by Tang Xianzu
TIAN ZIHUA:
It happens that I can watch this grand ceremony today. I wish that he would not desert his old friend. Please ascend the carriage.
(The Royal Envoy helps Chunyu Fen onto the carriage)
(Enter the attendants, carrying lanterns in their hands. They walk)
ALL: (To the previous tune):
We march in the capital town,
We march in the capital town,
With miles of grand procession,
With lanterns shining the way.
CHUNYU FEN:
Brother Zihua,
I feel uneasy sitting in the carriage.
TIAN ZIHUA (Smiles):
You deserve this honour, Your Highness.
Rest at ease
As there is no need of embarrassment.
(Exeunt all)
(Enter Princess Qiongying and her company)
PRINCESS QIONGYING (Laughs cheerfully amid music):
The embroidered curtains of the princess,
The embroidered curtains of the princess
Will be closed at night by the locust-trees.
When we offered incense before the altar,
Our towel and hairpins caused a long dream.
(Enter Chunyu Fen, followed by his company)
ALL:
The harmonious bride and bridegroom
Will meet in the bridal room.
(Exeunt Princess Qiongying and her company while Chunyu Fen and his company make way)
CHUNYU FEN:
Brother Zihua, these ladies come and go in their own carriages. Their fairy-like music is sweet and bitter, never heard of in the human world.
TIAN ZIHUA:
As the auspicious time is approaching, let’s hurry up!
CHUNYU FEN (To the previous tune):
The fairy music rings bitter and loud,
The fairy music rings bitter and loud
That comes from the ladies’ carriages.
The music sounds like woeful waters and winds,
Making me sad at heart as well.
TIAN ZIHUA:
Since time and tide await no man, why don’t you enjoy the music to your heart’s content?
Leave the human world aside
And meet in palace your bride!
Here we are at the Xiuyi Palace. Descend the carriage, please. As the fairy ladies are gathering around the gate, I have to be off now. It is true that
While Chunyu goes to his spouse,
I have to head for my own house.
(Exit)
Scene Thirteen
Marrying the Royal Princess
(Enter Princess Qiongying, followed by her company amid music)
PRINCESS QIONGYING (To the tune of Qingjiangyin):
The fairy sisters meet the fairy in-law,
Who comes by a fairy carriage.
The fairy music rings to the sky
As the fairy musicians come to the fairy house.
Tell the fairy young man
To descend and bow to the Xiuyi Palace!
LADY LINGZHI:
Royal Princess, please come to the palace hall!
(Enter Princess Golden Branch, sheltered by fans)
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH (To the tune of Nüguanzi):
No sooner had the clouds dispersed
Than I left my dressing-table and expected.
I have just left my palace
And come to my new residence.
My shadowy secret desire
Makes me shy.
(Princess Qiongying, Lady Lingzhi and Sister Shangzhen laugh)
LADY LINGZHI:
May we invite His Highness the Royal Son-in-Law to open the fans please?
(Enter Chunyu Fen)
CHUNYU FEN:
I am about to see the fairy princess,
Who will reveal her flowery face
From behind the sheltering fans.
ALL:
With a deep root for the marriage,
This princess of distinction
Has selected her royal spouse.
LADY LINGZHI (Announces):
The bride and the bridegroom, bow to Heaven and Earth… Bow to His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen… Your Highness, bow to the Princess! Princess, return the bow!
(Enter the eunuch, bringing the wine)
EUNUCH:
“In the State of Peaceful Locust brews the wine;
In the wedding hall a couple is formed at night.”
The wine is a gift from His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen to celebrate the royal marriage.
(Chunyu Fen and Princess Golden Branch kowtow to express their gratitude)
LADY LINGZHI:
The bride and the bridegroom, drink a cup of wine for the wedding!
(Chunyu Fen and Princess Golden Branch drink the wine)
CHUNYU FEN (To the tune of Jintangyue):
Decorated with a gold cicada on the hat
And a phoenix hairpin on the head,
The warrior marries a beautiful lady.
Embroidered on the robe
Is a thrush darting through the leaves.
After the wedding at the royal decree,
I can see the face of the princess.
ALL:
Light the gold lamp
And you will see the ant princess
In her full beauty in the locust palace.
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH (To the previous tune):
I am too ashamed to say
That to face a warrior descendent,
How can I sustain him
In my youthful age?
