The Complete Dramatic Works of Tang Xianzu

by Tang Xianzu

  SHANG QIXIN (To the tune of Fendie’er):

  We eat by hands from the felt plate

  And drink over the camel hoof and the crispy cheese.

  “With our horses wearing saddles studded with green jade,

  The battle has ended at moonrise.

  The drumbeat is still loud on the city wall,

  While the broad sword in the box is still wet with blood.”

  I am Shang Qixin, Tubo’s chief of the secretariat. As the king is summoning me to have an audience, I’ll go and meet him.

  (Greets the Tubo King)

  TUBO KING:

  Chief of the Secretariat, we have failed to snatch any land from the Central Plains this summer.

  The detestable Huihus have not surrendered to us for their blood relation with the Tang court. Now I intend to invade the south and attack the north at the same time. I’d like to seek your advice.

  SHANG QIXIN:

  My uncle Shang Zipi used to wait upon the Tang emperor and study in their imperial academy. When he returned from the Central Plains, he said that the people there lived a harmonious and prosperous life, and that the emperor is sagacious while the people are loyal. The military chief in Shuofang is the aged Prime Minister Du Huangshang, who promotes strengthening the country and is very resourceful. His military consultant is the new Number-One Scholar Li Yi, who is good at military strategies and brilliant in literary talents. Their fortresses are firmly connected and can withstand attacks from all directions, so I’m afraid we will not succeed if we attack them. The Longxi area has been annexed by us, but I hear recently that the Tang court has dispatched a man called Shi Xiong, styled Ziying, to lead an army into that area. That man is bold and valiant as well as expert in military tactics. The Tang’s tribes in Longxi are mostly weak in their defense except in the Songzhou area, where the land is fertile with abundant produces. The commanding general there is Hua Qin, who is at an old age now, so we can consider seeking that place. Most of the Huihe’s areas have been occupied by us. Therefore, we may as well pretend to be weak and go westward to that area. When the Tang court asks, we can just say that we do not intend to attack the southern area so that they will surely replace the commanders in Shuofang. Then we can wait to launch an attack by the mid-autumn.

  TUBO KING:

  Is it true that we should not attack the Central Plains, as your uncle has suggested? I suppose Shang Zipi knows much about the Central Plains since he stayed there for half a year. I will appoint him the chief commander and attack the empire of Tang. What would you say about that?

  SHANG QIXIN:

  My uncle Shang Zipi has a wide scope of knowledge in astronomy and is not interested in the worldly affairs. As soon as he returned from his mission to Tang, he went back to Yangtong and had a house built at the foot of the Kunlun Mountains without any intention to get married or be an official. Neither is he concerned about what is happening currently. If you want to appoint him to a position, you must wait until late autumn and visit him in person. Only then might he be willing to take the post.

  TUBO KING:

  There is something reasonable in what you say. I shall dispatch General Lunkongre to attack Songzhou for the moment, and go to Yangtong in person in late autumn to invite Shang Zipi.

  (To the tune of Hongxiuxie)

  Qiang’s ancient chief Yuanjian showed his valiancy in Qin,

  Qiang’s ancient chief Yuanjian showed his valiancy in Qin,

  And Liang’s ancient chief Wugu annexed Qiang’s Ruo tribe,

  And Liang’s ancient chief Wugu annexed Qiang’s Ruo tribe.

  The war will be started in Fuhan

  And be fought in Yunya.

  We shall fight our way to Babu

  By way of Guazhou and Shazhou.

  Zanxinya

  Will be appointed the commander.

  Chief of the Secretariat, select thirty thousand soldiers and horses and order Lunkongre to close on Songzhou!

  SHANG QIXIN:

  Yes, I see.

  TUBO KING (To the previous tune):

  I am imbued with all-conquering spirits,

  I am imbued with all-conquering spirits,

  And you are resourceful in military tactics,

  And you are resourceful in military tactics.

  Shoot an arrow to convey urgent message

  Across the river;

  Beat the drum at one tempo

  And sound the conch trumpets;

  Drive away the Hans

  And sing our Qiang songs.

