by Tang Xianzu
Neither nether nor human judge can settle the case;
Only Your Majesty will decide with grace.
VOICE WITHIN:
Now listen to the imperial decree: “I’ve heard that men cast shadows while ghosts dread the mirrors. On the Timekeeping Platform there is a Penetrating Mirror from the Qin Dynasty. Palace Announcer, bring Du Liniang to the mirror and then take her along the flower tracks to see whether she leaves a shadow. When you’ve followed my instructions, report the results to me.”
CHEN ZUILIANG (Assents and then leads Du Liniang to the mirror):
Are you a human being or a ghost, Miss Du?
DU LINIANG (To the tune of Northern Xiqianying):
How can I say whether I am a ghost?
The mirror will soon tell the truth.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
As you have your exact image in the mirror, you prove to be a human being. Now let’s go along the flower tracks and see if you cast a shadow. Then I’ll report the results to His Majesty.
(Walks and inspects her shadow)
DU LINIANG:
Oh, dear me!
Along the flower tracks,
I leave my footprints to see.
CHEN ZUILIANG (Reports to the emperor):
Du Liniang has an image and a shadow, therefore she is a human being.
VOICE WITHIN:
Now listen to the imperial decree: “Du Liniang, as you are human, tell me your experience of death and revival.”
DU LINIANG:
Your Majesty, I drew a self-portrait when I was sixteen years old. I once saw in my dream a scholar beside a plum tree beyond the willow trees. After I died of lovesickness for him, I was buried under a plum tree in the back garden. It happened that a scholar by the name of Liu Mengmei found my self-portrait and kept yearning for me day and night. That’s why I came back to this world and married him.
(Sadly)
Oh how sad!
My revival after death
Implied all the mishaps I had.
VOICE WITHIN:
Now listen to the imperial decree: “Liu Mengmei, come forward and testify whether Du Liniang has told the truth. Why are you named Mengmei, which literally means ‘dreaming of plums’?”
LIU MENGMEI (Bows):
Long live the emperor!
(To the tune of Southern Huameixu)
When I sought marriage across the southern sea,
I met a girl by the plum tree when the dream began.
On my way to take the imperial exam,
I fell ill and was detained in Nan’an.
As a result, I stayed at the Plum Blossom Nunnery in the Nan’an Prefecture. When I took a stroll in the back garden, I found the self-portrait of Du Liniang. Miss Du was so moved by my affection for her that she resumed her human form.
Du Bao (Kneels):
He is cheating Your Majesty and slandering my daughter as well. As for my daughter,
She’d rather sink in the river and lie there
Than have an illicit affair!
DU BAO, LIU MENGMEI:
Neither nether nor human judge can settle the case;
Only Your Majesty will decide with grace.
VOICE WITHIN:
Now listen to the imperial decree: “As the saying goes, ‘Illicit love without the consent of parents and the introduction of matchmakers is despised by the parents and the people all over the country.’ Du Liniang, how can you justify yourself?”
DU LINIANG (Weeps):
Your Majesty, I owe my second life to Liu Mengmei.
(To the tune of Northern Chuduizi)
I won’t use the word “illicit affair”.
DU BAO:
Who was your matchmaker?
DU LINIANG:
Our matchmaker was the Funeral Star above.
DU BAO:
Who were your wedding attendants?
DU LINIANG:
They were the netherworld sprites.
DU BAO:
Sheer nonsense!
LIU MENGMEI:
It’s a perfect match of Heaven and Hell.
DU BAO:
Perfect! Perfect lies from your scarlet lips!
LIU MENGMEI:
Sir, you are mocking at southerners chewing betel nuts, but I was born with scarlet lips and white teeth.
DU LINIANG:
No arguments! A daughter alive and kicking is ignored by her father while a ghost for three years was married by Liu Mengmei.
You cannot revive your daughter;
Why are you reviling at my man?
Dad, if you refuse to accept me, Mom has accepted me.
(Points at the entrance)
The one to persuade you is my mother.
(Enter Lady Zhen)
LADY ZHEN:
Why is my daughter kept so long in the palace? I’ll enter the palace gate to plead for her.
(Steps into the palace and kneels on the ground)
Your Majesty, the first-rank Lady Zhen, wife of Grand Chancellor Du Bao, presents herself before the throne.
(Du Bao and Chen Zuiliang are surprised)
DU BAO:
Where are you from? You’re my wife, aren’t you?
(Kneels to the emperor)
I beg to report that my wife died at the hands of the bandits in Yangzhou. I have applied for posthumous honours for her from Your Majesty. The mother and daughter must have been some devilish incarnation to fraud Your Majesty in the broad daylight.
(Rises to his feet)
LIU MENGMEI:
I’ve never seen this lady before.
VOICE WITHIN:
Now listen to the imperial decree: “Since Lady Zhen has been killed by the bandits, how can she live with her daughter in Lin’an?”
LADY ZHEN:
Your Majesty,
(To the tune of Southern Diliuzi)
On my way to Yangzhou,
On my way to Yangzhou I encountered the bandits.
I had to,
I had to seek shelter in Lin’an.
