The Complete Dramatic Works of Tang Xianzu
Page 94
Which countryman is so insolent? Even if there are outsiders, how can he know that the outsider is me?
ELDEST SON:
Right Prime Minister Duan Gong viciously slandered that the constellations symbolized the ancestral temple while the guest star invaded the royal family.
CHUNYU FEN:
The princess is your mother.
ELDEST SON (Weeps):
He did not mean my mother.
CHUNYU FEN:
Whom did he mean?
ELDEST SON:
The widows Princess Qiongying and Lady Lingzhi
Committed incest with you after cups of wine.
CHUNYU FEN:
Oh, Duan Gong! How viciously he slandered me!
ELDEST SON:
His Majesty flew into a rage, saying that he would not tolerate you for your abuse of power and factional activities.
CHUNYU FEN:
How did Her Majesty the Queen mediate the matter?
ELDEST SON:
When he mentioned that the trouble had started inside the house, how could she say anything more?
CHUNYU FEN:
I do not bear grudges against the countryman or the Right Prime Minister, but against the heaven. Oh Heaven! Why should you bother about the guest star?
ELDEST SON:
Why should the constellations
Make trouble with my father?
CHUNYU FEN (To the previous tune):
The slanderous words
Will not hoodwink His Majesty.
How can his son-in-law
Be the guest star?
Your mother was right in saying that I should take precaution at court as the relations are different now. Her words have come true.
(Weeps)
She warned me of the danger,
But I am to blame in the end.
I have had my days of pleasure,
And now I’ll pine away day by day.
ELDEST SON:
Father,
No more of the word “pleasure”!
CHUNYU FEN, ELDEST SON:
Forget about the past glory
But weep before the deceased princess!
(Enter the Royal Envoy)
ROYAL ENVOY (To the tune of Ruzhuan):
I gallop out of the East Gate
And reach Chunyu’s residence.
CHUNYU FEN:
To my astonishment,
He comes from the palace to my home.
May I ask what the royal decree is?
ROYAL ENVOY:
Here comes the royal decree
To summon you to the court.
CHUNYU FEN (To his eldest son with a worried look):
With a startled heart,
I wonder about the prospect that awaits me.
ROYAL ENVOY:
His Majesty wears a smiling face
And Her Majesty has been missing you
For your absence from the palace.
CHUNYU FEN:
There is no time for the fortune-teller,
But is she really missing me?
ROYAL ENVOY:
Why are you worried?
Anyhow you are the Royal Son-in-Law.
CHUNYU FEN:
Envoy, I’m worried about Right Prime Minister.
With the ulterior motive to usurp the power,
He has concocted the lie
That I have disturbed the constellation.
ELDEST SON:
Father,
You’d better keep silent for the moment;
Why are you hurting him all the time?
ROYAL ENVOY:
Weigh your words before you respond! I must be going now.
CHUNYU FEN:
My son, what will happen to me this time?
ELDEST SON:
There might be good tidings.
(Calls of heralding the way)
The man was standing alone
When his son came across the yard.
As soon as he heard the king’s call,
He set out without waiting for the cart.
Scene Forty-One
Banishment
(Enter the Ant King, followed by attendants)
ANT KING (To the tune of Jinjijiao):
My auspicious spirit lingers in the sky,
But a mysterious astrology occurs.
Who has incurred all the disorder?
(Enter the Ant Queen)
ANT QUEEN:
Our daughter and her spouse are not to blame,
(Sighs)
Yet the unexpected accusations
Are incitements to sow dissention.
(Kowtows to the Ant King)
I wish you a long life, Your Majesty!
ANT KING:
Rise to your feet, my wife!
ANT QUEEN (In the pattern of Zhegutian):
Your Majesty,
“I sit with discomfort in my palace,
For I haven’t seen the young man for some time.
ANT KING (Smiles):
But you do not know
That as he abuses his power to disturb the stars,
He has been confined in his residence.
ANT QUEEN (Weeps):
That’s it. Oh Heaven, you only know that he
Seeks pleasure and wanders about,
But he is lonesome in the empty residence.
ANT KING (Annoyed):
You only care about trifles at home,
But you’ll regret when he spoils my state.”
ANT QUEEN:
Your Majesty, how can your son-in-law spoil your state?
ANT KING:
As you stay in the inner palace, you don’t know that a countryman sent me a letter saying that astrology predicts disasters. Our capital town might have to move and our ancestral temple might collapse. The disasters originate outside the house while troubles start from inside the house. The outsider is none other than Chunyu Fen!
ANT QUEEN:
Will your son-in-law usurp your state power?
ANT KING:
It’s beyond your knowledge. Small as it is, our state is ruled by law, and he has broken the law many times.
ANT QUEEN:
He is but addicted to drinking.
ANT KING:
Addicted to drinking? He is addicted to Princess Qiongying, Lady Lingzhi and Sister Shangzhen as well!
ANT QUEEN:
Who is the witness?
ANT KING:
Are you waiting for the disorder in the palace as the evidence? I’ll give him a farewell banquet and send him back to his homeland. Your business is to bring up your grandchildren and keep your mouth shut.
