Cyril Birch - Mistress and Maid (Jiaohong Ji) by Meng Chengshun (2001)

Mistress & Maid
( Jiaohongji)
translations from the asian classics

Translations from the Asian Classics
Editorial Board
Wm. Theodore de Bary, Chair

Paul Anderer
Irene Bloom
Donald Keene
George A. Saliba
Haruo Shirane
David D. W. Wang
Burton Watson
Mistress & Maid
( Jiaohongji)
by Meng Chengshun
Translated by Cyril Birch
columbia university press / new york

columbia university press
New York
Columbia University Press wishes to express its appreciation for assistance

given by the Pushkin Fund toward the cost of publishing this book.
Columbia University Press
Publishers Since 1893
New York Chichester, West Sussex
Copyright © 2001 Columbia University Press
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Meng, Ch˚eng-shun, 17th cent.
[Chiao hung chi. English]
Mistress and maid : Jiaohongji / by Meng Chengshun ; translated by
Cyril Birch.
p. cm. — (Translations from the Asian classics)
ISBN 0–231–12168–7 — ISBN 0–231–12169–5 (pbk.)
1. Meng, Ch˚eng-shun, 17th cent.—Translations into English. I.
Title: Jiaohongji. II. Birch, Cyril, 1925– III. Title. IV. Series.
PL2698.M44 C4713 2000
895.1′246—dc21
00–034583
Casebound editions of Columbia University Press books are printed on

permanent and durable acid-free paper.
Printed in the United States of America
Designed by Lisa Hamm
c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To J. I. Crump
& the chimes at midnight
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
Introduction ix
Signposts of Romance xxiii
Cast of Characters 1
scene 1 Legend 3
scene 2 Leaving Home 5
scene 3 Meeting with Bella 11
scene 4 Evening Embroidery 22
scene 5 In Search of a Beauty 30
scene 6 Flower Poems 37
scene 7 Response in Rhyme 43
scene 8 Trouble from Tibet 52
scene 9 Sharing the Lampblack 55
scene 10 Hugging the Stove 62
scene 11 Frontier Defense 71
scene 12 Thwarted Rendezvous 75
scene 13 Dispatching the Summons 83
scene 14 Quiet Despair 86
scene 15 Parting Vows 91
scene 16 Defense of the City 98
scene 17 Seeking a Cure 101
scene 18 Secret Pact 106
scene 19 The Portraits Delivered 113
scene 20 Cutting the Sleeve 117
scene 21 Sending the Matchmaker 126
scene 22 The Match Opposed 132
scene 23 A Drink with Courtesans 141
scene 24 The Matchmaker Reports 150
scene 25 Exorcism 158
viii Contents
scene 26 Third Visit 168

scene 27 The Slippers 176
scene 28 Petal Scolded 184
scene 29 Interrogation 190
scene 30 Viewing the Portraits 196
scene 31 Solemn Pact 202
scene 32 Petal Tells 211
scene 33 Reluctant Parting 220
scene 34 Envoys Appointed 228
scene 35 The Keepsake 232
scene 36 The Road to the Examinations 239
scene 37 Celebration 245
scene 38 Return in Triumph 249
scene 39 Bewitched 254
scene 40 A Haunting Suspected 260
scene 41 The Ghost Exposed 268
scene 42 Master Shuai Proposes 275
scene 43 Parting in Life 281
scene 44 Wedding Rehearsal 290
scene 45 Weeping on the Boat 296
scene 46 Petal Questioned 310
scene 47 Maiden’s Passing 313
scene 48 Joined in Death 324
scene 49 United in the Tomb 335
scene 50 Reunion with Immortals 342
Introduction
The author of Mistress and Maid ( Jiaohongji), Meng Chengshun,

lived from 1599 to 1684. Renewed interest in his plays in China during the last
twenty years has led to the unearthing of some details of his life story, but
there are still blanks, especially for the last twenty-odd years of his long life.
He styled himself Meng Zisai, Ziruo, or Zishi, and invented sobriquets like
Squire Cloud-Rest and Transcendent Chronicler of the Isles of Flowers,
which express his disdain for worldly trammels but suggest also a mild self-
mockery.
Meng Chengshun’s family belonged to the mandarin class of Shaoxing, a
populous city in the central coastal province of Zhejiang. Shaoxing has long
been noted for the production of fine wine, lawyers, and literary talent;
Meng’s own writings reflected the libertarian ideas of his brilliant, unpre-
dictable fellow-townsman, the dramatist and painter Xu Wei, who died just a
few years before Meng was born. In the twentieth century, Shaoxing’s tradi-
tional eminence was reaffirmed by the fiery and greatly gifted fiction writer
and polemicist Lu Xun.
Meng Chengshun was already middle-aged by 1644, the year the Ming dy-
nasty finally collapsed under its weight of corrupt and inefficient senility and
the alien Manchus entered Beijing to establish the last of China’s dynasties
of conquest, the Qing. The national catastrophe did not spare the intellectual
and artistic elite of Jiangnan, “South of the River.” One of Meng’s closest
friends, Qi Biaojia, a Ming loyalist official, was a noted book collector and a
diarist who recorded an extraordinary number of dramatic performances he
had witnessed. Qi’s estate in Shaoxing was the meeting place for the con-
vivial poets, artists, and music lovers who comprised the Maple Club. But Qi
had also served the Ming as a censor and later a local governor, and in 1644
he retired to a monastery; the following year he drowned himself rather
than accept office under the Manchus. Another close friend was the famous
painter, the bohemian Chen Hongshou, who took refuge as a Buddhist
monk in a mountain monastery after 1644 and died eight years later.
Meng Chengshun was for years a member of the reform-minded Revival
x Introduction
Society, but like many of the educated men of his time he was not destined
for an important role in the imperial bureaucracy, whether of the native
Ming or of the new Manchu power. He was fifty before he passed the
provincial examination for the second degree, the juren, in 1649 and began
service as a xundao, supervising the education of prospective examination
candidates in the prefecture of Songyang, in the southern part of Zhejiang
province. He “left a fragrant name” in local records for his improvements in
the restoration of buildings and the provision of land for funding studies. A
few years in this modest post, however, was the total extent of his official ca-
reer. It has been suggested that his resignation and return home in 1656 may
have been related to his defense of local literati against the threat of perse-
cution by the Manchu authorities.1
Meng Chengshun’s claim to fame as a dramatist and scholar of the drama

was already established by the 1630s. He seems to have been a man of the
stage as well as the study, holding that it was the duty of the drama scholar
to take part in dramatic performance, and of the playwright to think himself
into the characters he was portraying. He compiled and carefully edited an
important collection of fifty-six zaju or northern-style plays from the Yuan
and Ming dynasties. Plays of this kind had usually only one or two singing
roles and could be performed in a single afternoon or evening. Meng him-
self wrote five zaju plays, which still survive (he included four of them in his
own great collection).
The other favored mode of poetic drama in Meng’s day was the chuanqi
or “southern” romance, which might run to fifty or more scenes as numer-
ous personages, almost all singing roles, worked out an involved plot. Three
of the five chuanqi Meng composed are still extant; the chuanqi romance
Mistress and Maid, in fifty scenes, is his longest play and is regarded as his
masterpiece.
Three of Meng’s plays celebrate lovers faithful unto death. There were at
least two good reasons for the popularity of such a theme in late-Ming
times. One lay in the intellectual atmosphere created by the eclectic philoso-
phers of the immediately preceding generations: liberation from stifling con-
vention, celebration of the claims of spontaneous feeling, sympathy for the
aspirations of youth. But given the political background of the time it is easy
to see the other reason: the loyalty of the romantic lover to his chosen one
Introduction xi
could stand as metaphor for a different kind of commitment. Both before

and after 1644 the world of the aspiring scholar-official was a world of dilem-
ma. He would train all his life to serve his emperor but might never win ap-
pointment to office. Once he was established in the bureaucracy, what might
be his response should a foreign usurper occupy the dragon throne? The in-
tellectual world, as we see from the experiences of Meng Chengshun him-
self and his associates, was agog with clashing loyalties and agonizing choic-
es: continued service to what remnants survived of the doomed and rapidly
fading authority of the Ming? Transfer of allegiance to the conqueror in Bei-
jing? Retirement to the seclusion of a monastery or one’s estate or the hills?
Suicide? We may well agree with critics who suggest that the faithful,
doomed lovers of Meng’s plays served at one level to represent and honor
the many men who chose obscurity, privations, or even martyrdom out of
reverence for the three-hundred-year-old regime of the great Ming.2
Meng’s best-known zaju play, Peach Bloom and Winsome Face (Taohua renmian),
is based on a narrative poem of Tang times. Its heroine, in her seventeenth
year giving her heart to a young stranger, pines in his absence and is saved at
the very point of death by his timely return to claim her hand. No complica-
tions, no parental opposition or rival suitor, simply a moving manifesto of
the sanctity of requited passion.
The second of Meng’s plays about steadfast lovers, The Chaste Poetess (Zhen-
wenji), a chuanqi romance in thirty-five scenes, is based on the life of the his-
torical woman poet Zhang Yuniang, who lived in Songyang in the thirteenth
century. A branch of Meng Chengshun’s clan had established itself in
Songyang, and on a visit to relatives some years before he assumed his post
in the educational hierarchy there, he learned of Zhang Yuniang’s life and
was saddened by the neglected state of her tomb. Eventually he was able to
publish her collected poems and build a temple to her memory. His play
tells the story of her vow to remain faithful to the man to whom her par-
ents betrothed her, and her continued observance of the vow even after her
father’s cancellation of the engagement and the young man’s premature
death shortly thereafter. The preface to The Chaste Poetess is dated 1643, but this
is false: Meng probably wrote the play shortly after his resignation in 1656,
but “recognizing its political implications and fearing persecution, he pur-
posely dated the work to precede the Ming collapse.”3
Mistress and Maid was the first chuanqi play Meng composed. It bears pref-
xii Introduction
aces dated 1638 and 1639 by the author himself and by friends, including
Chen Hongshou, who provided illustrations and a marginal commentary in
addition to his preface. The full title of the work reads The Story of (Wang)
Jiao(niang) and (Fei)hong and of Chastity and Integrity in the Mandarin-duck Tomb (Jieyi
yuanyangzhong Jiaohongji); normally this is shortened to The Mandarin-duck Tomb
or simply The Story of Jiao and Hong. Jiaoniang is the mistress, Feihong the maid
of the title I have adopted for this English translation. To help the reader dis-
tinguish the female characters from the males I have translated their names,
so that Jiaoniang (“charming girl”) becomes Bella, and Feihong (“flying red”)
becomes Petal. Names of male personages are romanized rather than trans-
lated. Including the maid Feihong or Petal in the title, whether in the original
Chinese or in my translation, may seem odd when Bella’s cousin and lover,
Shen Chun, is obviously more central to the action, but it is a justifiable
recognition that Petal is a much more fully developed character than the
usual stock “pert maidservant” of the Chinese stage.
The meaning of the alternative title of the play, The Mandarin-duck Tomb, be-
comes clear when we reach the final scenes. The allusion is to the numerous
early tales of faithful but ill-fated lovers, above whose adjoining graves grew
trees that shared common roots and interlocking branches. The graves were
thus integrated, paired and forever inseparable in the way of the prime sym-
bols of absolute fidelity, the male and female mandarin duck. In a classic
case, the point is underscored by having actual mandarin ducks roost in the
branches of the interlocking trees. This happens in a story set in the ancient
period of the Warring States. A palace steward named Han Ping has a beauti-
ful wife named Ho. The prince their master seizes Ho for himself, and Han
Ping in despair takes his own life; Madam Ho swiftly follows him in death
but leaves a request to the prince to inter her body with that of her hus-
band. The fourth-century account continues:
The angry prince refused her wish. He had the locals bury her where she
lay: their two graves faced each other from a distance. “Your love is sup-
posed to be forever! If it can bring these tombs together, I shall not stand
in the way,” said the prince.
Within a day a great catalpa tree had sprung up on the corner of each
grave. In ten days the trees’ girth could not be spanned by human arms,
Introduction xiii
and they had inclined toward each other; their roots mingled below the
earth and their limbs twined above. Two love-birds (mandarin ducks), one
male and its mate, roosted in these trees both night and day; they twined
their necks and called most plaintively. The sound of their cries moved all
men.4
Mistress and Maid is Meng Chengshun’s longest and most highly regarded play.
In essence it is a retelling of what has been called one of the two most influ-
ential love stories in Ming literature, the other being celebrated in the great
zaju sequence The Story of the Western Wing. The “Story of Jiaoniang and Feihong”
was first told in the form of a classical-style novella by Song Yuan (Song Mei-
dong) early in the Yuan period. Song Yuan’s tale (purportedly based on a real-
life tragedy that occurred in the twelfth century) reappeared in various mod-
ified versions in Ming-dynasty fiction miscellanies and formed the basis of at
least five zaju plays and two other chuanqi dramas before Meng Cheng-
shun’s fifty-scene masterwork; some of these earlier plays are lost, others
survive only in fragmentary form.5 There is a modern reprint of the
fifteenth-century two-zaju cycle Jiaohongji by Liu Dui.6
Wang Jiaoniang (Bella), Feihong (Petal), and the other major characters of
Mistress and Maid are already present in the original novella. As in The Chaste Po-
etess, we have a father reneging on his daughter’s marital pact and the refusal
of two lovers to accept separation other than by death—or even after death,
since they make and fulfill their vow to share a single burying place, the
mandarin-duck tomb. The daring twist in the plot of Mistress and Maid, how-
ever, is the heroine’s self-assertion in selecting her own partner, bestowing
herself on him, and participating in a private, clandestine rite of marriage in
advance of any marital negotiations on the part of her parents. In this way
the play poses a strong challenge to the conventional morality of the
arranged marriage. But if it were no more than just another volley in the bat-
tle for freedom of choice, for the rights of the young and especially of the
sequestered daughters of social-climbing parents, it would be of less interest
to us as a play. The glory of Mistress and Maid is the tender delicacy of the
lovers’ interactions.
The influence of Tang Xianzu’s masterpiece, The Peony Pavilion (1598), is very
evident in the establishment of qing, “feeling, passion” as a supreme value in
xiv Introduction
Bella Wang’s life commitment. The depth of feeling manifested by the young
cousins is what distinguishes the play from the mass of “talent-meets-
beauty” (caizi-jiaren) tales, the classical Chinese version of boy-meets-girl ro-
mance, that flourished throughout the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, the
late-imperial age.
The whole genre of romance is filled with conventions of plotting and
imagery: the heroine’s fragile sensitivity to the fading blossoms that mark
the passing of her springtime; the obtuseness of her parents; the hero’s de-
spair of success in his career; the boorishness of the rich young wastrel who
threatens to win the marital stakes. Again, what saves Mistress and Maid is the
appeal of the two young lovers, their sheer likability and the sensitive depic-
tion of the interplay between them. They are squarely in the caizi-jiaren tra-
dition, yet neither of Meng Chengshun’s principal characters is fully in ac-
cord with the standard of the genre. Bella, the cloistered dutiful daughter, is
startlingly modern at times in her sense of her own individual worth, her
boldness in recognition and pursuit of her lover, Shen Chun, and her refusal
to let him take her for granted. As for Shen Chun himself, he is an honorable
and devoted suitor—but human enough to have a history of modest roister-
ing, and not above some suggestive flirtation with the maid.
This girl, Petal, has a prominence in the action well beyond that of the
conventional maidservant-confidante that fully justifies the inclusion of her
name in the play’s title. Her characterization develops in interesting ways
through the course of the play. In the early scenes, the combination of the
pathos of her position (her evident destiny to become concubine rather than
wife) with her devotion to Bella’s well-being elicits audience sympathy.Yet
she has her own amorous yearnings for Shen, feels the indignity of her me-
nial status, flirts with him, and deliberately causes trouble for her young mis-
tress. Then, after all the complications brought about by her aspiration to be
Bella’s rival, by the closing scenes her heart fills with compassion for the ill-
fated lovers. In the spectacular “Reunion with Immortals” scene that provides
the grand finale, Petal is, fittingly, granted the first vision of the spirits of the
lovers, inhabitants now of a higher sphere.
Chinese historians have listed Mistress and Maid among their “ten great
tragedies,” and although it is not one of the best-known chuanqi romances, it
has a special place in the development of the literature. The central narrative
Introduction xv
of the supreme eighteenth-century novel Dream of the Red Chamber (Hon-

