The Play
Page 6
(Sings)
I do conclude:
All those “flowers” allotted to one man,
Only now does one realise how honoured is the Son of Heaven.177
Let’s hurry on after them, to look my fill at them.
(Sings)
Gazing at the dust ahead,
My gluttonous eyes crinkle as I peer,
I must brandish my horse-whip, again and again.
(Whips his horse and gallops on. Enter retainers, who bar his way.)
RETAINERS: Tcha! His Excellency the prime minister’s now present here. – Who are you, wildly barging in like this!
(Enter Prime Minister Yang Kuo-chung on horseback)
PRIME MINISTER YANG KUO-CHUNG: Who’s making all the wild commotion and rough intrusion!
(An Lu-shan and Prime Minister Yang Kuo-chung come face to face. An Lu-shan whirls his horse around, and exits)
RETAINERS: Just now we saw a man, who came wildly barging his way in here, so we went up to him and barred his way.
PRIME MINISTER YANG KUO-CHUNG: (Laughs) That man heading off there’s An Lu-shan. Why, when he saw me, was he in such haste to avoid me?
(Ponders) Where are the carriages of the Three Queens?
RETAINERS: Right there, ahead of us.
PRIME MINISTER YANG KUO-CHUNG: Ah, how can that fellow An Lu-shan be so impertinent as to act so rudely!
(Sings)
Loathsome,
He scorns the imperial relatives,
And abords where the fragrant ladies’-carriages go,
Rudely with them mingling.
Suddenly bursting forth, my anger arises,
I feel it’s beyond my bearing.
(Says)
I call my entourage, to rush off in haste after the carriages, and knock the intruder out of the way.
(All respond, and go off)
PRIME MINISTER YANG KUO-CHUNG: (Sings)
Hastily rushing,
With golden horse-whip clearing a path through the road’s dust,
On carving-decorated saddles chasing the painting-decorated wheel.
TOGETHER: (Sing)
We say to the passer-by:
Be careful not to go any closer nigh,
For fear lest the prime minister infuriated you revile.
(Exeunt together)
(Enter Village Woman, Ugly Woman, Flower-selling Woman and Young Blade)
TOGETHER: (Sing)
Our makeup and attire are new,
Adding to our grace;
Our figures are coarse yokelish,
We’re weird of looks,
More lovely are the fragrant plants that cling to our skirts,
The wild flowers that pile on our temple-tress.
(They meet each other)
VILLAGE WOMAN: Are you people all going for a trip to Bendy River?
ALL: Yes indeed. Today our emperor and his Most-prized-empress are both there. Let’s go there together to watch them.
UGLY WOMAN: I’ve heard say that our august emperor cherishes Her Majesty Yang like a precious jewel. I wonder how my looks compare to hers?
(Village Woman laughs)
(Young Blade looks at Ugly Woman)
UGLY WOMAN: Why do you keep on looking at me?
YOUNG BLADE: I can see several jewels on your face.
UGLY WOMAN: What jewels?
YOUNG BLADE: Look, your eyes are set with Cat’s-eye Stones, your forehead carved with agate patterns, your teeth adorned with beeswax, and your lips inlaid with coral.
(Village Woman laughs)
(Ugly Woman hits Young Blade with her fan)
UGLY WOMAN: You little smart-Alick! So you think you don’t have any jewels!
YOUNG BLADE: Come on, tell me then!
UGLY WOMAN: Your backside’s like a silver mine, where so many have been digging!
(Village Woman laughs)
VILLAGE WOMAN: Stop making jokes. I’ve heard that the carriages of the Queens of the Three States have gone past, and all the way they’ve dropped things on the ground. Let’s try and catch up with them, and search for those things.
YOUNG BLADE: In that case, let’s hurry along.
(They move off)
(Ugly Woman puts on coquettish airs and joshes with Young Blade)
TOGETHER: (Sing)
Gentle breeze leisurely rises, rippling the clear-sky clouds,
And as gold-florets-adorned carriages178
Plants and trees all vernalise,
gain spring.
YOUNG BLADE: Let’s do a search among these plants. See what may be there?
FLOWER-SELLING WOMAN: I’ll be going now.
(Sings)
To vermilion gates of the rich
and their “embroidery” splendour,
My flower-selling cries busily ring.
(Exit, singing her flower-selling cries)
(All search, each picking up something)
UGLY WOMAN: (Asking Village Woman) What have you picked up?
VILLAGE WOMAN: It’s a hairpin.
UGLY WOMAN: (Looking at it) It’s a gold one. It’s got a rich-red ruby on it. What luck!
(Village Woman asks Ugly Woman)
VILLAGE WOMAN: How about you?
UGLY WOMAN: A phoenix-motif-embroidered slipper.179
VILLAGE WOMAN: Great, great. How would it be if you put it on?
(Ugly Woman stretches out her leg to see how the slipper fits)
UGLY WOMAN. Tcha! I can’t fit even one toe into it! I think I’ll pluck off this pearl on the tip of the slipper.
(Plucks off pearl, and throws slipper down)
YOUNG BLADE: Let me tuck it away in my sleeve for keeping.
UGLY WOMAN: You’re so good at nabbing things! What have you picked up? Bring it out, and let’s have a peek at that as well.
YOUNG BLADE: A merfolk-raw-silk-fabric180 kerchief, wrapped around a gold casket.
(Village Woman takes the casket, and opens it)
VILLAGE WOMAN: Gosh! Pills, all black and yellow!181 And they’re quite sweet-scented when you smell them. Can they be some “fun medicine” aphrodisiac?182
YOUNG BLADE: (Laughs) They’re jasmine tea!
UGLY WOMAN: Let me have a taste of one.
(Village Woman vies with her to eat one. They each spit it out)
VILLAGE WOMAN: Ugh! Horribly bitter! Why would anyone eat that!
(Young Blade takes them back.)
YOUNG BLADE: Right, let’s carry on ahead.
(They walk)
TOGETHER: (Sing)
Bees and butterflies, chase each other,
Weeping-willows usher, blossoms lead the way;
Gazing into the distance,
we see dragon bowers183 pouring upside down,184
Bendy River’s coming nigh.
(Exeunt Young Blade and Village Woman first. Ugly Woman does a Suspended Scene)185
UGLY WOMAN: (Yells) Wait a bit for me! Agh, I’m in urgent need of a pee. I’ll just go and make me a “sand-nest”186 loo here!
(Exit)
(Enter Queen of the State of Han, Queen of the State of Ch’in and Queen of the State of Kuo, leading stewards and maidservants, progressing)
QUEEN OF THE STATE OF HAN: (Sings)
Sweet smells pouncing on our dresses,
Flower perfumes wildly scenting us,
(Sounds of laughter faintly heard)
See willow-blossoms’ “snow” falling, covering the white clover fern,
Pair on pair of green birds,
Holding in their beaks and dropping petals, “kerchiefs red”.
Springtime so pretty,
Past the second third of the three months,
Slowly slowly the glittery sun urges our carriages ahead.
STEWARD: I submit to you ladies: we’ve reached Bendy River.
QUEEN OF THE STATE OF HAN: Where is His Excellency the prime minister?
STEWARD: Ten-thousand-years-the-emperor’s in Gazing-for-spring Palace,187 and His Excellency the prime minister h
as gone on ahead there.
(Dame Ever-new, steward and Dame Remember-me get down from their carriages)
QUEEN OF THE STATE OF HAN: (Sings)
Look, see what fine scenery there is indeed!
On the winding banks,
On the winding banks
Red flowers are at their height,
green foliage unbroken.
Overlooking the bending river,
Overlooking the bending river,
The cattails are fresh, the weeping-willows fine.
(Enter Eunuch-chamberlain Kao leading minor eunuch attendant, reining in his horse.)
(Recites)
Imperial command’s conveyed for the “peach-blossoms’” horses with bridle jade-adorned, seated on “gold-clay”-coloured butterfly-skirt to ride.
(They meet)
EUNUCH-CHAMBERLAIN KAO: From His August Majesty’s own lips comes the command: The Queen of the State of Han and the Queen of the State of Ch’in are granted a feast in Separate Palace, and the Queen of the State of Kuo’s ordered at once to ride her horse into the palace to keep Empress Yang company as she drinks and feasts.
(Queen of the State of Han, Queen of the State of Kuo and Queen of the State of Ch’in kneel down)
QUEEN OF THE STATE OF HAN, QUEEN OF THE STATE OF KUO and QUEEN OF THE STATE OF CH’I: Ten thousand years to the emperor!