ANT QUEEN (Weeps):
Oh Heaven! Won’t you pardon him for the sake of our daughter?
(Enter the royal envoy)
ROYAL ENVOY:
His Highness is waiting at the palace gate.
ANT KING:
Bring my decree to summon him in.
(Drums within)
(Enter Chunyu Fen in court robe)
CHUNYU FEN (To the tune of Xiaoyaole):
Arriving at the court again with mixed feelings
And with tears in my eyes,
(Sighs)
I see His Majesty sitting in the palace hall.
I am grieved that the princess has passed away,
Ready to be reprimanded by His Majesty,
With only Her Majesty to give me a hand.
“One day from the court
Creates a vast gap.”
Trembling with fear when I enter the palace gate, I have to lie prostrate on the ground in meek submission.
(Kowtows to the Ant King and the Ant Queen)
The guilty Royal Son-in-Law, Royal Captain, Left Prime Minister Chunyu Fen kowtows to Your Majesty the King and the Queen. I wish you a long, long life!
PALACE ATTENDANT:
Rise to your feet, Your Highness! Come into the palace hall!
(Chunyu Fen rises to his feet and makes a bow, calling “Long live the ki
ng!”)
ANT KING:
I mouthed some rash words the other day, and was not polite to you. Please do not take it to heart!
ANT QUEEN:
Oh, Chunyu, how is it that you have waned so much?
CHUNYU FEN (Bows):
That’s true indeed. I am denounced by His Majesty and confined in my residence. With the help of the princess, I managed the county for quite a number of years without any flaw. Now that I am slandered by the rumors, my heart has really broken.
ANT KING:
I’ve got wine ready to relieve your sorrow.
(Enter a palace attendant with wine)
PALACE ATTENDANT:
“The cold wine in the cup
Saddens the lonely bird.”
Here is the wine.
ANT KING:
I’ll offer you a cup of wine today.
(To the tune of Zaoluopao)
My Son-in-Law, do you remember the day
When I saw you off outside the southern pass
And the two of you rode off in a carriage?
(Chunyu Fen kneels to drink the wine)
ANT KING:
Fill in another cup!
(Chunyu Fen kneels to drink the wine)
ANT QUEEN:
Attendant, fill in several cups in succession!
Since my daughter passed away,
I have not taken good care of you.
CHUNYU FEN (Kowtows and rises to his feet):
After three cups of wine,
A myriad of sad thoughts crowd into my mind.
Where on earth is the guest star?
I hope that you will be lenient to me.
ALL:
Weal and woe flash by in a moment.
CHUNYU FEN (Aside):
Why did he say “Weal and woe flash by in a moment”?
ANT KING:
You seem to be lost in contemplation. Do you know what I mean? The marriage lasted for more than twenty years. Due to her premature death, my daughter could not accompany you to old age. Therefore, I am really sorry for that.
CHUNYU FEN:
After the princess passed away, I am here to give you some comfort.
ANT KING:
There is no need to say these words. The thing is that as you have left your homeland for years, you’d better go back for the time being and meet your relatives.
CHUNYU FEN:
This is my home. Where am I to go?
ANT KING (Smiles):
Your own home is not in this land.
(Chunyu Fen stands silent in dizziness)
ANT QUEEN:
He seems to be in a dream.
CHUNYU FEN (Awakens):
Oh, yes. My home is in the human world. Why am I in this place?
(Wails)
Oh, thoughts of home suddenly hit me, biting at my heart. I won’t be able to wait on you any longer, Your Majesty the Queen.
ANT KING:
Tell the Royal Envoy to show his way home!
CHUNYU FEN:
As my children are staying in the palace, I beg your permission to see them once.
ANT KING:
When my grandchildren stay in the palace, my wife will look after them and bring them up. You don’t have to worry about that.
CHUNYU FEN (Sobs):
How miserable I am!
ANT QUEEN:
Don’t feel miserable! If you keep us in heart, we’ll have the opportunity to meet again.
CHUNYU FEN (Kowtows):
Farewell to you!
(To the previous tune)
With my homeland in sight,
I am suddenly enlightened in my puzzlement,
Although my eyes are dimmed by tears.
ANT KING:
I wish you a good journey to the human world
Now that three cups are drained and songs are over.
ANT QUEEN (Weeps):
My son-in-law, you will be gone.
With your intention to leave,
You are hard to keep.
For years of affection,
There will be nothing left behind.
ALL:
Weal and woe flash by in a moment.
CHUNYU FEN (To the tune of Yibujin):
I shall depart from you and return home,
In gratitude for your twenty years of grace.
ANT KING, ANT QUEEN:
Chunyu, Chunyu,
You’ll witness the collapse of our state.
The guest departs when the wine is drained
As the leaves return to earth when they fall.
Nothing but departing tears remain
When he returns and leaves us all.
Scene Forty-Two
Waking Up to the Reality
(Enter two Royal Envoys)
TWO ROYAL ENVOYS:
“Without a second thought,
A thing is always done with regret.”
