The Complete Dramatic Works of Tang Xianzu

by Tang Xianzu

  (Exeunt)

  ANT KING:

  Announce my decree to return to the palace.

  ROYAL ENVOYS (To the tune of Shuangshengzi):

  Call and cry,

  Call and cry

  Come from men and steeds.

  Do-re-mi,

  Do-re-mi,

  Rings the music.

  With laugh and smile,

  With laugh and smile,

  They are going,

  They are going.

  We shall turn around the locust

  And return to the palace.

  (To the tune of Coda)

  In the prime of their life,

  They gallop their way from the capital,

  A perfect couple second to none.

  (In the pattern of Collected Tang Poems)

  Two phoenixes fly in the sky,

  Passing fields and towns on their way.

  With music ringing happy and gay,

  It seems to be the prettiest day.

  Scene Twenty-One

  The Secretary as the Acting Magistrate

  (Enter the secretary)

  SECRETARY (To the tune of Zizishuang):

  To serve in office must be strong —

  To be a hindrance.

  Unable to comment on a document —

  Is a fool.

  To act as a magistrate —

  Is to be in luck.

  To grab redemption, money and grains —

  Is sheer robbery.

  I am the secretary in Nanke County. As the office of the magistrate is in vacancy for the time being, I am temporarily acting in that position. It is already late in the morning, but the clerks and runners have not arrived yet. How detestable! Detestable!

  (Enter a clerk)

  CLERK (To the previous tune):

  My humble wife calls me a clerk —

  A cunning clerk.

  I wear a hat with two hard wings —

  An official pattern.

  To practice deceptions —

  I am brazen.

  To dine and wine in the countryside —

  (Makes a bow)

  I am back now.

  SECRETARY (Annoyed):

  Oops!

  “After days of absence from office,

  You come with a mere word of ‘I’m back’.

  If you try to humbug me,

  I’ll beat you and give you the sack.”

  CLERK (On his knees):

  “Instead of raising a rash alarm,

  I should know what to warn.

  (Presents a chicken)

  Look at the chicken I bring from the farm:

  It will crow at early dawn.”

  SECRETARY:

  What a fine chicken! What a fine chicken!

  CLERK:

  Those who came for the lawsuits went home when they heard that you would be late for office because you were fond of sleep. To my mind, you should not waste your brief golden age of taking charge of the office. When I went to the farms, I got hold of two chickens. I ate the hen and have brought the rooster to crow for you at dawn. “A day’s work depends on a good start at dawn.”

  SECRETARY:

  Well said, well said. Rise to your feet, please!

  (Kneels on the ground to help the clerk to his feet)

  I do not have a copy of Book of Laws in my office. Do you think that I should have one?

  CLERK:

  You may need one, or you may not need one.

  SECRETARY:

  Do you think that I should ask for money when I handle a lawsuit?

  CLERK:

  You may ask for money, or you may not ask for money.

  SECRETARY (Annoyed):

  Why should I take an official position if I do not get money?

  CLERK:

  If you want money, why don’t you buy a copy of Book of Laws? There is gold at the back of the book.

  (Enter the messenger)

  MESSENGER (Bows to the secretary):

  Here is an urgent message.

  SECRETARY (Reads the message):

  “A memorial from the office of the Right Prime Minister mentions the absence of a magistrate in Nanke. According to the royal edict, Chunyu Fen is assigned the position.” Alas, the new magistrate is coming. Where are my brief golden days?

  MESSENGER:

  Here arrives the certificate for the arrival of His Highness the Royal Son-in-Law.

  SECRETARY:

  Tell the sections concerned to arrange everything and get ready to meet him.

  CLERK:

  There are set regulations.

  SECRETARY:

  We’ll do something different from the set regulations. We’ll build a residence for His Highness and a palace hall for Her Highness. We’ll prepare a pearl sedan with gilded umbrellas, shouldered by all females.

  CLERK:

  Yes, I see. As time is pressing, you’d better write the assignments with both hands.

  (The secretary writes the assignments with both hands)

  CLERK:

  One assignment is for the Section of Personnel Affairs to inform the officials. One assignment is for the Section of Revenue to pay the money and grains. One assignment is for the Section of Military Affairs to get ready the musicians, runners, sedans and horses. One assignment is for the Section of Rites to inform the Confucian scholars, senior squires, Buddhist and Taoist monks and a few female singers with slippery tongues.

  SECRETARY:

  Why do we need the female singers?

  CLERK:

  They can boast. One assignment is for the Section of Penalty to check the list of prisoners and examine the implements of punishment. One assignment is for the Section of Construction to repair the residence and household utensils. The first thing is to get some toilet joss-sticks.

  SECRETARY:

  These things can wait.

  CLERK:

  When the princess gets off the sedan, she will be looking around for the toilet. One assignment is for the archives establishment to sort out the files. One assignment is for the secretariat to write out the positions according to order. One assignment is for the clerk in charge of extra taxes to lay the carpets and put up decorations. One assignment is for the assistant clerk to prepare seal-ink and papers. One assignment is for the courier station to prepare the room and board. One assignment is for the neighbourhood chief to select the gatekeepers, at least two metres tall.