One night beside the river Qiantang,
As blood is thicker than water,
I happened to meet the likeness of Liniang.
We have lived together as mother and daughter.
VOICE WITHIN:
According to what you said, your daughter must have been revived. As she lived in the netherworld for three years, she must have learned much about karma. What were the punishments for kings and ministers who neglected their duties? Tell me exactly what you know.
DU LINIANG:
Better forget about it, but there are indeed many people under punishment.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
My pupil, “Confucius never talked about things grotesque.” In the human world the archives of the prefectures and counties are checked from time to time, but how can similar things be done in the netherworld?
DU LINIANG:
Well,
(To the tune of Northern Guadifeng)
All the cases are clearly recorded in the netherworld,
With no room for a denying word.
The kings are honoured as of old
While ministers are fettered with jade and gold.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
My pupil, there is no evidence for what you said. If that were the case, would Premier Qin Hui have suffered in the netherworld?
DU LINIANG:
I know something about him. To speak about his sufferings, as soon as he entered the netherworld,
A hammer crushed his black heart
And a knife cut his liver into three parts.
ALL: (Terrified):
Why was his liver cut into three parts?
DU LINIANG:
Because he served one part for the Great Song Dynasty, another part for the Jin Dynasty, and a third part for his wife with a wagging tongue.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
What were his wife’s sufferings?
DU LINIANG:
To speak about her sufferings, as soon as she entered the ne
therworld, she was stripped of her coronets and robes until she was naked. An ox-headed sprite jumped forward to clutch at her throat with nails seven or eight inches long.
Her wagging tongue was torn out by the sprite.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
Why should she suffer so much?
DU LINIANG:
Because her tricks had come to light.
DU BAO:
Sheer nonsense! Little devil, I’ll ask you one question: In the human world there are punishments for elopement. Are there similar punishments in the netherworld?
DU LINIANG:
Yes, there are plenty. Liu Mengmei was flogged seventy strokes, which you administered by yourself, while I was detained in the netherworld for three years.
Mr Liu was flogged,
Blamed,
And put under arrest
For our love affair.
Why don’t you let us go now that we have confessed?
VOICE WITHIN:
Now listen to the imperial decree: “According to what Du Liniang said, she must have been revived. Palace Announcer, take her outside the palace gate so that the parents and daughter, the man and wife can be reunited. When they return home, a formal wedding ceremony should be held.”
ALL:
Long live the emperor!
(Walk around the stage)
LADY ZHEN:
My lord, congratulations on your promotions!
DU BAO:
My lady, I didn’t expect that you had a narrow escape.
DU LINIANG (Weeps):
Dad!
DU BAO (Ignores Du Liniang):
You little devil had better stay away from broad daylight. Mr Chen, now I am beginning to suspect that Liu Mengmei is a devil too.
CHEN ZUILIANG (Laughs):
He’s a devil of a literary star.
LADY ZHEN (Elated):
It’s a double happiness to meet my Number One Scholar son-in-law and see my revived daughter. Come on, Number One Scholar, greet your mother-in-law first.
LIU MENGMEI (Makes a bow):
I’m sorry that I didn’t greet you earlier.
DU LINIANG:
Congratulations on your success, Mr Liu.
LIU MENGMEI:
Who told you about it?
DU LINIANG:
Tutor Chen brought me the imperial decree.
LIU MENGMEI:
I was ill-treated by your father.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
Mr Liu, greet your father-in-law.
LIU MENGMEI:
I’d rather have the netherworld king as my father-in-law!
CHEN ZUILIANG:
Listen to me, Mr Liu,
(To the tune of Southern Didijin)
As man and wife you have suffered your share
But the emperor is almighty and fair.
The Grand Chancellor has to marry his daughter.
It’s better for mother and daughter,
Father-in-law and son-in-law,
To make a deal then and there.
LIU MENGMEI:
Mr Chen, I’m a convicted robber.
CHEN ZUILIANG (Laughs):
You are lucky enough,
But you still want to take advantage.
When you were expected to win the imperial test,
You stole a flower of a girl lying at rest.
DU LINIANG (Sighs):
If you had not allowed me to take a stroll in the back garden, how could I have met this scholar?
DU BAO:
Little devil, since Liu Mengmei is from a family inferior to ours, what is it that makes you love him so much?
DU LINIANG (Smiles):
(To the tune of Northern Simenzi)
I love his hat and robe in official style,
And so I smile and smile and smile.
Dad and Mom, in the human world people fail to pick a son-in-law in high position even if they build high platforms to attract wooers; in the netherworld, in my dream, I picked a Number One Scholar. How can you say that his family background is inferior to ours?
You are from the honoured family of Du
While he is from the honoured family of Liu.
Dad, please accept me as your daughter!
DU BAO:
I’ll accept you as my daughter back at home if you do away with Liu Mengmei.
DU LINIANG:
If you want me to go back to the family of Du
And leave the family of Liu,
All my life I’ll weep and hate you.
(Weeps)
Alas,
In front of my previous-world father
And present-world mother,
My soul will wander farther.
(Faints)
DU BAO (Taken aback):
Oh Liniang, my child!