gloumeng, which David Hawkes translated using the alternative title Story of the
Stone) is woven around the doomed love of two cousins, Jia Baoyu and Lin
Daiyu (Black Jade). No pair of lovers in earlier Chinese fiction or drama is
more likely to have provided the model for these two than the protagonists
of Mistress and Maid, Shen Chun and Wang Jiaoniang (Bella in my translation).
The modern editor of the Chinese text, Ouyang Guang, is confident that
Shen Chun, in prizing marital happiness above the achievement of rank and
fame, is prefiguring Jia Baoyu as romantic hero. The author of the Red Chamber,
Cao Xueqin, was such an enthusiast of the drama that he seems originally to
have planned a play rather than a novel—traces of his plan survive in the
songs of early chapters. There can be no doubt he knew Meng Chengshun’s
play, and we cannot now read the scenes of the nervous, almost neurotic
mutual misunderstandings between Shen and Bella without thinking ahead
a hundred years to the wonderful episodes in Cao Xueqin’s great work, such
as the quarrel over the Western Wing in chapter 23 or the incident of the fish-
erman’s hat in chapter 45.
The Western Wing is a romantic play—with a reputation for licentiousness—
that Lin Daiyu cajoles Jia Baoyu into showing her. Her evident enjoyment
emboldens Baoyu to quote a suggestive couplet:
The more she read, the more she liked it, and before very long she had
read several acts. . . .
“Well,” said Baoyu, “is it good?”
Daiyu smiled and nodded.
Baoyu laughed:
“‘How can I, full of sickness and of woe,
Withstand that face which kingdoms could o’erthrow?’“
Daiyu reddened to the tips of her ears. The eyebrows that seemed to
frown but somehow didn’t were raised now in anger and the lovely eyes
flashed. There was rage in her crimson cheeks and resentment in all her
looks.
“You’re hateful!”—she pointed a finger at him in angry accusal—“delib-
erately using that horrid play to take advantage of me. I’m going straight
off to tell Uncle and Aunt!” . . .
xvi Introduction
“Please, please forgive me! Dearest coz! If I had the slightest intention
of taking advantage of you, may I fall into the water and be eaten up by
an old bald-headed turtle!” . . .
His ridiculous declamation provoked a sudden explosion of mirth.
She laughed and simultaneously wiped the tears away with her
knuckles. . . .
—(hawkes translation)
Chapter 45 of the Dream of the Red Chamber tells of the consumptive Lin
Daiyu composing melancholy verses on a rainy night. Suddenly Baoyu ar-
rives for a visit, wearing a fisherman’s straw cloak and enormous woven
bamboo hat. She laughs at this spectacle and greets him as “The Old Fisher-
man!” They chat amicably for a while; Baoyu points out the advantages of his
rustic get-up and offers to get her a similar outfit:
“I don’t want one, thank you,” said Daiyu laughing. “If I were to wear one
of those, I should look like one of those old fisherwomen you see in
paintings sometimes and on the stage.”
Immediately after saying this she realized that she had virtually been
offering herself as a fishwife to Baoyu’s old fisherman and wished the re-
mark unsaid. She blushed with embarrassment and leaned forwards,
racked with coughing, over the table. But Baoyu appeared not to have no-
ticed. What drew his attention was the poem he had just spotted which
lay on the table beside her. He picked it up and read it. A murmur of
praise which escaped involuntarily from his lips brought Daiyu to her
feet. She snatched the paper from him and burned it over the lamp. But
Baoyu only laughed.
“Too late! I’ve already memorized it.”
—(hawkes translation)
Cao Xueqin was a writer of true and extraordinary genius, and the scope and
complexity of his fiction permitted him to delve more deeply into the psy-
chology of his lovers. And yet the young cousins of Meng Chengshun’s play,
like the characters of Cao Xueqin’s novel, develop an individuality that sets
them apart from the stereotypical figures of the caizi-jiaren romances. In his
poetic diction also, Meng shows a good deal of originality, although he ex-
Introduction xvii
ploits the usual allusions to classical model lovers and other poetic tropes to
a degree that risks trying the reader’s patience. The set of what I have labeled
“Signposts of Romance” appended to this introduction will give some idea of
the dominance of cliché in plays of the chuanqi genre: I list some thirteen of
Meng Chengshun’s favorite sources of allusion, indicate their general range
of significance, and ask the reader on coming across a Roman numeral in the
text simply to refer to this section for enlightenment. Frequently in the
course of the play, Meng Chengshun assumes audience familiarity with peo-
ple and incidents appearing in early collections of anecdotes. Two such
works have recently been translated into English: the fourth-century Soushen-
ji, translated by Kenneth DeWoskin and James I. Crump under the title In
Search of the Supernatural (Stanford University Press, 1996, quoted above); and
the fifth-century Shishuo xinyu, translated as A New Account of Tales of the World by
Richard H. Mather (University of Minnesota Press, 1976).
What raises the level of the play’s language above the commonplace, in-
deed, time and again to true and brilliant poetry, is the exploitation of such
symbolic actions as “sharing the lampblack” in scene 9. It is early in the
courtship—Shen Chun and Bella have done little more than exchange
amorous glances and verses with matching rhymes—when Shen visits his
beautiful cousin to find her completing her morning toilet. She has been col-
lecting lampblack to paint her eyebrows. Shen has an aria envying the lamp-
black, which has “served at your dressing-table to grace mascara’d brows . . .
left its trace on pillow by rouge of cheek”; he begs a portion of it to make ink
for a letter to his distant parents. Bella assents, soils her fingers as she divides
the lampblack into two piles, and rather daringly dusts her hands off on
Shen’s sleeve. Emboldened, Shen laughingly declares, “I shall cherish these
stains as love-tokens!”
No cliché here: unlike peach bloom by moonlight or slippers embroi-
dered with paired mandarin ducks, lampblack is hardly something associat-
ed with romantic love.Yet lampblack in this scene is the central symbol for
our caizi-jiaren, our two users of the brush, Bella to cosmetically enhance
her beauty and Shen Chun to express his genius in calligraphy and poetry.
Calligraphy, painting, poetry, and feminine beauty are inextricably linked, and
indeed the shared lampblack is the harbinger of shared bodies, prefigured
when Bella leaves her sooty fingerprints on Shen’s sleeve.
The passage vividly conveys the yearnings and the torments of budding
xviii Introduction
young love: no sooner have they touched than Bella repulses Shen for his
overexplicit teasing. Longing for love, fear of rejection, desires and scoldings,
a clumsy advance in the midst of elegant wooing, kneeling for forgiveness,
and regret expressed in private: the scene is full of movement and the per-
fect foil for the tender confessions of love in the scene that follows, “Hugging
the Stove.” Again, just as lampblack may have special connotations in the
Chinese context, so the phrase “hugging the stove” conjures up important as-
sociations. For these, we need to recall the history of Zhuo Wenjun and Sima
Xiangru, which I have sketched below in the paragraph labeled IX of my
“Signposts of Romance.”
One more “symbolic action” deserves comment. It commemorates the
lovers’ first commitment to each other in scene 20 and provides the scene’s
title, “Cutting the Sleeve.” The sleeve as keepsake is not something unique to
Chinese romance: the costumes of young gallants and their mistresses in
Renaissance Europe had detachable sleeves, which could conveniently be
given or exchanged as love tokens. Moreover, in the classical forms of Chi-
nese theater sleeves have a special use and significance as a most expressive
item of the actor’s garb. The long, flowing white “water-sleeve” of the female
lead, or even the shorter white cuff of the male, can tremble, flutter, twist,
droop, fly up, screen the face, dry the eyes—can all by itself convey a range of
emotional states through a unique code. When in scene 9 Bella leaves traces
of lampblack on Shen’s sleeve, she is foreshadowing what will happen in
scene 20. This is the time of her willing submission to Shen’s ardent pleas.
He leads her (by the sleeve, we should note) offstage, and when they return
he surveys his own sleeve to find it stained with blood. Bella is suitably em-
barrassed but still sufficiently self-possessed to cut off the sleeve as she
sings the aria line “This sleeve bears its rouge traces of our love” and vows to
keep it “as token for the time to come” of this, their first night.
Mistress and Maid is more exclusively dedicated to its young protagonists
and to the progress of their ill-fated love, especially in the first half of the ac-
tion, than a number of chuanqi plays. It lacks the wide range of characters
and incidents of a play like Tang Xianzu’s Peony Pavilion, mentioned above,
whose lush romantic scenes are offset by low-life burlesque, satire of
pedantic scholars and bawdy nuns, solemn pomp of military action, and the
lampooning of clownish barbarians. Meng Chengshun evidently, and no
Introduction xix
doubt with justification, credited his mid-seventeenth century audience with

a high degree of tolerance of the pathetic. As a result the reader or playgoer
of today is likely to find some stretches of Mistress and Maid, especially the late
scenes, irritatingly tear-filled and prolix. But even the repetitious cycle of part-
ings and pinings has its positive side in the incremental growth of tragic
force. Bella’s heroic resistance to the oppression of a mediocre marriage is
matched by Shen Chun’s willing sacrifice of career, and his sacrifice in the
end of life itself, in fulfillment of his loyal commitment to his chosen bride.
Obviously Mistress and Maid, with fifty scenes and hundreds of arias, many
sung at slow tempi, was far too long to be performed on a single day.
Chuanqi plays of this length often feature a central scene that acts as a kind
of “minor grand finale,” ending the first day’s presentation.7 Precisely the
twenty-fifth scene, “Exorcism,” provides a lesser climax to the action that fur-
thermore is guaranteed to leave the audience laughing as they await the ad-
ventures, and the concluding pathos, of the second day. Bella’s family has
just rejected Shen Chun’s proposal of marriage, and our hero must find a
way to reinsert himself into her household and renew his suit. With the help
of his matchmaker, he comes up with a brilliant stratagem involving the
phony exorcism of a nonexistent demon. The carrying out of the plan in
scene 25 provides effective satire of pseudo-Daoist mumbo-jumbo and cre-
ates a genuine comic masterpiece as a rascally crew succeeds in hoodwink-
ing Shen’s solemnly innocent father and brother.
The first half of the play is the most lyrically passionate, principally con-
cerned as it is with exploring the growth of mutual devotion between the
two principals, Shen Chun and Bella. But the second half has its own riches
to offer. It is here that the character of Petal, the maid, reaches full develop-
ment through the twists and turns of her flirtation with Shen and her even-
tual dedication to consoling the dying Bella. Minor characters further enliven
the later scenes. Some entertaining burlesque revolves around Shen Chun’s
rival, the fatuous rich kid Shuai, and his attendants Tertius Ma and Decimus
Ge, two scoundrelly lickspittles who would fit perfectly into a performance
of The Alchemist. Lovey Ding, in contrast, is a movingly presented character, the
standard courtesan with heart of gold. In the long and lively scene 23, which
sets up the complications of the discovery of Bella’s slippers in the hero’s
studio, she ungrudgingly helps along Shen’s courtship of Bella; yet she is
xx Introduction
obliged to please any patron, even the horrible young Shuai in whose “Wed-
ding Rehearsal” she participates (scene 44).
An intriguing ghost causes complications in a sequence of scenes from
39 on. The “hungry revenant,” a vampirish spirit who assumes the form of a
bewitching beauty to seduce a mortal and replace him in the world of the
living, is a common motif in the imaginative literature of the time. But the
ghost who impersonates Bella is a curiously wistful creature, a character of
some complexity. It is hard to withhold sympathy from her, whether or not
the dramatist intended such an effect.
More than three and a half centuries after it was written, there are all
sorts of reasons for reading Mistress and Maid. For the past twenty years it has
been hailed by Chinese critics as essentially revolutionary in its depiction of
youthful resistance to an oppressive system of latter-day Confucian values.
In the dramatic literature, even if it cannot quite rank with The Story of the West-
ern Wing or The Peony Pavilion, the lyric quality and psychological truth of Mis-
tress and Maid have secured for Meng Chengshun’s tragedy an honorable
place in the line of succession.
notes
1. See Wai-yee Li, “Heroic Transformations: Women and National Trauma in Early Qing
Literature,” Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 59, No. 2 (December 1999): 363–443.
2. See the English-language article by the Dutch scholar Wilt L. Idema, “Female Talent
and Female Virtue: Xu Wei’s Nu Zhuangyuan and Meng Chengshun’s Zhenwenji” in Hua
Wei and Wang Ailing, eds., Ming-Qing xiqu guoji yantaohui lunwenji (Taipei: Academia Sinica,
1998), II:551–574.
3. Wai-yee Li, “Heroic Transformations,” 426.
4. Translation by Kenneth DeWoskin and James I. Crump, In Search of the Supernatural, 138.
5. Richard G. Wang gives a comprehensive listing of Yuan-Ming versions of the Jiao-
hongji story in his article “The Cult of Qing: Romanticism in the Late Ming Period and in
the Novel Jiao Hong Ji,” Ming Studies 33 (August 1994): 12–55. He sums up the situation as
follows: “In short, there remain at least nine Ming versions of Jiaohongji, eight of which
belong to the period of the late Ming, and two complete Ming dramas adapted from it,
one of which belongs to the late Ming” (32). The other “most influential”—and nowadays
Introduction xxi
much better known—love story is that of Cui Yingying, by the Tang writer Yuan Zhen,
which formed the basis for the great Yuan-Ming serial zaju Romance of the Western Wing.
6. In Zheng Zhenduo, ed., Shijie wenku (Shanghai: Commercial Press, 1936), 3:985–1016.
7. Wilt Idema’s phrase, in correspondence; I am indebted to him for underlining the
significance of scene 25 as a major turning point in the play.
Signposts of Romance
Numerous fairy-tale and other figures were so ever-present

to the Chinese imagination during the late Ming that it was evidently impos-
sible to write a romance without reference to them. They live and breathe
always in the background, and mention of them, or of things or places
associated with them, acts as a signpost to some kind of romantic or marital
relationship. Such signposts crop up in Meng Chengshun’s Mistress and Maid
at least as frequently as in most other works of its genre. The following
paragraphs are offered as a sort of master lexicon of this play’s favorite allu-
sions—or we might say Meng Chengshun’s favorite allusions, since most of
the thirteen listed here occur in the brief span, no more than a score or so
pages, of his zaju play Peach Bloom and Winsome Face. I have numbered the
paragraphs for convenience, and invite the reader to consult these brief ex-
planatory notes whenever a Roman numeral appears in the translated text
of the play. Less frequently used allusions are footnoted in the usual way,
but flagging the thirteen most common ones helps to avoid an excess of
cross-references of the type of “see above, scene so-and-so, note
so-and-so.”
signpost i: Herdboy and Weaving Maid
Folktales relating to heavenly bodies have a strong romantic flavor. The

Herdboy is the bright star Altair, of the constellation Aquila, and the Weaving
Maid is Vega, which is in Lyra. Because the two stars are visible simultane-
ously only for a short time in the year, legend identifies them as two lovers
condemned to dwell apart on opposite sides of the Milky Way (the Silver
Stream or River of Heaven) and permitted to cross it only on the night of
the seventh day of the seventh month. This date marked the Lovers’
Festival; on that night, magpies formed a bridge to permit the astral pair’s
reunion.
xxiv Signposts of Romance
signpost ii: The Old Man in the Moonlight and His Red Thread
of Betrothal
From an early tale of an encounter with a old man seated outside an inn,
reading by moonlight. His text proves to be a universal Register of Betrothals,
and his pack contains a quantity of red thread with which, he explains, his
task is to link together the feet of those predestined to marry, no matter how
far they might be separated by distance, rank, or fortune.
signpost iii: Chang’o, Goddess of the Moon
In mythical times,Yi the Great Archer, who shot down nine of the ten suns
that threatened to incinerate the earth, requested and received the elixir of
immortality from the Queen Mother of the West. Chang’o stole the elixir
and fled with it to the moon. Not only an emblem of great beauty, she is as-
sociated with success in scholarship and in love, since one who placed high
on the examination lists was held to have “plucked the cassia flower that
blooms in the moon.”
signpost iv: Bluebird, Wild Goose, and Fish Messengers
The bluebird served as messenger for the legendary Queen Mother of the
West in her trysts with the Han emperor Wudi. Lovers and others use vari-
ous creatures for their correspondence, as demonstrated by stories of cap-
tives beyond the frontier sending back messages by tying them to the legs of
migrating birds, and of fish that when caught and gutted prove to have se-
cret missives written on silk inside their bellies. Perhaps associated with such
tales of fish messengers is an account of a lady who makes paper envelopes
in the shape of carp, painting scales on each side and inserting her letters in
the belly.
signpost v: Witch’s Mount, Jasper Pavilion, Terrace of the Sun
The Gaotang fu by the pre-Han poet Song Yu was a most fecund source of
sexual imagery. E. H. Schafer (The Divine Woman [Berkeley: University of Califor-
nia Press, 1973], pp. 35–36) describes the prose introduction to the poem as
follows (romanization modernized):
Signposts of Romance xxv
In the “Rhapsody on Gaotang,” named for a holy hill in Chu, a king, posthu-
mously styled “Xiang,” is revealed strolling in the company of Song Yu. He is
amazed to see a misty column rising on Gaotang’s eminence—a vapor
that constantly wavers and assumes new but inconstant shapes. The king
asks the poet, “What is that vapor?” and Song Yu replies, “It is called ‘Cloud
of Dawn.’”“To what does ‘Cloud of Dawn’ refer?”“Once, long ago,” says Song
Yu, “a former king strolled at Gaotang.” He goes on to tell how that ancient
king had once disposed himself lazily for a daytime rest and, in a dream or
vision, had seen a woman who addressed him thus: “Your handmaiden is
the Woman of Shamanka Mountain, now a visitor at Gaotang. Hearing that
you, milord, were strolling at Gaotang, I wished to offer myself to your pil-
low and mat.”The king therefore gave her his favor. She left him with these
words: “On the sunlit slope of Shamanka Mountain, at the steep places of
the high hill-your handmaiden is ‘Dawn Cloud’ in the morning, ‘Moving
Rain’ in the evening. Dawn after dawn, evening after evening, below the
sunlit platform!” In the morning the king looked for her in vain. Later he
raised a temple to her and styled it “Dawn Cloud.”
The poem itself describes, in Schafer’s words, “the mystic powers of the deity
herself, embroidering the facets of her beauty, her protean shapes, and her
evanescent charms in scintillating language. She appears almost as a meteor-
ological phenomenon, sparkling and trembling, darting and quivering, like a
sequence of misty rainbows, but often also like a fleeting bird.”
signpost vi: The Cuckoo’s Tears
The soul of Wangdi, king of the southwestern state of Shu in ancient times,
transmigrated at his death into a hawk-cuckoo. The red breast of this bird is
attributed to its weeping tears of blood—the tears the dying ruler shed for the
loss of his kingdom. The Chinese word dujuan is the name for both the cuckoo
and the azalea, its flowers stained red by these tears; the bird’s melancholy
call is heard by humans as the words bu ru guiqu, “better go back!”
signpost vii: Xiang River Bamboos
More tears, and back to the myth-haunted land of Chu: a speckled bamboo
grows there, whose markings resulted from the weeping of the two widows
of the legendary sage-emperor Shun.
xxvi Signposts of Romance
signpost viii: Fondle Jade
Fondle Jade was the daughter of Duke Mu of Qin in classical times. She was
given in marriage to an expert flautist named Xiao Shi, who taught her both
to play the flute and to imitate the call of the phoenix. So cleverly did she do
this that a phoenix appeared, whereupon Fondle Jade mounted it and rode
as an immortal to heaven, Xiao Shi riding a dragon by her side. The use of
“playing the flute” as a euphemism for fellatio may have both given rise to
this tale and contributed to its popularity as an emblem of romantic love.
signpost ix: Wenjun and Sima Xiangru
The classic lovers most frequently alluded to in Mistress and Maid, no doubt
because of their successful resistance to parental opposition. The Han dy-
nasty poet Sima Xiangru eloped with Wenjun, daughter of the wealthy Zhuo
family, and kept a wine shop with her to ward off poverty in the years before
the court recognized and rewarded his talent. The action of scene 10, “Hug-
ging the Stove,” is in itself an allusion to the stove on which Sima heated the
wine for Wenjun to serve to their customers. Wenjun once dissuaded Sima
from taking a concubine by writing a poem on growing white-haired togeth-
er; another element of their history alluded to in the play is the swansdown
robe that Sima once traded for wine.
signpost x: Peach-Blossom Spring
The great fourth-century poet Tao Qian or Tao Yuanming wrote a celebrated
allegory about a fisherman of Wuling who followed to its source a stream
that bore peach blossoms on its surface. He discovered a utopian mountain
realm totally isolated from the contemporary world, which no one ever
could find again after he returned to his home. Ming writers often conflated
this legend with that of two men named Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao, who
found fairy love by following a peachbloom-laden stream into the Tiantai
(Terrace of Heaven) Mountains.
signpost xi: Blue Bridge
A Tang story about a man named Pei Hang contains a poem predicting that
he would meet the love of his life,Yunying, at Blue Bridge (Lanqiao). A partic-
Signposts of Romance xxvii
ularly precious jade comes from a place called Lantian, “Indigo Field,” whose
name also suggests the old legend of a man who was given a load of rocks
by an immortal and told to plant them; he did so, and by turning into jade
they helped him win a beautiful wife. “Jade Capital” is a term for the Daoist
paradise. The envoi to scene 3 juggles Blue Bridge, Indigo Field, and the Jade
Capital in lines that richly suggest the hero’s bewildered infatuation with the
lovely young cousin he has just met. A later allusion to Blue Bridge identifies
it as the place where in classical times a young man named Wei, awaiting his
beloved, clung to a pier and drowned in flood waters rather than break their
assignation.
signpost xii: The Rainbow Skirt
The “Song of the Rainbow Skirt” was music taught in Fairyland to the Tang
emperor Xuanzong, who had his musicians play it for his beautiful Honored
Consort,Yang Guifei, to dance to. The all-consuming love of these two, which
cost Xuanzong his empire and Guifei her life, has been among the most
popular subjects of ballads, novellas, and plays throughout the centuries.
signpost xiii: The Red Leaf Poem
A woman named Han of the Tang imperial harem inscribed a love poem on
a leaf, which she floated out of the palace confines down a drainage ditch. It
was picked up by Yu You, who floated a response by similar means back into
the inner palace. In the course of time, three thousand residents of the
harem were given their freedom, and Yu You and the lady Han became man
and wife.
Mistress & Maid
( Jiaohongji)
Cast of Characters
(in order of appearance)
shen chun, aspiring candidate for the state examinations

shen qing, retired scholar of Chengdu, Sichuan, and father of Shen Chun
madam shen, née Wang, mother of Shen Chun
shen lun, older brother of Shen Chun
wang wenrui, Assistant Magistrate of Meizhou, Sichuan, and brother of Madam Shen
madam wang, wife of Wang Wenrui
petal (Feihong), maidservant to Madam Wang
gatekeeper to Wang family
bella (Wang Jiaoniang), daughter of Wang Wenrui
tertius ma
decimus ge } rascally hangers-on of Master Shuai
master shuai, a rich idler
}
smartie
maids in the Wang household
river lass
king of tibet
tribesmen of tibet
shuai, Military Governor of Western Sichuan and father of Master Shuai
scout and troops serving under Governor Shuai
Militiamen and squad leaders
gatekeeper to Shen family
matchmaker
chen zhongyou, friend and drinking companion of Chen Chun

lovey ding
little chubby } courtesans
2 Cast of Characters
sister zhang, Daoist priestess

lad, acolyte in attendance on Sister Zhang
coachman
two students attending the state examinations
ghost of a girl
boatman
boatman’s wife
lord of the brightening east, god of love, with attendant sylphs
scene 1
Legend
prologue speaker
(enters and sings):
(Tune: Xijiang yue)

Wine-hazy, watching dancers grace the garden
sit at ease now to enjoy the latest songs.
Splendor and desolation, both alike dissipate
today in an instant turns into long ago.
One spell of wandering for dim-lit soul
two trickling lines of red-stained tears.
Where in this world, true husband and chaste wife?
Love too intense is burden hard to bear.
(He recites in verse):
Jiaoniang, Miss Bella, daughter of the Wang family

and Master Shen whose name, Houqing, means “steadfast”
the one a matchless beauty, the other a talent supreme
secret betrothal their hearts’ desire
each vows to each to be true.
Laughingly tossing sprays of flowering pear
chatting by cosy stove
a love to endure through life and death.
Nuptial affinity bright
they share lampblack, sever a sleeve as boon
begin now their romance of breeze and moon.
But the sought match is blocked

regrets outreach the heavens, cover the earth
no way the two can unite.
Then Petal, secretly jealous
makes rift after rift between them
4 scene 1: Legend
and Master Shuai, lordly and lustful

screws down his family’s power
to force a marriage tie.
But man and maiden
love adamant their doom
pair as twin mandarin ducks in faithful tomb.
ENVOI:
Chaste Bella gives her heart to passionate lover
pretty Petal’s jealousy blocks true bliss
rich wastrel forces his company on swallow and oriole
faithful Shen’s love lights mandarin-duck tomb.
scene 2
Leaving Home
shen chun:
(Tune: Man jiang hong)