  SECRETARY:

  Are they too tall?

  CLERK:

  The new magistrate is three metres tall. That’s why we can’t make head or tail of him. One assignment is to borrow a pearl sedan canopy from the Temple of Avalokitesvara. One assignment is to borrow the bedding and mattress, rouge and powder from the whorehouse.

  SECRETARY:

  That won’t do. We must have them made to order by night.

  (To the tune of Tingqianliu)

  As this county lies in the south,

  His predecessors are ordinary men.

  Why is His Highness sent here at this time

  To make it a place of prominence?

  ALL:

  Make a clear list

  Of the above-mentioned things.

  Tell the secretariat

  To make haste and be careful.

  SECRETARY (To the previous tune):

  For the jewellery and gold-thread costumes,

  There is neither money nor grains.

  CLERK:

  If there is neither money nor grains,

  Apportion the charges first

  And seek the revenues later.

  ALL:

  Make a clear list

  Of the above-mentioned things.

  Tell the secretariat

  To make haste and be careful.

  The acting magistrate has made the loot

  Before the new magistrate comes.

  They send people with large sums

  To meet the new magistrate and salute.

  Scene Twenty-Two

  Arrivi
ng at the County

  (Enter a troop of soldiers)

  SOLDIERS (In the pattern of Collected Tang Poems):

  “We change uniforms in times of peace,

  While horses gently neigh at pretty sight.

  When the fairy moves to a new site,

  The music of jade flute floats in the breeze.”

  Hi, everyone. At the behest of His Majesty, we are escorting the princess and the royal son-in-law to their new office in Nanke County. By and by we have passed several courier stations. Now the princess and the royal son-in-law have made an early start.

  (Enter Chunyu Fen and Princess Golden Branch, followed by attendants)

  CHUNYU FEN (To the tune of Mantingfang):

  Dustless on the way from the capital,

  And breezeless near the Painting Bridge,

  The starred flags flutter in the sun.

  PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:

  When clouds float in the sky,

  The flower hairpins and the face reflect each other.

  From the farewell banquet,

  I left in the deepest grief.

  CHUNYU FEN, PRINCESS GOLDEN BRANCH:

  The road south of the pass

  Is lined with grass on both sides.

  When can I see my parents again?

  (In the pattern of Mulanhualing)

  “The palace tries to keep the oriole,

  Which moves to Nanke instead.

  The procession leaves the capital town,

  With carriage canopy embroidered.

  The man looks with complacency

  And asks his wife in a smile.

  When they leave the green locust tree,

  They look back at the princess garden.”

  CHUNYU FEN:

  Princess, we have passed several courier stations since we left His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen. We shall soon arrive at Nanke County. Let’s be on our way, attendants!

  (Walks)

  (To the tune of Ganzhouge)

  After the palace banquet,

  I ride on a spotted horse

  And go on my journey.

  The folk in the capital town

  Roll up their curtains and gaze.

  What official can surpass us

  Now that I go with my fairy wife?

  ALL:

  In old blue robes

  And new hair-do,

  A beauty is dressed in the locust palace.

  On a magnificent carriage

  Driven by robust steeds,

  The couple travel in smiles.

  (Enter the messenger)

  MESSENGER:

  At the dispatch of the secretary of Nanke County, I am here to present a document and to give you a warm welcome.

  CHUNYU FEN (Takes the document and reads):

  I’ve signed the document. Go back and do your service there!

  (The messenger responds)

  CHUNYU FEN (To the previous tune):

  Decorated with flowers on my head,

  What talent and virtue do I have

  To wear a purple ribbon on my waist?

  With my tender wife,

  I drive through the fields in a carriage.

  For love of the beautiful scenery,

  I am reluctant to whip the steed.

  ALL:

  Bringing his wife,

  Riding on a satin saddle,

  He goes along the straight highway.

  In a spring tour,

  The scholar weds a princess wife,

  A perfect match in the fairyland.

  ATTENDANTS:

  Here we are at the border of Nanke County, Your Highness.

  (Enter the secretary)

  SECRETARY:

  The secretary of Nanke County is waiting here to greet you.

  CHUNYU FEN:

  Thank you for your kindness!

  SECRETARY:

  Not at all. With a new canopy, the guards and sedan-carriers are waiting over there to greet you.

  CHUNYU FEN:

  Yes, I see. We’ll go back at once.

  (Exit the secretary after a response)

  VOICE WITHIN:

  All the county officials are here to greet Your Highness.

  CHUNYU FEN:

  Stand up and wait aside!

  VOICE WITHIN:

  The Confucian scholars are here to greet Your Highness.

  CHUNYU FEN:

  Stand up, please! I shall meet you again in the county office.

  (The scholars respond within)

  VOICE WITHIN:

  The Buddhist monks, the Taoist priests, and the senior squires are here to greet Your Highness.

  CHUNYU FEN:

  Stand up and go back!

  VOICE WITHIN:

  Female singers are here to greet Your Highness.

  CHUNYU FEN:

  Set off at once!

  (The female singers beat drums and play the flutes to lead the way)

  CHUNYU FEN (To the previous tune):

  With jade pendants dangling in my ride,

  Ahead I see flags

  And officials along the way.

  They come to kowtow and greet me,

  Gathering on the paths in the fields.

  ALL:

  Soldiers and civilians roar,

  Men and women call,

  While Taoist priests mix with the dancers.

  Accompanied by zither music

  And drumbeats,

  The carriage is hastening its way.

  CHUNYU FEN:

  What is the place afar that is clouded with mist and luxuriant with trees?

  ATTENDANTS:

  Ten miles away is the town-seat of Nanke County.

  CHUNYU FEN:

  What a splendid city, my dear princess!

  (To the previous tune)

  Ten miles ahead,

  I can see a dense evaporation,

  Which looks like neither fog nor mist.

  The birds fly and dance

  Above distant terraces and bowers.

  A pavilion stands alone in the verdant hills

  While fountain waters soak the fields.

  ALL:

  The sight of pretty hills

  And coiling rills

  Rouses sighs and deep emotion.

  Behind the heavy gates

  And walls with flags

  Are hidden bowers of the fairyland.

  (Enter men with lanterns to greet the procession)

  ALL:

  We have entered the town, Your Highness.

  CHUNYU FEN:

  I shall take a rest in my residence and go to the office at five tomorrow morning.

  (To the tune of Coda)

  Like stars glitter the gauze lanterns,

  Which illuminate the streets.

  My dear princess,

  Let’s get off the carriage and enjoy our house!

  Endowed with heavenly grace from the king,

  We come to a fairyland of a mountain town.

  Into the clouds songs and music ring,

  To laud the magnificence all around.

  Scene Twenty-Three

  Missing Her Daughter

  (Enter the Ant Queen, followed by maids of honor)

  ANT QUEEN (To the tune of Yeyouhu):

  The flowers blossom in the palace

  While court garments display splendor.

  MAIDS OF HONOR:

  With huge fans on both sides

  In the hands of maids of honor,

  The Queen misses her daughter in Nanke.

  ANT QUEEN (In the pattern of Yiqin’e):

  “In the mountains,

  The fragrance of locust leaves spreads in the breeze.

  MAIDS OF HONOR:

  Amid green locust leaves

  In the deep caves

  Is seen the colorful rainbow.

  ANT QUEEN:

  My daughter left the palace at fifteen

  And has to look at the moon from Nanke.

  MAIDS OF HONOUR:

  The m
oon sheds shadows

  Of magpies flying south,

  Reminding one of departures.”

  ANT QUEEN:

  I am Queen of the Great State of Peaceful Locust. My daughter has been staying in Nanke for nearly twenty years. A letter came from her yesterday, saying that her children have made her so tired and lean that she cannot bear the heat. She has had the Jade Terrace built in a cool area near the river to shelter from the heat. As she wants to place a thousand volumes of Buddhist sutras in the terrace, I have sent Princess Qiongying to ask Master Qixuan in the Chanzhi Temple for advice. How is it that she has not returned yet?

  (Enter Princess Qiongying, holding the Buddhist sutras)

  PRINCESS QIONGYING (To the tune of Wanxiandeng):

  Having listened to Zen preaching in the Chanzhi Temple,

  I have obtained the Dharma-raja scripture.

  (Kowtows to the Queen)

  Princess Qiongying kowtows to Your Majesty, the Queen. I wish you a long life.

  ANT QUEEN:

  Rise to your feet! What is the scripture in your hands?

  PRINCESS QIONGYING:

  When I went to consult Master Qixuan, he said that all those who have given birth to too many children must have somehow profaned the gods in heaven and on earth. He advised the Princess and her children to obtain The Nativity Sutra and eat vegetarian food for three years to show repentance. By so doing, they will evade ill fortune and enjoy good fortune, blessed with health and longevity. Your Majesty,

  (To the tune of Yushantui)

  The Nativity Sutra

  Is about the infinitely merciful Maudgalyayana.

  ANT QUEEN:

  What for?

  PRINCESS QIONGYING:

  Venerable Maudgalyayana went west to rescue his mother. When he passed Zhuiyang County of Yuzhou Prefecture, he saw in the wilderness the Hell of Bloody Basin from which many fettered women in disheveled hair were drinking dirty blood. He asked the yama of the hell why they were suffering in this way. The yama said that these women

  Profaned the streams with their blood when they gave birth

  And annoyed the virtuous people with the dirty water for tea.

  ANT QUEEN:

  That’s it. As they polluted the tea for the offerings to the Triratna, they had to meet their retribution. And then?

  PRINCESS QIONGYING:

  On hearing these words Maudgalyayana burst into tears and said, “In that case, my mother has to suffer the same torture for her sin.” He went to Buddha for help, prostrating himself devoutly and saying, “Will you the Almighty give me revelations as how to requite my mother by rescuing her from such misery?” Buddha uttered his approval, saying,

  If you’d like to requite your mother,

  You should eat vegetarian food to show repentance for three years

  And chant Namo Amitabha all the time.

  ANT QUEEN:

  What’s the use of chanting Namo Amitabha?