The Complete Dramatic Works of Tang Xianzu
Page 29
To be appreciated by such a talent.
LI YI, HUO XIAOYU:
In favour of our will,
Both in the prime of our youth,
We make a perfect couple.
WEI XIAQING (To the previous tune):
What adorable grace!
Time slows down in the study and at the court.
The fragrant breeze attracts the fairy beauty,
And the spring peony adds more to her allurement.
CUI YUNMING:
As your cavalier and extravagant friends,
We’ve come to ask the green cardamom
About your love affair at the wedding night.
WEI XIAQING, CUI YUNMING:
May the daylilies
Bloom early,
So that you waste no time for such a beauty.
WEI XIAQING:
Enough of wine. Please allow me to offer some advice: Now that you have become the son-in-law in a noble family to enjoy the beauty and luxury, our mistress must learn from Yue Yangzi’s wife to encourage her man to succeed in distinguishing himself in his career. Indulgence in pleasure may hinder great accomplishment.
(To the tune of Zhunu’er)
A fabulous man is famed for his look and manners,
In accompanying his belle at the moon palace.
CUI YUNMING:
May the wife encourage her man for a grand career,
And not just care for her domestic affairs.
WEI XIAQING, CUI YUNMING:
May you respect and love each other at home,
And you are sure to win the conferment by His Majesty.
HUO XIAOYU:
Now you two gentlemen are present today. Mr. Li is sure to have a grand career, but I’m afraid when he does succeed, he may forsake me.
(To the previous tune)
Now the marriage certificate registers me as his wife,
But when he wins the laurel, he may have other’s name registered.
CUI YUNMING:
Mr. Li is not that kind of person.
Look how he treasures the perfume pouch in his sleeve!
He can’t be a heartless man who’ll forsake his wife.
WEI XIAQING, CUI YUNMING:
May you respect and love each other at home,
And you are sure to win the conferment by His Majesty.
CUI YUNMING:
Mr. Li, now you’ve got a phoenix nestle of a family among us three while we two are still poor birds without a nestle and a family, nor do we have enough food or clothing. So how are we going to make a living?
LI YI:
As long as you have me as your brother, I’ll take care of everything.
CUI YUNMING (To the tune of Coda):
The man and wife make the perfect couple,
WEI XIAQING:
And no other couple can compare with this pair.
WEI XIAQING, CUI YUNMING:
This pair of phoenixes are about to fly from the flute tower.
The guests send their congratulations to the new couple,
Advising the bride to aim high and waste no time.
With bosom friends, one can never drink too much;
With talks in accord, one never feels like stopping.
Scene Fifteen
Boasting Power and Selecting Talents
(Enter General Lu with his retinue)
GENERAL LU (To the tune of Manpailing):
I command the controlling power at the court,
Taking a carriage almost the same as His Majesty’s.
His Majesty releases the edict in the springtime
To line up guards before the palace in Luoyang,
When he takes a tour to the east.
For fear of delaying the imperial examinations,
His Majesty has chosen this very spot as the examination place.
So how can I block the entrance to selecting talents?
“Of a noble family much favoured by His Majesty,
I follow His Majesty and stay in Luoyang.
When talented scholars come to vie for the spring laurel,
His Majesty is concerned about the winners in the capital.”
I am General Lu. Prime Minister Lu Qi is my brother. The court eunuch Lu Zhonggui is my younger brother. We are all from a noble and distinguished family, taking full charge of the state affairs. This year I escort His Majesty to Luoyang in the east. For fear of delaying the spring imperial examinations, we decide on Luoyang as the examination site to select the talents. Now I think of my daughter who is about to be fifteen. This would be a good opportunity to choose a true talent as my son-in-law. Where are my attendants?
(The attendants kowtow)
Here is my instruction: Inform the Minister of Education that whoever passes the imperial entrance examination must pay a visit to General Lu’s residence. Only after the visit can he get registered in the official list of the candidates. This is exactly what is versed:
The pavilion near the waterfront gets the moonlight first;
The flowers and trees facing the south greet spring early.
(Exit)
Scene Sixteen
The Vow of Love in the Garden
(Enter Huansha)
HUANSHA:
“The mood and spirit are hard to paint;
Flowers grow full all over the twigs.
New tunes are played by the silvery fingertips;
Fragrant rice wine is filled with cold foams.”
I am Huansha. As my young mistress is married to Mr. Li, I am awarded with Qiuhong. Qiuhong is smart and sensible, but he is dispatched by Mr. Li to run errands back and forth all the time. In contrast, when Wu’er is married to Yingtao in our house, they work around the stove all day long, never far apart from each other. Just as the saying goes, “The quick-minded are busy like the grain stone-rollers only to gain temporary excitement, while the slow-minded remain indoors yet to enjoy amorous pleasures every night.” I can see Mr. Li and my mistress are in deep love. This morning I was told to prepare for a garden tour. I have taken the carved white-jade wine-cups, fetched the fresh green-peach wine, and set a dozen of lotus-leave-shaped bowls on the red low table. My mistress is fond of writing poems and doing calligraphy during the break after playing music, so I have also brought the brush stands and ink stones in the case, most of which belong to the family heritage. There they come along.
(Enter Huo Xiaoyu)
HUO XIAOYU (To the tune of Yiqin’e):
Deep at the courtyard,
On a clear day the east wind blows mildly.
The east wind blows mildly,
The day is long,
And the early orioles warble on a warm day.
HUANSHA:
My mistress tells me to add incense after she has a dream;
Her penciled eyebrows are like the green mountains far away.
HUANSHA, HUO XIAOYU:
The green mountains far away,
The flower fragrance comes in as the curtain is rolled up
And the night has changed their shade of colour.
HUO XIAOYU (In the pattern of Chunguanghao):
“The window gauze is light,
The painted screen is dark,
And the mood is deep;
Spring touches my dress,
Makes my waist weak, and I know why it is so.
HUANSHA:
The hair flowers are well cut by the swallowtail-shaped scissors;
The green silk and velvet decorate the flowery hairpins.
Ah, my young mistress,
How you frown for myriad worries,
Worries that knit your eyebrows!”
HUO XIAOYU:
Huansha, what’s wrong with my eyebrows?
HUANSHA:
My mistress, before you met Mr. Li, you went playing on the swing, throwing copper coins, betting for litchi stones, and feeding birds with red beans. How relaxed your eyebrows were at that time! Ever since Mr. Li came to our house, you’ve been frowning behind the wind
ow gauze all day long, lamenting over the passing youth by yourself.
HUO XIAOYU:
Oh, Huansha, how can I behave to my heart’s content as before my marriage?
HUANSHA:
As the saying goes, “A grown-up person has to restrain himself.”
(Enter Li Yi)
LI YI (To the tune of Yeyougong):
The morning sun shines again in the house after rain,
With mist hanging over the flowers and trees.
Why not meet my love
And embrace her tenderly every day!
The night never gets chilly,
When I hold her in my arms.
(In the pattern of Huanxisha)
“When the zither is played, even mud is heard dropping from the swallow’s nest;
The gossamer hangs high on the painted west house.
HUO XIAOYU:
The red-crowned rooster crows on the wall at the corner.
LI YI:
The dainty brows catch the eye on the grass-covered path;
The flowery dimples slightly bloom by the green-peach stream.
HUO XIAOYU:
Why does one have to stay alone in the chamber?”
LI YI:
As you ask why one has to stay alone in the chamber, now I’d like to take a spring tour with you for half a day.
HUO XIAOYU:
The wine box and the suitcase are both ready. Now let’s go.
(All start to go)
LI YI:
“In a famous garden with an attractive spring scene,
HUO XIAOYU:
The man walks ahead and the young wife follows behind.
LI YI:
Nobody is around when we climb up in the bamboo grove;
HUO XIAOYU:
The birds are startled when we find our path in the flowers.”
HUANSHA:
This is the front gate of the Garden of a Hundred Flowers.
LI YI (To the tune of Huameixu):
I call the fairies in the flower grove,
As we saunter on the zigzagging path in the garden.
HUO XIAOYU:
In the spring scene that fills our eyes and hearts,
The peach and plum flowers call us to tarry.
The path is lined up with green trees and the meadow covered with tender grass;
The weeping willow twigs softly fondle the painted eaves and the golden banks.
(All arrive at the gate)
LI YI, HUO XIAOYU:
Spring fills the garden,
But few come to enjoy the beauty.
Only orioles and swallows fly around freely.
Let’s walk around the flowers.
LI YI (To the tune of Huangying’er):
I steal a look at the sunny day,
Fresh with the morning clouds and the dusk rain.
HUO XIAOYU (Picks up a flower):
A branch bends low in the garden,
With buds in half bloom
That have a few red petals on them,
While an oriole flies amid the branches and whistles in the splendour.
Petals fall on my fine shoulders,
And I pin a flower in my hair with my delicate fingers from my sleeve.
LI YI (Offers the wine):
(To the tune of Zaoluopao)
Gently I make a toast to my darling,
Who stands with her back to the spring breeze,
Smiling before the flowers.
With hairpins tilting on her hair,
She suddenly starts to move along the path.
(Huo Xiaoyu gets a little drunk)
LI YI:
Her silk dress wrinkles and falls;
Gossamer waves in the mist and clouds.
In the colourful and fragrant garden,
She acts like a spoiled child,
With beads of sweat rolling down her red cheeks.
HUO XIAOYU (To the tune of Zhuomu’er):
To our hearts’ content we enjoy
The spring scene that dots the garden.
We leisurely tend the withering flowers;
Grapes grow on the vines like works of embroidery.
How come I’ve dragged my long dress on the grassy path thus far?
With you I look at my pretty face on the silvery pond,
Yet take care not to let the hairpins slant down from my bun.
HUANSHA:
Oh, it’s raining!
(They take shelter from the rain)
LI YI (To the tune of Yujiaozhi):
The shower of rain makes petals fall,
And spreads grass fragrance to the pavilion by the pond.
Flying swallows startle the dragonflies away,
And hover over the pond for its fresh mud.
We walk shoulder to shoulder
With the fan unfolded before our faces.
We stop to watch the scenic drawings on the rails,
And sit awhile on cushions embroidered with golden threads.
(Sits down)
(Enter Qiuhong)
QIUHONG:
“Scholars in Luoyang are eager to win the laurel;
Fair ladies in Qinzhong are fond of watching flowers.”
Please allow me to report to you, Master. As His Majesty takes a tour to Luoyang, the examination will be held right there. The prefecture announcement has been made and will be sent without delay.
LI YI:
In that case, get the baggage ready at once. I’ll go aboard at the Wei River.
QIUHONG:
“The prefecture officials are to meet the scholars for the exam tomorrow;
The scholars will gallop to the Luoyang Bridge in the spring wind.”
(Exit)
HUO XIAOYU:
We’ve been married for just a few days, but we will part tomorrow. What am I to do? My man,
“Why do you think I wear fashionable dress and make-up?
Because I want to vent my feelings like orioles warbling on the willows.
There’s so much concern in a wife’s heart,
That even an affectionate man may not know.”
I know I’m an insignificant person, not to be matched with you. Today you love me for my beauty and take it as my virtue. But once my beauty wanes, you may change your love and affection, and I may end up rootless and forsaken. So I can’t help feeling sad in the time of our best joy.
(Sobs and sighs)
LI YI:
My lifetime desire has been fulfilled today. I will never leave you whether I live or die. How could you say that, Xiaoyu? Please give me a piece of white fine silk fabric, so I can write a vow of my love for you.
HUO XIAOYU:
Huansha, fetch three feet of fine silk fabric from the case, together with the ink, the writing brush and the ink stone.
HUANSHA:
Here’s the silk fabric.
LI YI (Writes):
I’ve done it. Please take a look.
HUO XIAOYU (Reads):
“Duck and drake on the water,
Or jasper and jade in the clouds,
Stick to each other day and night,
Without regret alive or dead.
With mountains and rivers as our witnesses,
With the sun and the moon as our observers,
We shall share the quilt when we live,
And share the grave when we die.”
Mr. Li, this vow will be kept in the jewelry box as the proof in the future.
(To the tune of Yubaodu)
We make a vow before the heart-shaped incense
To remain devoted in our hearts.
We’ll cling to each other heart to heart,
And spend sleepless nights enjoying ourselves.
In an incense pouch,
I’ll keep the silk fabric with the vow
And wear the pouch on my waist.
LI YI:
Please trust my heart.
(To the tune of Yushantui)
You have tranquil and spiritual attraction,
Born to be mild and tender.
Your sweet voice induces my endless thoughts of love;
Your slim waist against the rail arouses my fond affection.
Now that we are still in our honeymoon,
Why do you refrain from smile and laughter?
You must obey the will of the spring god.
Yet you keep silent
And let the cuckoos warble out
Your thoughts of love.
HUO XIAOYU (Bows):
I, your humble wife, thank you for your consideration!
(To the tune of Chuanbozhao)
With boundless feelings,
You love me
In spite of my low status.
I’m afraid the matchmaker will come to you to make proposals,
I’m afraid the matchmaker will come to you to make proposals,
Though you’ve vowed to love me till the sea goes dry.
You’d better not go in such a hurry
But stay and lean on the rails to enjoy the pretty flowers.
My man, it’s getting late.
(All start to return)
LI YI, HUO XIAOYU (To the tune of Yiduojiao):
The spring scene is dimming,
When dusk falls on the fragrant path
And ravens crow lonely and timidly to the capital.
We trace the faint scene in the dim light,
When rosy clouds tint our garments.
Now that our mood for the spring scene is fading,
Now that our mood for the spring scene is fading,
We hurry back on the stone steps covered with green moss.
(Huo Xiaoyu slips)
(To the tune of Yueshanghaitang)
Tiny feet in embroidered shoes
Move on step by step.
Instead of the front gate,
We walk through the garden gate.
Spring mountains on the tour
Provide many a beautiful sight.
We come back from the swings and flower grove,
And knock the copper ring on the door.
(Enter Huansha, holding a candle)
HUANSHA (Opens the door):
(To the tune of Coda)
When the spring scene fades like the clouds,
I light the candle and let it burn till daybreak.
The couple seem to have toured the imperial garden in the spring breeze.
The candle in the silvery bowl reddens the evening gown,
And stirs up tender feelings for departure tonight.
The harmony between man and wife will last;
Youth like the bright moon never shines in vain.
Scene Seventeen
Going to Luoyang for the Spring Exam
(Enter Qiuhong)
QIUHONG:
“The orioles warble beautifully on a warm day;
The horses gallop briskly in the light breeze.