by Tang Xianzu
Beyond the curtain, bamboos sway in breeze;
I brush away the dust upon the lute.
The boudoir ladies love the amorous songs,
For “Orchid” tunes are from the sheer grass-root.
Scene Seven
Conversion to Taoism
(Enter two attendants of Prince Huo)
ATTENDANTS (To the tune of Shenzhang’er):
From the azure sky on Man’s Day
The sun sheds its warm light.
The orioles are passing on the message
That spring comes earlier this year.
As today is Man’s Day,
Prince Huo will climb the mountains
And he’s calling us in the West Garden.
“The guests enjoy much amusement
In the large palace garden.
Prince Huo will hold festival celebrations
While spring breeze brushes away the dusts.”
We are attendants of Prince Huo. As today is the Man’s Day, Prince Huo will climb the mountains and entertain the guests. His concubines Zheng Liuniang and Du Qiuniang are to play some music and they are waiting at the Spring Terrace. Here comes Prince Huo.
(Enter Prince Huo)
PRINCE HUO:
(To the tune of Wangwuxiang)
I am entertained by the emperor as a prince,
With auspicious clouds floating over the palace,
Where the Chaoyuan Hall is bright and clear in the spring
And the Liangyuan Garden is full of birdsongs after snow.
With carriages followed by the guards of honor
And red robes permeated with smoking scent,
The Man’s Day is full of vigor and vitality.
“The green grass decorates the prince’s residence
While auspicious clouds loom over the palace.
The jade terrace is empty most of the time,
Except for drinking in front of the spring flowers.”
I am Prince Huo, brother of Emperor Shunzong and uncle of the present emperor. The blue blood, descended from the dragon and the phoenix, is extraordinary. The emperor allots land to the lords, so that they are willing to leave the palace and go to the fiefs assigned to them. When three princes are conferred the title on the same day, why should they rival with each other in the north? Why should they rival with each other in comparing themselves to the lotus flowers in Yexia, instead of rivaling with each other in comparing themselves to the peach and plum blossoms in Yichun? I am below Kong Rong in literary talent and lack the wisdom of Mi Heng. I have not taken up any official position, but have been granted by the emperor numerous wagons decorated with flags; I have a large collection of books and attend the ritual and musical ceremonies in the Three Palaces of Harmony. Although I ride in magnificent carriages, I prefer to concoct pills of immortality. In picturesque surroundings, I am carefree to watch the flowers and willows. I have two concubines, Zheng Liuniang and Du Qiuniang, both bestowed on me by the emperor, who have lived with me for over twenty years. However, only Zheng Liuniang gave birth to a daughter. The two concubines are possessed with sweet voices like Bao Mingyue who rises with the singing birds at dawn and with delicate figures like Shi Xuanfeng who sleeps on the scented bedding. They give improvised performances at the banquets and never feel sad on hearing the music. Today is the Man’s Day on which people climb mountains. The weather is sunny and pleasant. I shall wine and dine with my attendants. Indeed,
“On his visit to Nanpi, Wang Shuzi
Was impressed by Xie Zhuang’s ‘Verse Essay on the Moon’;
The Prime Minister in Beidi
Was impressed by Song Yu’s ‘Verse Essay on the Wind’.”
Kitchen chief, as I think the wine and dinner is ready, tell Zheng Liuniang and Du Qiuniang to come to the terrace!
(Enter Zheng Liuniang and Du Qiuniang)
ZHENG LIUNIANG (To the tune of Guazhen’er):
With the dressing mirror not in use for long,
My graying hair is combed at random.
DU QIUNIANG:
I copy scores at leisure
And learn them by heart in the rounds of wines,
With the flowers and leaves witnessing my joys.
(They come into the hall and greet Prince Huo)
ZHENG LIUNIANG:
Zheng Liuniang kowtows to wish Your Lordship longevity!
DU QIUNIANG:
Du Qiuniang kowtows to wish Your Lordship longevity!
PRINCE HUO:
Sing some new songs for the Man’s Day!
ZHENG LIUNIANG, DU QIUNIANG:
Yes, Your Lordship!
(Get up and stand at Prince Huo’s sides)
(The attendants offer the wine)
ZHENG LIUNIANG, DU QIUNIANG (To the tune of Huangying’er):
In the magnificent mansion in early spring,
A dinner is set in the evening glow,
With the flowers and leaves bathed in the moonlight.
The spring rape sprouts
And the spring willow twigs
Add fragrance to the road in the mist.
ALL:
In peaceful times,
On time-honored Man’s Day,
Wine is drunk at the banquet.
PRINCE HUO:
Fill in the cups of my attendants!
(To the previous tune)
With “The Clean and Clear Music” to entertain the guests,
When we walk along the riverbank dotted with orchids,
The pond floating with water grass seems not big enough.
The spring rouses joyous emotions,
Presents pretty looks
And smiles with the flowers and wild geese.
ALL:
In peaceful times,
On time-honored Man’s Day,
Wine is drunk at the banquet.
(Zheng Liuniang and Du Qiuniang present the wine)
ZHENG LIUNIANG (To the tune of Yichunling):
To celebrate the Man’s Day,
Men read “Ode to the Pepper Flowers”
While young ladies decorate screens with paper-cuts.
With gold and silver headwear,
Pretty women decorate the windows in happiness.
Their fragrant belts wave like the floating cloud,
And their ribbons sway like the rising smoke.
ALL:
We wish Your Lordship
Many happy returns of Man’s Day
And rejuvenation from your age!
PRINCE HUO:
Good wording! Good wording! Have you got any other songs?
DU QIUNIANG:
There is one more song.
(To the previous tune)
As days become longer
And the year grows shorter,
I fill in the passage of time with wine.
Even the Queen Mother of the West
Laments in face of the messenger bird.
People are busy all day long,
Sad for the growing of age.
ALL:
We wish Your Lordship
Many happy returns of Man’s Day
And rejuvenation from your age!
PRINCE HUO:
Who has composed this song? It obviously reminds me to drink the wine of longevity and to live in the realm of longevity. How talented and kind-hearted the composer is! What is his name?
ZHENG LIUNIANG:
It’s said that the composer is scholar Li Yi from Longxi.
PRINCE HUO:
I hear that there is a Li Yi in the court, who is full of jealousy. How can he write such a poem?
ATTENDANTS (On their knees):
There are two men by the name of Li Yi. Old Li Yi is serving in the court, while young Li Yi is well-read and well-versed in poetry. The jealous one is the old Li Yi.
PRINCE HUO:
Oh, I see. There are two Li Yi’s. This song makes me oblivious of all the worldly affairs. Now I am old. If I do not cultivate myself to be an immortal, I will not be abl
e to enjoy rejuvenated youth. So, attendants, I’ll go into the Huashan Mountain and live as a recluse. Zheng Liuniang and Du Qiuniang, fill in my cup and listen to me!
(To the tune of Xinujiao)
Both pretty women
And the beautiful moon
Are present today.
By the Jade Terrace,
We make merry in laughters.
You are graceful and charming.
You are pretty
For your fair skin
And expressive bright eyes.
Your gauze skirts
Sway when you walk.
Your fragile figures
Keep the beauty of your earlier years.
ZHENG LIUNIANG, DU QIUNIANG:
We wish Your Lordship immense pleasure in the palace!
PRINCE HUO (Laughs):
But I am old.
ZHENG LIUNIANG, DU QIUNIANG:
We wish Your Lordship longevity!
PRINCE HUO:
I’m afraid I won’t escape from fate.
(To the previous tune)
I won’t escape from fate.
You don’t know, snow-white hair is inevitable after all. Look at me,
Even the spring breeze is not able
To brush away my grey hairs.
I remember my former days.
In my youth,
I led an amorous life,
Flirting around.
I had liaison with women
In the dewy night
Until dawn in the spring.
I am too old to enjoy the bed pleasure with you.
I’ll sneer at
My impotent sex play
As if in the erotic color paintings.
ZHENG LIUNIANG, DU QIUNIANG:
Your Lordship must be fed up with our fading beauty. Why don’t you select other beauties to rouse you up in your old age?
PRINCE HUO (Laughs):
Zheng Liuniang and Du Qiuniang,
(To the tune of Doubaochan)
For all their
High buns
And slim waists
In their prime of life,
They are nothing to me.
Now,
I only stare blankly at the old mansion
And the ancient road leading to Suiyang.
I glance in leisure at
The towers and mansions
In the mundane world.
In the bleak shadows,
I loathe the flutes and zithers
Beside the ape woods and swan pond.
ZHENG LIUNIANG, DU QIUNIANG:
Where is your retreat if you are tired of such a life?
PRINCE HUO:
I’d like to look for a friend.
(To the previous tune)
The fabulous immortal Wang Qiao
Is inviting me
From the remote region.
ZHENG LIUNIANG, DU QIUNIANG:
How can you find the immortal in the remote region?
PRINCE HUO:
Zheng Liuniang and Du Qiuniang, even if I fail to find him, it is much better than to live a worldly life.
Knocking the bells at dawn
And chanting the scriptures at night
Is better than dreaming of the fairy in Song Yu’s mind
And the goddess at the Luo River in Cao Zhi’s poem.
ZHENG LIUNINAG:
You’d better wait until our daughter is married before you pursue your immortal’s life. By that time, Du Qiuniang and I will follow you in pursuit of Tao.
PRINCE HUO (Laughs):
When I think of the ins and outs, I won’t be able to care for my daughter.
You must recognize
That all deep affections
Will vanish with floating life.
ZHENG LIUNIANG:
You can practice Taoism in your secluded residence. What’s the need of going far away?
PRINCE HUO:
I cannot be clear-minded enough in the mundane world. When I am gone,
I’ll wander freely,
Searching in the rolling Guiling Mountains
For the immortals’ residences.
ZHENG LIUNIANG, DU QIUNIANG:
Before you leave, you’d better send in a memorial to the emperor and appoint your inheritor.
PRINCE HUO:
If I send in a memorial, I am afraid that the emperor will not let me go. I may as well go to the Huashan Mountain first before I send in a memorial to him. You may take leave now and look for a dwelling place.
ZHENG LIUNIANG, DU QIUNIANG:
In spite of your wealth and honor, you will search for the immortals. We are willing to follow you in pursuit of Tao, like followers of Liu An, Prince of Huainan, and like Cainü, Peng Zu’s faithful female disciple.
ZHENG LIUNIANG (To the tune of Heimaxu):
As you are like the cloud in the sky,
With the aura of an immortal,
Why should we change our master to serve King Zhao of Yan,
Who indulged himself in song and dance,
Leaving his concubines to sleep by themselves?
Your Lordship, the concubine of King of Zhao was remarried to a kitchen soldier, while Princess Gaoyang in the Tang Dynasty was married to a general. I despise them although I am of humble origin.
It is ridiculous
That those pretty concubines
And dancing girls from the palace
Lost their dignity and grace.
ZHENG LIUNIANG, DU QIUNIANG:
We’d rather be the Golden Rooster in the clouds
And the Blue Bird messenger
Than assume charms for other men.
DU QIUNIANG (To the previous tune):
It is grievous
That the unicorn flags,
The pearl-stringed wrapper
And all the fond dreams of a luxurious life have come to an end.
The disrupted love between us
Has made me dull and depressed.
I admire the hairy Maid Maonü who flies to the sun and the goddess Chang’e who occupies the moon although I am of humble origin.
It is fantastic
That Maonü soars to the sky
While Chang’e pounds the immortal medicine
With her ribbons swaying in the wind.
Your Lordship, we have been following you for over twenty years since we served you in Jinling city. Now that you will be away to pursue an immortal life, where shall we stay?
How can we bear cold spring night,
When Chang’e stops pounding the medicine
And Queen Mother of the West stops roaring?
PRINCE HUO:
I see that both of you have strength of character. However, as Zheng Liuniang has a daughter Xiaoyu who has not been married yet, how can you go into seclusion? Now I bestow on you the temporary Taoist name of Jingchi and on your daughter a mansion plus ten caskets of jewelry. She can take the entitled surname of mine, Huo. As for Du Qiuniang, since you are determined to go into seclusion, you can go to the Nunnery of the Queen Mother of the West near the Jinbiao Gate and be converted to a Taoist nun, to be waited on by your disciple Shancai. I bestow on you a gilded chime stone and a purple Taoist garment. Zheng Liuniang and Du Qiuniang, refrain from grief after I leave! You will sing Blue Bird songs again when I come back as an immortal riding a crane. Attendants, fetch the Taoist hat and robe for me to change clothes!
(Changes clothes)
(To the tune of Coda)
Removing my gold crown and red robe,
I need no guide to go to the Peach-Blossom Spring.
Zheng Liuniang and Du Qiuniang,
I hope that you will not be waiting in solitude.
(Zheng Liuniang and Du Qiuniang see off Prince Huo on their knees. Re-enter Zheng Liuniang and
Du Qiuniang, taking leave of each other)
ZHENG LIUNIANG:
Qiuniang, when are you leaving for the Taoist nunnery?
DU QIUNIANG:
I will leave soon with my disciple
Shancai.
(Zheng Liuniang and Du Qiuniang embrace each other and weep)
How despondent it is for us to be separated all of a sudden after being together for twenty years!
ZHENG LIUNIANG (To the tune of Zuitaiping):
It is deplorable
That concubines good at singing
Are disbanded and go different ways
Like the slender Zhao Feiyan and the plump Yang Yuhuan.
In blooming times we’ll beat the drums
And play the game of women warriors on the purple terrace.
It is no easy matter for us,
For the departure of our master leaves us in tears
And we have to call him in a different world.
We shall be expecting him in tearful eyes,
For the immortal mansions and trees
Are hard for us to claim.
DU QIUNIANG (To the previous tune):
With dizzy eyes,
We knit our brows and expect his return,
Throwing the jade hairpins and gold combs
Toward the deep mountains.
We will grudge that gone is the Prince,
Who will play the flute in the immortal land.
We shed woeful tears,
For we are left in the human world of spring flowers,
When the banquet is over and the lamps removed.
(Sobs)
After I wash my charming face by myself,
I shall play the flute in rains of tears,
With my disheveled hair getting moistened.
ZHENG LIUNIANG (To the tune of Coda):
A world of difference occurs to us within a day,
With Taoist nuns wearing the laurels,
DU QIUNIANG:
But we shall meet on the immortal mount in the sea someday.
The Prince of Huainan follows immortals,
Leaving for at least a thousand years.
To follow him to the Peach-Blossom Spring,
The weary beauties will live without cheers.
Scene Eight
A Visit to an Old Acquaintance
(Enter Li Yi)
LI YI (To the tune of Siniang’er):
With my home beside the mountains and rivers
Seized by invaders from the north,
How roamers as I grieve for it in the spring wind!
Wearing a wretched hat
And a shabby coat,
I am looking for the singing house.
“Poplar trees grow luxuriant by the riverbank,
Where fairies may be seen among the flowers.
On the Jade Terrace I see the worry-free grass,
Which is not at all free from worries.”
Everyone says that I am a wanton talent, but actually I am honest and decent. On a recent visit to Hua Qing, I heard the singing of Bao Siniang, whose beauty disgraces the moon and whose voice halts the floating cloud. As long as you are a man, who can be devoid of emotions? Hua Qing is really ridiculous to exchange such a charming beauty for a horse without rhyme or reason. How sentimental Bao Siniang was when she left Hua Qing! When she wept, all the people present felt sad for her; when she looked back, all the people present were tormented by her departing woe. Luckily, Guo Xiaohou is generous indeed. When he sees that she is in low spirits, he shows much sympathy for her by settling her in his alternate residence without locking the door. She can teach others singing and dancing as she likes. I have never committed any misconduct with women although I am a young man. “As the stones are visible in clear waters, man should not covet the neighbor’s wife; as the orchids are pure and white, man should not violate the master’s daughter.” However, with my heart stirred this spring, I feel that it is time now for me to aspire for love. I have indited love-pledging poems and now I’d like to seek love. As it is bright and sunny today, I may as well wander alone and go to Guo’s alternate residence to pay Bao Siniang a visit, but I wonder whether I will meet her or not. Qing’er, I’m going out for a stroll in the street. You will stay at home and look after the house. Do not let the sparrows spoil my inkstones or the wind blow off my books!