With talents Heaven-bestowed
youthful ambition outsoaring the white clouds
how to take wing across the sky’s broad dome
to a life of honor and glory?
The bright sword at my waist cries out for use1
and when shall red thread of betrothal bind my heel? (II)
Like Pan An or Song Yu, poets of old

I dread my autumn thoughts
my yearnings never cease.
(He recites):
Gan Luo at twelve served at the court of Qin

while I at twenty drift in obscurity
worthless until I ride the dragon’s head;2
topknot raven black, career already flecked with frost!
A lamentable lot
1. Shen’s line actually alludes to the sword by the name of a celebrated weapon of an-
tiquity, Green Duckweed, so called presumably because of its propensity to roam like
duckweed in endless, restless search. Shen’s eagerness for martial action recalls the old
tradition of chivalrous swordsmen (see James J.Y. Liu, The Chinese Knight Errant), but the
sword he speaks of is probably a metaphorical one, to be wielded in bureaucratic ser-
vice of the emperor. Even as late as Ming times, however, a scholar traveling to the cap-
ital for the examinations might still find a sword useful to discourage bandits on his
journey.
2. I.e., until I achieve success in the state examinations.
6 scene 2: Leaving Home
solitary, adrift
no prospect yet for marriage or advancement:
only a meeting with moon goddess Chang’o (III)
will bring my brother and myself
fame as twin phoenix of Chengdu!
My name is Shen; my personal name, Chun, stands for “pure”; and I am
styled Houqing, which implies “steadfast.” My family is from Bianzhou, but
for the time being my father is making his home here in Chengdu. By my
eighth year I had gained familiarity with the Six Classics, by my tenth I had
attained skill in composition. I am an accomplished equestrian and archer,
and both my older brother and I are regarded as promising in our genera-
tion. Last fall the two of us attended the examinations, but we returned
unsuccessful. I feel despondent and hard put to occupy myself. But I have
a maternal uncle, Wang Wenrui, currently serving as an assistant magis-
trate in Meizhou. I am thinking of using a visit to relatives as an excuse for
a stay there to cheer myself up, perhaps for a month or so, six months at
most. I am not sure whether my parents will permit this. But just as I am
speaking of them, here they are, and my brother with them.
shen qing, madam shen
(enter with Shen Lun):
(Same tune)
In country retreat at this time
pursuing the scholar’s family tradition
the Odes, the Documents, the Rites:
how long till my sons win glory and honor
to bring luster to ancestral house?
shen lun:
A hundred years of tranquil nights

a white colt racing past a crack in the wall:
the splendor of an entire springtime
gone like the flowing of a stream.
Before old age assails them I attend my parents
to serve them choicest foods.
scene 2: Leaving Home 7
shen qing: I, Shen Qing, with my wife née Wang, have two sons, the elder
Shen Lun and the younger Shen Chun. Shen Lun is twenty-two and has
already taken a wife. When my wife was giving birth to Shen Chun she
dreamed of swallowing a brightly colored cloud, and when she awoke
the room was still lit by a strange brilliance. This is his twentieth year, the
age for the capping ceremony, but still no betrothal has been arranged for
him. My wife’s brother Wang Wenrui has a daughter named Jiaoniang or
Bella. She is said to be accomplished and of pleasing appearance, and I
should like her to become my daughter-in-law. Wenrui holds office in
Meizhou, however, and I have not yet commissioned a matchmaker to
arrange this matter. So now I plan to send Shen Chun to Meizhou to
convey our respects and use the occasion to test the possibility of such a
match. Shen Chun!
shen chun (bows):
Sir!
shen qing: I have for some time been intending to send you to Meizhou
to inquire after the health of your uncle, but you have been occupied
with the examinations. Now these are over, you may take advantage of
your freedom to visit, but do not linger there so long as to cause concern
here at home.
shen chun: I understand, sir.
shen qing: Note well, my son:
(Tune: Yi chun ling)

Beneath the dipping eaves
blossoms at their finest
but when petals fall is the time you must return.
Do not delay as months and seasons pass
making your mother and me
stand by the gate, gazing till vision dims

for the wanderer’s return.
madam shen:
And when you greet your uncle and aunt

tell them our hope that they, husband and wife
may know blessings without end

though our brows, as parents, grow lined with care.
shen qing, madam shen:
Remember to seize the chance of wild goose passing

send word from time to time. (IV)
shen chun:
(Same tune)
In this interval of leisure
I quit brocade-hung comfort
take up my whip and leave for western parts.
Though Meizhou is not far distant from here,
this very day I’ll look back

my thoughts still binding me to parents’ side.
With no desire to linger in a strange city
I’ll gaze toward home where my soul ever waits
and before the courtyard flowers show sign of fading
your son will know the time for his return.
shen lun: You and I, brother, at home shared the same mat, when abroad
rode bridle to bridle. Now that so suddenly we must take leave of each
other, what pangs to fly apart!
(Same tune)
Blossoms just opened
grasses thick
the young lord’s steed bears him forth on his journey.
Today you leave us
with simple shoulderbag, riding afar.
Say nothing of the elders’ constant concern—
when were we two brothers ever apart?
Take care that swansdown robe not hinder you, (IX)
scene 2: Leaving Home 9
come back soon,
let’s stand together while the flowers still bloom.
shen chun: I shall not fail to return promptly.
(Same tune)
Not for fame, not for profit
do I tear myself away
to dwell apart, far off as skies of Chu.
Making now my farewells
“the shrike flies eastward, partnerless.”3
My flight is for a short while, to visit our aunt:
you, brother, take good care of our parents’ needs.
I promise that before these flowers have faded
I’ll know it is the time for my return.
(Tune: Yu wen)
What in our lives most holds our thoughts?
shen lun:
A somber parting, west of Thousand League Bridge.4
shen chun:
Most bitter: parents at home, their son far away.
3. He is traveling south and slightly west, not east, and not very far, certainly not as far
the vast land of Chu (present-day Hunan), but these metaphors for parting are purely
conventional.
4. In this case the allusion is topographically apt; an old saying is related to this bridge
just outside Chengdu: “A journey of a thousand leagues starts at this bridge.”
ENVOI:
Willow branches yellowing at the tips
shen chun:
honoring parents’ command I journey far.
shen lun:
Already we count the days till your return
all:
don’t dally among beauties of Loyang!

scene 3
Meeting with Bella
wang wenrui (enters together with his wife, Madam Wang, and attended by the
maidservant Petal and Gatekeeper):
(Tune: Fenghuang ge)

Courtyard stretches empty in early spring
bright blossoms dangle, soon to burst open.
In prefect’s hall, no cases today
I await my children’s visits from curtained chambers.
madam wang:
Innermost wishes hard to express

modest our station
when shall we win a worthy son-in-law?
wang wenrui (recites):

Meizhou my post two years and more
an honest folk, a just administration;
madam wang:
darling son and daughter at our knees
wang wenrui:
as incense burns we guide their education.
I am Wang Wenrui, this lady is my wife, née Zhao, and this is her maid,
Petal. My family home is Chengdu, but I hold office currently as Assistant
Magistrate of Meizhou. We have one son, Shanfu, “father’s support,” who
is just six, and a daughter, Jiaoniang or Bella, whose child name was
Yingqing, “bright precious.” When my wife gave birth to her she dreamed
that a heavenly maiden broke off a single fairy blossom as an offering. It
had an unusual, delicate beauty, and it was because of this that we chose
the name Bella for our daughter. She is now in her sixteenth year, accom-
plished and of pleasing appearance, but assigned to hold office in this
place, I have not yet arranged her betrothal. I have only a single sibling, a
sister married to Shen Qing, also of Chengdu. They have two sons, each
12 scene 3: Meeting with Bella
possessed of literary talent. My daughter being so young, I had the no-

tion of inviting my younger nephew to visit us here to discuss plans for
the future, but since he is just at the stage of studying for the examina-
tions I have delayed taking any action. Now I learn that this nephew is
coming of his own accord to visit us and will be here at any moment.
Gatekeeper! Wait in the gatehouse; keep a lookout for young Master Shen
and let me know the minute he arrives.
(Gatekeeper assents and all leave the stage)
shen chun (enters):
(Tune: Xin shui ling)

Every stage, every step shows blossoms starting to open
warm breezes waft over suburb and open field.
See where paired swallows swoop so close
beaks stuffed with pellets of clay
bearing their message of springtime’s discontent.
I have traveled as far as this on my way to visit my uncle’s home. How

lovely, this Meizhou landscape!
(He recites):
West of Chengdu, City of Brocade

a region of pretty cottages
so many natural beauties.
Green waters before one’s gate flow a hundred leagues
emerald hills beyond number.
Most charming of all
the elegant young bamboo
the road ahead shaded by pine and cypress.
In courtyard deep hidden
behind close-screened doorways
to music of pipe and string
daylong they dance and sing.
Ever at these haunts
of the rich and eminent
in past days I would gape in awe;
scene 3: Meeting with Bella 13
today, riding closer

I rest by embroidered bridle to gaze
where flowers in profusion bloom all about.
Who can master his hidden longings?
Companions in wine and verse making
seeking pleasure here
amid flowers and groves of willow—
surely some rare adventure is to follow.
As I speak I reach the gateway, where an old porter keeps watch. Gate-
keeper, inform your master and mistress that Master Shen is here.
gatekeeper: Ah, Master Shen has arrived. I was just waiting for you on
the master’s orders. I’ll go and report. (He does so.)
wang wenrui (reenters with Madam Wang and Petal, and is greeted by Shen Chun):
It is long since we had news of you, nephew, and we welcome you here
today with the greatest of pleasure.
shen chun: I have been too long absent from your honored presence,
please accept my salutation.
(Tune: Bubu jiao)

A ride of a hundred leagues to inquire your health
I hasten to bow before the steps of your hall.
wang wenrui: Please dispense with ceremony, nephew, but tell me if

your parents are well.
shen chun:
Absent through the frosts of two seasons

still happily my parents
both enjoy good health.
I trust all is well with Uncle and Aunt?

wang wenrui: By good fortune, we are well.
shen chun:
That we should find both houses in peace and health

makes today’s meeting a time of utmost joy.
wang wenrui: You have had a hard journey, nephew. Gatekeeper, wine
here to wash away the dust of the road!
(Gatekeeper brings wine, all take their seats and toast each other)
shen chun: I hope my cousins, little Han and his sister “One in a Hun-
dred,” are well?1
wang wenrui, madam wang:
(Same tune)
Our tender daughter and silly lad have been excessively pampered.
shen chun: Little Han is still very small. “One in a Hundred” must still be
in her teens.
Our daughter is your junior.
shen chun: I have heard she is exceptionally intelligent.

wang wenrui:
She has a certain bent for study.
shen chun: Has her betrothal been arranged?

No match has yet been made
and this we regret.
shen chun: May I ask what kind of person you are seeking for her
partner?
A true partner to form a pair
“faithful as mandarin ducks”
will need to be a man of talent
such a man as your good self.
1. The children are denoted by their pet names, Han and “One in a Hundred” (Baiyi),
which did not form part of Wang Wenrui’s original introduction of them. Such an
omission is unusual according to the conventions of this kind of play. The names rep-
resent holdovers from the source story Jiao Hong zhuan, by Song Meidong of the Yuan
dynasty.
shen chun: I hope it will be proper for me to meet her.

madam wang: Petal, ask your young mistress to come greet her cousin.
petal (after leaving the stage briefly, returns and whispers in Madam Wang’s ear): Miss
has not yet completed her toilet.
madam wang: Master Shen is a member of the family. What harm if she
presents herself in informal dress to greet him?
(Petal again exits and reenters, followed by Bella)
bella (recites):
Fresh blooms outside the window grille—another year begun
before embroidered curtains, the bees’ provoking toil.
No mind to thread gold needle to work the flowered silk
I pluck a pin from my hair to tease the incense coil.
petal: Miss, you look more attractive than ever today, with your cheeks
unrouged and your hair in two chignons so glossy black.
(Tune: Lan hua mei)

Tousled clouds of hair bound in “Han palace” style. . . .
(she straightens Bella’s hair)
This hair ornament is going to fall out. Just at her temple
a golden phoenix pin dangles aslant.
And her dress so exquisite, she has put on
a richly brocaded “lotus fiber” gown.
Madam is waiting for you in the hall, Miss. So hesitant, as you pass by
fine gauze drapes patterned with fresh plum blossom
—surely
shy maiden of Witch’s Mount

bashful before the clouds and rain of love! (V)
bella:
(Same tune)
Embroidering in my chamber, paired mandarin ducks just finished
putting away my needle to go look at the crabapple

I hear a soft scratching, my maid at the window gauze . . .
petal: Your cousin Shen is here, Madam wants you at once.

bella:
says my mother is entertaining a guest in stately hall. . . .
let me take a peep:
Oh! A smart young man in swansdown robe (IX)

complexion clear as jade!
(She enters the hall and greets Shen)
madam wang: Your cousin has come a long way to visit us, child.You
must offer him a cup of wine.
shen chun (takes the cup Bella offers): Oh, what a lovely girl!
(Tune: Yu jiao zhi)

Sudden vision, an immortal descended
her face a flower, her dress rose-tinted as the sky
nature’s own queen of beauty, out of the common run.
Slender as river goddess she glides into the hall
cheeks flushed with spring, clear jade yet fragrant—
they were no lies, those tales
of beauties stepping forth from painted scrolls!
My dizzy soul takes flight, my senses reel
my heart goes glimmering, my mind runs wild!
bella: This cousin Shen is a fine-looking boy!
(Same tune)
Clear-spirited jadelike youth
the flash of his eye lights up the hall.
Drinking the dizzying grape wine of his host
he still shows not a trace of loose behavior.
His manner gentle, with a shy appeal
everything about him breathes romance;
in jeweled court he’d stand out from the crowd
yet still be tender within brocade bed-hangings!
shen chun: Once I set eyes on this young cousin I lost all track of con-
versation with my uncle and aunt. May I ask, Uncle and Aunt, whether
you also usually take a little wine?
wang wenrui: Your aunt and I usually drink a little, just a cup or two.
shen chun: Does my cousin also drink?
madam wang: She is not given to drinking wine.
(Bella lowers her head)
shen chun:
(Same tune)
Appealing looks
youthful charms enhanced by stylish dress!
My young cousin and I,
bending sideways, stealing glances:

so gently nurtured a maiden she must be
swift blushes flush her dimpled cheeks.
Say she knows nothing of love, then how does love
waft on the air she breathes?
My soul staggers in a drunken maze
my senses soar to a realm of bliss.
wang wenrui: Since you are an able drinker, nephew, why not enjoy
yourself and have a few cups more?
madam wang: Petal, keep Master Shen’s wine cup filled.
shen chun: “The gift of my elders I dare not decline.” But the disappoint-
ment of my hopes for success brought on a sickness, and I must not
drink too much.
bella (whispers to Petal): It seems my cousin cannot stand too much wine.
petal (laughs softly): Your first sight of him—how can you understand him
so well?
bella: When I see him
(Same tune)
put down his cup to look at me
his voice, his smile send a soft breeze through the hall.
There he sits, here I sit,
the two of us stealing glance after glance—

what an attractive young scholar!
Though sprays of blossom hang from the eaves between us
so newly met, already we sit so close.
Surely his soul takes flight through a haze of wine
just as my senses soar to a verdant grove!
wang wenrui, madam wang: Despite your sickness, nephew, you

should drink a few cups more to counter the hardships of the road.
(Tune: Jiang’r shui)

Fragrant rice brew poured into cup of jade
fills it with amber glow.
Drink deep, in your travels, to restore your energy!
shen chun: I cannot drink any more. (He takes a peek sideways)
She pretends to straighten her jade “head-scratcher”

as I snatch another glimpse.
(He spills his wine)
I’ve soaked my blue shirt with this cup of wine

I’m beginning to look like a boor
my eyes so blurry with drinking
I’m seeing all these good people
as fairy gentry from the Terrace of Love!
petal: When I look at Miss and her cousin Shen
(Tune: Yu baodu)
the two of them, heads lowered, stealing glances
suddenly I say to myself
beauty and talent, here’s a pair
each as lovestruck as the other!
brows of one fly wild goose messages
while the other’s eyes send carp missive to Loyang! (IV)
wang wenrui, madam wang: Since our nephew declines, we will

drink no more for now but take another cup tomorrow.
(Tune: Yushan gong)

Seeing your tired look and dazed expression
we’ll put off further toasting till tomorrow.
shen chun: I really am a little the worse for wine.
(He sings an aside):
I watch her fingers slender as springtime shoots

press back the clouds of her hair
bella (sings aside):
I watch him spill the golden nectar

soaking his blue shirt.
madam wang: Petal, take Miss back to her room now.

petal:
When the wine is finished the guests disperse

each through a separate curtained doorway.
But my young mistress—
say she departs, still her head turns to look back.
bella:
My feelings stirred so
what heart have I now
to sit by my window embroidering mandarin ducks!
(She exits with Petal)
shen chun: Now that I have paid my respects, Aunt and Uncle, in accor-
dance with my parents’ instructions, I must beg your leave to return
home.
wang wenrui, madam wang: You have made a long and arduous
journey, nephew, and furthermore we have family affairs we should like
to discuss with you. Please do not speak of leaving yet.
(Tune: Hao jiejie)

Just over here
we’ll prepare a modest room for you
a place to keep your lute and your books, your sword and baggage.
Please be at ease
do not let homesickness hasten your departure.
We are your uncle and aunt;
as you stay here with us

think of this as a family reunion
“make Bingzhou your second home,” as the poet says.
(They exit)
shen chun: Never did I anticipate such a wonderful encounter as today

has brought. And now my aunt and uncle are pressing me to stay—why
not make this my home for life?
(Tune: Chuan bo zhao)

The more I think of it
this journey of mine was not made for nought!
All at once I find a beauty “fit for golden chamber”
all at once I find a beauty “fit for golden chamber”
and suddenly wonder, where does my true home lie?
I must take my time
ponder at leisure
calm my emotions
brave the long night.
(Same tune)
Recalling her face so lightly powdered
her looks of love from tortoiseshell-inlaid chair
my heart thrown into a wild confusion
my heart thrown into a wild confusion
the sight of her beauty refuses to quit my eyes.
Try to forget her
how to forget her?
Plan to be with her
all grows hazy.