The king of the Great State of Peaceful Locust has a daughter, who should have found a spouse in her own country but brought Chunyu Fen from the human world to be her spouse. Chunyu Fen was assigned the magistrate in Nanke and lived there in luxury for over twenty years. After the princess passed away, he was recalled to the court as the prime minister. As he abused his power and disturbed the state affairs, the astrology revealed signs that he would be demoted. As His Majesty was worried and grew suspicious of him, he decreed that we shall send him back with an ox-cart.
(Giggle)
Chunyu Fen, Chunyu Fen, how unlucky you are! It is true to say,
“When the gate is closed on the deep palace,
The ardent spouse becomes a stranger.”
(Enter Chunyu Fen in court robe)
CHUNYU FEN:
“The sudden thought to search for home
Has brought tears to my eyes.
Hard to discard the favors done on me,
I am on my way home in heart-breaking sighs.”
I am Chunyu Fen. At the sudden thought of home, I am deprived of my glory and have to make my return trip. How can I drop from the yearning for my wife and the service in the court?
(Weeps)
(Greets the two Royal Envoys)
Hi! Are you the Royal Envoys that fetched me twenty years ago?
TWO ROYAL ENVOYS (Respond sluggishly):
That’s right.
CHUNYU FEN:
Is the carriage and four waiting outside the palace gate?
TWO ROYAL ENVOYS:
Yes.
(They walk)
CHUNYU FEN (To the tune of Xiudai’er):
When I leave the palace in late spring,
Out of the palace gate,
I am caught by a sudden sense of alienation.
Where are my attendants? Is the shabby ox-cart for me to take? Alas!
Why is there not a single attendant?
Why is there such a shabby ox-cart?
I do not see the reason why.
When I leave the palace, will I be able to come back again?
I look back with deep affection,
Oh my dear wife,
With tears dripping on the court robe.
It seems that I’ll take this shabby ox-cart today. Let me linger a while! Oh, it’s the wall tower with the golden characters. Why do the soldiers and civilians not stand up when they see me?
Oops!
Now I leave this great city to return home,
And set foot on the way by which I came.
It seems that I’ll change my coat and set out on my way.
(Changes clothes)
(In the pattern of Changxiangsi)
“I put on the court robe
And now take it off,
The same robe that has lost its distinction.
The distant palace looks small.
Reluctant to leave
And reluctant to move,
I shed tears of woeful affection.
(Sighs)
When on earth can I return to the court?”
TWO ROYAL ENVOYS:
/>
Get on the cart and hurry up!
(Walk sluggishly and sing a limerick in defiance of Chunyu Fen)
“A fool is a fool,
Who refuses to enter a big hole
And to leave a small hole.
Isn’t he a fool?”
(Whip the ox)
The beast would not go.
CHUNYU FEN:
There is no hurry!
(To the previous tune)
I stop
To watch the scenery that remains the same,
And recall the good old days.
(The two Royal Envoys whip the ox to make it move faster)
CHUNYU FEN (Annoyed):
Unable to show their usual pomp and glory, these Royal Envoys are indeed vexed.
(The two Royal Envoys whip the ox and walk)
CHUNYU FEN:
Let me ask you when we shall arrive at Guangling County!
(The two Royal Envoys make no response, but walk and sing in giggles)
CHUNYU FEN:
Well, I am asking them in a gentle voice, but they do not respond. Won’t I be able to return to the court? Otherwise, I’ll mention a few words on my letter of thanks to His Majesty.
(The two Royal Envoys sneer)
CHUNYU FEN:
They have been keeping silent,
But I am ill at ease,
Utterly in a trance.
I have to ask them again in a gentle voice. Envoys, when shall we arrive at Guangling?
TWO ROYAL ENVOYS:
In no time.
(Whip the ox and walk)
CHUNYU FEN (Looks forward):
Oh, it looks like Guangling County!
I can see the dim sight beyond the river,
And the tunnel is the path I followed when I came.
(Walks again)
Oh, this is the lane where my home is.
(Weeps)
Fortunately, my hearth and home is still there,
Which incurs my woeful tears
In view of the quiet sunset scene.
TWO ROYAL ENVOYS:
Here we are at the entrance. Get off the cart!
(Chunyu Fen gets off the cart and steps into the entrance)
TWO ROYAL ENVOYS:
Climb the steps!
CHUNYU FEN (Climbs the steps):
(Astonished at the sight of the bed)
Don’t go there! I am in fear.
TWO ROYAL ENVOYS (Shout aloud):
Chunyu Fen!
(Call three times and Chunyu Fen does not respond)
(Push Chunyu Fen onto the bed)
(Chunyu Fen sleeps in the same manner as before)
TWO ROYAL ENVOYS:
Where are the locust people? Wake up, Chunyu! We’ll be going.
(Exeunt in haste)
CHUNYU FEN (Frightened):
(Wakes from sleep and calls)
Envoys! Envoys!
(Enter Partridge with wine)
PARTRIDGE:
What do you mean by “envoys”? I am Partridge.
(Enter Liu’er and Sha San)
LIU’ER, SHA SAN: