill fate should do her harm.
DU BAO:
No more of your nonsense! I’ve engaged Mr Chen as her tutor to teach her proper manners, but you as her mother allows her to take spring strolls.
(With a smile)
She’s been exposed to the sun and wind and has caught a cold. There’s no need for Taoist charms. If you like, you can ask Sister Stone from the Purple Sunlight Nunnery to chant a few scriptures. As the ancient saying goes, “To prefer the witch to the doctor is one way to avoid cure.” I’ve told Mr Chen to feel her pulse.
LADY ZHEN:
What’s the use of feeling her pulse! If she had been engaged, she would not have caught the disease.
DU BAO:
Well, in ancient times, man married at thirty and woman married at twenty. Liniang is too young to know anything about it.
(To the previous tune)
Innocent as a dove,
How can she know such things as love?
It’s just a fever,
Or a cold,
Or a disease untold.
As her mother, you
Neglect your pearl upon your palm
And for her illness you cannot keep calm.
(In tears)
DU BAO, LADY ZHEN:
For man and wife,
Oh heavens above,
The dau
ghter means our life,
(Enter Steward)
STEWARD:
“The visitor comes from the hills;
The vessel sails down the rills.”
DU BAO (To the tune of Coda):
With official work to do,
I’ll leave the daughter unto you:
In autumn chills her illness cannot subdue.
(Exit Du Bao with the steward, leaving Lady Zhen and Chunxiang on the stage)
LADY ZHEN:
“Man is free when official work is done;
Man is snug when he has a son.”
My man ignores his daughter when a messenger comes. How sad it is!
(Weeps)
Now I’ll ask Sister Stone to chant the scriptures and ask Mr Chen to prescribe some medicine, but I don’t know what will come out of all this. Indeed,
“A mother is the dearest to her daughter,
But all the same requires the witch and doctor!”
Scene Seventeen
A Taoist Nun
(Enter Sister Stone)
SISTER STONE (To the tune of Fengrusong):
The world is busy getting wed
With yin and yang as linking thread.
Resigned to my destined fate,
I wore a Taoist robe from early date.
For over forty years,
I’ve lived a tasteless life,
A dream without the slightest cheers.
“The Taoist temple stands upon the earth,
Near where the rocks and bamboos idly lie.
I grieve that human heart is even worse
And runs wild when temptation chances by.”
I am Sister Stone in the Purple Sunlight Nunnery. Stone was not my surname, but I’ve got the title Sister Stone because I was born sterile and was thus deserted by my husband. Come to think of it: if I want to return to secular life, “Stone” is contained in Hundred Surnames and my personal life is described in The Thousand Character Text. Oh heavens, I do not want to
“Find proof from ancient texts”,
But, on the contrary, I just want to be
“As straightforward as the historian Shi Yu”.
Why have I been living in this
“Magnificent nunnery”
And striving to be
“Diligent and strict with myself”?
It is because the Taoist practice is like
“Virtue which leads to bliss”
While retribution means that
“Vices add up to misfortune”.
What is the
“Prestigious foundation of my family”?
For generations my ancestors have
“Lived in retirement”.
When I was born, I had
“A good shape and good manners”,
With an aptitude for
“Peace and tranquility”.
My feces was like
“Twigs of the chaste tree”,
And my urine was like
“Drips from the lotus leaves”.
At the delta where there should have been