(Tune: Jiaojiao ling)
Empty hall, she is gone
orioles cease to tune their pipes.
Wine fumes wear off, senses return
and desolation deepens.
This vile, futile lovesickness
who knows how to bear?
(Coda)
All praise the willow’s springtime fronds
but longer by far is the one word “lovesickness”
and today
how can I even think of going back?
ENVOI:
Viewing the blossoms would fill my eyes with tears;
suddenly I meet my own Yunying, “Cloud Splendor.”
Indigo Field is surely the immortals’ home,
why scramble cliffs to challenge Paradise? (XI)
scene 4
Evening Embroidery
bella:
(Tune: Yizhi hua)

Spring rain wilts the almond blossom
look where you will, a swirl of fragrant snow.
Idle day, the air chill
the blood pulsing.
Before my jeweled mirror stand
lazily rouging hibiscus cheeks
fresh cares hard to put by.
Toying with plant leaves, fingering blossoms1
a waste of fine days and tranquil nights.
(She recites):
Cooling or warming, the driving rain;

a lull, then everywhere an urge to growth.
An urge to open, an urge to fade
petals drift throughout the garden.
Seated alone in empty court
so quiet, speaking no word
fingers twist a flowering branch.
A treetop cuckoo sees off the fading light:
who knows what bitterness tonight?
This is what I have been thinking: There can be no happiness in life
1. The common metaphorical meaning of these phrases would imply sexual explo-
ration. Bella may be using the words, as in the verse that follows, only in their literal or
surface meaning, simply describing the idle pursuits of a secluded young girl; another
possibility is that at the back of her mind is a concern about what the young man she
has just met might be up to.
scene 4: Evening Embroidery 23
greater than the harmonious marriage of a man of talent and a beautiful

woman. And if a lovely girl fails to find a partner, the regret is beyond
telling. Therefore an intelligent, good-looking young woman should seek
her own loving mate as Zhuo Wenjun did, rather than follow Li
Qingzhao’s example and end up with some nonentity.2 So long as two
hearts are as one, then she can have no regrets even if, like Purple Jade or
Fragrant White, her grave is a desert mound and her love no more than a
seed planted for the next incarnation.3 I have reached my sixteenth year,
the age to pin up my hair, but no suitable match has yet been made for
me. Time slips by, as a colt flashes past a gap in the wall. Often I gaze with
deep sighs at the blossoming trees, unable to control my feelings. Then
yesterday in the guest hall I caught a glimpse of Master Shen. From his
evident intelligence and handsome appearance I believe him to be my
ideal life partner. For this reason I have had tender thoughts of him all
day, feeling as though we share a common bond. This has been a chill
spring day, and as I lean against my embroidery frame I feel alone and
sad, truly someone to be pitied.
(She sits down with an air of gloom)
petal (enters and recites):

Spring stirrings tease pink tip of almond bough
love longings touch the heart—who can tell how?
Sitting by yourself in this little corner, Miss, fiddling with your needle and
2. For Zhuo Wenjun, see Signpost IX. Li Qingzhao, a leading woman poet of the Song
dynasty, in marital terms was less fortunate. After the death of her husband she is said
to have entered a second marriage with a man of little worth from whom she quickly
became estranged.
3. Purple Jade was the daughter of King Fuchai of the ancient state of Wu. Her marriage
with Han Chong, the youth to whom she had promised herself, was obstructed by the
king her father. She died heartbroken, but her ghost appeared to her lover as he paid
homage before her tomb. The memory of Fragrant White, Suxing, a royal concubine of
the tenth century, was preserved by giving her name to a jasmine that grew magically
above her grave.
24 scene 4: Evening Embroidery
staring blankly—not sick and can’t have been drinking, must be spring
longings!
bella: Nothing to do the livelong day but copy flower patterns and stretch
my embroidery; ignorant of where these splendors of the spring are to
be found, how can I be accused of “spring longings”?
(Tune: Xiang luo dai)

Voices stilled by green gauze window,
idly stretch embroidery patterns.
petal: Miss, why do you stay your needle and fall silent?
bella:
I stay my needle, fall silent from lassitude

glimpsing the slanting sun
beyond curtains patterned with thrushes.
I’ve worked a pair of brocade butterflies.
petal: If you’re tired, Miss, why not relax in the garden for a while, why
keep on at your needlework?
bella:
Listen, the busy birds twittering pair by pair:

tell me, why should this disturb one?
Stroll out to empty court, find flowers to pluck.
petal: I don’t want to speak out of turn, Miss, but just lately I’ve been
noticing your
(Tune: Luojiang yuan)

skirt grown looser, needs more pleats
thinning waist and limbs—
what is it that’s bothering you?
From childhood you have been
indulged to the full in scented boudoir—

what kind of discontent
has brought these frowns to your brow?
It’s my guess
you grieve to see slow fading of spring’s beauty

hear cuckoo’s insistent call
everything wounding your sensitive feelings.
bella (sighs):
(Tune: Wugeng zhuan)

You speak of my melancholy
here in scented boudoir.
From childhood sensitive
no cares, still easily wounded
night after night gazing at the blossoms
weeping tears of blood
how to express
my heart’s inmost secrets?
Dreading the desolate cuckoo calling
sobbing from lonely branch
and west of willow lodge
moon fading in dawn breeze.
petal: That’s it, what Miss is lacking is a husband by your side. Wait till the
master comes home, then surely there will be someone invited to dis-
cuss your betrothal. But what sort of a husband will best suit your
wishes?
bella: A girl like me,
(Same tune)
how can I speak
of such matters as these?
petal: There’s no one else here, no harm in talking about it. Wouldn’t
some young Squire Li or Master Zhang suit you, from one of those huge-
ly rich great families?
bella:
Tell of cellars stuffed with gold and pearls

scion of grand and monied clan
still I should dread his coarse behavior
his nature wicked and depraved.
Find me some “paper phoenix,” faux gallant

“straw unicorn,” some rustic beau ideal—
what a mismatch!
Fair flower plucked, plucked by village boor
how could a marriage such as this
lead to contentment?
petal: In that case, is it only a youth of talent and education who will suit?
bella: But even youths of talent and education may differ one from an-
other.
petal: How would they differ?
bella:
(Same tune)
Xiangru in Linqiong
would lightly have put aside Wenjun
had she not sighed her “Song of the White-haired Lovers.” (IX)
So many clever men have proved so callous!
petal: So what is best to do?

bella:
Pretty face oft ill-fated

fairest flower soonest plucked.
Just to find one to share my heart
in death one tomb
in life one room
I should rest content beneath locked limbs
of twin trees combining, combining our graves.4
But the harried soul
to whom can it fly?
petal: Marriage affinities are predetermined, there isn’t much choosing to

be done. However, there is a prospect right here in front of your eyes.
Just think of this Cousin Shen,
4. See page xii, explanation of the “mandarin-duck tomb.”

(Tune: Wugeng zhuan fan)

born to become
the handsomest of men
and your temperaments just suited.
Bella (embarrassed and annoyed): A skivvy like you—
what a wicked way to talk!

he and I should rank as brother and sister
how could we be joined in marriage?
petal: It’s done all the time, no harm in mentioning it.

bella:
Don’t they say walls have ears

have ears for secret listening?
And yet you babble so shamelessly.
petal (aside): Miss is only angry with me because I’ve hit on her secret
wishes. (To Bella): I’ve stayed here too long, I must see to Madam. What’s
on your mind, three parts out of five I already have a good idea; why do
you have to argue and pretend? Well, I’ll just “shut the door and ignore
the moon at dusk, let the plum shed all the blossoms it wants.” (She exits)
bella: “Of eight or nine of your troubles and cares, not two or three can
ever be shared.” How could I ever discuss my innermost thoughts with
Petal? I’ll gather up my needlework and retire to my boudoir.
(Tune: Er fan wugeng zhuan)

Now at dusk
I gather up my patterns, my needles and thread.
(She leans back wearily)
Lean back on ivory couch as incense thins

struggle to rise
to rise is too much for tired limbs.
See, the moon is up already—
I see moon slivers through the willow fronds

as by my evening mirror stand
I catch its flickering light.

Fixedly gazing
hard to get through this long spring night.
(She sighs)
Moonlight fills the sky, bringing lovers together on such a night,
but alas, no trace of him who waits beyond the flower shadows.
(Shen Chun steals onstage and Bella, startled, turns to look behind her)
dense bamboos tremble

embroidered hangings lift an inch
can there be someone here?
shen chun (greets her and asks in a low voice): Sister, you lean sighing against
your couch; could you be thinking of someone? Could you be waiting for
someone?
bella (turns to face him): How did you get here, cousin? It is late, the spring
night is chill, don’t you feel it?
shen chun: Indeed the spring is chill.
bella:
(Coda)
Spring chills the quiet of lonely court and kiosk
I shun the unfeeling moon this lovely night.
Let flowers bloom beyond the curtain, I must retire to rest. (She exits)
shen chun: Well, Cousin Bella has left me, somehow she wanted to be
rid of me. When I arrived here Uncle and Aunt pressed me to stay, and
occasionally moving between halls and passageways I have come face to
face with my cousin. Seeing her formally dressed and serious in de-
meanor, I have never dared to joke or flirt with her. Then just now,
leaning back on her couch and sighing deep sighs, she seemed in a pas-
sionate mood. But the first word I said to try her out made her resist me,
give me one brief look and take her leave. (He sighs) How can I tell what
is in her mind? These hopeless love longings will surely be the death of
me!
ENVOI:
Sweet birds on every branch chorus the spring
while I sit sad and alone before the blossoms.
Nowhere to vent my melancholy thoughts
I turn my head, my tunic wet with tears.
scene 5
In Search of a Beauty
tertius ma, decimus ge (enter and recite):

Guests one and all, no racket please
while we announce our pedigrees:
(ma):
My dad as C.H.Eat won fame
(ge):
S.Windler was my old man’s name.
(both):
No truck have we with laboring classes
we specialize in kissing asses
help big shots throw their weight about
and soak the rich for crust and clout.
We patronize the gambling den
and play in cheap bands now and then;
whores and wines are our expertise
not Changes, Songs, or Histories.
To straight folk we’re the enemy
to scoundrels we’re like family;
unlucky homes we set our shoe in
are halfway down the road to ruin;
when Y must mortgage his estate
we blithely head for X’s gate.
(ma):
Tertius Ma, dear friends, you see
(ge):
Decimus Ge, of course, is me.
(both):
Creep, crawl, and cringe, but don’t feel shame—
that’s the name of nowadays’ game.
ma:
Decimus, yesterday you and I got sodden drunk at Squire Zhang Two’s
scene 5: In Search of a Beauty 31
place, and today Master Shuai has sent for us, so let’s be off. I tell you,
brother:
know every trick in the book, we do
no rich kid gets by till we’re through.
Old lady sits home, let her starve—
we’ll eat our bellies’ fill, me and you!
(Both exit)
master shuai (enters and sings):
(Tune: Yi jiang feng)

Posh young gent
to the manor born,
raised in luxury right from the egg.
Doted on
by mum and dad,
precious pearl
in the palm of their hand.
Never a page have I read
not a line can I write
but from childhood days I’ve stomped on people’s heads.
(He recites):
Plant beans, hoe weeds, not much fun

I’m happy to be just a rich man’s son;
drink and gamble and sniff the flowers
that’s me, Hell-raiser Number One.
Master Shuai, at your service. My father is currently Military Governor of
Western Sichuan, with power and influence to set the sky alight. From
the day I was born I’ve always had exactly what I wanted. Just one thing
lacking: I’ve always been a romantic sort, nothing I like more than a really
pretty girl. There’s a courtesan in these parts called Lovey Ding, a famous
beauty, and I have her in every day to drink with me and share my couch,
but when all’s said and done she’s no more than “misty hair and pow-
dered cheek,” a common whore, not the answer to my wishes. So I’ve de-
cided to search near and far through the ten prefectures of Chengdu for
32 scene 5: In Search of a Beauty
a top-class beauty to be my wife.Yesterday I sent for Tertius Ma and Dec-

imus Ge to come talk things over; why aren’t they here yet?
ma, ge (enter and greet Shuai):
Don’t ask if his news is good or bad

just see if his face is glad or sad!
You sent for us,Your Honor, and you seem a bit grumpy; what’s the
matter?
shuai: You’re a crafty couple of maggots, can you guess what’s bothering
me? Just try.
ma, ge: Let’s think: someone’s been cheating you?
(Same tune)
A man like you
rich, highborn, a prince or an earl,
everywhere people bow and scrape.
Really, who would dare try to cheat you!
Think again:
You’re longing for something nice to eat? But you always have
finest brews, choicest stews.
Something nice to wear? But you’re always dressed in
’broideries and brocades.

Whatever you want is provided.
Not enough spending money?
Chests full of gold and silver

beds piled high with silks and satins
so what can be making you gloomy?
shuai: None of these things, none of these things.
(Same tune)
A man like me
from childhood such a dashing lover.
ma, ge: That’s it, it’s your thingy that’s bothering you.
shuai:
Something to do with that.
ma, ge: Go get Lovey Ding, she’ll fix it.

shuai: Enough of this:
that “floating world”

shady retreats, painted chambers
willow paths, flowery lanes
I’ve roamed them all.
What I’m missing is someone
a wife for my room

to lay on my bed
for sport like mandarin ducks on a pond.
ma, ge: No problem, take a proper wife and that’s it.

shuai: That’s just what I’ve got in mind, to take a proper wife. Question is,
where am I to find a girl who’s a real stunner?
ma, ge: Squire Zhao, Governor Qian, both of them have grown daughters,
pick one or other of them, how about that?
shuai: Well, tell me what they look like.
ma, ge:
(Same tune)
Those dames
they look like rakshas, devil women,
not one feature in the right place.
Count ‘em up:
hair a tangled mop
body like a toad
one glimpse starts people running;
four yards tall
feet half a yard long
real tatty dung-baskets, moulting brooms, pick one of them—
you’d be a well-matched pair!

shuai: Stop your yapping, you curs! But tell me quick if you know of a
good-looking girl.
ma, ge: What we think is that the real beauties of this world all want to
marry geniuses, and if Your Honor married one it would mean lifelong
misery. Isn’t it best just to pick the daughter of some rich family for your
wife?
shuai: Rubbish. Nowadays any young fellow of quality will claim to be a
genius. (He thinks hard) Are you trying to say that a handsome young chap
like me isn’t the equal of one of those pickle-eating pedants? Just you
choose an absolute stunner and tell me about her, and we’ll see if she’ll
turn down a proposal from me.
ma, ge: You really want a top beauty? Well, there’s Xi Shi, who seduced the
King of Wu; there’s Zhuo Wenjun, who eloped with the poet Sima Xian-
gru; there’s the Honored Consort Yang of the Tang Emperor Xuan Zong,
there’s Cui Yingying of the Romance of the West Wing.
shuai: These are all dead.
ma, ge: So where are any live ones in this world today? Mencius, Confu-
cius, the only names people ever talk about are all dead.
shuai: Stop this nonsense, and hurry up and tell me!
ma, ge: If we tell Your Honor, you mustn’t get excited. There’s Miss Sun,
Rarer-than-jade; there’s Miss Li, Emerald; there’s Miss Zhou, Iris; there’s
Miss Wu, Lotus. But forget all these, there’s Miss Wang Jiaoniang, Bella,
with beauty to
shame fish into sinking, make wild geese drop from the sky
screen the moon, cause flowers to hide their heads;
peerless among the fairy throng
prime goddess of them all.
(Same tune)
This Bella
looks like a bodhisattva
each feature in perfect harmony.
Count ‘em again:
creamy limbs
hibiscus face
one glimpse and your spirit soars.
Gleaming hair
perfumed gown
—if Your Honor could only see her, willy-nilly you’d
topple over on your couch of gold.
shuai (topples over): Oh, I’m dying.
(Same tune)
Hearing of Bella
truly an angel from Heaven
one word and my soul expires.
How can I get my hands on her?
Think of it:
if I could only marry her
complete the prostrations in ancestral hall
open together the tasseled bed curtains!
When that time comes we’ll
slaughter a lamb
set out the wine cups
and have a nice slow chat about my good fortune
with you, my faithful go-betweens.
But right now, since I’m in too much of a hurry to interview all these girls
myself, I want you two to hire a painter who can find a chance to sneak
in and sketch them, so I can have a look at them. And find out if there
are any more pretty girls worth painting, so then I can check them all out
thoroughly before I send a matchmaker to arrange the wedding.
ma, ge: We obey Your Honor’s command!
ENVOI:
shuai:
Tales of famous beauties, glamorous and bewitching

ma, ge:
flashing eyes like autumn streams, cheeks like water lilies.
shuai:
Come the day I truly win such a creature for my wife
ma, ge:
then we’ll see how generously he gives his thanks to Heaven!

scene 6
Flower Poems
shen chun:
(Tune: Fenghuang ge)

Careless, unfeeling
calls of a scatter of orioles passing.
A stroll on rising, here in the court
where perhaps my sweet will come.
Where is my sweet one?
Solitary rests my shadow.
Ah, lady:
A word, a smile, barely perceived

uncaring, yet you seemed to care.
My hopes fail: in the late spring mists (he sighs)
were you sun? Were you rain? Were you really there?
For the sake of my Bella I have stayed on here a month and more, and
several times I have encountered her here in the courtyard. She seems
now real now unreal, now welcoming now dismissive; try to leave her,
she remains close at hand; try to come close, she recedes ever farther. I
think of my sweet cousin
(Tune: Jin wutong)

so young, her sixteenth year
a stranger to heart’s distress.
Yet from her boudoir at dusk
she gazes out at the blossoms
red against green, and deep, deep
their sorrows furrow her brow.
How can one never heartsore
grieve so bitterly?
Truly hard to fathom, a nature so sweet.
38 scene 6: Flower Poems
I picture her resting against her couch at night, embroidering her silks,
frowning in concentration and softly sighing—how true, how deep her
feelings!
(Same tune)
She stays her needle—rises—hesitates
turns tear-filled eyes to the blossoms, makes no sound
so swiftly touched by all that breathes
she catches at one’s heartstrings.
Try to stop thinking of her
how can the thinking stop?
Last night I saw her in a dream—how it thrilled me!
Unbidden, my spring dreams

fly ever to her chamber.
And when I wake
still hangs the dusk-red sun beyond the window silk.
The path on the left leads from the garden in to her sewing chamber. I’ll
chance it, blunder in there, take her in my arms, what’s to stop me?
(He takes a few steps)
(Same tune)
Stillness on peach-blossom path
no bluebird for messenger.
What fairy maid
languishes dawn to dusk?
I’ll be the fisherman seeking the ford
who stumbles on the Peach Blossom Spring! (X)
(He halts) No good. Suppose she were to reveal my presence—wouldn’t
that spoil everything?
And if the creek were swollen with spring rains

preventing the fisherman’s crossing
he’d wait in vain on the trail to Wuling.
When I think about it, my sweet cousin is just like Zhuo Wenjun as she
listened to Sima Xiangru’s lute, and I need fear no comparison with the
scene 6: Flower Poems 39
poet himself as he served by the wine stove! (IX) But who knows what
our destiny will be?
(Tune: Wutong shu fan)

Mist and moon of romance beckon for nought
in the lovers’ register we are falsely matched. (II)
That old gentleman in the moon
has got things wrong many times before.
She, doting Wenjun, finds her love hard to tell;
I, unlucky Xiangru, condemned to solitary fate.
How can I be with my cousin, tell her my innermost longings and per-
haps move her heart to pity?
Sight of Sun Terrace blocked, alas, where is she? (V)

How can I meet with her again
as last evening amid the blossoms? (He exits)
bella (enters and recites):

A fine rain deepens the mosses’ green
peonies open to the wind’s caress
sad that the blossoms’ tale is ending
I cling to the rail; tears stain my dress.
(She sighs) There by the Flower-Care Pavilion the new season’s peonies are
coming into bloom. Three divisions of spring, yet how long can their
splendors last? When I think how swiftly the flowers fade, and how hu-
man life resembles the dew at break of day, how desolate I feel to face
this garden scene!
shen chun (reenters):
(Tune: Bush lu)

A sudden glimpse of my fair one
lone slender shadow, leaning by the balustrade.
Steal another glance
the clouds of hair dressed low as that first time.
Frail enough to need a supporting arm
in wordless compassion she gazes at the flowers.
(Bella sighs softly)
The garden scene draws from her a secret sigh.
(Bella starts upon seeing Shen, who bows)
Again I find you

as Pei Hang dreamed of fairy paths. (XI)
Do not take fright
do not take fright.
Tell me, cousin, what you are looking at.
(Bella lowers her head without speaking)
(Same tune)
Spring shoots on the plum branch
is the message of the blossoms still to be read?
Wordlessly gazing
a thousand sorrows gather on her lovely brow.
(Bella turns again to look at the garden)
See, cousin, the peonies by the balustrade, trying to open but not yet in
bloom, they seem almost dispirited. I have written a couple of feeble po-
ems about them. (He shows them to Bella, who scans them and sighs softly but says
nothing) Reading these verses
A secret sigh
traces of gleaming tears spell out her grief
while springtime heart’s blood dries there on the page.
(A call of “young mistress” from offstage. Bella slips the poems into her sleeve and starts to
leave)
See how she
quickly puts them away

as some sweet voice calls from adjoining court
and now she turns to go
now she turns to go. (Bella slowly exits)
scene 6: Flower Poems 41
So, my cousin as she opened and read my poems lowered her head, her
hair concealing her face; seemed about to speak but said nothing, then
slowly left me. And so today another meeting with her proves fruitless.
(Tune: Huan sha xi)

Again today
like the last time we met
enough to drive one to distraction.
That last time with you
a glimpse of spring’s beauty, a brief remark;
and today
myriad spring longings but not one word.

Figuring it out
I don’t believe you can be sincere
to wrong your Xiangru with such careless scorn.
(Same tune)
Hateful lovesickness
nothing to support it
today fades into nothingness.
The warmth of you—
bees cluster murmuring around the sweet spring blossoms;
your coldness—
lone wild goose shadow on cloud-darkened autumn stream.

