by Tang Xianzu
ANT KING (Laughs heartily):
What a nice piece of poetic essay! Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty did not know Sima Xiangru who wrote such a nice piece of poetic essay as A Poetic Essay on Sheer Fabrication.
How lucky I am that I know you!
(To the tune of Haoshijin)
What a striking piece of writing
That depicts the hunting!
How handsome
Is Minister Tian Zihua!
Lofty
Is your spirit that roars to the sky.
Chunyu Fen, this brilliant essay by Tian Zihua must be passed down through the generations. It should be inscribed on a gilded jade slab as a sign to show that our state is rich in talents.
It adds a tale of distinction to this hill.
What position shall I grant him?
A man who writes about sheer fabrication
Lives during my reign.
Right Prime Minister, how do you enjoy the hunting today?
DUAN GONG:
We are here promoting military practice on this hill, not for pleasure but for the urgent situation in Nanke County. I have inserted a line in the National Chronology.
ANT KING:
What did you write?
DUAN GONG:
In the eighth month, the first year of Yicheng of the Great State of Peaceful Locust, a grand hunting is held on the Tortoise Hill to promote military practice.
ANT KING:
In that case, announce my edict for another military manoeuvre!
(Military manoeuvre amid drums and bugles)
ANT KING (To the tune of Qianqiusui):
In military manoeuvre,
The beasts of prey are attacked
In rounds and rounds of encirclement.
(The military manoeuvre goes on)
Wave the flag,
Wave the flag
And rush forward in battle cries
Lest the enemy should escape!
Wield the rakes
And the spears
In the front
And at the rear —
That is military practice.
The eagle-hunters
Have done merits again.
Announce my edict to finish the hunting and return to the palace!
(All respond)
(Drums and bugles)
(To the tune of Yuerenhao)
To return from the hunting,
To return from the hunting,
The drumbeats resound
And the cymbals ring.
Soft and loud
Echoes the music of jade flutes,
Mixed with the blare of bamboo flutes
In perfect harmony.
With spears erect
And in battle array,
On the highway
Stands the procession.
Wearing helmets and waving whips,
They gallop homeward.
While they ride,
They raise a hue and cry.
(Announces the edict for the procession to go forward)
(To the previous tune)
On the dusty ancient way,
On the dusty ancient way,
The sly animals are carried on the poles,
Which gasped and tried in vain to escape
From the hunting dogs and eagles.
The chilly tree branches
Touch the moist fowl-nests,
Which are deserted now.
The noisy crowd
Whistle a valiant tune
Back and forth.
When they look at the fowls
And carry the animal meat,
They will not say that the land is tiny.
Such a catch
Is by no means small.
DUAN GONG:
Your Majesty, here we are at the capital gate.
(To the tune of Hongxiuxie)
The soldiers stop their roar,
Stop their roar.
They congratulate His Majesty
On his great catch.
They distribute the meat
And win their rewards,
After they skin the beast
And burn the meat
To share and share alike
And make offerings to the swords.
(To the tune of Coda)
They go hunting in the autumn day
To serve as camouflage for military manoeuvre.
ATTENDANTS:
May the Tortoise Hill bless His Majesty for years and years!
ANT KING:
Now that the military inspection is over, Chunyu Fen will stay with me and have dinner in the central palace-hall. The Right Prime Minister will entertain the dukes and royal relatives in the Locust Corner Pavilion and discuss the Nanke affairs.
In order to learn and practice military art
Thousands of troops leave the capital town.
How much can His Majesty eat in a meal?
The carts carry the beasts of prey up and down.
Scene Sixteen
Tidings about Chunyu’s Father
(Enter Chunyu Fen and Princess Golden Branch)
CHUNYU FEN (To the tune of Moshanxi):
Here in the human world
Live the immortals.
There are vernal sights
In the autumn palace.
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
I turn my slender waist
Like a fish in the water.
With coyness between my brows,
I cherish my bridal joys.
