(They meet, each bowing at the waist)
ALL: Greetings! Yesterday, we respectfully received His Highness the Prince An Lu-shan’s general’s-order, commanding us to assemble, so we must just head there together, and attend upon Prince An in his command tent. Before I’ve finished saying that, His Highness the Prince has ascended to his command-tent.
(Sound of drums and pipes and command calls496)
(Enter An Lu-shan in battle-dress, leading border-appanage foreign belles and border-appanage soldiers)
AN LU-SHAN: (Sings)
Commanding “panthers”, I boldly garrison the frontier passes,
Border-non-Chinese and Chinese my pair of eyeballs outstare;
In my palm I hold firm the rivers-and-mountains,
And in advance dispose these my “claws and fangs” henchmen one by one round me everywhere.
(Says)
I, An Lu-shan, have always harboured great ambitions and long entertained schemes for rebellion. Because I’ve ever been in the imperial court, received the title of Prince of Tung-p’ing, was unrivalledly doted upon by the emperor, and have already reached the limit of wealth and eminence, my wishes in that respect ceased, though. But what could I do! That fellow Yang Kuo-chung didn’t get on with me, and I was sent out to garrison Fan-yang. Let’s rejoice that I jumped out of the cage, so things are just right for me to scheme my great act of rebellion.
I actually have had the generals of thirty-two route-regions under my control, employing both non-Chinese and Chinese, but, they each being of different natures and sentiments, I can hardly appoint them my confidants. That’s why I memorialised the emperor for permission to employ solely non-Chinese generals, and at present all my generals and commanders of whatever rank are from my own tribe.
(Laughs)
I can do just as I please, without ever any formal restrictions.
Yesterday I sent out orders for an assembly of my generals to come and render themselves before my command-tent. I suppose they will have assembled by now.
(All advance and meet him)
ALL GENERALS: We generals of the thirty-two route-regions respectfully come for an audience with you!
AN LU-SHAN: Don’t stand on ceremony, my generals.
ALL GENERALS: Might we ask you, Your Highness, in summoning us for an assembly, what honourable orders do you have for us, we wonder?
AN LU-SHAN: My generals all, it’s now the height of autumn and our horses are sturdy, so it’s just right for our practicing our military skills. I’ve made a point of summoning you here, so that we may go off together to the sandy region and hold a major training hunt, and compete in hunting a while. That would be so fine, wouldn’t it!
ALL GENERALS: We respectfully obey your orders, commander!
AN LU-SHAN: So here and now let’s straddle our horses and head there.
(He and all others mount their horses)
AN LU-SHAN: (Sings)
I haul back on my scarlet reins,
TOGETHER: (Sing)
With both hands we haul back on our scarlet reins,
We race and leap onto our horses,
And press low our helmet tassels.
(They move off)
Our flag-forms flash, a mighty cloud,
Suddenly stirring their dragons and serpents,
Directly conjoining with empyrean clouds.
According with Magic Gate prognostication geometry497 we set out the Nine Joined-circles,498
Having fixed our eyes’ gaze on that little Central Plain,499
We’ll just have to employ the non-Chinese from all their route-regions.
(All stand all round him, and An Lu-shan points at them)
AN LU-SHAN: (Sings)
This general is of nimble and stalwart physique,
That general does solid accoutrement don;
This general’s so coarse and has curly hair and a prominent nose,
That general’s so ferocious,
has kite’s eyes and Northern Barbarian Mongol mien.
This general knows how to open out his speedily-scattering country-validating bow to a full moon,
That general knows how, swoosh-whistle with his mace,
to drop stars, chill them down;
This general knows how, crack-crunch,
to flash and shimmer his lance in the wind,
That general knows how, hiss-swish,
to make his sword clish-clashing rain.
They’re truly of character like
ferocious tigers coming down from the mountains,
Displaying their heroic boldness
to me their Celestial Khan!
(All set off)
TOGETHER: (Sing)
Rousing the army’s awesome prestige,
Terum-terum the drums sing,
Startling wits and smashing valour;
Setting out our battle-array formations,
Our sonorous undulating horns sound,
Men in haste, and horses feeling a surplus of leisure.
So much thunder rumbling and lightning whirling,
exactly indeed sea boiling and an oh! tumbling river.
No matter whether it’s walls “made of bronze”,
Or forts “made of iron”,
Which of them can’t we attack and smash!
If we can’t smash them with attacks,
we’ll still cock-boldly bar them in.
AN LU-SHAN: Here there’s a vast space, and the sand’s level, so right here we’ll set out the hunt encirclement, and have a hunt with our bows.
(An Lu-shan and non-Chines beauties stand up on a high spot)
(All the generals arrange an encirclement and hunt, loosing arrows. Exeunt)
AN LU-SHAN: (Sings)
While we’re setting out the hunting-ground,
This while,
We crush, press in, and gallop on every side,
Squeezing and galloping.
Our horses’ hooves bound clitter-clatter,
like a whirlwind whirling,
And ceaselessly we swiftly bend our bows,
Speedily our bow-strings pulling.
In an instant, rolling on the sandy hunting-ground,
the hares and deer rush headless,
All hardly able to stir,
Going to the ground, squirming and wriggling.
(Enter all the generals, shooting arrows at birds and beasts)
AN LU-SHAN: Loose our eagles and hounds.
(All generals assent, loose eagles and hounds. Exeunt running)
AN LU-SHAN: (Sings)
Hey, hey, hey,
In swift haste, at the same time as Jade-claw-eagles,500
their wings rubbing the firmament,
scatter into the air soaring,
So Gold Mastiffs’501 feet ride the mists,
along the paths chase, the way barring,
And in a trice wild animals are piled up,
Wild animals are piled up, like mountains seeming.
(Enter all generals. They present their game to An Lu-shan)
ALL GENERALS: We submit to Your Highness: All your generals present their kill to you.
AN LU-SHAN: The birds and beasts you’ve hunted down, I distribute among you, my generals. Now rest your sleeves and your horse a while here on this high hillside. Everybody roast meat and warm up wine, and you, non-Chinese beauties, singers sing and dancers dance, at ease a while.
ALL: Order received!
(They sit on the ground on the same one sitting-mat. The non-Chinese beauties serve An Lu-shan with wine, and all the generals draw their knives and slice meat. Back-jars502 are carried in, and wine is poured, and there’s a mighty eating and drinking)
(Non-Chinese beauties play the p’i-p’a lute503 and the Utterly Is-not lute,504 and the generals play the Great-peace Tambourine505 and clappers)
TOGETHER: (Sing)
This kumis506 starts to be poured,
Brimming gold goblets’ rim,
Brimming gold goblets�
� rim along.
And what’s more we dine on raw meat, hair, blood and all,
And laughing round the cinnabar of the non-Chinese beauties’ cheeks we throng;
The p’i-p’a lute’s strummed tinkle oh tinkle,
And the new-music Bodhisattva Southron507 is sung.
(An Lu-shan stands up)
AN LU-SHAN: After we’ve eaten a while, we’re merry with wine and full with meat, and now it’s late and getting dusk, so, my generals all, return to your bases. You need to put your weapons in order, drill your soldiers and horses, and just wait for your commander’s orders.
(All generals respond with assent)
ALL GENERALS: Order received!
(They mount their horses together, blowing on conch-shells, and proceed at speed around the stage with their hats on one side and waving their hands)
ALL GENERALS: (Sings)
Having heard the commands,
We swiftly do a flip, and leap up onto our brocade saddles,
Lightly and smartly tilt our hats to one side, and wave our hands.
Each returning to our own place,
To hold down and securely guard our frontier-appanage lands.
We wave and prod forward flag-poles,
Packing and folding our wheel mudguards,
Awaiting the message to be sent to our appanages,
To display our ferocity and stubborn stands.
Heaven sends down destruction and ruin,
Ripples and waves of troubles on Earth arise.
Fixing our gaze on Yü-yang,
As soon as the feathered-arrow order flies,
We’ll vie to betake ourselves to the War Altar,
We solely wait for you, our commander,
Bearing a “crimson” loyal heart,
You, our commander, bearing a “crimson” loyal heart,
to come us to direct, us to choose.
(Exeunt all)
AN LU-SHAN: See those route-region non-Chinese generals: every one of them is strong and his horse stalwart, and it looks like my wings are already grown. (Laughs)
Son of Heaven of the T’ang dynasty, Son of Heaven of the T’ang dynasty, how will you be able to face up to me!
(Sings)
You haven’t realised
I’ve in advance removed those “elbow-dragging” obstructive and disruptive Chinese mandarins;
I’ve plotted,
And slyly added-in these
help-to-my-arm non-Chinese fellows.
I can’t wait for that Taoist-melody Rainbow-skirt to finish at Pure-florescence Palace,
When soon you’ll see,
with noise of ku-drums and kettledrums, this bold and nimble general of the Yü-yang rebels.
(Recites)
The Six Regions’ non-Chinese tribes join the saddles of war,508 War horses lackadaisically whinny on the Chinese lands so broad;509 Abruptly, the whirling wind grows arrows’ feathered wings,510 In mountains and rivers dragons battle, and boundlessly everywhere there’s blood.511
Act Eighteen: Night repinings
(Enter Empress Yang)
EMPRESS YANG: (Sings)
When imperial affection’s at its extreme,
it’s impossible to relinquish in casual fashion,
When love’s joy’s rich,
it exceptionally rouses amour’s passion.
The twin-eyed fish swim in pairs,
Mandarin-duck and -drake sleep side-by-side:
They never let affection shift or love suffer alteration.
I only fear that “the moving cloud will be drawn along by breezes”,512
But what’s to be done!
Meddling “flowers” vie for the “sun” with their allure,
And all day my heart’s stealthily tugged by perturbation.
(Recites)
I roll up and open my portiere, wordlessly, Who understands my thousand threads of dismay! I’m most fearful the Handsome One will vacillate, And, in quiet, haphazardly hasten the spring, our love, away. And just as I was feeling these doubts and surmisings in my heart, Unbearably, events have gone all awry; To where is his phoenix hand-carriage gone back home? Bleak and forlorn at dusk of day on the deserted steps am I.
(Says)
I’m Yang Jade-bangle. For a long time I’ve drawn our sage emperor’s affection, but, alas, the Plum-blossom Sprite,513 Chiang Cloverfern-culler,514 took his fancy no less than I have. Just at this juncture, she’s offended our monarch, and he’s sent her back to be installed in Bower-east.515 I’m just afraid lest Cloverfern-culler by some clever trick be restored to his celestial favour, the emperor not having yet severed his former love for her, which is why I’m always on my guard.
Ah me, Chiang Cloverfern-culler, it’s not that I can’t tolerate you, but I’m just afraid that if I do, you won’t be able to tolerate me!
This morning, our sage emperor exited from his court session, and now it’s already dusk and I haven’t seen him coming back to the imperial palace, so I’ve liaised with Dame Ever-new and Dame Remember-me, for them to go and find out what’s going on. It’s quite impossible to divert my mood this while!
(Sings)
The incense-strings have burned near their last,
And deep in the imperial palace it’s about to twilight glimmer;
I again and again open my patterned window,
And roll up high my emerald portiere,
Gazing out till my eyes can almost gaze no longer.
It’s just that usually at this juncture,
It’s just that usually at this juncture,
He’d be certain already to have ridden here to West Palace,
And we’d be holding hands, shoulder to shoulder.
Blossoms reflect against the casement of my room,
Spring on their countenances showing,
All manner of them in love’s joys dallying.
Tcha!
For what cause, I ask, this evening,
With the fragrant flowers in the twilight,
Don’t I see his hand-carriage back here turning?
(The parrot calls backstage, crying “The emperor’s approaching!”)
EMPRESS YANG: Oh, the emperor’s coming!
(Looks)
Pah,
(Sings)
Why it’s the parrot playing his clever jokes,
Deliberately this sorrowful person teasing.
Leaving me ending up to and fro dithering,
and stock-still standing,
Pondering, pondering, thinking, thinking,
Everywhere along the ornamented balustrade lolling.
(Enter Dame Ever-new)
DAME EVER-NEW: (Recites)
I’ve heard say our monarch will be sleeping in Front Palace-hall overnight, So each of the palace ladies
withdraws her red-lantern light.516
(Says)
I submit to Your Majesty Empress Yang: Ten-thousand-years-grandfather-the-emperor has already taken up lodging for the night in Kingfisher-splendour West Villa.517
EMPRESS YANG: (Flabbergasted) So he’d do such a thing!
(Sings)
How shallow is my monarch’s love,
Unaware I’m in suspense and hope!
Just when I’m listlessly dismantling my evening attire,
Too disconcerted to scissor-trim my dimming candle,
Waiting for my lord to come and with me chat and quip,
When a while ago the Chalcedon feast opened,
When a while ago the Chalcedon feast opened,
In the tipsy moonlight our goblets flew,
Our “rain” love-making dreaming beds were joined.
Sharing an inseparable fate,
Of hearts as one, with no contrariness,
How is it that, all of a sudden, at unfriendly distance he’s me placed!
DAME EVER-NEW: Ten-thousand-years-grandfather-the-emperor, in not chancing to come into the palace this one night, I surmise isn’t intending to put you at an unfriendly distance. I beg
you, milady, not to grieve your bosom!
EMPRESS YANG: Pah!
(Sings)
If it’s not that his love’s been transferred,
If he’s sleeping for convenience in a separate palace,
What’s to stop him having a message
by eunuch-superintendent conveyed!
I think our sage emperor never sleeps alone,
Detesting lone unfolding of his mandarin-drake downie,
So how can it be that this night beside his pillow
All chill and deserted,
To pillow with him he ends with nobody!
(Enter Dame Remember-me)
DAME REMEMBER-ME: (Recites)
Snow hides the egrets, which are only visible when they fly, Weeping-willow conceals the parrot, whom only when it speaks does one spy.
(Meets empress) (Says)
Your Majesty, I come having found out how things are in Kingfisher Villa)
EMPRESS YANG: Tell me how are things?
DAME REMEMBER-ME: Listen as I submit to you milady: Just now I,
(Recites)
Stealthily I went to Kingfisher-splendour West Villa, And as I waited, twilight came near; And the emperor’s secret command, dispatching Eunuch-chamberlain Kao suddenly I hear.
EMPRESS YANG: Dispatching him to where?
DAME REMEMBER-ME: (Recites)
With flying horse-whip and cavorting horse, The candles were set out and the Scarlet Skirt was summoned to the emperor.
EMPRESS YANG: (Asking impatiently) Who was summoned?
DAME REMEMBER-ME. (Recites)
The repining woman banished and installed in East-of-the-bower, The Most-prized-empress of old days To Plum-blossom Pavilion made to transfer.
EMPRESS YANG: (Alarmed) Agh, it’s that Plum-blossom Sprite. Has she been here?
DAME REMEMBER-ME: (Recites)
In a brief while that beautiful lady was hustled away, And secretly sent home to Villa Kingfisher.
DAME EVER-NEW: (Questions her) Is what you say true?
DAME REMEMBER-ME: (Recites)
The Play Page 15