How to tell my despair
when you cast me aside for no reason?
Better, it seems,
to make my plans now for an early departure.
No way now to explain my innermost feelings to her; all I can do is write

a verse on the silk of this window. (He does so)
(Tune: Coda)
Idly composing
desolation deepens
hard to find words for this gut-twisting misery.
Who in the wide world is as lone and forsaken as I?
Surely not even poor Pan Yue, judging in Heyang!1
ENVOI:
Spring compassion brings lament for the blossoms:
as the flowers bloom, the tears flow down.
Neither bloom nor spring shows any concern:
flower falls, spring fades, each goes its way.
1. Pan Yue was the very image of the handsome young poet: there were tales of women
throwing fruit into his carriage as he passed. His romantic appeal was enhanced by the
elegiac tone of his verse, and no doubt by his lament over the graying of his hair at
thirty. He held office as a magistrate, hence Shen’s reference to his “judging in Heyang.”
scene 7
Response in Rhyme

Little maid, sixteen, pretty and smart
should pass salad days fancy-free;
still gets smitten by passion’s dart
tries out loving looks secretly!
My name is Feihong, “Flying Pink,” or simply Petal. I am quite well en-
dowed with feminine charms and I’m good at reading and writing. Un-
happily, I was destined to be only a serving maid, and so I spend time in
and around the master’s private quarters. His wife is a jealous woman,
though, and keeps a strict watch, so although you could say the master
and I are very close, as it happens I’ve stayed intact so far. I’m in my six-
teenth year, born the same year, same month as the young mistress.
When I have some time to spare from my duties with the master and
madam I walk across to the young mistress’s boudoir to keep her com-
pany and admire her needlework and calligraphy. The young mistress has
it all, looks and brains both, and she’s sweet and ladylike as well, very se-
rious and dignified, never an unseemly word or a careless laugh. Among
all the women who’ve ever been celebrated for talent and virtue it would
truly be hard to find her equal. And yet: I’ve been quietly watching her,
and ever since she set eyes on this Cousin Shen she seems to have de-
veloped a sudden attachment to him. I’ve tried a few hints, hoping to
find out more, but she never responds. (She sighs) Oh Miss, Miss, you may
keep your feelings to yourself, but I’ve a good idea what the attraction is.
And if you’re going to play Cui Yingying, don’t tell me I can’t manage the
part of Red Maid!1 But enough of this. I can see for myself that Cousin
1. Cui Yingying is the heroine of the Romance of the West Wing, the best known of all Chi-
nese plays; it has been translated by Stephen H. West and Wilt Idema in their book The
Moon and the Zither (University of California Press, 1991). The progress of Yingying’s ro-
mance with the young scholar Zhang is helped along by her maidservant, the pert, flir-
tatious Red Maid (Hongniang).
44 scene 7: Response in Rhyme
Shen is sharp and lively, handsome and elegant; never mind the young
mistress falling for him, the minute I saw him I started hankering after
him too! The master is away from home today and Madam is taking a
nap, so I’m just on my way to the front rooms to take a peep at him. (She
sighs as she goes) At the sight of all these beauties of the springtime, even a
heart of steel or stone would have to be moved!
(Tune: Su di jin dang)

Shining reeds and butterflies in pairs
spring silks shimmer in sunlit breeze;
how can we humans grow old for nought
when birds and bugs know love’s unease?
Oh look, here’s little Smartie.

smartie (enters): I’m Smartie, personal maid to Miss Bella. Miss has gone to
her mother’s room and the master is away from home, so I’m off to the
front rooms to have some fun.
(Same tune)
Always in the sewing chamber, cutting out silks
not a worry, not a care, happy all day long.
Spring’s here, don’t let it go to waste
Madam has her back turned—let’s have a song.
(She greets Petal) Come on to the front rooms, Petal, let’s seize our chance to
have some fun while the master’s away. Here’s Xiang’e, River Lass, too!
river lass (enters): I saw Petal and little Smartie on the way to the front
rooms; I’ll go with them for some fun.
(Same tune)
Nothing beats the sights of spring
for a rosy maid just past eighteen.
Always in the garden, looking for a lad;
what to do if none’s to be seen?
petal: All right, you’re looking for a lad—which lad?

river: Where would I find a lad? I’m just looking at the plum blossom to
slake my thirst!
scene 7: Response in Rhyme 45
smartie: That Master Shen is a fine one, only why would he want a scabby
toad like you?
river: Stop this nonsense; let’s see whether he is about, and if he isn’t let’s
all go to the garden and have some fun playing hunt-the-flower or riding
the swing or trying to find some cute little page boy.
petal (aside): What’s so great about getting dragged into their games? I’ve
got to get away from them. (She turns back to them) Oh, listen, Madam’s call-
ing.
river, smartie: Where?
petal: If you didn’t hear her you stay here, I’ll go. (She exits)
river: Well, Petal’s gone, not much fun just the two of us; let’s have a song.
(Tune: Gua zhier)

Little maid leaves the sewing room
walks as far the garden gate
runs into sexy lad who knows his stuff
grabs her sleeve, holds her, both start to flirt.
Who turns up but old Madam herself:
“Little beggar, what are you up to here?”
Oh, oh, oh,
doesn’t it just make you jump

give you a good old scare!
smartie:
(Same tune)
Little maid tells Madam
“Don’t get upset for nothing
nobody got much from me today.”
Here I am in the garden
that rascal drags me into the shade
if he’d given me a hug
I’d deserve a beating
if he’d given me a kiss
a scolding, I wouldn’t care
but oh, heaven!

All I get is blame for nothing

and oh, a good old scare!
(They exit giggling)
bella (enters):
(Tune: Fengmaer)
Solitude by green gauze of window.
Primp up
kingfisher hairpins
idly inspect the courtyard flowers.
East wind no more than a whisper
no words, so many regrets!
(She recites):
Glory of spring beguiles through slatted blind

daylong filaments of rain;
announcing passage of another year
petals shower down.
Clouds lighten, water rushes
seeks escape;
last evening as tonight
task the east wind to bear again
a thousand moans of pain.
Yesterday when Cousin Shen chanced upon me by the green-shaded
balustrade he presented me with poems he had composed. I should
have liked to respond with lines of my own but was startled into leaving
by the calls of a slavey. All night I found it hard to sleep, thinking of this.
Rising this morning to face such a distressing day, I ask myself how I am
to get through it!
(Tune: Ji xian bin)

Incense smoke dissolving
from emerald brazier in quiet boudoir:
What news of the spring’s progress?
Rain scatters the last almond blossoms
painful to see how fast the beauty fades.
Mirror’s brightness dims
daub on the makeup any way you feel.

Brows locked in frown
when will this miserable sickness lighten?
I believe Petal is the only one of the maids who understands me at all.
But she is a blabbermouth and I can’t just casually tell her of my feelings.
Little Smartie is still a child and knows nothing of life, yet she follows me
about day and night:
(Same tune)
Two of us, inseparable as a shadow.
She asks me, “Mistress, with such a pretty face,
why so thin and wan?”

I hesitate, say nothing, think of how
just lately the sickness has spread and worsened.
Who knows the cause?
Fearful and shy lest others guess the truth
how to withstand this passion?
All I can do, sit silent here by the balustrade.
When I think of Cousin Shen yesterday,
(Same tune)
With poem new-written, seeking my response
each word he spoke seemed fondly meant.
Longing to look him full in the face
time and again I pretended to straighten my gown.
Kingfisher hairpins hid my bashfulness
for I fear that this handsome Xiangru, though that name means “close
feelings,”
may not really have feelings close to mine!

Ready to answer yes
how could I answer yes?
petal (enters): “Sad that glory of spring is passing, take time out for youthful
pranks!”Young Mistress, why sit here so gloomy? The master has gone
out and Madam is taking a nap; come with me into the courtyard for a
stroll to pass the time.
bella: Is Cousin Shen there on the other side of the court?

petal: Cousin Shen has gone out also.
bella: In that case I’ll come for a stroll with you.
(They take a few steps)
(Tune: Zhuan lin ying)

Softly creep in past flower terrace.
Oh, what was that sound? Someone must be coming!

petal: It’s no one, it’s those birds
swooping at kite strings, pecking at the tree trunks.
bella: We pass the carved balustrade
steps clad with green in mossy solitude.
Look, Petal, isn’t that him?
Surely there’s someone by the window!
petal (looks): He hasn’t returned yet. Look, Mistress, how dignified and ele-
gant his study is! Such
brocade covers, embroidered cushions
and some fallen blossoms have alighted on his desk
bedecked with petals like fragrant emerald clasps.
bella: So many poems decorating each wall!
Close reading of the new poems on his wall

will reveal his deepest feelings!
petal: There’s a quatrain written on the window silk.

bella (reads aloud):
I wake as sun laces the steps with shadow

Incense smoke thins to a thread, noon breezes still:
When jade flute ends its Song of Rainbow Skirt
Who will show mastery of phoenix trill? (VIII, XII)
A fine poem!
(Tune: Cu pao ying)

Mind rich as brocade
feelings demon-inspired
shearing the spring brightness
embroidered on lightest silk.
Talent to claim the high throne of romance
surpassing Xiangru himself!
Cloud pavilion, water kiosk
so many sights to wound the heart;
dawn flowers, moon at dusk
so many thoughts to wound the spirit:
from his brushtip flow a thousand sorrows.
bella, petal:
Poor foolish lad
like Shen Yue haggard, like Pan Yue grizzled2
in secret willful wasting.
petal: This young man is showing off his erudition; why don’t you match
a verse to his?
(Tune: Tanpo Cu yulin)

Matched lines of verse
2. There was good reason for the fifth-century poet Shen Yue to look haggard. His
great-grandfather had been executed as an associate of rebels, and when he was
twelve years old his father was put to death. “These experiences of his forebears made
him extremely circumspect throughout his life,” writes Richard Mather (in Wu-chi Liu
and Irving Yu-cheng Lo, eds., Sunflower Splendor [Bloomington: Indiana University Press,
1975], p. 545), “and help to explain how he managed to hold positions of trust through
three (short-lived) dynasties, though at his death he was plagued by feelings of guilt at
having betrayed the last ruler of Ch’i.” As a young man Shen Yue was noted for his good
looks, and he wrote tender love lyrics, hence his particular appeal to Bella and Petal.
Pan Yue lamented the early graying of his hair (see preceding scene, note 1), Shen Yue
the thinning of his waist, and the two (who shared the same personal name) are linked
as figures of romance worn down by suffering.
two minds in tune

stand-ins for many words at lovers’ meeting.
bella:
I picture him, lone shadow on window’s gauze

silk gown tear-stained beneath the moonlit blossoms.
(She sings aside):
His lovesickness is all on my account

and he has brought me suffering vast as the sky.
How is it with each?
Light tunic of spring soaked through
with the same wealth of tears.
(She composes a poem following Shen Chun’s own rhymes):
Bitter to wake from dreams weighed down by spring

sun high, strong breeze, water clock holding still.
Heartsore to hear when first I rose from sleep
as petals drifted down the oriole’s trill.
petal: You have matched his poem beautifully, Mistress.You and Cousin
Shen certainly make a perfect pair.
(Tune: Cu yulin)
Plaint inscribed on red leaf (XIII)
copious tears of blood.
Innermost desires
now confessed to him.
Poems new-composed, matching rhyme for rhyme
the same helpless sorrow
two loving hearts in tune.
When that young man returns and sees this
he’ll say tonight the Weaving Maid

crossed the Silver Stream for nought. (I)
bella: What are you babbling about, Petal?

(Tune: Hupo maoer zhui)

Hearing you talk—
what a string of wild inventions!
All I did when incense smoke dissolved
and the sun began to slant
was play at matching verses to his own.
Stop this
nonsense of Weaving Maids and Silver Streams
and two so full of love.
(A bird calls)
petal: The sun is past high noon; Madam will be waking from her midday
nap. We should go back.
(Coda)
Blossom-teasing oriole cries from branch—
is it in fear of Madam’s waking?
bella, petal:
Let you and me return to quiet chamber

to read his poem closely word by word.
ENVOI:
petal:
Breeze rustles the shade of bamboo door hanging
bella:
matched verses intoned at leisure by study window.
petal:
Don’t say the boudoir has lost the gift of verse—
bella:
here like some hidden orchid is one who understands.

scene 8
Trouble from Tibet
king of tibet (enters and recites):

Buckskin-clad, felt-browed, russet-bearded horde
wielding our power from Lhasa to Koko Nor.
Nightlong our warriors’ pipes drown out the sentry’s tune
the heavens’ western half accepts me as its lord.
This is who I am, lord of the land of Tibet. From the foothills of the Kun-
lun Mountains my lands run to the borders of Shaanxi and Sichuan. But
what now—the Song court has confessed allegiance to the Khitan in the
north and made peace with the Xixia in the west, looks on my nation
with contempt and declines to bring tribute! And so today I am sum-
moning our tribes, man and boy alike, to raid into Sichuan and take
Chengdu. Not long to wait then for the Song to sue for peace! Tribesmen
all, this is our moment to advance. Not so feeble, I believe, our brave
cavalry:
(Tune: Northern Duan zheng hao)

Young tribesmen born in the saddle
tribesmen grown, raised on horseback
warriors by nature, thirsting for victory.
Such robust, curly-whiskered, hawk-nosed braves
like so many cast-iron figures of the battle god Tianpeng!
(Tune: Gun xiuqiu)
Red the shadows of windblown banners
brown the sun through clouds of dust
level sands stretch to a crimson sky
mounted columns bristle with swords and bows.
We shall smash the altars of the men of Tang
trample the borders of the Song empire
chorus our triumph to the clash of golden stirrups
take swift dominion over the western lands.
Then drunk with grape wine, red blood pounding
scene 8: Trouble from Tibet 53
we’ll dress in brocades, stick flowers in our sable caps

our pride a sight to see.
What place is this, my chieftains?

tribesmen: We have reached western Sichuan.
king: Then set to rape and pillage without delay. These horses of ours,
(Tune: Tang xiucai)

no whit inferior to sky-climbing pythons
and these men,
fierce as the vicious wolf that lurks in the hills.

Behold, one blow of our fist flattens the Kunlun ranges,
one roar of our war cry
roils up a thousand billows on the Koko Nor.
Don’t tell us “Heaven favors the rebel”
or “fortune woos the nomad realm”—
our strength is in our horses and our men!
Just see how swiftly the Song troops will scatter with the wind!
(Tune: Daodao ling)

Greater chiefs, lesser chiefs
joshing and joking
joking and joshing
shake all at once the passes of the sky;
steeds dappled black, steeds dappled white
stomping and stamping
stamping and stomping
stir all at once a twilit fog of dust;
ox-hide drums, lizard-skin drums
thudding and thumping
thumping and thudding
pound all at once a mighty thunderous roar;
arrows feathered with lotus fiber, arrows feathered with wild-rice blades
hissing and swishing
swishing and hissing
speed all at once to soar on their own swift wind.
54 scene 8: Trouble from Tibet
Oh oh oh, scares a man to death!

Oh oh oh, scares a man to death!
Troops iron-clad, troops clad in bronze
in terror and turmoil
turmoil and terror
flee all at once in panic and despair.
(Coda)
Our little western nomad state
stirred to battle outroars all larger tribes.
See how the troops of Han
tremble in fear, dithering in their fright!
Let alone seize Chengdu
we’ll take for ourselves that piddling Central Plain

easy as turn our hand!
ENVOI:
Founding our state beneath the Kunlun range
no shortage ours of mounted warriors;
the Han court, lacking skillful generals
must openly concede and leave the field.
scene 9
Sharing the Lampblack
bella:
(Tune: Gua zhen’er)

Rising at dawn to silent chamber
blossoms by gauze window—which of us the prettier?
Wearily make my toilet:
so thin my limbs, my waist
so much deeper the fold in my embroidered skirt.
(She recites in verse):
Dream rendezvous lost in woodland mists

“skyline” brows close-knit on waking
whom to tell of this secret plaint?
Chill night of spring, slow to rise
gleam of blossoms as dawn light nears
damp the silk covers with rouge-stained tears.
With such a sharp springtime chill today and the scene outside so lonely
and desolate, how depressing it is to rise and face the dressing mirror.
(Tune: Xiang bian man)

Dying lamp’s feeble glow
cold within bed curtains, fitful sleep
as birds on branch salute the spring
rise now to see how blossoms have fared.
Sad that pearl-like tears
have washed away traces of jade-white powder:
when will these sorrows ever have an end?
I shall use this lampblack to paint my eyebrows. (She does so)
(Tune: Lan zhenxian)

Lover close at hand yet distant as skies of Chu
loath to paint brows so set in melancholy
how sad this worthless passage of sad nights.
56 scene 9: Sharing the Lampblack
Past beaded door hangings silently creeps the chill

solitary here I rest by dressing table.
When I recall those poems of his I feel a hidden pang:
his fluent verses hymn the fragrant verdure

while I lack will to powder peach-bloom cheeks.
So many sorrows
dawn follows dawn
helpless to root out secret shoots of longing.
shen chun (enters): Yesterday while I chanced to be out my cousin came to

my room and wrote a poem to match my own rhymes. Not only was it
worded with such subtle skill, such lyric freshness as to put to shame Su
Hui or the Flowerbud Mistress,1 but it revealed also the myriad sweet
longings of her heart. Ah, Shen Chun, Shen Chun, there’ll be a cure for
your lovesickness yet! Today, under the pretext of thanking her for her
poem, I am visiting her in her own boudoir to see how she responds. Ah,
cousin,
(Tune: Lan hua mei)

The poem you wrote was speckled with fresh tears
just as the willow’s budding hints at spring
and from one sign of love I guess at nine
when one so young already feels so deeply.
(He enters the boudoir and greets Bella)
I see you are up, cousin, and making your toilet
moth eyebrows’ lonely image in bird-carved mirror.2
1. Su Hui was a fourth-century woman poet best known for a long set of verses she
embroidered in palindrome form in a message to her husband, a captive of the north-
ern nomads. The Mistress of the Flowerbuds was a tenth-century royal consort cele-
brated for her palace-style lyrics.
2. A more literal version of this line would read “Desolately the luan-decorated mirror
and the moth-antenna eyebrows regard each other.” (The luan is a mythical bird related
to the phoenix.)
scene 9: Sharing the Lampblack 57
(Tune: Liu Bomao)

Solitary, wordless by mirror stand at dawn
lightly shading your eyebrows in curves of springtime hills.
(He bows)
Thank you, cousin, for
the warmth of feeling in your matching verse.
(Bella blushes but bows in return. Aside, Shen sings):
How utterly lovely she is

her flowerlike face even sweeter than before!
bella:
(Tune: Huan xi sha)

Cousin, your gifted brush
displays such talent
a style of your own apparent in each word.
I am no more than
bird on branch piping her song to the spring

young girl trying her flute among the flowers.
shen chun: How could I claim such quality of verse as yours, cousin! Let
alone all else, so many sweet secrets of your heart all poured into a sin-
gle quatrain!
bella (blushing):
Don’t make fun of me

mere woman trying to match her verse to yours
but letting her callow feelings show!
shen chun (seeing the little heap of lampblack): Tell me, is this lampblack or
candle soot?
bella: It is lampblack; I have been saving it on purpose and have just
managed to collect this much.
shen chun: Lucky lampblack, I am not so fortunate; it has
(Tune: Hong na’ao)

served at your dressing table to grace mascara’d brows
entered bed curtains, gazed on tiny phoenix slippers

smiled as it made lamp flare in happy omen
left its trace on pillow by rouge of cheek.
Your own little hand has scraped it free
gathering it here on purpose
the work of a beautiful girl over many days—
“though candle turn to ash, its tears do not dry!”3
I should like to beg half of it to use for a letter home; would you let me
have it?
bella (nods her assent): This lampblack
(Same tune)
fit companion for Duan Creek inkstone, to moisten Jade Rabbit brush hairs
for drafting phoenix-winged characters on Sichuan luan-bird paper
for transcribing “Phoenix Woos Bride” to strum on jasper zither
for composing new lyrics to perform on flute of jade.
shen chun: Since you have agreed to my request, let me ask you to di-
vide it and give me half.
bella: I will, since it is for you and I have promised. (She divides the lampblack
into two piles)
My own white fingers part the heap

careful lest oily soot stain embroidered jacket.
(She dusts off her fingers on Shen’s sleeve)
Now that you have this, can you claim to be uninvolved?
Lightly I brush where my fingers touched his gown:

truly, green sleeves as lamp is shared wear darker hues!
shen chun (laughs): I shall cherish these stains as love tokens!

bella (displeased):
3. Adaptation of a line from the Tang poet Li Shangyin.