CHUNYU FEN (In the pattern of Ruanlanggui):
“The breeze ruffles the green silken robe,
Spreading fragrant scent over the globe.
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
The locust casts shadows o’er the window case
When we rise late and walk out in full grace.
CHUNYU FEN:
I have crossed the dreamland
And waited on the pretty princess —
An experience out of my command.
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
Your Highness,
Lest you miss the morning court and drowse,
I have risen early and painted my brows.”
Since you came here a month ago, we have cultivated an ever-deepening affection for each other. You have lived a sumptuous life, coming and going in magnificent carriages and attending numerous banquets. Although you are lower in rank than His Majesty, you have tasted enough distinction. However, I have noticed that you often knit your brows and heave deep sighs or remain silent in sorrow. I do not see the reason why.
CHUNYU FEN:
After I fell on wretched days for many years, I have become prosperous all at once. Why should I be discontented with His Majesty and you, my dear wife, let alone all the food and clothing I can now enjoy in the palace? The sorrow you have noticed comes from the sad memory of my late father while I enjoy the heavenly pleasures with His Majesty.
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
When did your parents die?
CHUNYU FEN:
Your mother-in-law is buried in our family graveyard near the Chanzhi Bridge. Your father-in-law is a pity indeed.
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
Please tell me in detail, Your Highness!
CHUNYU FEN (To the tune of Bailianxu):
To tell you what is on my mind,
I have to heave a profound sigh.
As a general, my late father
Suffered a defeat where the borders lie.
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
After the defeat, did your father return alive?
CHUNYU FEN (Sighs):
He died.
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
Where did he die?
CHUNYU FEN:
He died in the barbarous area.
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
Have you received any message from him in all these years?
CHUNYU FEN:
There is no message for a dozen of years.
But there has been s
omething strange in recent days.
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
What has happened?
CHUNYU FEN:
Before our wedding the other day, His Majesty mentioned to me himself that he did all this in obedience to the order of my father. I have been puzzled all the time.
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
You have to ask my father.
CHUNYU FEN:
I had not dared to ask until the court banquet after the hunting on the Tortoise Hill. I asked, “Since Your Majesty knows where my father lives, I’d like to ask for leave to pay him a visit.” His Majesty replied at once, “Stationed in the north, your father has kept sending me messages. You can write him a letter but cannot go for the time being.” Princess,
What is the reason?
Hidden doubts
Have arisen in me.
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH (To the tune of Zuitaiping):
It seems to me
That you were alone in your youth.
Where you meet your wife,
You have found your father.
CHUNYU FEN (Weeps):
How is he going in the north?
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
As he is stationed in the north,
He must be living happily there.
CHUNYU FEN (Weeps again):
Now that I have told you about the story, I shall secretly go north and inquire about my father.
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
How muddle-headed you are!
As the barbarous areas are faraway,
How can you find the way by yourself?
CHUNYU FEN:
Then I shall report to His Majesty and go there in the open.
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
Now that his daughter
Has married for just a few days,
How can he allow you to go?
CHUNYU FEN (To the tune of Bailianxu):
It is inconceivable
That he stays in the north
In cold weather and in desolation.
How can it be compared to the cave here?
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
Do as my father told you and first send him a letter to express your regard!
CHUNYU FEN:
I hesitate
To send a letter alone.
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
Send him some gifts as well!
CHUNYU FEN (Weeps):
Nothing can express my gratitude.
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
In that case, what is to be done?
CHUNYU FEN:
Dear Princess,
A son like me
Is as good as nothing.
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH (Aside):
(To the tune of Zuitaiping)
How wretched for him
To be a son-in-law in the royal house!
He has to be pious to his father
And follow the court practice.
(Turns back)
How can you stay in my state and send a letter without sending any gifts, Your Highness? I have prepared a pair of longevity stockings and a pair of happiness shoes to go with your letter.
CHUNYU FEN:
Thank you for your kindness!
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
My needlework
Shows the heart of his daughter-in-law.
CHUNYU FEN:
Who will carry the letter for me?