CHEN ZUILIANG (Looks ahead):
How does it happen that Sister Stone is coming and Chunxiang is still alive? Ridiculous, ridiculous! What did I see in the bandit camp?
(Enter Sister Stone with Chunxiang)
SISTER STONE (To the tune of Southern Baolaocui):
The case is settled before the throne;
The case is settled before the throne.
(Looks around)
How is it that Mr Liu and Miss Du are standing there with pursed lips?
Lord Du makes a judgement of the worst sort;
Tutor Chen makes a speech of the worst sort.
CHEN ZUILIANG:
Here comes Chunxiang! This nun is a robber!
SISTER STONE:
Oops! Beggar Chen, who do you say is a robber? You made the false report that the lady was dead and Chunxiang was dead.
You put them in a paper coffin
And buried them with your tongue.
(To Liu Mengmei)
Congratulations, Mr Liu!
LIU MENGMEI:
Congratulations, Sister Stone! But where is it that I once saw this servant maid?
CHUNXIANG:
I was in the dream you and Miss Du experienced.
LIU MENGMEI:
So you’re a living witness.
SISTER STONE, CHUNXIANG:
Who knows that ghostly union may turn true!
Who knows that ghostly love may renew!
Lord Du,
Even if you rule over the netherworld,
You will find the case absurd.
(Exeunt Sister Stone and Chunxiang)
CHEN ZUILIANG:
In front of the palace gate, both men and ghosts will have to show submission. Miss Du, it’s up to you to persuade Mr Liu into greeting his father-in-law for everybody’s benefit.
DU LINIANG (Smiles and tries to persuade Liu Mengmei):
My dear, just greet your father-in-law with a bow!
(Liu Mengmei is reluctant to do so)
DU LINIANG (To the tune of Northern Shuixianzi):
Oh, oh, oh,
You are making a show.
(Pulls at Liu Mengmei’s hand and presses his shoulder)
Now, now, now,
By pressing your shoulder, I’ll force you to bow.
LIU MENGMEI:
I won’t forget the flogging!
DU LINIANG:
Bow, bow, bow,
Ancient kings were flogged anyhow.
(Pulls at Du Bao)
Pull, pull, pull,
The father-in-law has to be cool.
(Points at Liu Mengmei)
He, he, he,
He burnt paper money to marry me.
I, I, I,
I accepted the offer from this guy.
(Points at Chen Zuiliang)
You, you, you,
You have indeed made much ado.
(Points at Liu Mengmei)
True, true, true,
You opened my coffin to bring my corpse to view.
(Points at Du Bao)
Dad, dad, dad,
Your swearing is indeed bad.
(Enter Han Zicai in official robe, holding the imperial decree in his hands)
HAN Z
ICAI:
Here comes the imperial decree. Kneel and listen: “In regards to the extraordinary story, I hereby decree that the family be reunited. Grand Chancellor Du Bao is promoted to the topmost rank. His wife Lady Zhen is granted the title Lady of Huaiyin Prefecture. The Number One Scholar Liu Mengmei is appointed member of the Imperial Academy. His wife Du Liniang is granted the title Lady of Yanghe County. Master of Ceremony Han Zicai is to accompany them to their residence.” Kowtow and thank the imperial grace.
(Greets Liu Mengmei)
Congratulations to you, Number One Scholar.
LIU MENGMEI:
Oh, it’s you, Mr Han Zicai! How did you become Master of Ceremony?
HAN ZICAI:
After I saw you off, the prefect showed special favour to me as the descendant of a renowned family by offering financial aid for me to enter the imperial examination in the capital. I passed the examination and was appointed Master of Ceremony. That’s why we have the chance to meet here.
LIU MENGMEI:
It’s all too fantastic!
CHEN ZUILIANG:
So Mr Han is also an old friend of ours.
(Walks around the stage)
ALL: (To the tune of Southern Shuangshengzi):
How absurd!
How absurd!
The match began with a dream in the netherworld.
How fortunate!
How fortunate!
The wedding takes place in front of the palace gate.
What the emperor has to say,
What the emperor has to say
Makes everybody happy and gay,
Makes everybody happy and gay.
By imperial decree,
From the netherworld Miss Du is set free.
LIU MENGMEI (To the tune of Northern Coda):
From now on,
We shall enjoy the Peony Pavilion dream.
DU LINIANG:
Thanks to your tender care,
My ghostly love becomes supreme!
When verdant grass grows on the vernal sand,
The Jin drums resound across the land.
The yearning soul regrets to miss her mate;
The Peony Pavilion sees her woeful trait.
While ladies weep and sigh as blooms decline,
Men come and go to drink a cup of wine.
All raptures vanish when the curtain falls;
From blooming twigs a charming birdsong drawls.
The Nanke Dream
Translated by Wang Rongpei, Zhang Ling & Huo Yuehong
Table of Contents
Scene One
Reminding the World
Scene Two
Chivalrous Passions
Scene Three
The Tree State
Scene Four
Inviting a Monk to Preach Zen
Scene Five
Admonishing the Princess
Scene Six