In the Xiuyi Palace,
I’ve just learned to make up.
As a princess entitled Golden Branch,
I get married near the locust-tree.
ALL:
Light the gold lamp
And you will see the ant princess
In her full beauty in the locust palace.
LADY LINGZHI, SISTER SHANGZHEN, PRINCESS QIONGYING (Aside):
(To the previous tune)
Their marriage
Came from the sacred place
Of the Buddhist temple
By sheer chance.
(Turn back)
A few remarks
And the hairpins roused his thoughts.
He yearned for the princess,
A born spouse for him.
ALL:
Light the gold lamp
And you will see the ant princess
In her full beauty in the locust palace.
LADY LINGZHI, SISTER SHANGZHEN, PRINCESS QIONGYING:
(To the previous tune)
In the natural environment,
The pavilions and gardens
In royal splendour
Form a picture of a visionary world.
In a mystical tune,
Music resounds in the deep cave.
(Aside)
The ladies attended the sutra lectures;
The royal princess built a grand palace.
ALL:
Light the gold lamp
And you will see the ant princess
In her full beauty in the locust palace.
LADY LINGZHI, SISTER SHANGZHEN, PRINCESS QIONGYING:
The moon has ascended to the sky.
(To the tune of Zuiwengzi)
Roll the window curtain
And you see the bright moon shine over the palace.
CHUNYU FEN:
The fairy lady is at the window,
Playing a flute in smile.
Tonight,
In the mist and fog,
I gaze at the mysterious residence.
ALL:
Who has ever seen
A precious flower
Is planted in the locust state?
CHUNYU FEN (In a low voice):
(To the previous tune)
It is fantastic
That I shall sleep in the palace.
The twenty-four bridges in Yangzhou
Are far away from the pretty mai
d.
How can I imagine
That I shall go alone
And stay in a magnificent house?
ALL:
Who has ever seen
A precious flower
Is planted in the locust state?
CHUNYU FEN (Walks):
(To the tune of Yaoyaoling)
It is warm in the locust caves,
With flowers in full blossom.
Amid songs in the moonlight,
The ladies are in high spirits,
Outshining the faraway hills.
ALL (To the previous tune):
Half drunk at night,
Chunyu will remain in palace,
To join his new bride.
He seems to meet an immortal
In his bed-play.
(To the tune of Coda)
You’ll enjoy the first taste of married life tonight.
Remember to thank His Majesty at dawn!
Paint your eyebrows and make up
If you do not sleep late after your love-making.
(In the pattern of Collected Tang Poems)
The princess plays the flute and chases her mate,
Under the cloudy sky until late at night.
Remember not to shut the door tight,
So as to catch your carriage to the palace gate!
Scene Fourteen
Potential Enemy
(Enter the red-faced King of the State of Sandals and Vines, followed by soldiers)
KING OF THE STATE OF SANDALS AND VINES (To the tune of Heshengchao):
The earth has undergone great changes,
Forming the State of Sandals and Vines.
Yellow faced, red-footed and slender in figures,
The ant states are fighting all the time.
“A central state is founded in the wilderness,
With the capital encircled by walls of clay.
The field is not large enough for swordplay,
But there is still battle-cry on the way.”
I am King of the State of Sandals and Vines to the east of the State of Peaceful Locust. Our state stretches to the east as far as the White Sandals and to the west as far as the Wisterias. Our descendents are scattered in nine streams and eight caves; our houses have a hundred holes and a thousand windows. With two equal lords in the court, who can strive to be the superior? As the locust-tree and the white sandals are both wood for the winter, who can change the order of the seasons? As he is a black ant while I am a red ant, there exists the difference. He thinks that he is a stronger ant and thus looks down upon me. Recently I got a message that he has added the word Great before the State of Peaceful Locust. He is indeed looking down upon me! Across the river is the Nanke County under his reign, which is a land affluent with fish and rice. I intend to gather my tribal troops and loot this area.
(The soldiers practice martial arts)
KING OF THE STATE OF SANDALS AND VINES (To the tune of Baoziling):
What difference is there between the ants?
The territories and the armies are on a par.
He bullies us for we are small and lack grains,
But I have a swift army that can march afar.
ALL:
Every one of us is warrior-like.
KING OF THE STATE OF SANDALS AND VINES (To the previous tune):
To the west of the river is Nanke County,
Where he amasses meat and grains to threaten us.
