by Tang Xianzu
A Random Pastime
Scene Seven
A Chance Encounter
Scene Eight
Passion of Love
Scene Nine
The Royal Son-in-Law
Scene Ten
Accepting the Invitation
Scene Eleven
Going for the Audience
Scene Twelve
To the Princess Residence
Scene Thirteen
Marrying the Royal Princess
Scene Fourteen
Potential Enemy
Scene Fifteen
Attending the Royal Hunting
Scene Sixteen
Tidings about Chunyu’s Father
Scene Seventeen
The Position of the Magistrate
Scene Eighteen
Appointed as the Magistrate
Scene Nineteen
Recommending the Assistants
Scene Twenty
The Royal Farewell Banquet
Scene Twenty-One
The Secretary as the Acting Magistrate
Scene Twenty-Two
Arriving at the County
Scene Twenty-Three
Missing Her Daughter
Scene Twenty-Four
Street Ballads
Scene Twenty-Five
Enjoying the Moon
Scene Twenty-Six
Incurring the Covetousness
Scene Twenty-Seven
Princess on the Alert
Scene Twenty-Eight
Army Deployment in the Rain
Scene Twenty-Nine
The Siege Lifted
Scene Thirty
Zhou Bian Defeated
Scene Thirty-One
Zhou Bian Detained
Scene Thirty-Two
Court Counseling
Scene Thirty-Three
Summoned to the Capital
Scene Thirty-Four
Halting the Way
Scene Thirty-Five
Mourning over the Death
Scene Thirty-Six
Returning to the Court
Scene Thirty-Seven
Sensual Allurement
Scene Thirty-Eight
Indulgent Life
Scene Thirty-Nine
Demotion Predicted
Scene Forty
Doubts and Fears
Scene Forty-One
Banishment
Scene Forty-Two
Waking Up to the Reality
Scene Forty-Three
Affections Expounded
Scene Forty-Four
End of Affection
Scene One
Reminding the World
(Enter the Narrator)
NARRATOR (To the tune of Nankezi):
The rain falls on the lake outside the Jade Tea House
And the sun shines over the small Metal Brake Hall.
Don’t stop your song nor lower your cup
When you see the heedless ants
Show signs of passion to all.
The country founded in July
Was nothing but a castle in the sky.
Master Qixuan is still preaching.
May I ask the east wind
When I’ll wake up from my dream?
He ranks high in the State of Peaceful Locust,
With the princess in his arms.
In recording the feats of Nanke Magistrate,
The venerable monk will speak the truth.
Scene Two
Chivalrous Passions
(Enter Chunyu Fen, bearing a sword on his back)
CHUNYU FEN (To the tune of Poqizhen):
With soaring aspiration,
I stay in Yangzhou although I often dream of home.
I wander here and there,
Sniffing the world,
For the world is blind.
Since childhood, I have been fond of wine,
Never feeling sad for spring sights.
And now in late autumn, I see a locust-tree behind me.
(In the pattern of Dielianhua)
“A locust-tree stands in the empty yard,
With its leaves ruffling in the autumn wind,
Wailing o’er the passage of time.
I never wield my precious sword,
Wandering in Wu and Chu in my prime.
I do not want to live here for long,
For I will stay
Where there is wine and song.
Before my bosom friends arrive,
My sorrow has gone away.”
I am Chunyu Fen, a native of Dongping. I am a descendant of Chungyu Kun, a man renowned for drinking deep and making people roar with laughter. A later ancestor the good doctor Chunyu Yi was made the Magistrate of Taichang. He had no sons but his daughter saved him from death. My father is a general in the border areas. He has been there for many years and I don’t know whether he’s alive or dead. I am skilled in the martial arts and am a man with a generous heart, having spent a thousand ounces of gold at a time. When carousing with good fellows of the rivers and lakes, I have led a nomad’s life in the regions of Wu and Chu. Once I served as an assistant general in the Huainan troops and hoped to be promoted in Hebei. Alas, I had the misfortune of getting drunk and thus lost favour with the marshal. Hard times came again and I had to give up my official position. In the yard of my home, ten miles from the Guangling City, is an ancient locust-tree with a stout trunk and luxuriant branches, under which I drink with my fellow drinkers, but they do not turn up very often these days. I only have two bosom friends in Luhe County: one is Zhou Bian, a military candidate and a fellow drinker of mine; the other is Tian Zihua, a recluse and a pen friend of mine. Today is an autumn day in the seventh year of Emperor Dezong of the Tang Dynasty. I shall tell my boy-servant Partridge to get wine ready in the locust-tree yard so as to entertain these two friends.
Where is Partridge?
(Enter Partridge)
PARTRIDGE:
“I have the legs of a buffalo
And the face of a partridge.”
Master, the wine is ready under the locust-tree. The two guests have arrived.
(Enter Zhou Bian and Tian Zihua)
ZHOU BIAN, TIAN ZIHUA (To the tune of Daolianzi):
The flowers are nearing their end
When mountains are bathed in autumn air.