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
When you finish your letter,
I shall report to my father
And the letter will be there in no time.
CHUNYU FEN:
Then, please go to the palace and report to His Majesty as soon as I seal the letter and the gifts!
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
No problem.
Even if I send the letter by a wild goose,
I shall help you
Express your filial piety.
By the way, I have another question to ask you. What kind of official position do you like to take?
CHUNYU FEN:
As a wanderer in the world, I am not well-versed in governmental affairs.
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
You just accept the offer and I will give you a helping hand.
(To the tune of Coda)
I’ll enter the palace to send the letter for you
And ask my father to grant you a position.
CHUNYU FEN:
By so doing, I shall become an official through petticoat influence.
PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:
Through petticoat influence or not,
You will not defame the Chunyu ancestors.
It’s hard to send a letter by the son,
Who is just wedded to a pretty wife.
The verdant locust is so good
That he can live a pleasant life.
Scene Seventeen
The Position of the Magistrate
(Enter Duan Gong)
DUAN GONG (To the tune of Raodiyou):
Holding the gold seal and the purple ribbon
As the Prime Minister,
I leave the court when the sun climbs high.
With fewer hair
And narrower waist,
I work for the state heart and soul.
“I go to the palace at dawn
And leave the palace in the morn.
Before His Majesty summons me,
I close my door in the locust tree.”
I am Duan Gong, Right Prime Minister and Marquis of Martial Feats. I take charge of the governmental affairs and keep a close watch of the border affairs. As the State of Sandals and Vines is harassing our border regions, His Majesty gave a banquet at the Locust Corner Pavilion to consult with the ministers as to who will be appointed Magistrate of Nanke County. I do not know who is to be appointed yet. Here arrives the Royal Envoy.
(Enter the Royal Envoy)
ROYAL ENVOY:
“Seldom are the reports to be presented to the king;
To inform the intimate ministers is the first thing.”
(Greets Duan Gong)
You must have taken much trouble during the morning audience, Your Excellency.
DUAN GONG:
I was just asking the secretariat about the position of the magistrate of Nanke County. I don’t know whether the royal edict has arrived.
ROYAL ENVOY:
You know, no sooner had your memorial been presented than the Royal Princess entered the palace to dispatch His Highness’s letter to his father and to ask for an official position for him. I am afraid that this position has fallen into the hands of His Highness.
DUAN GONG:
It’s hard to say.
(To the tune of Tiyindeng)
Nanke takes a strategic position,
Bordering on the State of Sandals and Vines.
Addicted to drinking,
How can Chunyu shoulder this responsibility?
ALL:
Shall we agree?
Ill at ease in our hearts,
We can hardly interfere with royal decisions.
ROYAL ENVOY (To the previous tune):
The governmental affairs depend on the ministers,
For there must be somewhere to get suggestions.
However, one thing is clear, that is, the ministers should not get involved in affairs between close relations.
Now that he lives with the princess,
Rubbing shoulders every day,
Why should he not take this position?
ALL:
Shall we agree?
Ill at ease in our hearts,
We can hardly interfere with royal decisions.
DUAN GONG:
We have to let it be. I am only afraid that he will do harm to the state when he grows powerful. Well, forget about it.
To be appointed the new magistrate
Is the yearning of ministers old and great.
We have to follow the bent of the King
And see who will be the
pillar of the state.
Scene Eighteen
Appointed as the Magistrate
(Enter Chunyu Fen)
CHUNYU FEN (To the tune of Xijiangyue):
Born in the family of an army officer,
I happen to serve in a royal state.
Since I have won the heart of the princess,
What is there that cannot be revealed?
(In the pattern of Collected Tang Poems)
“A flute girl from the region of Qin
Bright and lively in the royal court.
I happen to catch sight of her
Returning at night by the back door.”
A few days ago, the princess entered the palace to dispatch my letter and gifts for my father and to ask for an official position for me. I see so many sash lanterns on the street tonight. Here comes the princess.