(They rise to their feet)
(Eunuch-chamberlain Kao turns towards Queen of State of Kuo)188
EUNUCH-CHAMBERLAIN KAO: Respectfully request Your Majesty to mount her horse now.
QUEEN OF THE STATE OF KUO: (Sings)
Inner-palace Eunuch-mandarin,
Why do you hasten us in such urgent tone!
Elder sisters,
I’m sidelined to approach the spring breeze alone,
QUEEN OF THE STATE OF HAN and QUEEN OF THE STATE OF CH’IN: (Sing)
It was not for nothing that you palely swept your moth-antennae eyebrows to go into the court of the Most Honoured One.189
(Lady of Kuo mounts horse and exits led by Eunuch-chamberlain Kao)
QUEEN OF THE STATE OF CH’IN: Look, Elder Sister P’ei has departed, with a flourish of her horse-whip.
QUEEN OF THE STATE OF HAN: Let her be. It’s up to her.
MAIDSERVANT: I beseech Your Majesties to go to the feast in the Separate Palace.
(Recites)
Scarlet peach-blossom and jade-green weeping-willow in Waterside-ceremony Hall190 springtime,191
QUEEN OF THE STATE OF HAN: (Recites)
One splendid trip’s doings are consummate;192
QUEEN OF THE STATE OF THE STATE OF CH’IN]: (Recites)
We pray we may respectfully serve our sage emperor in amour, with boundless love’s delight,193
TOGETHER: (Recite)
As, facing the breeze, on the glorious springtime person his smiles he concentrates.194
Act Six: Bystanders’ puzzlement
(Enter Eunuch-chamberlain Kao.)
EUNUCH-CHAMBERLAIN KAO: (Sings)
The merry trip’s over,
the emperor’s here home returned.
Why, in West Palace,
Is he feeling vexed?
Might it be, on the path by the spring feast,
Their romance turned awkward?
How could those happy events
have gone wrong in a twinkling?
So puzzling,
So puzzling.
(Says)
The other day, when Ten-thousand-years-grandfather-the-emperor went with Empress Yang to favour Bendy River with a visit, they were beside themselves with joy. Yesterday, all of a sudden the empress unexpectedly came back here on her own ahead of him. Today, having only just returned, the emperor’s thoroughly morose. I wonder what’s the reason for it? I see Elder Sister Dame Ever-new approaching from afar.195 I’ll just ask her.
(Enter Dame Ever-new)
DAME EVER-NEW: (Sings)
What happened behind the palace curtains,
Wasn’t properly organised.
Their lively “breeze-and-rain” love-making,
On Sunlight Terrace all at once into a shindig turned.
EUNUCH-CHAMBERLAIN KAO: (Meeting with her) Ah, Elder Sister Dame Ever-new, you’ve come at just the right moment. Let me ask you: Why doesn’t Ten-thousand-years-grandfather-the-emperor go into West Palace?
DAME EVER-NEW: Ah me, my lord, haven’t you realised yet!
(Sings)
After both sides quarrelled like clashing Shen and Shang stars,196
They’re faking graces, putting on airs.
EUNUCH-CHAMBERLAIN KAO: What’s brought that about?
DAME EVER-NEW: (Sings)
It was just because one stem of the twin-headed lotus197 bloomed its flower.
EUNUCH-CHAMBERLAIN KAO: Which stem was that?
DAME EVER-NEW: (Sings)
My lord,
You’re an intelligent person,
work it out for yourself, think it over,
An intelligent person,
work it out for yourself, think it over,
EUNUCH-CHAMBERLAIN KAO: (Laughs) How would it have come to my notice! Elder Sister Dame Ever-new, might you grant me the explanation.
DAME EVER-NEW: By my explanation of what happened, it’s our empress who stirred up the trouble.
EUNUCH-CHAMBERLAIN KAO: How was that?
DAME EVER-NEW: It was just because Her Majesty often praised up that Queen of the State of Kuo, and
(Sings)
She often applauded her before the emperor,
For her makeup tasteful pale,
As being unrivalledly natural.
(Says)
That day in Gazing-for-spring Palace, the Queen of Kuo had Ten-thousand-years-grandfather-the-emperor invite her to a party, and after three cups of wine
(Sings)
She started building a Joined-rings Stockade198 love-liaison,
And by wiles tied with him a Shared-hearts Tulle-ribbon.199
EUNUCH-CHAMBERLAIN KAO. (Claps his hands and laughs) Aha, I also suspected that would happen. Why though did they get vexed?
