by Tang Xianzu
The flowers whirl in the sky,
Like the moon in the water
Which reflects the blooming of flowers.
When the insects drink the water-drops,
Their bud-like hearts will burst into lotus flowers.
What time is it now?
MONKS:
The moon has risen to the zenith.
MASTER QIXUAN:
Everyone, please walk around the terrace with joss-sticks in your hands! Chunyu and I shall ascend the terrace and watch the astrology in the sky.
(The monks respond)
“To leave the world of desire,
We must reach the world of pure saints.”
(Exeunt Master Qixuan and Chunyu Fen)
(Chanting with music within)
MONKS:
“In the flowery forest
Where fragrance spreads,
Tathagata Buddha
And Avalokitesvara
Have heavenly eyes
To see through hearts,
With three insights
That disperse darkness.”
(Exeunt the monks)
(Enter Master Qixuan with a sword, followed by Chunyu Fen)
MASTER QIXUAN (To the tune of Tianxiale):
Ah!
When I step on the Heavenly Altar,
The moon is round and the sky fair,
With three treasures hanging there,
Clustered by sparkling stars in the cold air.
CHUNYU FEN:
On the Heavenly Altar, why do you bring the sword with you?
MASTER QIXUAN:
This sword will
Break the cycles of marital affection
And sever the entangled lust in this life.
I’ll follow the Plough route as the magic.
CHUNYU FEN (Sighs):
I am most worried about my father, who won’t be able to keep his promise to meet me five years later in the year of the ox unless he ascends to the heavens tonight.
MASTER QIXUAN (To the tune of Nezhaling):
If you want to see him,
Do not fear the springs in the hell,
As long as you are filial;
Do not fear the devas or layers of heavens,
As long as you are pious;
Do not fear the pratyana or destiny,
As long as you are determined.
With determination, he will penetrate through the earth
And appear on the Heavenly Altar,
So that you will meet him this very night.
CHUNYU FEN (Inquires):
Now I know about my father, but how can the ants turn into human beings?
MASTER QIXUAN:
As they have their nidana, or cause and effect, they have changed their appearances.
CHUNYU FEN:
For what cause have I been brought to the ants’ world and made their kin?
MASTER QIXUAN:
It is their affection, nothing but affection, plus a bit of your ignorant nature. Your hindrance of affection has brought about all this.
CHUNYU FEN:
When did my affection with the ants originate?
MASTER QIXUAN:
Do you remember the day when you listened to my preaching in the Xiaogan Temple? I asked you why you brought your kith and kin with you. The two ladies who were offering the phoenix hairpins and the rhino-horn case were the very persons.
(To the tune of Jishengcao)
In order to meet your love,
You went to live in the ant world.
The human being lived in the ant palace
While the ant became man’s spouse
Because fate had brought you to the Buddhist temple.
As the tiny insect have such a good marriage tie,
Why should heaven deny the man his wish?
CHUNYU FEN:
Well, I did not know that she is an ant. Why didn’t you reveal the truth to me?
MASTER QIXUAN:
I told the parrot to call “Turn around, ants!” but you mistook the words for “Turn around, lasses!”
CHUNYU FEN:
It was what I heard.
MASTER QIXUAN:
When you asked me three questions about moral afflictions, I hid the truth in half of the couplets in a hymn. The first couplet is “They are like bare locust-trees in the empty palace”; doesn’t it refer to the State of Peaceful Locust? The second couplet is “But halting to find a dwelling in the forest”; it refers to your stay in Nanke because of your wife. The third couplet is “When the dream has vanished, the homeward road is barely visible”; it refers to you awakening from the dream to find yourself in your homeland.
CHUNYU FEN:
Yes, I have meditated on these lines.
MASTER QIXUAN (Aside):
I’d like to give him the advice that “All material things are immaterial; all things and phenomena exist in the mind only”, but he has not been awakened yet and will not believe it. I shall create another illusion for his kith and kin to show up again when they ascend to the heaven. When he is afflicted by another hindrance of affection, I shall sever them up with the sword and accept him as a Buddhist disciple. That shall be worth my efforts.
(Turns back)
You showed affection for her because you did not know that she was an ant. Now that you know it, will you show affection to her?
CHUNYU FEN:
Since I know the truth now, what affection is there for me?
MASTER QIXUAN:
You say you do not cherish any affection for her, why do you want her to ascend to the heaven? Oh, the heaven’s gate is open with a golden flash.
CHUNYU FEN (Surprised to see it):
That’s right.
MASTER QIXUAN (To the tune of Yao):
When you see a flash of light like lightning,
Do you know which layer of heaven this is?
Has the gate of the heavenly city opened to a palace?
Has the gate of the tower opened to your residence?
Has the heavenly clouds dispersed to reveal a city?
CHUNYU FEN:
Oh, what’s the noise from the heaven?
(The wind rises within)
I don’t know how wide the world is
And why the constellations change at the sound of the wind.
(Music and a report from within)
VOICE WITHIN:
The gate to the Indra Heaven is open!
(Another report from within)
VOICE WITHIN:
Thirty-four thousand households of ants from the State of Sandals and Vines have ascended to the heavens!
MASTER QIXUAN (Surprised):
Reports come from the Indra Heaven that thirty-four thousand households of ants from the State of Sandals and Vines have ascended to the heaven. Look! They have swarmed like rains to the heaven!
CHUNYU FEN:
Alas! I have deep-rooted malignity with the State of Sandals and Vines. All the virtues and merits from this Heavenly Altar have brought them to the heaven. How can it be like this!
MASTER QIXUAN (Smiles):
(To the tune of Zhuansha)
What malignity is there for that one?
What affection is there for this one?
There is no distinction for the senseless heaven.
CHUNYU FEN:
How many ants in Nanke did the State of Sandals and Vines slaughter? What retribution of karma will they receive?
MASTER QIXUAN:
As the slaughtering was committed in their previous lives,
They will ascend to the heaven once they have repented.
CHUNYU FEN (Wails):
I want to see my father! I want to see my princess wife!
MASTER QIXUAN:
What about descending with me from the Heavenly Altar and burning another fingertip before the tablet of the thirty-third heaven, or the Indra Heaven?
CHUNYU FEN:
My finger hurts!
MASTER QIXUAN:
Oh!
/> If you burn all your fingertips
For the sake of all your family members,
Your flesh-incense will penetrate the heavens.
When the constellation turns,
Step on the Heavenly Altar and watch the sky again!
You may then see your father
And meet your wife.
(Exit Master Qixuan, dragging Chunyu Fen behind him)
(Enter the monks)
MONKS (Chanting with music):
“In the flowery forest
Where fragrance spreads,
Tathagata Buddha
And Avalokitesvara
Have heavenly eyes
To see through hearts,
With three insights
That disperse darkness.”
Scene Forty-Four
End of Affection
(Enter Chunyu Fen, his fingers hurting)
CHUNYU FEN:
Ouch!
“I burn my fingers that hurt to my heart,
Hoping for reunion in the past, present and future.”
I am a descendent from a military family, but cannot bear the hurt on my flesh. For the sake of boundless merits and virtues, I burned a fingertip only to ferry the State of Sandals and Vines to the heaven. Now I am led by the Master to the tablet of the thirty-third heaven, burned another fingertip and step on the Heavenly Altar again, waiting for my father and my princess wife.
(The wind rises within)
CHUNYU FEN (Astonished):
The heaven’s gate is open!
(Gazes)
The voice is coming from the heaven again!
VOICE WITHIN:
Fifty thousand households of ants from the Great State of Peaceful Locust are ascending to the heaven at the same time!
CHUNYU FEN:
Nice! Nice! Fifty thousand households of ants from the Great State of Peaceful Locust are ascending to the heaven. The citizens from Nanke County are all there. But I haven’t seen my father and my princess wife yet. This round of my pains has been wasted.
(To the tune of Xiangliuniang)
Oh heavens! Show mercy on me!
Oh heavens! Show mercy on me!
I have neither seen my father
Nor my pretty wife.
Move the Heavenly Altar closer to the heaven!
Move the Heavenly Altar closer to the heaven!
(Kowtows)
With piety I am praying
For the spirits to come up alive!
I yearn on top of the clouds;
I yearn on top of the clouds.
Nice! Nice!
The cloud and mist is coming from the north,
Accompanied by a miracle.
Oh, the heaven’s gate is open again.
(The wind rises within)
(Enter Chunyu’s father)
CHUNYU’S FATHER:
Chunyu Fen my son, here I am.
CHUNYU FEN (Kneels and weeps):
You are my father!
CHUNYU’S FATHER (To the previous tune):
My spirit roams for years;
My spirit roams for years.
You kind and gentle filial piety
Has brought us together in the year of the ox.
CHUNYU FEN:
Father, I am guilty since I fail to wait on you when you are alive and fail to bury you when you are dead. Is Mother coming along with you?
CHUNYU’S FATHER:
She’s been reborn to this world for quite some time.
My grave has been intruded by the ants;
My grave has been intruded by the ants.
It is a great luck for me
To have the chance to meet you.
I must be going now.
CHUNYU FEN (Weeps):
Where are you going, father?
CHUNYU FEN, CHUNYU’S FATHER:
To ascend to the heaven is a great joy;
To ascend to the heaven is a great joy.
Our practice of Buddhism on both sides
Has brought us together.
CHUNYU FEN:
Father, come down a bit and I’ll touch you.
(To the previous tune)
I have been in grief for you for years;
I have been in grief for you for years.
I have often seen you in my dream,
Praying for blessing for you.
CHUNYU’S FATHER:
I’ve appreciated it all. What will you live on in the future?
CHUNYU FEN:
I shall join the army and become a general.
CHUNYU’S FATHER:
Don’t do that! You’ll break the moral rule of killing.
Talk no more of the power of a general!
Serving by the side of Sovereign Shakra,
I am afraid that I’ll have to fight the demons.
As time is limited in the heaven, I must be going now.
CHUNYU FEN, CHUNYU’S FATHER:
To ascend to the heaven is a great joy;
To ascend to the heaven is a great joy.