Men should get drunk in Yangzhou, where
We have a drinking friend.
ZHOU BIAN:
I am Zhou Bian from Yingchuan.
TIAN ZIHUA:
I am Tian Zihua from Pingyi.
ZHOU BIAN, TIAN ZIHUA:
As we shall soon return home to Luhe, we must bid farewell to Brother Chunyu.
PARTRIDGE:
My master is waiting for you in the locust-tree yard.
(Greets Zhou Bian and Tian Zihua)
(In the pattern of Collected Tang Poems)
“The locust-tree bears its root in an ancient city
In an autumn day when the west wind blows.
Before the gold is all spent,
All day long the wine flows.”
CHUNYU FEN:
I feel depressed when guests do not come for days.
ZHOU BIAN, TIAN ZIHUA:
We’ve come to say good-bye as we shall take a boat home tonight.
CHUNYU FEN:
I feel so depressed now that the two of you are returning home too. Wine is ready. Let us raise a glass or two in the locust-tree yard!
(The three of them drink)
CHUNYU FEN (To the tune of Yujiaozhi):
As I have wandered over the earth,
I gladly squander money with such friends as you.
I am skilled in martial arts,
Well known through Chu and Wu.
I care nothing for a low position,
Neither do I enjoy a brief chat.
I ease my sorrow with tasty brew
And bare my heart in front of you.
ZHOU BIAN, TIAN ZIHUA:
Brother, y
ou may enjoy yourself under the locust-tree.
CHUNYU FEN (To the previous tune):
With its root branching out,
The luxuriant locust-tree stands alone in the yard.
Why should the heaven shower so much from above
That the tree is ripped of its leaves?
In this season of the imperial exam,
The horses gallop the candidates to the capital.
Face to face the heroes talk of woe;
Heart to heart the heroes disperse their frowns.
ZHOU BIAN, TIAN ZIHUA:
We must be off now.
CHUNYU FEN:
I’ll walk with you for part of the way.
(To the tune of Jibanling)
From Yingluan you depart for the west;
By the Rose Channel you take a boat west.
I see you off in late autumn;
I see you off in late autumn.
I look into the distant sky
And see a boat at the Peach Ferry lie.
I hope you’ll soon return;
For your good company I shall yearn.
ALL:
The river will disperse our woe
After we separate in the evening glow.
ZHOU BIAN, TIAN ZIHUA (With a sigh):
We are leaving now, but we might come back again.
CHUNYU FEN:
Why do you talk like this?
ZHOU BIAN, TIAN ZIHUA (To the previous tune):
When we part with our bosom friend,
We might not see you very soon.
Tears flow from our eyes;
Tears flow from our eyes.
Why do we gaze into each other’s eyes,
Hand in hand as dear brothers?
With broken hearts we shall go
And always dream of Yangzhou.
ALL:
The river will disperse our woe
After we separate in the evening glow.
CHUNYU FEN (To the tune of Coda):
I long to go and drink with mates,
Whose friendship never dissipates.
When you are gone,
I shall have to drown myself in wine.
(Exeunt Zhou Bian and Tian Zihua)
CHUNYU FEN:
Now that they are gone, I feel so bored in the empty yard. Partridge, with whom can I while away some time in Yangzhou?
PARTRIDGE:
Let me see … As far as I know, Liu’er and Sha San beyond the Wazipu Pleasure Ground can help you while away some time.
CHUNYU FEN:
Go and bring them here.
Wandering in the south all my life,
I speak of swords in my prime.
When people leave after the wine,
The yard seems drearier in autumn time.
Scene Three
The Tree State
(Enter the Ant King, followed by attendants)
ANT KING (To the tune of Haitangchun):
Countries may be founded anywhere,
Among which is a miniature state.
While households cluster in the north,
One road leads to the locust-tree gate.
ATTENDANTS:
Crimson costumes, majestic palaces,
Propitious air and imperial terraces:
These form an entirely different state.
ALL:
We spray the wine before the steps of jade,
To laud the king with attendants in parade.
ATTENDANTS (Kowtow to the Ant King):
Long live the king!
ANT KING (In the pattern of Qingpingyue):
“Under the locust-tree,
The sun casts its shadows willy-nilly.
Everything in the state is piled with soil,
A treasury valuable beyond compare.
The ants in a thousand years
Are spiritualised with their king.
There is a state within a state,
With subjects like human beings.”
I am King of the Great State of Peaceful Locust, originally an ant, an insect that conforms to the movement of the universe. We live on the earth, which is also the dwelling place of dragons and snakes. One becomes two, and two becomes three — wealth is amassed by taxing ten thousand out of a hundred thousand and taxing a hundred out of a thousand — I thus become a king out of amassment of wealth. A miracle may be worked out of decadence — as the ancient saying goes, “Honesty may move the people, who may be transformed and turned from bad to good.” A state may be founded on a tiny bit of land — as the ancient saying goes, “Equality removes poverty; harmony removes solitude; peace removes peril.” People were gathered in the first year, a town was founded in the second year and a capital was established in the third year. All was achieved due to my virtue. For a memorial tablet to the god of the earth, pine was used in the Xia Dynasty, cypress in the Shang Dynasty, and chestnut in the Zhou Dynasty — while my country is founded in a locust-tree, immune from the fire and the axe. Virtue is the source of a powerful state; a tree is the pillar of a magnificent palace. I set up arsenals, built city walls and opened city gates; then I built houses, raised pavilions and erected mansions. Administration is divided among the six ministries; the Prime Minister exercises authority over all the offices. Heavy traffic flows on the thoroughfares in the capital; leafy trees shelter the inner palaces. In the northern palace are enshrined the memorial tablets of the Three Dukes to commemorate these great personages; in the southern palace are allotted official positions to reinforce the fortifications. On the right is the Justice Bureau where judicial cases are handled; on the left is the Military Headquarters where the general reviews military manoeuvres. The Prime Minister sits in front of the Inner Gate for the morning audience; the scholars gather in the fairs on the first and fifteenth days of every month. It is said that the locust-tree, like the auspicious star in the sky, is the sacrificial tree of the state. Following the practice of King Wu in the Zhou Dynasty, the tree is planted inside the Forbidden City to keep away the detrimental and to admit the beneficial; following the practice of Duke Jing in the Qi State, it is known among the neighbouring states that those who offend the locust-tree will be punished and those who damage the locust-tree will be beheaded. This is the law decreed by the king and is the foundation of the state. I am fortunate that I have a virtuous Queen and an efficient Right Prime Minister at my service. As I have some leisure time after the state affairs, I shall have an excursion with the ministers. The banquet is ready now and the Prime Minister has arrived.
(Enter Duan Gong)
DUAN GONG (To the tune of Haitangchun):
I left the court when the sun went west,
But am coming again at the king’s behest.
(Kowtows to the Ant King)
Duan Gong, Right Prime Minister and Marquis of Martial Feats, kowtows to Your Majesty and wishes you a long life.
ANT KING:
Rise to your feet. Do you know why I have called for you today?
DUAN GONG:
No, I don’t.
ANT KING:
The chief worry of a state is the discordance among Heaven, Earth and Man. We are fortunate that our state is neither threatened by storms from Heaven, nor threatened by floods on Earth, nor threatened by leniency in government or law. Free from any damage or disaster, our state has immigrant ants across the border. The peace we enjoy proves the efficiency of our judicial system. I’d like to invite you to accompany me on an excursion within our territory. What do you think?
DUAN GONG:
It is an excellent idea in times of peace for the king and the ministers to tour the state and see the lay of the land. However, there are eighteen dukes and four royal families in our country. They must attend on you as well.
ANT KING:
I shall have another banquet with them. I shall go to the locust-tree with none else but you.
(Walks on)
“The palace stands in gloomy charm
While the yard lies open, broad and wide.
When wind shakes twigs from side to side,
The sun shines o’er the cactus palm.”
ATTENDANTS:
The wine is ready.
DUAN GONG (Presents the wine to the Ant King):
Here is longevity wine for Your Majesty.
ANT KING (To the tune of Xinujiao):
Nature is selfless,
Making clear distinctions
Between each tiny sect.
Although the king is a tiger and man is a dragon,
Still they must follow courtly etiquette.
A miniature king like me
Can share
The royal air.
ALL:
What a strange parade!
In such a mild day as this,
An excursion we have made.
DUAN GONG (To the previous tune):
In the court,
I am the newly-appointed Prime Minister.
The high-ranking officials
Are dressed in scarlet and yellow.
All the households
Are dotted with stars.
In our tiny world,
The king is crowned
And inspects all his land.
ALL:
What a strange parade!
In such a mild day as this,
An excursion we have made.
ANT KING (To the previous tune):
Bear in mind
That a grain of millet may fly in the air.
Among all tiny creatures,
Who lacks his valiant share?
On a tiny territory,
I have become the king.
I have ambition
To follow the orbit of stars
And listen to the ocean roar.
ALL:
Linger a while
And see how the wind blows
Before you move a mile.
DUAN GONG:
Do you think that your territory is too small, Your Majesty?
(To the previous tune)
Think before you act
Although my words are of little consequence.
To found a state
Is a tough job in every sense.
I sigh with regret
That the ants busy themselves for grains.
Why should we
Look for trouble in a quiet life
And complicate the issue with more?
ALL:
Linger a while
And see how the wind blows
Before you move a mile.
ANT KING:
I haven’t been on an excursion to the locust-tree for a long time. Let’s enjoy ourselves to the full today.
(To the tune of Jinyixiang)
With verdant foliage,
Its leaves form a heavy screen;
In the spring time,
Its trunk looks green.
Intertwined
And crisscrossed,
The tree towers into the sky.
Like the village mulberries