by Tang Xianzu
(Enter Qing’er)
QING’ER:
“Before plum flowers bloom to the music,
Orchid fragrance has permeated the wine.”
Master, the cypress-leaf wine and the five-spice vegetable plate are ready.
LI YI:
Wait at the door! Inform me immediately when the three masters arrive!
QING’ER:
Yes, I see.
(Enter Hua Qing, Shi Xiong and Shang Zipi)
HUA QING, SHI XIONG, SHANG ZIPI (To the tune of Heshengchao):
The weather grows mild in the capital as seasons change,
With stars and candles illuminating the sky and the earth.
New Year is celebrated outside the Cloud and Dragon Gate;
In pleasant warmth the spring brings.
(Greet and pay respect to each other)
“On New Year’s Day,
Auspice radiates from the sun.
All the deities bring us blessings
When spring is welcomed in all places.”
(Chat)
HUA QING:
Mr. Li, you talented scholars compose poems on the first day of every year. Have you produced a new piece this year?
LI YI:
On my way back from the audience granted by the emperor in the palace, I looked and made several bows in the direction of my hometown to express my homesickness. As soon as I reached home, I have been busy preparing for food and drinks to serve you as my honorable guests and have not got time yet to write a poem.
HUA QING:
We can improvise some quatrains today, but not repeat the former poems on New Year’s Day. Let’s adopt a new style. The first line should mention our full name, style name or pen name. The next three lines should mention our aspirations in this coming year.
LI YI:
Will you start first, please?
HUA QING (Chants a poem):
“Hua Qing is a remarkable general,
Once feasted at the Terrace of Heavenly Gods.
In the celebration at the Cloud and Dragon Gate,
Auspicious birds encircle the sky.”
LI YI:
This poem shows the aspiration of the Grand General. The next will be Shi Xiong’s turn.
SHI XIONG (Chants a poem):
“I’m Shi Xiong from Huainan,
I’ll display my martial arts before the emperor.
I wish that warfare will end this spring,
But my name will be honored in the Qiling Pavilion.”
LI YI:
Good! This poem displays the aspiration of the Number-One Martial-Arts Candidate. The next will be Shang Zipi’s turn.
SHANG ZIPI (Chants a poem):
“I am Shang Zipi from the Kunlun Mountains,
Paying homage to the emperor as the son of the Tubo King.
I make the wish to the Heavenly Queen Mother in the west,
That the western tribes be blessed by spring wind.”
LI YI:
This poem displays the aspiration of a Tubo prince.
HUA QING, SHI XIONG, SHANG ZIPI:
The next will be Li Yi’s turn.
LI YI (Chants a poem in smiles):
“I am Li Yi endowed with well-known talent,
With the Heavenly Gate opening for me in spring.
Like the pepper flower in the wine, I’ll meet the noble lady today;
Like the cypress leaf in the wine, I’ll serve the emperor this year.”
HUA QING, SHI XIONG, SHANG ZIPI:
Li’s aspiration to be listed at the top in the imperial examinations will surely come true.
(Enter Qing’er holding wine)
QING’ER (Kneels):
Please let me improvise a few lines too on New Year’s Day!
HUA QING, SHI XIONG, SHANG ZIPI (Laugh):
Fine! You have also learned to chant poems.
QING’ER:
My master has a large number of precious books, among which many are rare ones. The books are classified into different types. My master can recite from memory what he reads at first sight. And I frequently jot down his comments on what he reads.
HUA QING:
You are really the one who stays near ink and gets stained black. Now you chant a poem!
QING’ER (Chants a poem):
“I am Qing’er, a page boy
Preparing a seasonal dish on New Year’s Day.
When I am old and weak,
I’ll tell my son to fetch paper for me to write a poem.”
HUA QING (Laughs):
Wonderful! Du Fu is my old friend. His poems have been copied by page boys like you so often that you are familiar with them, too.
QING’ER:
I have only copied Du Fu’s Poems with Annotations by Yu Ji in the Yuan Dynasty.
LI YI:
Stop your nonsense! Serve the wine!
(Makes a toast)
(To the tune of Yufurong)
The pepper flowers in the wine usher in the spring
While the cypress leaves in the wine emit fragrance.
I wish that the Floral God would take actions
To hasten the blooming of flowers.
Now that valiant scholars go outing in a group,
Shang Zipi will return home when the weather warms up.
ALL:
The advent of spring
Is marked by the gentle caress of the east wind
And the budding of flowers in the New Year,
With each spring fairer than the last.
HUA QING (To the previous tune):
With auspicious clouds in the sky,
The brilliant sun shines over Chang’an.
We celebrate the New Year together
In one toast after another.
Seasons are reckoned according to three calendars
While dishes are loaded with five vegetables.
ALL:
Gently fondling the temples,
The vernal breeze greens the willows
Before it greens the woods
While youngsters drink the Tusu wine to their hearts’ content.
(Enter a messenger from the Imperial Academy)
MESSENGER (Reports):
“The scenic spots suitable for young people
Take on a new look in the spring season.”
By His Majesty’s decree, “All the students of letters and martial arts in the capital city as well as all the sons of ethnic-group kings studying in the Imperial Academy and waiting upon the emperor are to study music in the academy.” So Master Shi and Master Shang have to take leave now.
SHI XIONG, SHANG ZIPI (Take leave):
Respectable general Hua, please drink a few more cups before you leave.
“We admire plum flowers in leisure
And appreciate willows together.
We now leave but will come back,
To commit our emotions to the wine cups.”
(Exeunt Shi Xiong and Shang Zipi )
(Songs within, accompanied by flutes and drums)
“It is a delight to see spring
Come back at the year’s beginning.”
LI YI (Asks):
Who is singing outside?
HUA QING:
I suppose that the performers from the palace troupe are returning from the New Year celebrations.
LI YI:
Qing’er, tell the singers outside to come in and propose a toast to General Hua.
(Enter the chief of the palace troupe)
CHIEF OF THE PALACE TROUPE (Kowtows):
We have heard of Master Li for a long time. We are passing by your house on our way back from the New Year celebrations. Let’s present a song for you with all our respect!
(Sings)
(To the tune of Yanlaihong)
Delighted to see spring
Come back at the year’s beginning,
We indulge ourselves in the spring times
Under the azure sky far beyond reach
When auspice descend
s upon the palace.
With the change of seasons,
A stretch of willows heralds the warm spring in the fields.
PERFORMERS:
When auspicious clouds appear
And people touch the holy spring,
Water in the immortal dew-plate is drunk
In the banquet held in the Palace of Constant Joy.
LI YI:
Thank you!
CHIEF OF THE PALACE TROUPE:
We’ll also present a dance.
(Sings)
(To the previous tune)
The goddesses chant a song
To the accompaniment of the zither
And dance in swirling movements
With paper flowers as their headwear,
To wish you enjoy women, wealth and position.
Paper-cuts of swallows are pasted on the windows
To greet another year of willow twigs and peach blossoms.
PERFORMERS:
Presenting precious books with respect,
With dragon-shaped pendants
And silk-tinsel flags on their heads,
Scholars smile from the bottom of their hearts.
LI YI:
Thank you! Qing’er, fetch some satin handkerchiefs and money as tips to the performers!
CHIEF OF THE PALACE TROUPE:
There is no need for that. When we perform for the emperor, we do not sing old songs. So we long to get the new poems and songs written by famous gifted men of letters. Emperor Taizong was fond of the music “The Flowers in the Leafy Backyard” from the Chen Dynasty and “The Tune of Companions” from the Qi Dynasty; in Emperor Xuanzong’s time, “The Clear and Peaceful Tune” was played to the north of the Fragrance Pavilion late at night. When Li Qiao was alive, we chanted his “The Fenshui River”; after Wang Wei died, we no longer sing his poem “The Yangguan Pass”. Now Master Li, with your name well-known in the capital city, your poems “The Spring” and “The Midnight” are repeatedly set to music. As we are going to compose new tunes for famous poems, what we seek from you is an exquisite poem rather than satins to wrap our heads.
LI YI (Laughs):
So you are ambitious to have been singing new songs. But as a traveler I have composed only a few poems, which have already been spread by people who show great interest. You can come when you need to perform for the emperor later on.
CHIEF OF THE PALACE TROUPE:
We present our songs for the emperor on certain occasions. Now we need some new poems for urgent use, because Prince Huo pays much attention to climbing the mountain on the seventh day of the first month, that is, the Man’s Day. And the emperor will hold a banquet on the fifteenth day of the first month, that is, the Lantern Festival. Could you please wield your pen and compose two poems for us?
HUA QING:
Why not grant her the favor!
LI YI:
All right!
(Chants and writes)
(Hands the poems to the entertainer)
“The Amiable Spring” is fit to be set to music for the Man’s Day, while “Searching for Spring Lantern” is fit to be set to music for the Lantern Festival.
CHIEF OF THE PALACE TROUPE (Aside, reads the new poems and smiles with approval):
Wonderful! Wonderful indeed! He is worthy of an extraordinary talent in Luoyang.
(Turns back)
Please allow me to express my thanks with your wine!
(Sings)
(To the tune of Cuyulin)
Around the Copper-Camel Gate,
A lot of talented youngsters gather;
At the Golden-Horse Gate,
Numerous prominent persons can be found.
With your lines of poems like strings of pearls,
You’ll surely be summoned by the emperor for your brilliance.
PERFORMERS:
In the New Year,
The palace garden
Will take on a new look.
HUA QING:
To tell you the truth, these poems are easy to compose for a great talent.
(To the previous tune)
A heaven-sent talent
Produces poems on the white snow.
If he is extolled,
He should be sent to the sky.
His broad mind is to be admired,
For his wonderful poems reveal his mind.
PERFORMERS:
In the New Year,
The palace garden
Will take on a new look.
(Take leave)
LI YI:
Thank you for your performance in my shabby house!
CHIEF OF THE PALACE TROUPE:
“When beauties raise toast after toast,
The talent writes poems to boast.”
(Exit)
LI YI (To the tune of Coda):
When flowers are about to bloom in the magnificent garden,
Spring songs bring warmth to the sky.
HUA QING:
Shilang, please come to my house for a drink tomorrow or the day after tomorrow! I will ask a charming female singer, Bao Siniang, to toast for you. Come and see
Peach and plum blossoms outgrow my living quarters.
When spring permeates Chang’an from heaven divine
The friends meet and drink with lofty airs.
We watch the flowers and drink the mellow wine,
With “The Warm Spring” played without compares.
Scene Three
Spring Outing
(Enter Zheng Liuniang with maidservant Huansha)
ZHENG LIUNIANG (To the tune of Mangonghua):
When the field paths are covered with vernal green,
And the mansions are beautiful as pictures,
I live in luxury with a slender waist.
HUANSHA (Rolls up the curtain):
The gilded birdcage, gold lock, and sleeping mandarin-ducks,
The tall scroll, painted curtain, and headwear of pearl and jade.
ZHENG LIUNIANG (In the pattern of Suzhongqing):
“With plum blossoms climbing the terrace,
Flowers bloom in the warm breeze.
I wake up
To see that spring has returned,
Resting my rouge cheeks on the sandalwood pillows.
With my sleeves smelling of musk,
I walk on the steps.
The butterflies are flirting amid the flowers,
But how many times can they come?”
I am Zheng Liuniang. Du Qiuniang and I used to be leading musicians in the palace troupe. When the emperor invited the princes to appreciate singing and dancing performances on one occasion, we were both conferred to Prince Huo’s residence. Though we were not as pretty as the beauty Biyu, we participated in performances on important occasions. I was envied to the extreme, but I never even peeped at men. When talented friends gathered at the House of the Prince and I entertained them in the west garden, they would be attracted by me as if the three stars in the sky would not gaze at the moon when the concubine of the First Emperor of Qin, Mi Bazi waited on the banquet. I have given birth to a daughter named Xiaoyu, sixteen years old. She is extraordinary in both talent and appearance. She is like the fairy in the paintings and the goddess in the moon. The black dye from the south beautifies her eyebrows as fine as a couple of willow leaves. The red rouge from the north colors her cheeks as pretty as the lotus flowers. She is taught to act strictly according to the moral standards, and learns to despise the female showing love to the male. She is innately good at elegant singing and dancing, unlike the ancient beauty Xishi, who learned to do so. She is attractively dressed in fanciful embroidery, but she has neither been engaged nor found her sweetheart. She lives in the Red Mansion, surrounded by beautiful flowers and luxuriant trees. The inside of the mansion has red walls painted in green copper-coin patterns. The young beauty, longing for the outside world, often looks out of the window like an immortal in the Lingguan Hall and watches the paths crowded with people on spring outings to the mountains in rain.
Today is sunny, with plum blossoms about to fall and willows leaves newly sprouting. There are men and women on spring outings from the noble residences. I may as well call Xiaoyu out to enjoy the spring sights. Indeed,
“The ice is thawing and the pond is turning green,
While the clouds are dispersing and the sky is clearing up.
I should not be so excited about the spring outing,
But I must go for my daughter’s sake.”
Huansha, tell Yingtao to invite the princess out.
(Yingtao invites Miss Huo)
(Enter Huo Xiaoyu, followed by Yingtao)
HUO XIAOYU (To the tune of Mangonghuahou):
A tender-skinned beauty is standing by the bamboo window,
When a sudden rain startled a pair of golden orioles.
YINGTAO:
Princess,
Ladies go outing for the spring fragrance;
Look,
The flowers are blooming but willows are just sprouting.
(Huo Xiaoyu greets Zheng Liuniang; Huansha and Yingtao kowtow)
HUO XIAOYU:
“I while away my time doing embroidery.”
Why do you call me out, mom?
ZHENG LIUNIANG:
Let’s go on a spring outing, enjoying the beautiful sights by the pond and in the pavilion this early spring morning!
(Walks)
ZHENG LIUNIANG:
“When spring displays its beauty at its advent,
HUO XIAOYU:
People pass by in the spring sun and breeze.
HUANSHA:
While the breeze brushes past on spring days;
YINGTAO:
Tender affection is stirred up on spring nights.”
Mistress, here we are at the green pavilion and the silver pond.