(Tune: Qiu ye yue)

Treating you as sister treats brother
how did I act improperly?
But by speaking like that
you humiliate me
scorn me as worthless wildflower.
(She starts to leave)
I shall make my complaint to my parents
I will not let you when no one else is present
tease and torment me like this!
shen chun (catches at Bella’s sleeve):
(Tune: Dong Ou ling)

Please, cousin, do not be cross
forgive me this once
don’t look so offended now.
(He kneels)
Here before the throne I kneel

with ingratiating smile.
For a silly thing I should not have said
like King Wen I dismount to bow to the thorns that would scourge me!4
Sweet cousin, pardon me!

bella: And if I will not?
4. Shen pleads to be let off lightly. The classical precedent he cites is that of King Wen of
Chu, who was reprimanded by his minister for neglecting to hold court, preferring
hunting and dalliance with consorts to the fulfillment of his royal duties. A flogging was
prescribed, but the king objected to such a humiliation and was permitted instead to
prostrate himself while a bundle of fifty thorn sticks was placed on his back.
shen chun:
Then here I kneel till dawn!
bella (stoops to help him to his feet, only to have him attempt to embrace her. Stepping
back):
(Same tune)
Please get up, cousin
don’t play the fool
and never again assume I am acting boldly.
shen chun (rising to his feet):
Light blushes, lotus pink on jade-white cheek

see, she is lovelier than ever!
I apologize:
forgive me just this once

and gratitude will stamp itself on my heart!
(Aside): My cousin is a little upset with me today; there is no way I can tell
her of my feelings. And I am afraid someone will see us if I stay here too
long. It would be best to leave now.
(To Bella): I have offended you, cousin, and am very much at fault. I beg to
be excused now. Truly,
trying to tell the blossoms how sadly they’ll be missed

only makes spring’s longings harder to resist! (He exits)
bella: Ah, Shen Chun, Shen Chun, what is in your heart I fully under-
stand; do you really know what is in mine?
(Coda)
Your firmness of resolve
I know in my heart:
Witch’s Mount, lovers’ union, must be close at hand. (V)
After that little scolding I gave you, I’m afraid tonight
more pearls of lovesick tears will splash your pillow!

ENVOI:
Precious lampblack saved over many weeks
willingly halved, presented to my love;
not daring to speak openly before the blossoms
for fear news of spring’s glory will escape my chamber.
scene 10
Hugging the Stove
shen chun:
(Tune: Rao di you)

When the peach bloom falls
comes the time for my return:
for whose sake do I linger on till now?
Old sorrows press so heavily
new cares add their weight;
when shall I make my lovely one understand?
(He recites):
Swift passage of a wasted spring

racked with longing this night again
scheming to win this beauty’s favor—
will she be cloud or driving rain? (V)
It is over a month since I left home, but lost in adoration of my cousin I
have missed the date by which I promised to return.Yesterday when she
did me the favor of sharing the lampblack it seemed as though she cared
for me, but then right in the middle of our conversation her attitude sud-
denly changed and she repulsed me. Half swallowing, half spitting out
again—how long can she go on this way? The next time I see her I shall
insist she make up her mind. Truly, “learning the zither’s secret depends
on the fingers’ strumming.” (He exits)
bella (enters with her maid Smartie):
(Same tune)
Still in late spring
a chill lingers in my chamber.
These slender blossoming stems keep company daylong
but with the pain of spring’s heartbreak
the body wastes away, thinner than flowering branch:
this spring, last fall—what difference to cold brow?
scene 10: Hugging the Stove 63
(She recites):
Petals fall in tiny court, no one to sweep them up

a faint scent everywhere, and always the east wind’s breath.
smartie (joins in the recitation):
Pair by pair, swallows gossiping
behind brocade screen, endless days of spring.
bella:
Now darken eyebrows to curve as spring hills
sadly wipe the pink-stained tear
seated alone where branches blossom
thinking of him, all unaware.
I feel the spring chill, little Smartie, more sharply today than last evening.
As I sit alone in my secluded chamber, it is so hard to pass the time.
smartie: These spring breezes bite cold, Miss; it’s best to go into the warm
by the stove.
(She leads her mistress into the next room, where Bella seats herself with a sigh)
Miss, you are sleeping and eating so poorly these days, always a frown
and never a smile, what can the reason be?
bella: Can you guess, little Smartie?
(Tune: Jin luosuo)
Secluded chamber, sadness unrelieved
but why so deep a sorrow?
If not grief for the spring
yet a grievous wasting as if for spring’s passing.
Day after day, night after night
tormenting thoughts
a spring-swollen stream that flows on endlessly.
Spring floods will end but passion knows no end
each hour a thousand measures of fresh sadness.
(She sighs)
Each time we meet

longing to confess then tongue-tied again
trying to harden my heart
64 scene 10: Hugging the Stove
only redoubles my sorrows

before one sadness leaves
a new one adds itself.
smartie: Miss, for looking after you I get my three meals a day; I don’t
know what this “sadness” is. Why do you talk about nothing but sadness
all day long?
bella: What does a little slavey like you understand? Go look for my
mother and let me know if she wishes to see me.
smartie: Yes, Miss. Never knew of such a thing as sadness yet; all I do for
fun is peep at flower lads in the street. (She exits)
bella: A child like little Smartie, not a care in the world; that’s the way to
be happy. But how could I be like her? It seems to me there must be a
great number of women in the world who know such sadness as mine.
(Same tune)
How can we marry as heart dictates?
Great event so often spoiled.
So many beauties
life partner wrongly matched
man and wife determined by fate
a union not to be forced.
How many perfect loves last to the end?
How many a phoenix is joined with phoenix mate
how many a purple swallow mismatched with oriole?
Meeting by chance
a happy life must be the work of both.
Let me ask the Lord of Heaven:
love at first sight
if not predestined, surely not to be known?
A woman’s marriage is in the hands of Heaven, it is her whole life, not

something she can take lightly! When I first heard talk of marital arrange-
ments I took not the slightest notice. But now that I have set eyes on
Cousin Shen, for some reason or other I can’t get him out of my mind,
try as I may.
(Same tune)
Ever bashful before a stranger
one glimpse of him and
at once my heart was caught.

Now in bright day or shades of dusk
my soul in dream is by his side.
I long to know what he desires
can our feelings be as one?
I believe the Lord of Heaven has
declared our lifelong partnership, phoenix and mate

yet fear this peach-bloom beauty will not survive spring breezes
nor twin mirrors ever reflect our white-haired heads.
With sorrowing heart
wordless I hug the stove in anxious dread. (She sighs)
I cannot think that Cousin Shen is heartless and callous:
if we could be close-bound for one brief moment

I’d gladly wait through lives past, present, and to come.
shen chun (enters bearing a spray of blossoms, and recites):

Maid sits alone with furrowed brow:
who occupies her musings now?
I broke off this sprig of blossoming pear to put in a slender-necked vase.
There warming herself by the stove is my cousin. I’ll go blundering in and
see how she reacts.
(He greets Bella, who remains seated. Shen throws down the sprig of blossom)
bella (gives a startled look, then slowly rises and picks it up): Why did you throw
this blossom down, cousin?
shen: The flowers are brimming with tears, who knows what they are
thinking? That is why I threw them away.
(Tune: Xi wutong)
Finest blossoms
picked by my hand
who knows if flowers’ thoughts resemble maiden’s?
I cast the sprig aside
break off with both of you
if you are truly cold to me

I’ll let you disturb me no more
and from now on
I’ll have no further truck with blossoming branch.
bella: The Queen of the East who governs the spring knows what she is
about. It is enough to set up a sprig of blossom to appreciate its beauty
for an evening: why do you seek for more?
(Same tune)
Flowers brimming with tears
flowering branch all wasted
for them too can it be pangs of love
have shrunk their slender form?
Flower or pretty face
each alike careworn
and fearing heart will not outlast the blossom
that when the wind blows
fades and falls, fades and falls at dusk.
shen: You favored me with your promise; don’t go back on your word.
bella (laughs): Promise of what?
shen: Just think, cousin.
bella: There is a strong spring breeze, sit here by the stove with me.
(Shen seats himself )
Are your clothes warm enough? I am afraid the chill will strike you:
(Tune: Jin wutong)

spring chill through emerald gown
as you sit out the daylight hours alone
traveling far from home
and subject to spring sickness.
shen:
My traveling gown is pitifully thin

and your concern so kind
are you prepared to pity also
a heart that is close to breaking?
bella (laughs): What threatens to break your heart? I will try to help you
think it out.
The cause of this heartbreak

I’ll try to help you find
with a thorough diagnosis.
shen: Don’t tease me, cousin. Ever since the moment we met my twin
souls earthy and ethereal have completely deserted me and I have lost all
control. The pain is even worse at night; I lie sleepless through the dark-
ness hours longing to tell my innermost thoughts and unable to do so.
Over and over I analyze your words and actions, and it seems you are
not without some feeling for me. But as soon as I speak of what I deeply
feel your manner changes and you repulse me. Can it really be your
naiveté in worldly affairs that causes this? Forgive my clumsiness, I can’t
measure up to your delicacy of mind; it will be best for me to bury my
secret thoughts deep in my heart. I will speak them this once and then
take my departure. (He weeps)
(Tune: Cu pao ying)

For you I have suffered melancholia
till emerald gown hangs loose
longing for that happy time
wiping tears from my eyes.
Like Xiangru on zither’s silken strings
over again I have strummed “Phoenix Woos Bride”—
have you, cruel Wenjun, been unaware? (IX)
A hundred miles distant from your dressing table
how could my zither’s message reach you?
Yet here before your jadelike face
what response to the riddle of your poems?
Convinced no common mortal can hope to partner goddess
I confess my love
relinquish hope of happiness in this lifetime
and go at once to plan my journey home.
bella (with a long sigh): Since you harbor these suspicions of me, how can I
refrain from speaking out? I have long known what is in your heart, but I
fear we can win no lasting union and dread what evils may befall in the
end! I too this past month have been too distraught to concentrate on
anything, sleepless or with troubled dreams, able neither to eat nor to
drink, but what have you known of this?
shen: But cousin, feeling like this, how can you at the same time repulse
me?
bella: Surely you understand that when a man and a woman marry it is a
matter for long-term planning. Since you have this love for me you
should return home to inform your parents and have them send a
matchmaker to arrange our union. How can you treat it as some spur-of-
the-moment task?
shen: Consumed with lovesickness, I cannot carry a plan from morn to
eve. Going back and forth seeking to arrange a marriage will take months,
and by that time you will need to look for me “in the dried-fish shop”!
And then if my suit is rejected and I must go skulking off red-faced, what
kind of plan shall I be able to make?
bella: All we need is firmness of purpose on both our parts, and we are
bound to succeed in the end. If it is hopeless, I shall recompense you
with my death!
shen: I shall carry these words of yours, cousin, inscribed deep in my
heart.
bella: There is one more thing I have been concerned with.
shen: What concern is that, cousin?
bella:
(Same tune)
You and I
hearts so close
try to speak
bashful still.
So many doting girls there have been
does a Xiangru like yourself understand this?
What I fear is some autumnal beauty
for whom you’ll cast aside a white-haired partner
or that some amorous red leaf message
will float fading along the palace drain. (IX, XIII)
It’s common for men to be easily tempted
however loving
the blossoms fall, the catkins fly
the stream flows east, we question it in vain.
shen (rises to his feet and bows to Heaven): No need for such worries, cousin. If I
prove faithless, Heaven shall bear witness.
shen, bella:
(Tune: Mao’er zhui tonghua)

Facing each other here by the stove
we two have told hearts’ deepest longings
of one too weary to make her toilet in shaded boudoir
of one with tear-soaked sleeve by Chu’s far stream
one solitary drinker, gate closed against the blossoms
one sadly plying her needle as the chill deepens.
(Same tune)
Deepest desires of each
alike beset by spring sadness
Night after night, dawn after dawn without cease
in life, in death, when will it ever end?
Now today
maid’s mind, man’s heart both emptied out:

may it be Heaven’s will
Heaven’s will to fulfill our match.
smartie (reenters): Madam wishes to see you, Miss.

bella: My mother wishes to see me, I must go to her.
(She exits with Smartie)
shen: Today my cousin and I confessed our innermost thoughts to each

other, and she has granted my plea for our union in marriage. So this
lovesickness I have suffered has not gone for naught. I was even on the
point of proposing a secret date for our wedding when suddenly Smartie
appeared and called her away. Truly, how can one ever get one’s wish in
this world!
(Coda)
Planning to fulfill tonight the day’s good fortune
my farewell to care frustrated by that ornery Lord of the East!1
And so tonight
I’ll grieve in vain to the west wind at Swallow Lodge.2
ENVOI:
Hopes assured by heartfelt words beside the stove
more certain than prediction of Yunying. (XI)
Lovesickness now will surely lead to love
and red threads link our feet in marriage tie.
1. Just as the east wind prompts thoughts of love, the Lord of the East is in charge of
affairs of the heart.
2. The Swallow Lodge was built for the concubine of a governor of Xuzhou in the Tang
period. After his death she did not remarry but lived on there for ten years or more.
scene 11
Frontier Defense
military governor shuai (enters at the head of his troops):
(Tune: Fan bu suan)

Commander flying falcon banner
myriad leagues echo my renown:
“in Chengdu town sits General Hua
his name familiar to plant and tree.”1
(He recites):
Where watchtowers crown each cloudy Sichuan pass

my sires commanded tigerish warriors bold.
Our slaughtering swords cut down men like grass
our shadows alone make children’s hearts grow cold.
Military Governor Shuai, at your service, descendant of a family stationed
for generations in Chengdu, charged with the four commanderies of
Jiannan and western Sichuan: truly a case of “fair flowering branch of
lordly tree, tiger-cub scion of servants of the throne.” News has come re-
cently that the high chieftain of the Tibetans is planning to sneak across
the border. I have sent my scouts to investigate and am still awaiting their
report.
scout (enters):
(Tune: Bushi lu)

Ten thousand horsed barbarians
pouring in swift as tidal wave!
1. Punning adaptation of two lines from Du Fu. The original second line declared that
even children lisping their first words knew the name of the general Hua Qing. But the
surname Hua means “flower,” hence our playwright’s substitution of “plant and tree” for
“children.”
72 scene 11: Frontier Defense
governor: Where is their raid headed?

scout:
Border flutes spread fear

they plan to carry their attack
all the way here to Chengdu, City of Brocade.
governor: What are our frontier troops doing to block their advance?
scout:
At sight of forward banners

troops mill with womenfolk rushing to escape
panicked by call of crane or the wind’s soughing.
governor: Whereabouts have they reached by now?

scout:
Beacon fires burn closer

they’ve crossed the border into western Sichuan.
Your Excellency must
make speedy dispositions

make speedy dispositions.
governor:
(Same tune)
Surprise attack from Tibet
half our defensive walls already in ruins.
When not a man of our border towns is willing to resist, what use is it
for our court to maintain an army?
So strong the nomad stench

officers civil and military flee for their lives.
troops: Your Excellency must move swiftly to the rescue!

governor: Order one man in three throughout Chengdu, official families
and commoners alike, conscripted for guard duty on the city walls. All
troops encamped here to prepare for immediate action.
scene 11: Frontier Defense 73
Muster troops and civilians

keep watch from every crag and tower
while cavalry burst forth like shooting stars!
troops: Where will Your Excellency’s force engage the enemy?

governor:
We shall advance
to allow no breach of Chengdu’s boundaries.
Make haste to proclaim these orders
make haste to proclaim these orders.
troops (in response): By order of His Excellency: in face of moonlight inva-

sion of the border by Tibetan forces, one man in three, official families
and commoners alike, to be conscripted for guard duty on the city walls.
Any man resisting and refusing to obey, to be beheaded in accordance
with this order.
(Cries of assent from offstage)
governor: All troops break camp for immediate advance.
(Tune: Ji ban ling)

Clang and crash, confusion of gongs and drums2
flutter and sway of banners obscures the sun
now raise the spear for defense and for capture
now raise the spear for defense and for capture.
Our ancients told us
floods rise, use earthen dikes to meet them
rebels come, use troops to greet them.
A thousand-league advance
to sweep away the nomad stench.
2. Drums to sound the advance, gongs to halt.

74 scene 11: Frontier Defense
all:
So to display our general’s manifold might

to inscribe his name in the imperial Unicorn Hall!
governor:
(Same tune)
Thunderclaps strike from gong and drum
stars of light glitter from sword and spear.
Westward urge the troops on
westward urge the troops on:
ranks of men wheel on command
warhorses follow the cymbals’ clang
forward as finger points the advance
a force none can hold back.
all:
So to display our general’s manifold might

to inscribe his name in the imperial Unicorn Hall!
ENVOI:
governor:
Troops and populace mobilized, not to be withstood
troops:
majestic ranks of spearmen and armored riders.
governor:
The border cut, keep inner and outer apart
troops:
do not let Chengdu become a battleground!

scene 12
Thwarted Rendezvous
shen chun (enters and recites):

White walls, gate closed against spring breeze
cloud-distant seems my love’s abode
as in the ancient Tiantai hills
green pine-clad ranges hid the road. (X)
Not once since we shared our secret thoughts by the warmth of the
stove have my cousin and I had the good karma to meet again, and this
lovesickness only gets worse. When I recall that day,
(Tune: Bubu jiao)

pears bloomed in hush of empty court
a sudden glimpse of her lovely face
subtlest of scents, hair unadorned
sad brow careworn
bright glance averted.
Leaning on painted balustrade
we two told our hearts’ deep yearnings.
(Tune: Tete ling)
After myriad tortured longings
winning at last her heart’s response
swearing a secret rendezvous
her words held back by blushes still.
Then—who could guess?—an interruption
both lost for words
and all at once from balustrade’s side
my darling girl had vanished.
(Tune: Jiaqing zi)
Longing for sight of my love, far now as sky,
bed canopy grown chill, how to find sleep at night?
A thousand twists each inch of tender heart
no vision left
76 scene 12: Thwarted Rendezvous
of peach-blossom spring (X)

seek word from her
find only misty haze.
Today I am going back there to wait for her.
(Tune: Yin ling)

Here once again seeking a chance to meet
reaching secluded court where night’s scent lingers
fearful of prying eyes behind gauze windows
stealthy, on tiptoe
(He creeps forward)
I’d tap on her chamber door, but dare not move!

I recall our meeting by painted balustrade
trying to tell our feelings, startled apart again.
All night the crows have cawed till break of day
and here in cloistered chamber tears fall like rain.
After Cousin Shen and I shared our secrets by the warmth of the stove, I
returned to my room with my thoughts in a whirl and lay sleepless all
night long. Now with the dawn’s return I must make my toilet by the
mirror stand before the window. . . . Oh, shadows moved outside the
window—was it merely the flowering branches or is someone there? (She
peeps out)
shen: Sounds from within, who may it be? I’ll recite a verse to find out. (He
recites):
Don’t wake me, neighbor’s dawn-announcing cock

let me finish the dreams that take me south of the river.
bella: These are lines from Su Shi expressing his homesickness. (She calls
through the window gauze) Are you so anxious to go home, cousin?
shen (peeps in at the window): You are up very early.
(Tune: Pin ling)

Spring morning chill by green gauze window
scene 12: Thwarted Rendezvous 77
where her mirror stand waits

she rises, concerned for the blossoms
leans forward, clouds of hair aslant.
bella: Why are you so anxious to go home, cousin?

shen: My heart is filled with despair; there is no point in staying here, all I
can do is go back.
I hear the hawk-cuckoo’s “go back, go back” (VI)

urging the wanderer home.
No rendezvous in prospect
what good to go on longing?
The call says “better go back”
than bear a hopeless karma into the life to come.1
bella: But if you really care nothing for me, why did you say those things
the other day?
shen (with a laugh): How can you think I don’t care for you? But when you
pretend to be offended, it is useless for me to stay on here and so I must
make plans to return home. If your feelings for me were true I would
stay here a hundred years!
bella: In the daytime like this there are too many people about for us to
make any plan. But outside your rooms a little window opens onto the
courtyard of my own apartments. When evening comes, climb through
this window and cross over by the rose-raspberry trellis till you come to
the hall named Spring Splendor. Few people go there and the foliage is
thick; there I will meet with you. Truly,
1. A failed or thwarted love affair could be viewed as a love affinity inherited as karma
from the previous lifetime and obliged to await fulfillment in the life to come: thus, a
“love of three lifetimes.” Shen Chun is impatient enough to desire union with Bella in
their present incarnation.
“For bodies no fluttering side by side of splendid phoenix wings

Between hearts the one minute thread from root to tip of the magic
horn.”2 (She exits)
shen (enraptured): What joy at last! Now back to my study to wait.
(Tune: Douye huang)

Joy that my fair one has promised
the mutual sealing of our happy karma.
(He makes a low bow)
Thank you, Lord of Heaven, for answering my prayer

thank you, Lord of Heaven, for answering my prayer.
Sweet face fresh as spring breeze
warm, scented flesh jade-white yet softly yielding
beneath the moon, before the blossoms
payment in full of this life’s debt of love
payment in full of this life’s debt of love.
Surely this is a dream:
can it be our daytime meeting

was a dream of the Tiantai hills? (X)
I suffered limitless lovesickness before winning my sweet cousin’s sym-

pathy. And now today, a sky like this, how can the dusk be so long in
coming?
(Tune: Yuanlin hao)

O dragging slow, day long as a year
red wheel my gazing can’t roll down the sky
uselessly pacing each inch of empty court
poor invalid Xiangru seething with fever! (IX)
Inspect the sky again: still no dusk. Heaven, I plead to you, I make re-
2. A couplet from a love poem by the Tang poet Li Shangyin, translation by A. C. Gra-
ham. The magic horn of the unicorn (i.e., rhinoceros) is celebrated as an aphrodisiac;
the unbroken thread of the nervous core symbolizes the union of hearts.
spectful greeting, how come nothing moves? I kneel to you, still nothing
moves. I bow low to you, still nothing moves. Pah, lousy bunch of feath-
ers stuck tight up there with fish glue,3 shiny face flaming red, sink west
at night up again east at dawn, why today do you have to hang on there
rooted between the two? All very well to say if one desires the good
Heaven will grant it: here I make respectful greeting and nothing moves;
kneel to you, still nothing moves; bow to you, still nothing moves. I’m
going to give you a good tongue-lashing:
(Tune: Jiang’er shui)

I curse your jealous scruffy-crow face
stuck with fish glue there in the sky.
Try to get you down it’s like
a back-to-the-wind struggle along the Yellow River’s bank

a nag that staggers backward on a plank above a precipice
a condemned man trudging in fetters to Yama’s infernal court.
Lingering up there this way
how can Heaven be so hateful
unwilling to do one a favor?
Ha, tell me people fear a bully, Heaven fears a bully too: before I start
making a fuss it’s still early afternoon; now I make a fuss and the sun
goes down!
(Tune: Sanyue haitang)

I stand here, eyes transfixed
east railing, west corner, I’ve leaned on every inch
before this red wheel will dim its light.
Oh, clouds coming up
an inky mass, mist rising.

Misery:
a sudden swirl of rain-filled clouds
curtains the face of the moon goddess Chang’o.
3. Ancient legend located a three-legged crow in the sun.

Here comes the rain
storm waves rise

roiling the river’s surface
cutting off fisherman from peach-flowering bank.
See how the multitude of raindrops
strike like strung pearls, scattered gems of jade,

a bucketing down from jug and basin, a night of endless rain:
swift as cold spring spurting from bosky cliff,
fierce as rattle of kettledrums beneath embroidered banners,
gust after gust stripping blossom and leaf from branch of pear,
drip after drip shattering the sorrowful heart.
No rain yesterday, no rain tomorrow, but tonight it just would have to

rain as hard as this! Truly,
Wang Bo met his moment and a fair wind bore him to the feast;
Fan’s fortune failed and a thunderbolt cracked his tablet.4
Ah, Shen Chun, your own fate is a poor lame limping thing!

As if the Silver Stream of the Milky Way
poured out its waters from the ninefold heavens
or spring flood soaked the wheat drying in the yard5
4. More legendary tales: divine spirits provided a favoring wind to waft the boat of the
Tang poet Wang Bo to a banquet in the Prince Teng Pavilion, which he celebrated in a fa-
mous piece; it was a journey of two hundred miles in a single night. As a contrasting
instance of ill fortune, when the Northern Song poet Fan Zhongyan planned to donate
rubbings of an auspicious inscription to a poor scholar, the stone tablet bearing the
text was destroyed in a thunderstorm.
5. Allusion to an old story reminiscent of King Alfred burning the cakes: the wife of the
scholar Gao Feng asked him to guard the wheat drying in the courtyard against ma-
rauding chickens, and he did so but, absorbed in his reading, failed to notice that a
rainstorm was soaking the grain through.
or dragons battled to crack the ancient tablet6

or in the dark north the whale transformed and spread huge wings7
of a sudden great billows are here,
and my fair one, inches away
is far off as spring swan from autumn swallow.
Even if I wanted to sleep tonight, what sleep will come to my eyes?
(Tune: Yu du jiao)
Dusk-filled court
mournful drip-drip from blossoming branches
shivering chill, alone by dim lamp
turn and toss, depressed and sleepless
paper window soaked through, leaking
trickling misery at heart’s core
lamplight and shadows hateful, hateful
cheek and pillow tearful, tearful.
(He sighs)
With Heaven as unkind as this, not to speak of myself, but my sweet

cousin also
6. Dragons are lords of the waters and in charge of rainbearing; thus, a battle of drag-
ons would result in a prodigious thunderstorm, sufficient to crack a stone tablet as in
note 4.
7. Shen Chun concludes this display of his erudition with a reference to the opening
lines of the Daoist philosophical work Zhuang Zi, which Burton Watson translates as
follows:
In the northern darkness there is a fish and his name is Kun. The Kun is so huge I
don’t know how many thousand li he measures. He changes and becomes a bird
whose name is Peng. The back of the Peng measures I don’t know how many thou-
sand li across and, when he rises up and flies off, his wings are like clouds all over
the sky. . . . When the Peng journeys to the southern darkness, the waters are
roiled for three thousand li.

powdered cheek besmudged
tear-filled eyes staring transfixed
tell of her plaint against Heaven
tell of her plaint against Heaven.
Deep in her chamber scent fades from brocaded finery
each disappointment deeper than the last
each new sad thought harder to express.
(Same tune)
Midnight, the lamp exhausted
let down embroidered curtain from twin hooks
no chance tonight of blissful dream
no chance tonight of blissful dream
longing for sleep I once knew
each disappointment deeper than the last
each new sad thought harder to express.
(Coda)
So many lovers’ trysts wrecked in the past
but nothing like this present bleak despair.
Not even a heart of iron or stone could

endure these rain-filled watches, this never-brightening sky!
ENVOI:
True enough, lovers’ meetings often thwarted
but when was torment worse than this tonight?
Odious, cruel nightlong rain
new Silver Stream forming in blossoms’ shade! (I)
scene 13
Dispatching the Summons
shen qing (enters with Madam Shen):
(Tune: Haitang chun)

Son traveling afar, absent dawn and dusk1
here by the gate we keep a fruitless watch.
madam shen:
Blossoms long since fallen

what so delays his return?
shen qing: Two months now since our son went to visit his uncle. His
failure to return is causing me a good deal of anxiety.
madam shen: You must send a message instructing him to come home.
shen qing: We will discuss the sending of a message with our elder son
when he comes.
shen lun (enters in haste): “Skies fill with unforeseen clouds, men meet with
inconstant good and ill.” Five scouts in succession today have brought
word that Tibetan troops have invaded our borders, have driven into
western Sichuan, and are on the point of threatening Chengdu. The mili-
tary governor has issued orders for the mobilization of troops to resist
the enemy, while men will be chosen also from official families and com-
moners alike throughout the region to mount the walls for defense of
the city. What are we to do?
(Tune: Suo nan zhi)

Spears of battle are raised
and in an instant
the hills resound to flutes of the tribal Qiang.
1. That is to say, unable to fulfill the morning and evening visits to inquire after the par-
ents’ well-being, visits prescribed by the rites for sons sharing their parents’ roof.
84 scene 13: Dispatching the Summons
Beacon fires burn in outskirts and open plain

men fly like sparks to the four winds.
The populace conscripted
to maintain a stout defense
by principals, not proxies:
how shall we deal with this?
shen qing: In this case, what is to be done? Your brother is more familiar
with martial matters; it will be best if he can join in the defense of the
walls. Let us send an urgent message to summon him.
(Same tune)
Practiced in martial arts
he is gone and not returned.
Let us send him an urgent summons
to hasten home on the instant
not a moment’s further delay.
shen qing, madam shen, shen lun:
But shield and spear may block his way

make it hard to advance or retire
and try as he may to come home,
this crisis will make his route

a tricky one to find.
ENVOI:
shen qing:
Day and night let feathered message speed2
2. Army practice was to mark a message as urgent by attaching a feather to it.

scene 13: Dispatching the Summons 85
madam shen:
as western frontier erupts with clash of weapons.
shen lun:
Fearing the road beset by many perils
all:
may still delay the hour of his return.

scene 14
Quiet Despair
shen chun (enters, the worse for wine, and recites):

Tipsy, babbling to myself
nightlong lovesickness, new white hairs:
peel last year’s shiny bark to write my woes
drink to Liu Ling beneath the blossoming pears.1
Last night the love fulfillment I had waited for all day was blocked by a
sudden storm of rain. This morning when I rose at dawn I encountered
my sweet cousin in the reception hall, and she promised we shall make a
fresh plan when the chance offers—but oh, when will that time ever
come? I feel so sick at heart! My uncle and I spent today drinking with
the neighbors, and having soused myself stupid I’m off to my study now
for a nap. (He exits)
bella (enters and sings):
(Tune: Qi niangzi)
The last flowers fallen, rouge chill to the touch
secluded in maiden chamber as once behind barred gate
a jealous consort languished in palace depth.
Past rendezvous unattained
future hope uncertain
—for so many bright-cheeked girls, such cruel fates!
(She recites):
1. Shen Chun vows to commit his sighs to strips of bark in imitation of the late-Tang
poet Li He, who begins a poem on new bamboo with the line “I’ve peeled off the shiny
green bark, on which to write my songs of sorrow” (translation by Irving Lo); and also
to assuage his grief with wine in the manner of the third-century poet Liu Ling, who
claimed that drinking was his sole vocation.
scene 14: Quiet Despair 87
Unfeeling rain that dripped nightlong

blocking his path to garden rendezvous!
Seated till break of day by perfumed clothes stand2
whom to tell of griefs that rack me through?
I had promised to meet Cousin Shen last night by the hall named Spring
Splendor, but without warning a storm of rain began. (She sighs) The more
I think of it, the more unkind Heaven appears!
(Tune: Shuazi dai furong)

Star-lover pair cut off by cloud and rain
it seems fulfillment of love
in this world is something rare.
Love match so imminent
now drifts like bell-hung kite with severed string.
So cold
shadows of flowering branches after dusk
and wasting maiden just as lonely
in thick-curtained silence
wordless by silver lamp as tears crisscross.
smartie (enters): “Busy means carrying thread for Miss to sew, idle means
pushing garden swing to and fro.” Miss, the master has come home a lit-
tle tipsy and the madam has ordered all the staff to see to things at once.
bella: Very good, you must go see what Madam needs.
(Smartie bobs and exits)
Now that the staff are all occupied I can sneak out of my chamber and
go see Cousin Shen.
(She circles the stage)
(Tune: Pu tian dai furong)

Concealed by double blossoms of the peach
tread scented paths all pink with fallen petals.
2. To freshen and perfume a gown overnight, one draped it over a wicker framework
beneath which burned charcoal with sandalwood or incense added.
88 scene 14: Quiet Despair
Oh, his door is shut
all still, his door tight shut against the pear bloom
(She taps against the window grille)
if I tap softly at his window

surely he’ll whisper in reply.
But why no shadow of a sign of him?
He must be lovesick, spring-intoxicated
imagining some Gaotang dream of love! (V)
How can he go on sleeping like this?
Hesitating
here by his window a soft-voiced call or two:
Cousin Shen! Cousin Shen!
(Tune: Zhu nu cha furong)

Here I stand softly calling
there he lies, no response
in vain cold stockings print the moss-grown step.
Why has he grown so fond of his bed? Come to think of it,
surely these scholars are a callous breed.

Ponder, reflect
no words for growing anguish:
this love match is like petals on the stream—
no concern one for other.
(Sound of wind offstage; Bella listens intently)
(Tune: Yu furong)
Sudden rustle of wind in the bamboos
I tell myself the dreamer wakes.
Back and forth, watching in vain
start to leave, stop once more
red paper windowpane a silent barrier
stark as the massed twelve peaks of Witch’s Mount. (V)
scene 14: Quiet Despair 89
Surely he cares nothing for me and so is pretending to be asleep! And I
infatuated
mistook this young man’s meaning
saw one spark of affection and multiplied by nine!
Cousin Shen, how cruel you can be!
(Tune: Shan tao fan)

In dream he roams Witch’s Mount
I wait in the garden in vain.
Scholars were ever a callous breed
one third of their talk deceitful.
He has betrayed me cruelly—
what now of solemn vow beneath the blossoms?
(Tune: Cui pai)
Not his to drown in the flood like young Wei
rather than yield his Blue Bridge tryst; (XI)
but mine the role of Yueying
leaving her slipper as token and reproach
for the lover who slept through the Lantern Festival!3
I see myself, doting girl
I see myself, doting girl
vain imitation of Wenjun
saying yes to elopement with Xiangru
and him unbearably cruel
breaking his vow
destroying the prospect bright as brocade.
Why there in the beginning did I ever confess my love?
3. The allusion is to the zaju play Liu xie ji by the Yuan dramatist Zeng Ruiqing. The hero-
ine goes to the Temple of the Chief Minister on the night of the Lantern Festival to
keep an assignation with her lover, Guo Hua. Guo is there but sunk so deep in drunken
slumber that he cannot be wakened, and Yueying has no recourse but to leave her slip-
per by his insensible form.
90 scene 14: Quiet Despair
At thought of it now
heart fills with pain.
What am I doing here? So then, go back.
(She circles the stage again)
(Tune: Yi cuo zhao)

Follow flower-strewn path
heart thumping despite myself.
Truly dejected to be going back
to stand again
lone shadow behind gauze window.
To think of that day
so many meaningless words
and now such callousness
where to seek truth in him?
From now on I shall try to rid myself of these feelings
yet thought of separation

leaves my heart in upheaval
and tonight my dreaming soul
will fly in vain to the Jasper Pavilion of Chu! (V)
(Coda)
Jasper Pavilion, lover far off, no breath of east wind
myself left wordless, weeping despairing tears.
And as I go back
(She turns to gaze behind her)
flower shadows block from view the setting sun.
ENVOI:
A breeze sweeps bamboo shadows across the green moss
dully I pace the garden alone
for grief that the King of Chu, his passion faded
has drawn the goddess to the Sun Terrace in vain.(V)
scene 15
Parting Vows

Poplar’s flowering finished, hawk-cuckoo cries
wanderer far from home, tears glistening on his sleeve:
lovesickness at every turn tugs at the heart
so many thoughts of home, still he cannot leave.
It is on my sweet cousin’s account that I linger on here. The other day
she stole out for an assignation with me, but to my own disgust I was
sunk in drunken slumber and so ruined our chance of blissful ren-
dezvous. She worried lest I was deliberately trying to offend her and in-
sisted over and over that I swear an oath, to the point where I could only
bring her around by cutting off a lock of my hair and presenting her with
a written vow of fidelity. Suddenly today arrives a letter from home, urg-
ing my return at once because of an invasion by Tibetan troops. I have no
choice but to take leave of my aunt and uncle and set out this very night.
But how can I find it in my heart to abandon my cousin?
wang wenrui, madam wang (enter and recite):
Reports of fighting on Shaanxi border
no more delay now urgent call has come:
hurry the singing of the dirge “Homesick Thoughts”
but may “Bingzhou remain your second home”!
I have heard the news of the Tibetans, nephew, and that your parents are
urging your return. What is the situation now?
shen: The Tibetan troops are threatening Chengdu, and all at home are
filled with alarm.
(Tune: Huang ying’er)

Beacon fires redden the sky
in city outskirts, across the plains
all is swept bare
a thousand wooded ranges tremble in fear.
Hills block the road home
92 scene 15: Parting Vows
repeated letters urge

the cuckoo’s call “go back” starts dreams of home.
Thoughts in turmoil
my soul takes flight a thousand leagues
east to Chengdu, City of Brocade.
wang: We have taken advantage of your presence here to discuss many

matters, nephew. Now that you are summoned home we must let you
go for the time being, but we insist you take good care of yourself on
your journey.
(Same tune)
Nomad riders crisscross the land
roads are blocked
by sword and spear
thousand-mile journey filled with terrors.
Send early word
by some chance traveler
spare us from fruitless watching while the storms rage!
madam wang:
Nephew, you must come back to us again.
wang, madam wang:
Go now swiftly
but when the beacon fires burn out
come back to this brocaded hall.
shen: I shall certainly come back to you again.

wang, madam wang: Then we must part for now. “The river brims with
parting tears, thoughts of the wanderer course through heart’s core.”(They
exit)
bella (enters and greets Shen): Suddenly today comes word that you are to re-
turn east at once. My heart is stunned, what now becomes of our love?
(Tune: Shanpo-li yang)

Magpies cried from the eaves, flying to escort you
and startling me from silken-curtained dream.
scene 15: Parting Vows 93
That day by brocaded hall

we shared the lyric “Phoenix Woos Bride”
two hearts as one
“one magic thread from root to tip.”
And who could tell but tonight in the shadows
(She wipes away a tear)
in the shadows we might achieve our bliss.

A thousand tears fall red in wintry pool.
Fading vision
yesterday’s meeting an illusion
frantic thoughts
each calculation an illusion.
shen: Ever since the day I first arrived here I have been favored with your
love.
(Same tune)
Thank you, sweet girl, for messages of love
sent from your eyebrows, curves of springtime hills
on our first meeting;
for whispered pact by window gauze
eternal, incense-sealed.
How hateful this tumbleweed fate
petals borne eastward as the river flows.
A moment’s romance, interrupted dream
now countless roads will bar me from your chamber.
Frantic thoughts
of parting in an instant
fading vision. . . .
Where shall we meet tonight?
bella: The vows we made as we hugged the stove are deeply etched in
both our hearts. Now though we must still wait to be united in bliss, how
can we be anything but united in grief?
(Tune: Zao luo pao)

To speak of parting brings a thousand sorrows
distress that the Lord of Heaven holds us back

a thousand leagues from Witch’s Mount.
Cuckoo on branch nightlong sheds bloody tears
but no parrots crossing hills of Shu
will give voice to our dreams.
Balustrade by Flower-Care Pavilion
will bear the weight of my despair
lovesick tears will rain
beneath flower-’broidered window gauze
two will share pangs of parting at this time.
shen: Though these two months past I have not served you in your
boudoir, my ardent dreaming soul has never for an instant left your side.
Now I must hasten from you, and who knows on what distant night we
shall meet again? Oh, the pain at heart!
(Same tune)
Sudden blare of horn
calls up the anguish of parting
fish cut off from stream.
I recall that day when we
cut locks of hair, eager to show devotion

made vows of phoenix faith though lifetimes pass.
The fragrant path to Peach-Blossom Spring— (X)
when will it ever open for us
or in what year shall we meet again
on moonlit Jasper Terrace? (V)
Tearstains soak my blue sleeve through.
bella: I shall share this sadness of parting when you are gone. I have a
poem as parting gift:
Green leaves’ deep shade, remaining blossoms few

cuckoo’s “go back,” spring’s farewell to Xiangru;
her lover now a thousand miles away
hot tears will soak this Wenjun’s clothing through.
shen: Thank you for this kindness. Let me try a poem in matching rhyme:
Dense curtain of leaves, butterflies few

swallow returns but not this poor Xiangru;
“Gold Finery” not lightly cast away1
let Wenjun’s heart stay ever steadfast through.
I have still one thing to say; may I say it?

bella: Of course.
shen: Though you and I are just reaching marriageable age, fortunately no
betrothal has been arranged for either of us, so we might say that Heaven
is not against us. But when you spoke the line “Green leaves’ deep shade”
just now I couldn’t help wondering:2
(Tune: Jie san cheng)

as cousins you and I share lasting affection
yet though stronger our love than between man and wife
weapons of war still blight our dream of union;
I fear only that by the time I return
the blossoms gone

green leaves will form deep shade
and I like poor Yu Xin3
1. Adaptation of a line from an old song that runs “Do not grudge the gold-’broidered
dress (grudge rather the passing of your youth).” The late-Tang poet Du Mu refers to the
song in his poem about an aging beauty, Du Qiuniang.
2. Du Mu’s poem “A Sigh for Blossoms” contains phrasing very similar to these words
from the first line of Bella’s quatrain. Shen Chun’s problem is that Du Mu’s poem
laments the failure of a young girl to wait for him to claim her as his bride: the blos-
soms of her youth have faded (she is now a married woman) and the green leaves
cluster thick (she has borne children). Shen thus fears that Bella’s line shows her own
awareness that, like the subject of Du Mu’s lament, she might marry someone else be-
fore his return. In fact Shen has already hinted at this fear with the reference in his re-
sponse-quatrain to the song “Gold Finery” (see preceding note).
3.Yu Xin was a leading “palace style” poet of the sixth century.
must sing in vain sad songs of lonely boudoir
for you,
fled to some dream-wrapped peak of Witch’s Mount.