  When stars throw lights upon our glorious state,

  Tonight our army flags will flutter in Xizhou.

  The Hans are playing tunes of “Frontier Life”,

  With songs of birds inducing grief and woe.

  Scene Twenty-Nine

  A Sincere Wish

  (Enter Du Qiuniang and Shancai dressed as Taoist nuns)

  DU QIUNIANG (To the tune of Linjiangxian):

  The pale purple dress of a Taoist nun

  Outlines my weary and slender figure.

  SHANCAI:

  Featuring like an immortal with a jade pendant,

  She presents herself as a quiet portrait

  Amid the curling incense smoke.

  DU QIUNIANG (In the pattern of Nüguanzi):

  “I wear a Taoist hat and dress,

  Residing in a nunnery.

  SHANCAI:

  Her delicate figure dims the ornaments

  While her slim fingers put up a light make-up.

  DU QIUNIANG:

  With fallen petals dotted on my shoes,

  I burn the incense like a thin and long bamboo.

  SHANCAI:

  The fairy messenger bird will carry tidings

  To her dear sweetheart.”

  DU QIUNIANG:

  I am Du Qiuniang, a native of Jiankang. I used to wait on the late emperor but was later bestowed upon the old Prince Huo to perform song and dance for him. I stayed in his residence for twenty years before he felt melancholy over the music he heard on the seventh day of the first month and dismissed all his singing girls to live a reclusive life in the deep mountains. I was instructed to become a nun in the Nunnery of the Queen Mother of the West. As I came from the prince’s residence, the disciple Shancai was assigned to look after me. My palace companion Zheng Liuniang, who was good at palace music and was called a master in the Palace Troupe, was also bestowed upon Prince Huo. With her daughter Xiaoyu not yet married, she was granted to live in the Red Mansion for the time being. I have never heard from her since we parted. As today is the fifteenth of the fourth month, birthday of the Queen Mother of the West, we have just finished all the worshipping rituals. Shancai, I see that you’ve been pining away since you came to the nunnery. Now that you have come to this, why don’t you quit your secular thoughts and cultivate yourself through Taoism? Won’t you pacify your mind and diminish your desires?

  SHANCAI:

  Qiuniang, how can I pacify my mind and diminish my desires? I still remember the days in the past when

  (To the tune of Miandaxu)

  Flowers came into blossom in the early summer

  And mandarin ducks swam in pairs in the warm water,

  While the rain accompanied my dreams in the pleasure boat.

  The verdant scenes

  Aroused my tender affection,

  As well as the memory of playing on the swing

  In the happy bygone days.

  Since I was languid and sickly in days of song and dance, what am I to cultivate as a nun?

  With sweet memories of the past in my mind,

  How can I bear the burning desire in my heart?

  DU QIUNIANG:

  As bygones are bygones, you have to be contented with your life as a nun.

  SHANCAI:

  Even an immortal in the fairyland are badly in need of a companion! The fairy Yuqing had a rendezvous with Taibai; the star of the Weaver Girl was grim all the time; the fairy Chenggong Zhiqiong was married to the m
an Xian Chao; and the fairy Du Lanxiang had illicit relations with Zhang Shuo. How can I bear the loneliness and boredom when I still cherish human desires?

  DU QIUNIANG:

  You have to restrain yourself, Shancai.

  SHANCAI:

  You are already forty, but I’m not yet thirty. How can I bear it all?

  DU QIUNIANG:

  It’s most difficult for a woman of forty to restrain her desires, but I’m no longer in the mood to talk about the past.

  (To the previous tune)

  My hometown is by the beautiful Wujiang River.

  When I served as a singing girl in Jiankang,

  I often sang the song of “Cherish while Ye May”

  Till I was separated from my beloved one.

  After my youthful life was ruined,

  I seemed to be half-tinted with autumn bleakness.

  Later I served the young Crown Prince with all my heart,

  But was given the cold shoulder in the house of Prince Huo.

  Now that I am practicing Taoism,

  What’s the use of talking about make-up?

  I am nothing but a lonely azalea.

  Shancai, go and see whether there are ladies burning joss-sticks in the Queen Mother Hall!

  SHANCAI:

  Who will come after noontime?

  DU QIUNIANG:

  Have a look outside for all that!

  (Enter Zheng Liuniang and Huo Xiaoyu)

  ZHENG LIUNIANG (To the tune of Yijiangfeng):

  This is a clean and serene place,

  With tall green trees around

  And drifting white clouds above.

  Look, my daughter!

  Rising into the sky,

  The magnificent mansion

  Stands against the setting sun.

  When the beaded curtain is raised,

  Fragrant incense smoke permeates the place.

  Here comes Sister Shancai!

  SHANCAI (Comes out and greets in a pleased surprise):

  It turns out to be Liuniang and Princess Xiaoyu! Judging from your headwear, are you married, Princess?

  ZHENG LIUNIANG:

  She is married to Li Yi from Longxi. He is the latest Number-One Scholar and has been appointed an Imperial Academician, serving as the military consultant in Shuofang. Today we come on purpose to burn some joss-sticks to pray for his safety and to bring regards to Qiuniang.

  SHANCAI:

  I see!

  Tears of joy are shed at our meeting again.

  Please wait a minute and I’ll report to Qiuniang!

  (Reports)

  Qiuniang, here come Zheng Liuniang and Princess Xiaoyu!

  DU QIUNIANG (In a pleased surprise):

  As they never go outdoors, how can they be here?

  (Comes out and greets in sorrow)

  (To the tune of Kuxiangsi)

  The swallows seldom fly together,

  But we are fortunate to meet each other.

  “We stayed together like sisters for twenty years,

  But have lost contact once we went our own ways.

  With our happiness gone with the prince,

  Who will lament over our unfortunate days?”

  Now that you are here, won’t you burn some joss-sticks in the Hall of the Queen Mother?

  ZHENG LIUNIANG:

  Qiuniang, my daughter has been married to the latest Number-One Scholar Li Yi. He has been appointed an Imperial Academician and now serves as the military consultant in Shuofang. I am accompanying Xiaoyu here to burn some joss-sticks to pray for his safety and to pay you a visit.

  DU QIUNIANG:

  What a pleasure for you to be married to a talent! Now I’ll do the prayer for you.

  (They walk)

  Please offer the joss-sticks, Liuniang and Xiaoyu! I’ll make the prayer.

  (Zheng Liuniang and Huo Xiaoyu offer the joss-sticks)

  DU QIUNIANG (Prays):

  Zheng Liuniang, concubine of Prince Huo, and her daughter Xiaoyu now pray to the Queen Mother of the West. Xiaoyu offers her incense for her husband Li Yi, the latest Number-One Scholar and the military consultant in Shuofang. She prays for the immortal power to ensure Li Yi’s safety in the remote place, to help him make great achievements and rise smoothly to a higher rank. Liuniang and Xiaoyu, say something on your own behalf!

  (Zheng Liuniang and Huo Xiaoyu kowtow)

  ZHENG LIUNIANG (To the tune of Tingqianliu):

  My son-in-law is a scholar,

  But now serves in the army,

  Ready for the battle and slaughter,

  By writing declaration of war to the enemy.

  ZHENG LIUNIANG, HUO XIAOYU, DU QIUNIANG:

  We wish for Queen Mother’s immortal power

  To help him achieve grand feats

  And return to the capital with honor.

  SHANCAI:

  Princess Xiaoyu and I will make the second prayer.

  (To the previous tune)

  The princess is young and pretty,

  But her man has left for the battlefields.

  I wish that she would appear in his dream

  And accompany him in whatever yields.

  ZHENG LIUNIANG, HUO XIAOYU, DU QIUNIANG:

  We wish for Queen Mother’s immortal power

  To bless the love between man and wife

  As well as their proliferate progeny.

  DU QIUNIANG:

  So much for the prayer! Let’s have a chat in the tea hall!

  (They walk)

  Liuniang, where is your son-in-law Li Yi from?

  ZHENG LIUNIANG:

  From Longxi. He is the one who composed the poem Yichunling on the theme of ascending the heights on the Man’s Day.

  DU QIUNIANG:

  He really lives up to his reputation. Who is their matchmaker?