To strip the State of Peaceful Locust of its peace,
On our banners are inscribed Great Sandals and Vines.
ALL:
Every one of us is warrior-like.
Bordered on the land of Rakshasa,
We are soldiers of vine shields.
As Nanke County is like a reed,
We’ll go and loot on the fields.
Scene Fifteen
Attending the Royal Hunting
(Enter the Ant King, followed by attendants)
ANT KING (To the tune of Baodingxian):
Amid gentle breeze in the green locust-trees
I enjoy the leisure on the grand terrace
When the sun shines over the world.
Our tiny state is like the human empire,
Founded in the wilderness at Heaven’s decrees.
(Enter Chunyu Fen with Duan Gong)
CHUNYU FEN:
His Majesty attends the banquet with his ministers
But battle reports arrive from the frontiers.
CHUNYU FEN, DUAN GONG:
On a tiny land with tiny hills,
The tiny people and tiny steeds
Are hunting in the fields.
(Kowtow to the Ant King)
ANT KING (In the pattern of Yulouchun):
“Our home and hearth lies between Wu and Chu,
With miniature palaces in the chilly autumn.
CHUNYU FEN:
Chirps resound in the ancient tree,
Announcing the arrival of chilly dew.
DUAN GONG:
The incense smoke goes straight in the still air
While our cave faces the sky that is close by.
ANT KING, CHUNYU FEN, DUAN GONG:
We have no worries from the other ant states,
Except for the State of Sandals and Vines.”
ANT KING:
I notice from the memorials yesterday that the State of Sandals and Vines is invading the borders of Nanke County. As our state has been in peace for many years, our people are unacquainted with military actions. The Right Prime Minister advises me to go hunting in the Tortoise Hill to promote military practice. I don’t know whether there was ever any warfare in the past during this dynasty.
DUAN GONG:
Yes, there were stories in the past. In the first year of Qianyuan, the Han Dynasty, the people of Henei saw hundreds and thousands of ant troops coming and going from morning till night. In the middle years of Taiyuan, the Jin Dynasty, the family of Huan Qian saw armoured ants holding spears climb the tables and cabinets to grab food. In the first year of Tian’an, the Northern Wei Dynasty, red and black ants were seen fighting in Yanzhou and the red ants died with their heads cut off. In the fourth year of Wuding, the Eastern Wei Dynasty, yellow and black ants were seen fighting in Yedu and the yellow ants returned triumphantly and died. All these are stories about battles in our state.
ANT KING:
Was there any hunting in the past during this dynasty?
DUAN GONG:
In the Southern Qi Dynasty, the family of Xu Xuan saw thousands of ant warriors hunting on the flower-beds and fishing in the Yanshan Lake with hundreds of nets and having a catch of nearly a thousand fish. This is a story of hunting in our dynasty.
ANT KING:
Why should we go hunting on the Tortoise Hill?
DUAN GONG:
Among the constellations in the sky, the Tortoise is a military star. Therefore, we should go to the Tortoise Hill to promote military practice in our state.
ANT KING:
You are right, Right Prime Minister. Have you arranged officers and officials to accompany me?
CHUNYU FEN:
The Royal Captain Zhou Bian will be in charge of military affairs, Consultant Tian Zihua will be in charge of civil affairs, and Right Prime Minister Duan Gong and I will stand on guard for Your Majesty.
ANT KING:
In that case, let’s set off!
(Walks)
(To the tune of Haoshijin)
To travel to the western suburbs,
I set off on an auspicious day.
The flags with emblems of flowers and birds
Disperse the animals and fowls.
The resounding drums
Startle the hills and rills, grass and trees.
I decree at the auspicious hour,
With bugles ringing in the hunting range.
(Arrives)
ANT KING:
Is this the Tortoise Hill? It towers to the sky and rises from the earth. The texture at the back of t
he hill is in the same pattern as the constellations. Therefore, it is only natural that the ancients climbed the Tortoise Hill and slaughtered the turtle in the ninth month. The hill is lush with grass and trees, abundant in animals and fowls. It can equal the Changyang and Shanglin hunting ranges in the human world. Announce my edict that the warriors may start hunting at full scale!