Our practice of Buddhism on both sides
Has brought us together.
(Exit Chunyu’s Father)
CHUNYU FEN (Wails):
(Enter Duan Gong, Zhou Bian and Tian Zihua, dressed as before)
CHUNYU FEN (Rises to his feet and looks):
Oh, so you are Prime Minister Duan, Zhou and Tian!
DUAN GONG, ZHOU BIAN, TIAN ZIHUA:
Yes, we are.
CHUNYU FEN:
Prime Minister, why did you sow discord with slanders all the time?
DUAN GONG (Smiles):
Your Highness, where is the good geomantic omen of Mount Dragon?
ZHOU BIAN:
You did enrage me!
CHUNYU FEN:
My twenty years of fame was spoilt by you.
TIAN ZIHUA:
You helped me all those years.
DUAN GONG (Smiles):
Let bygones be bygones! Now we must thank His Highness for his prayer to let us ascend to the heaven.
DUAN GONG, ZHOU BIAN, TIAN ZIHUA (To the previous tune):
We served in the court for years;
We served in the court for years.
Our lingering thoughts of gratitude and resentment
Are but merits in Nanke and battles with Sandals and Vines.
We have been haunted by the phantoms;
We have been haunted by the phantoms.
When we see through them,
There is no distinction between good and evil.
(Drums and bugles within)
ALL:
The King and the Queen will arrive soon.
DUAN GONG, ZHOU BIAN, TIAN ZIHUA:
To ascend to the heaven is a great joy;
To ascend to the heaven is a great joy.
Our practice of Buddhism on both sides
Has brought us together.
(Exeunt Duan Gong, Zhou Bian and Tian Zihua)
CHUNYU FEN:
They look like His Majesty and Her Majesty.
(Kneels to welcome the Ant King and the Ant Queen)
(Enter the Ant King and the Ant Queen, surround by court maids holding fans)
ANT KING (To the previous tune):
The country has been founded for years;
The country has been founded for years.
CHUNYU FEN (Kowtows):
Former Left Prime Minister, Royal Son-in-Law and Royal Captain of the Great State of Peaceful Locust, Chunyu Fen kowtows to greet Your Majesties.
ANT KING:
Chunyu, don’t stand on ceremony!
ANT QUEEN:
When we parted, I said, “If you keep us in heart, we’ll have the opportunity to meet again.” My grandchildren have ascended to the heaven. Have you seen them?
CHUNYU FEN:
No, I haven’t.
ANT QUEEN:
They have become boys and girls in the heaven.
All the members of our family
Are heavenly relatives instead of devilish ki
n.
CHUNYU FEN:
May I ask how ascendance to the heaven is compared to the locust palace?
ANT KING:
We are going to the boundless universe;
We are going to the boundless universe.
It’s different from the small world of ours
With a palace in the size of a tiny grain of sand.
I’m leaving now. The princess and the court ladies will be coming soon.
ANT KING, ANT QUEEN:
To ascend to the heaven is a great joy;
To ascend to the heaven is a great joy.
Our practice of Buddhism on both sides
Has brought us together.
(Exeunt the Ant King and the Ant Queen)
CHUNYU FEN:
As the princess is about to arrive, I’ll stand erect waiting for her. We were an affectionate couple for twenty years.
(Gazes)
Why, she is not in sight yet.
(Gazes again)
Several court ladies are riding on the cloud.
(Enter Princess Qiongying, Lady Lingzhi and Sister Shangzhen)
PRINCESS QIONGYING, LADY LINGZHI, SISTER SHANGZHEN (To the previous tune):
We missed affections,
We missed affections
In the lonely palace garden.
CHUNYU FEN:
The princess is not here yet. They are Princess Qiongying, Lady Lingzhi and Sister Shangzhen.
PRINCESS QIONGYING, LADY LINGZHI, SISTER SHANGZHEN (Laugh):
His Highness is romantic.
CHUNYU FEN (Greets them):
How do you do, fairies!
LADY LINGZHI:
We were having an amazing time together when our intimate affairs were disturbed by the wretched bastard of a countryman.
CHUNYU FEN:
Would you call him countryman? He is that insensible Right Prime Minister!
PRINCESS QIONGYING:
Don’t mention this any longer!
CHUNYU FEN:
Come down, as I’d like to talk with you three fairies!
SISTER SHANGZHEN:
We are celestial bodies now. How can we go down?
LADY LINGZHI:
Even if we could go down, your human body is stinking and can no longer attract us now.
Wretched is the human body;
Wretched is the human body.
As I can find a nice spouse in the heaven,
You are doing a fool’s errand!
SISTER SHANGZHEN:
We’re leaving now. The princess is coming.
PRINCESS QIONGYING, LADY LINGZHI, SISTER SHANGZHEN:
To ascend to the heaven is a great joy;
To ascend to the heaven is a great joy.
Our practice of Buddhism on both sides
Has brought us together.
(Exeunt)
(The wind rises within)
CHUNYU FEN:
How fragrant the wind smells!
(Listens)