  ZHENG LIUNIANG:

  It’s Bao Siniang.

  DU QIUNIANG:

  Oh, it turns out to be Siniang! How is she doing these days?

  ZHENG LIUNIANG:

  She is looking quite languid now.

  DU QIUNIANG:

  The three of us are of the same age and are all growing languid! It’s time for the young people like Xiaoyu to enjoy their time. Liuniang, not only is my appearance not as good as before, but my fingers are also not so nimble either.

  ZHENG LIUNIANG:

  Why do you say so?

  DU QIUNIANG:

  I haven’t played the music for a long time, so I felt very awkward when I played a piece of palace music in leisure the other day, with my fingertips, silver nails and strings all in disorder.

  ZHENG LIUNIANG:

  Qiuniang, your music talents used to excel the elders while your beauty was above par with the others. I still keep it in my memory after twenty years.

  DU QIUNIANG:

  Liuniang, I did not know much in my young age when I was proud and jealous, but I did not expect that one day I would shed tears of woe when I departed with my man. When I recall the past, those days have turned into a dream! At that time,

  (To the tune of Shanpoyang)

  Wearing green dress and forming lissome lines,

  We dancers gathered and scattered by turns.

  Our singing was like orangutan’s cry in the twilight

  And oriole’s chirp in the forest.

  We danced around the lamps,

  Which lit up our figures and our voice.

  But now,

  With no audience, I have quit song and music,

  But still remember His Majesty asking my name.

  I would wake up with a start,

  Singing sweet tunes in my old age.

  With tears in my eyes,

  A mixture of feelings would well up in my mind.

  ZHENG LIUNIANG:

  Speaking of the past, I still faintly remember the song and dance of “Rainbow Skirts”.

  (To the previous tune)

  By railings mirrored in the waters,

  Jade pendants chinked with the prelude.
<
br />   The dancers swirled with skirts wavering in wind

  When the music proceeded to its middle.

  The dancing dress swept graceful and light

  As the music ended with a prolonged echo.

  Now,

  I cannot remember the song and dance clearly,

  Though I used to be an excellent performer.

  In making idle comments,

  I lie on the silver bed in my aging days;

  In resting at leisure,

  I expect the youngsters to be experts in music.

  SHANCAI:

  Speaking of the youngsters, I am still young. Your performance was surely excellent at that time, and I was an outstanding singer when I drank with the wealthy dandies in the capital.

  (To the previous tune)

  My headwear would tilt when I felt dizzy;

  I would play the fool when I was in the wrong mood.

  I would gamble in drunkenness

  And play the wager games in a brisk manner.

  I would make up in the early morning

  And play the music in a silk dress.

  I would feel sickly for no reason at all,

  And learn from Zhenniang, the famous courtesan.

  But now,

  Homeless,

  I stay in the Temple of the Queen Mother of the West.

  Coy,

  I have the fragrant wind brushing my sleeves.

  HUO XIAOYU:

  Sister Shancai, how come that you are emaciated when you practice Taoism? In my eyes, a nun’s life is simple and much better than the mundane life!

  (To the previous tune)

  You wear a soft silk dress

  And pink headwear.

  You play the melodious music on the lute

  And strike the resounding chime-stone.

  You study the sacred Taoist scriptures

  In an undisturbed state of mind.

  The pretty looks of Zhang Juan and Li Tai

  Do not enable them to be immortals;

  In a tranquil mood,

  The love affairs of Linglong and Yuqing are not to be admired.

  For no good reason,

  Their lives are wasted in romantic affairs.

  DU QIUNIANG:

  Young as you are, you have made remarks with Taoist connotations! Liuniang, after I have learned the Taoist scriptures by heart, I will go to the Huashan Mountain to follow the footsteps of Prince Huo.

  ZHENG LIUNIANG:

  I’ll go with you.

  DU QIUNIANG:

  I live here in the nunnery in solitude, but I suppose there are messages from Prince Huo brought to the Red Mansion where you stay.

  ZHENG LIUNIANG:

  We often dispatch someone to send him regards, but there is no reply from him at all. He is really uninterested in the worldly life!