DAME EVER-NEW: Later on, Her Majesty, feared the emperor’s affection would be snatched from her,
(Sings)
And, due to that, she had misgivings,
Love suddenly turned sour in their heart,
And mandarin-duck and -drake200 were,
in the heat of the moment?
Swiftly beaten apart.
EUNUCH-CHAMBERLAIN KAO: So it was because they had words in Gazing-for-spring Palace over the Queen of the State of Kuo that Her Majesty came back.
DAME EVER-NEW: Exactly. After that Queen of the State of Kuo had departed, Her Majesty couldn’t stay there. Ten-thousand-years-grandfather-the-emperor was most displeased, and in fact won’t go into West Palace today, and Her Majesty is weeping on and on there!
EUNUCH-CHAMBERLAIN KAO: I think that Empress Yang,
(Sings)
In the delicate folly of her innate nature,
She’s Heaven-born too much a formidable terror:
(Says)
Previously she forced Empress Plum-blossom
(Sings)
Helplessly to be demoted,
installed in East of the Bower.201
(Says)
And now that Queen of the State of Kuo, who’s her own younger sister,
(Sings)
She must realise they’re “joined branches”,
of the same vital-energy,
no strangers in their feelings,
How can she find it impossible?
even that little bit of love to share!
DAME EVER-NEW: Let’s stop talking about that! It’s just that usually in the past Ten-thousand-years-grandfather-the-emperor and Empress Yang have been inseparable in their walking and their sitting, and now neither will meet the other. What on Earth can be done about it?
EUNUCH-CHAMBERLAIN KAO: (Sings)
Us,
How can we handl
e it?
Let me just watch things
from the side with you here.
VOICE FROM BACKSTAGE: There’s a summons from the emperor, calling for Chamberlain Kao!
EUNUCH-CHAMBERLAIN KAO: Coming!
(Recites)
As they feast sporting intimate at Spring-overlooking Palace”,202 the sun will just be slow,203
DAME EVER-NEW: (Recites)
When emperor’s affection’s at its deepest, one yet fears it may fade pale;204
EUNUCH-CHAMBERLAIN KAO: (Recites)
Outside, there’s laughing and joking, Inside, there’s misgiving and jealousy,205
DAME EVER-NEW: (Recites)
If one asks mere bystanders, how can they tell!206
Act Seven: Favoured by imperial love
(Enter Queen of the State of Kuo)
QUEEN OF THE STATE OF KUO: (Sings)
One of the company at Jasper Mere,207
How would I have expected the emperor’s new love-favour to be receiving!208
I blame the Green Roc,209
Royal Mother’s messenger-bird,
for me tricking.
Pondering over it in a thousand ways,
At this moment I’m causelessly emotionally stirred,
But alas rumours and slanders say my moth-antennae eyebrows find it displeasing.
(Recites)
Jade swallows airy and fine play with the snow’s gleam, on apricot-wood beams stealing a night’s lodging, their silhouettes cleaving in pairs; the sisters from the Chao family are so very jealous of each other, “Don’t go into Sunlight Palace-hall flying.”210
(Says)
I’m Queen Yang, but as a child I was married into the P’ei household. My “dulcimer broke its vermilion211 string”,212 and by misfortune I, “Lady-resplendent”213 was widowed early. Incense held the green door-ornament in its mouth, but was I willing to tolerate any “Clerk Han” lightly stealing it,214 not I! Owing to my younger sister Jade-bangle’s being love-favoured by the emperor, I received the noble fief-title of the State of Kuo. Even though I’m one of the wealthy and eminent, I don’t have a fondness for ceruse. and I venture to boast that I’m the most beautiful lady in the world, and I’m conceited enough to go into the imperial court and meet the emperor with my face unmade up. Unexpectedly, the other day, when the emperor favoured Bendy River with a visit, he commands me to accompany him to stroll around and admire the scenery. All my sisters were granted a feast outside the palace, and he summoned only me to attend him at a feast in Gazing-for-spring Palace. Subsequently, I received the emperor’s celestial love, by my exertions becoming the object of his affections. Even though the sage emperor has liberal intentions towards me, it’s dreadful what people might say. Yesterday, he wanted me to go with him into Great Inner-palace, but I declined again and again, and went back to my quarters. When I think over it minutely, I consider I’m a very undeservedly-fortunate person!