(Attendants respond to the edict)
(Drumbeats and battle cries)
(A tiger is shot and captured)
ANT KING (Shoots at a wild goose):
(To the tune of Qianqiusui)
When we use our bows and swords,
The winged animals and fowls cannot escape.
The pellets and guns are shot to the sky
To knit a heavenly net,
To knit a heavenly net,
Directly reaching
The paths to the sea and to the hill.
Kill what is caught
And cudgel what is trodden down!
On foot and on horseback,
Just thrust right and left!
ATTENDANTS (Shout):
A pangolin is caught!
ANT KING (Laughs heartily):
It is a sworn enemy of our ant state.
ATTENDANTS:
Although the pangolin can drill a hill,
It cannot escape from the bloody rain
Predestined by Heaven.
TIAN ZIHUA:
On this grand occasion, Tian Zihua, the consultant and a low-rank official, would like to present my Poetic Essay on the Grand Hunting on the Tortoise Hill, the Great State of Peaceful Locust.
ANT KING:
Present your essay!
TIAN ZIHUA (Reads his poetic essay on his knees):
“How deep and remote is the Great State of Peaceful Locust! It has the Dragon Peak in the front and the Tortoise Hill at the back, which is the essence of the Northern God. To the west is the Tortoise Peak of West Queen Mother; to the east is Mount Tortoise and Mount Meng of the Eastern Prince. The Tortoise Hill, with its vault at the top and its emptiness in the centre, is shaped like the remains of a huge snake in Mount Baqiu, covered with lush grass and trees like the mountains held up by the turtles in the sea. It has grass and trees on its back and animals and fowls in its chest. From the literary point of view, it conforms to the number of Eight Diagrams in the Picture from the Yellow River and the Book from the Luoshui River; from the military point of view, it bears the appearance of a warrior in armoured coat and helmet. His Highness the Honorary Royal Captain Chunyu Fen, the Right Prime Minister Duan Gong and other ministers raise their heads to the sky and heave a sigh, ‘Vast and expansive is the Tortoise Hill! Green and luxuriant is the Tortoise Hill!’ If Your Majesty does not go hunting, tigers and rhinoceros will escape from their cages and hurt people; if Your Majesty does not enjoy yourself today, tortoise shell and jade will be damaged in their caskets. Therefore, Your Majesty shares military feats in the fields with the common people. It is now the month when chilly breeze arrives while grass and trees wither and perish. The eagle preys on the fowls and the jackal sacrifices its catch of animals. Your Majesty wears a towering crown and a black robe, carrying the treasure sword and ascending the carriage. The God of Rain sprinkles the way for you while the God of Wind clears the dust for you. The Left Marquis Cheng and the Right Marquis Chunyu lead a multitude of hundreds and thousands of ant-subordinates of various sizes on foot and on horseback. With resounding drumbeats, fluttering flags, roaring guns and glittering swords, the soldiers are marshalled on the tortoise shell when the wind and rain has ceased. When time has arrived for the hunting, the soldiers are on the go. They hang the ape and trample on the snake, break the bear’s claw and crush the elephant teeth, eat the leopard and suck the rhinoceros, taste the marrow of wild hens and swallow the brain of wild crows. As to pheasants, hares and the ilk, Your Majesty would not take any notice. A scaled animal is caught at the end of the hunting — it is a pangolin. It has a carapace that can penetrate the hills and a most poisonous mouth that can float above the water. It used to dwell on the slopes of the hill and is now presented before Your Majesty when it is roasted. In great elation, Your Majesty raises your head to the sky and says, ‘It is the bliss of the Tortoise Hill that the pangolin meets its doom. I am too insignificant to acclaim the victory!’ With soil and rocks as its shell and with grass and trees as its hairs, the Tortoise Hill has been thoroughly combed in this hunting. Afterwards, the hunting comes to an end and the animals of prey are slaughtered; the bells are sounded and toasts are raised; the procession returns triumphantly. After the wining and dining, I pick up a bamboo slip and write a eulogy to be presented to Your Majesty. The eulogy goes, ‘Magnificent is the Tortoise Hill, which is shielded by the Dragon Peak; brilliant is Your Majesty, who goes hunting on the Tortoise Hill. Neither fish nor flesh, rain or shine, the prophecy shows signs of good omen. Your Majesty has displayed militancy without disturbing the people. May the Great State of Peaceful Locust last as long as the Tortoise Hill! May Your Majesty live a long, long life!’”