Pain strikes the heart
the green, green sprig of willow
married off to east wind!
bella (sighs): Ah, you still do not understand this heart of mine!
(Same tune)
Speak not of green sprig snapped, spring freshness flown:
gladly by emerald screen I’ll watch for phoenix mate.
I recall our whispered pact beside the stove
when it seemed upon the instant we should mount
on dragon’s back to our bliss.
When you return it will be as before
I’ll wait where blossoms smile in the spring breeze.

Only, come often in your dreams to our Gaotang Terrace.
Longing brings pain
don’t leave me watching from lodge’s height
for wild goose messenger across a thousand leagues.
shen: Your loving thoughts move me deeply. But leaving now, not knowing
when I may return, twin love longings far apart, we must surely die either
of sickness or of suffering!
bella: The ancients said, “if there is love, why fear years of waiting?” We
need only hold steadfast in our hearts; our bliss is not something to be
hurried on.
(Tune: Diao jiao wang xiang)

Word of your leaving left me heartsore and desolate
promise of your return speaks of love strong and true.
Two of us all in all for all time to come
let none view this as dance of bees or butterflies.
bella, shen:
Dream paired with dream

love matched with love
two as one
in this life or in death united in bliss
let us join soon
in bridal chamber
behind the gay curtains
two trees whose branches intertwine as one.
shen: I took leave just now of Aunt and Uncle, it is time for us to say
farewell.
(Coda)
Loath to take leave
grieving to go back
when shall we meet again beneath the blossoms?
This coming night
dream-barred in crumbling, lonely posting station.
(He exits)
bella: My cousin is gone. We were drawn to each other in unavailing love,

and the day of our reunion is hard to foresee. I have courage neither to
weep nor to smile in the presence of others, yet private reflection only
means redoubled sighs of distress. Today I realize to the full the taste of
lovesickness and of parting.
ENVOI:
Hurried leave-taking as of old on southern bank
cherries after rain, branches drip with blood.
Weeping before others, forever wiping tears
privately penning so many songs of heartbreak.
scene 16
Defense of the City
militiamen (enter in double file):
(Tune: Liu yao ling)

Forbidding walls round and about
tight-packed, close-set
sword and spear in bristling array
banners wave o’er battlement formations
squad after squad
tramps its round
dawn or dusk, each inch of wall patrolled
dawn or dusk, each inch of wall patrolled.
We are the militia entrusted with the defense of Chengdu. With the inva-
sion of nomad forces, the commander-in-chief ordered the conscription
door to door of guards for the city wall, and we have no choice but to
patrol and keep watch by day and night.
shen chun, squad leaders (enter):
(Same tune)
A comet sweeps across the sky
bubbling, swirling
miasma of killing, dread clash of arms.
Timid students don riding jackets
soldier and scholar
must act in concert
hold the city, not thwart commander’s will
hold the city, not thwart commander’s will.
We graduates of school and university are residents of Chengdu prefec-

ture. With the invasion of nomad forces, males from every commoner
household have been conscripted to defend the city wall, and we are ap-
pointed to lead squads of ten, to command the able-bodied day and
scene 16: Defense of the City 99
night upon the wall. Brothers, we must all exercise caution and pay close
heed!
shen chun: I have just now returned from Meizhou and have not yet
been able to familiarize myself with details of the city’s defense. I must
ask you gentlemen to instruct me.
squad leaders: All we scholars are used to is sitting about in comfort-
able gowns, tugging each other’s capacious sleeves in discussion of the
affairs of peacetime—how can we be expected to defend this wall?
shen: Nowadays the posts of military inspector and contractor and such at
the frontier are all being filled by scholars.
squad leaders: Filling a post is one thing, only there’s no managing
these local levies!
shen: You say you aren’t used to it, but those fellows grasping their long
spears and whirling their broadswords—which of them are used to it?
squad leaders: That’s very true, now that we have been posted here all
we can do is try our best to hold on. (They exit)
king of tibet, tribesmen (enter):
(Same tune)
A sweeping, shrieking wind
we plunder outskirts and open plain
the populace runs screaming
while we ride proud to clang of gong and drum.
Where our steeds pass
only lonely shadows are left
we nomads laugh to see Chinese weep and stumble
we nomads laugh to see Chinese weep and stumble.
Plundering and slaughtering all the way, our troops have reached Cheng-
du. Not a man of all the Chinese generals has dared to oppose us. Now
that we have seized all the women we can carry off and filled our saddle-
bags with gold and silver, back we go to our own country. (They exit)
military governor shuai, chinese troops (enter):
(Same tune)
Flocking like fledgling birds to each other’s call
nomad hordes crash forward in tidal wave
100 scene 16: Defense of the City
their yells overbrimming hill and plain.

On desert sand
two armies clash
no telling who lives who dies, who wins who fails
no telling who lives who dies, who wins who fails.
Rising dust signals the barbarians’ approach. We have no way to escape,

we can only fight to the death.
(Tibetans reenter and offer battle. Military Governor Shuai and his men are defeated and flee.
Tibetans repeat their song and exit.)
military governor shuai, troops (reenter): Run, run!
(They look behind them)
Ha, the barbarians are leaving with blowing of flutes and banging of
drums; why don’t we turn and give chase? Then once they are well on
their way we can ride back beating our drums of victory!
(Same tune)
Sun dwindles in dusty haze
as far off we watch barbarian force
ride proud to songs of triumph
while we
skulk behind to see them across the bridge.
Let them go
back to their nest.
Now bang boom boom the drum that shouts our victory
now bang boom boom the drum that shouts our victory!
ENVOI:
Ferocious riders crisscross the land
border town a bamboo shoot stripped by autumn wind.
Our general really did see the nomads on their way
which surely counts as first-class act of merit!
scene 17
Seeking a Cure
shen chun (enters, sick, and sings):

(Tune: Jin jiao ye)
Thousand, myriad longings
fill my eyes with tears dawn to dusk
scarecrow waist, mere willow wand
the very image of a mournful swain.
Secret pact deep buried

boundless sorrow of parting
far range half hidden, incense smoke lingers on.
Silent on balcony, heart near to breaking
pale sky turns leaf and petal wan.
Two months since my return; thankfully the Tibetans are gone and the
land is at peace. I long to visit my cousin, but without instruction to do
so from my parents I dare not suddenly take my leave. Worry on this
score has brought on a sickness—when shall I recover?
(Tune: Zheng hu bing)

Reverse script, lovers’ code on patterned paper
but never words to express this pain.
Grown sallow in recent days, shrunk by spring lusts
to a wasp-waist a pair of hands could span
for shame hiding the pleats in my gauze tunic1
1. A line of extraordinary compression here, literally “spring-breeze-jade-one-surround”:

i.e., amorous longings (borne to him by the spring breeze) have left him as emaciated
as a beauty whose jade (i.e., precious) waist two hands could encircle. Likewise, his tu-
nic has grown so loose that he has had to have pleats taken in, as Petal advised Bella to
do with her skirt in scene 4.
102 scene 17: Seeking a Cure
and all for her, distant as Chu’s far corner

—how to reach Chu’s far corner?
(Same tune)
Recalling lovers’ talk in garden kiosk, moonlit chamber
our time of bliss at hand
and now, alas, apart, cut off
so long a separation
no channel for loving word.
In dreams my thoughts fly far to her
but she comes not.
Dear cousin, I am thinking of you at this moment, do you know?
(Tune: Xiang bian man)

On the table a thousand sheets of paper
every sheet filled with her name.
Drunk with secret hopes
ready to die of wasting
I force myself to speak to others
locking my folly in my bosom;
whom to tell of my heart’s desire?
Cousin, cousin! I call but you do not answer. Then let me sleep and
dream of you.
(He falls asleep, then wakes with a start)
(Same tune)
Ah, dream demon, just now again
we leaned by the railing, whispering beneath the blossoms
eyes brimming red-stained tears.
But you and I
separate now beneath our emerald covers

myself with grizzled temples like old Pan Yue
your fabled beauty fading from the mirror
surely each like to each in force of passion.
shen qing (enters with Madam Shen and Shen Lun, and recites):
scene 17: Seeking a Cure 103
Our younger son bedridden, sickness worsening

medicines no help, depression deepens fast
a twisting in the gut, pain every instant
from finger-ends reaching the heart at last.
How is your sickness now, my child?

shen chun: Your son’s sickness worsens daily.
shen qing, madam shen: Son, how did this illness start? It seems to
us it must have been brought on by the traveling you have done, the un-
certain diet and the rigors of the road.
(Tune: Luozhang-li zuo)

Hunger and cold on the road
returning in sudden haste
service at arms day and night
repeated trials and hardships.
shen lun: Combined with these things, brother, I’m sure the disappoint-
ment of your failure to win examination honors
crippled your heart’s seven passions2

beyond healing by subtlest herb.
To cure this sickness
the only remedy surely must be

distraction from sorrow and freedom from care.
shen chun: Even I myself cannot tell what brought about this sickness. It
is lamentable that a city as large as Chengdu should contain not a single
doctor who can diagnose it. Meizhou would be far better, with several
skilled doctors specializing in nameless sicknesses. Our best plan is to in-
vite one of them to examine me.
shen lun: Meizhou is so far away, what doctor would be prepared to
come? You will simply have to go there yourself to be cured.
2. The classical Rites cite the seven passions as joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, and
desire.
104 scene 17: Seeking a Cure
madam shen: These doctors kill more patients than they cure. In my
opinion there is no need to consult a doctor. All would be well if we
would only invite a Daoist priestess to intercede with a mass for the
sick.
shen qing: The ancients had a saying, “Number one way to fail to cure:
trust a soothsayer not a doctor.” Better to go consult a doctor. But as sick
as you are, how can you manage such a journey?
shen chun: To seek a cure for my sickness I shall have to make the
effort to go. But my dear father and mother, how can I bear to part from
you?
shen lun: I shall be here to look after our parents; you just be sure to
take good care of yourself on your journey.
(Same tune)
Through mountains and perilous places
you will need protection and help.
Our revered parents at home
I pledge myself to serve.
shen qing: I pray that this journey will result in your renewed health and
put an end to our worries day and night.
madam shen: When you are a little better send us word,
do not make us watch from the gateway for news that never comes.
Fix these words firmly in your breast.
shen chun: Your child will bear them constantly in mind.
ENVOI:
shen qing:
Why such varied ailments among the young
madam shen:
the bones grown lean against autumn chill!

scene 17: Seeking a Cure 105
shen lun:
On this journey may your sickness recover of itself
report to us soon your return to full health!

scene 18
Secret Pact
bella:
(Tune: Que qiao xian)

Scented flesh, jade-smooth body
ailing, ravaged by sorrow
dreading to see red blossoms gusting down.
Tearstains mottle gold-’broidered dress
no sign of his approach from sky’s far edge.
Earnest exchange of verses on the eve

then with a hasty farewell he was gone.
From narrow terrace recalling plum-blossom pact
I watch far hills cut off the setting sun.
Over a month since Cousin Shen left in such haste, and still I anxiously
await some word.
(Tune: Gui zhi xiang)

Such melancholy, such ennui
emerald skirt grown too loose.
By the flowering peach our bliss escaped us;
new sorrows multiply beneath the cherry-apple.
Torment of mind to no purpose
torment of mind to no purpose
thoughts silently turning
and who to know, who to care?
Pity poor spring
three months of splendor fluttering to their end
a scatter of falling petals take their leave.
Remembering Cousin Shen:

scene 18: Secret Pact 107
(Same tune)
A thousand distinctions of person
a hundred amorous ways
borne away as the stream bears off the blossom
and who to bring word from his far corner?
Lovesick so long for nought
lovesick so long for nought
endure spring’s passage
sigh to feel autumn near
secretly grieving
the road to the Terrace of Heaven, so close, now changed
to myriad miles of cloud over Witch’s Mount. (V)
petal (enters): “Ordered here to fragrant chamber, bearing word to window’s

grille.” Your cousin Shen has arrived; Madam wants you to come greet
him.
bella: Is he really here? Don’t tease me!
petal: I’m not teasing, come see for yourself. (Aside): One mention of Mas-
ter Shen’s arrival and Miss’s face lights up with joy. Like they say, want to
know what’s in her heart, just take a look at her face. (They exit)
shen chun (enters):
(Tune: Nu guanzi)
Revisiting the mouth of White Cloud Creek
I seek the stream-borne peachbloom. (X)
In failing health and fated to loneliness
how to dispel the sorrows of spring gone by?
Spring-long sadness, bitterness hard to bear

as sorrow grows so health daily declines;
our former pact brings only fresh regrets
no new joys follow from those past designs.
I am here under the pretext of seeking a cure for my sickness, but al-
though my aunt and uncle have welcomed me with sympathy, I have had
no opportunity for a meeting with my sweet cousin since one brief
glimpse on first arrival. All alone in canopied bed, what a pitiable state!
108 scene 18: Secret Pact
(Tune: Da sheng yue)

Watching dust gather on the cords of the bed
bright coverlet pressing cold on embroidered sheets
“faded the scent of the Six Dynasties’ powdered beauties”1
who will share warmth and tenderness with me?
Young Liu returns for the message of the peachbloom (X)
still hoping to find the maiden beneath the blossoms.
Alas, though here at hand, far as sky’s edge.
In vain I grow sallow and worn
finding no rest in sleep.
(Same tune)
Chill silence, moss growing all about
stillness behind gate shut and barred
ended the garden’s blooming, but not my sorrow
vain gaze cut off by clouds over distant Chu.
Behind this wall she is far away, the sky’s edge close at hand
scent faded from the bed, soul wandering cuckoo-lost. (VI)
Worn down by futile journeying
sleeping on the road, napping on my feet
suffering each blow five elements hold in store.2
The silence of this room only deepens my frustration. I’ll go out into the
passageway and wait there on the chance my cousin may come out.
bella (reenters): I have learned that Cousin Shen has still not recovered
from his sickness, but for several days I have not found a chance to visit
him. Now that I can keep it from the knowledge of the maidservants I
shall sneak in to have a look at him.
shen (starts upon seeing her): I have been here for days, but you haven’t been
to see me. I suppose you had forgotten my existence.
1. This line, like numerous others in similar situations in the play, is a very slightly
adapted quote from The Story of the Western Wing, in this case from part II, act 1.
2. One’s fate is determined by one’s constitution, which in turn is the product of the
interaction of the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. It is the task of a
certain type of fortune-teller to determine or predict this process.
bella: For days on end I have had no opportunity to visit you. If you think
I had forgotten you, Heaven be my witness!
(Tune: Zhu ma ting)

Cruel Liu Chen (X)
cut off by dusty world from the Terrace of Heaven.
Because of you I have been loath to face my mirror
shy to choose trinkets
unwilling to dress my hair.
So many dusks silent by tiny window
trimming the lamp wick, watching the fading light
grown haggard on your account
no pear-blossom powder gracing jade-smooth cheek.
shen: Since I left you that day
(Same tune)
dreams torment my soul
longing for you each hour of every day.
Like Herdboy and Weaving Maid (I)
sentenced to dwell apart
out of all sound or sight.
Blue of tunic fresher where tears have dried
no pain, no hurt, but endless melancholy
suffered for you
far off as River of Heaven with never a messenger.
bella: It is true your face has grown so much thinner, you must rid your-
self of these sad feelings.
(Same tune)
Do not let spring griefs
turn you into a haggard scarecrow.
shen: How can I put an end to these sad cares?
The road to the Terrace of Love is blocked

new griefs join with regrets for the past
I seek but find no gateway.
bella: Why not ask a doctor to examine you?

shen: What cure does any doctor have? You are the only one who can save
me.
bella: I know nothing of medicine, how can I save you?
shen: Can you have forgotten what we said to each other before we part-
ed? You promised to marry me and cut off a lock of your hair as token of
faith. Now you have grown heedless and forgotten this, “green leaves’
deep shade, remaining blossoms few,” the solemn pact rejected.3
bella (weeps): What we said before parting, how could I forget?
One heart, a thousand threads of loving thought

tears over parting soaking through my gown
longing at every dusk, each break of day
from apple’s blooming to this moment now.
shen: If this is true, how can you sit and watch me die without trying to
save me?
bella: During the daytime there are too many people about, there is noth-
ing we can do. But come to my bedchamber tonight by way of the win-
dow and then we can make some plan.
We’ll wait till moonlit dusk by chamber window

then tell each other again the spring’s fond tale.
shen: We planned a tryst once before and it was blocked by a sudden rain-
storm. If we wait until late at night I am only afraid something else will
go wrong! (He tugs at her sleeve)
Best to seize this happy morning

and here by the window seek news of the plum’s flowering!
bella (pushing him away): This is an open courtyard, a dozen eyes can see
us. Don’t behave like this!
(Petal and River Lass come rushing in, startling Shen and Bella, who exit)
3. See above, scene 15, note 2.

petal: Did you see that, River, the young mistress and that Cousin Shen
hobnobbing together, then as soon as they catch sight of us, off they fly
in a panic.
river lass: Absolutely. This sickness young Miss has been suffering from
is something that rhymes with dove, glove, and Heaven above,4 and what
she’s doing now is going to a fire with a lighted lantern!
petal: What do you mean?
river (laughs): It’s already started!
(Tune: Ti yin deng)

One romantic devil of a handsome young scholar
one pretty girl with a heart full of spring
suddenly spotted, heads together in garden confab
eyebrows fly up showing their alarm.
The two of them as man and wife, they’d make a well-matched pair!
Dilly-dally
see the bluebirds do their dance
like one of those sexy paintings!
petal: My young mistress is a sly one,
(Same tune)
In front of others only tepid remarks
but what feelings come out in private!
A real Yingying waiting for the moonrise
the two of them trading their verses in secret!5
Shilly-shally
hiding the root but letting the pistil show
not quite the model of a respectable young miss!
4. River Lass indicates the word “lovesickness” by listing the separate parts of the writ-
ten characters for the expression. Since English does not offer this kind of possibility,
the translation uses a rhyming device to give a comparable cryptic effect.
5. Back to the Story of the Western Wing (see above, note 1), where Yingying, the heroine,
uses a riddling poem to make a moonrise assignation with her lover.
river: We’ll keep a quiet eye on them, you and I, see what happens, get
them at our mercy.
ENVOI:
petal:
Private words by the railing
river:
an ambush hides within.
petal:
Find out what’s up in the garden—
river:
keep a cool eye peeled!

scene 19
The Portraits Delivered
master shuai:
(Tune: Gua zhen’er)
Saddled from lifetimes past with wine-and-women debts
born to dedicate my whole soul to romance
yet still my ivory bedstead canopied with brocade
waits dusk to dawn
for a fair companion!
Twenty years of age

a sucker for women and wine
you can keep your fame and fortune
one stunner will suit me fine!
I’m trying to find a top-class beauty that I can take to wife, and I’ve sent
Tertius Ma and Decimus Ge out hunting all around with orders to get
portraits made for me to look at. I wonder why they’re taking all this
time to report back? I’m as antsy as a slug on a cinder patch, can’t con-
tain myself any longer.
tertius ma, decimus ge (enter bearing portraits):
(Tune: Guangguang zha)
Trained in tricks from childhood
swindlers by profession
unmatched as crafty ne’er-do-wells
masters of the moonlit-breezes orioles-and-blossoms stockade.
The two of us have been following the boss’s orders, hunting out beau-
ties and getting their portraits painted. We’ve come up with nine and
we’re racing back to report to the boss. (They greet Master Shuai)
shuai: You two have been gone so long, not coming back before this; I’ve
been so bothered I’ve had flames flaring up from my heart every night.
So how many beauties have you found? Let me see the portraits, quick.
114 scene 19: The Portraits Delivered
ma, ge: The two of us have used every trick in the book and finally come
up with nine winners. Take a look—every one of them will knock you
out!
(Tune: Zhu yun fei)

Acting upon instructions
we’ve searched far and wide for top-class beauties.
Take a look, boss:
Charms that would conquer cities, topple kingdoms

matchless, supreme in their generation.
Ooh, ooh-h-h!
Bodhisattvas on lotus thrones
hang ‘em in your study
burn incense morn and eve
make ‘em a thousand solemn bows
till these beauties step down live from the scroll!
shuai (looks at the portraits and goes numb all over): Wow, they’re really gorgeous!
(Same tune)
One look and you wonder
are they goddesses thronging down from Chu Terrace? (V)
Radiant as the moon in spring
graceful as spring willows.
Ooh, ooh-h-h!
Almond faces, peach-bloom cheeks
smiling, laughing
so lifelike they could speak
draped there over the railing
one look and I’m numb all over!
ma, ge: We’ll hang them up, boss, and you can have a good look. (They do so)
(Same tune)
Spaced around the room
like singing girls at a banquet.
Take a peek, boss, every single one

scene 19: The Portraits Delivered 115
a seductive cutie
ogling you with sparkling eyes.
Ooh, ooh-h-h!
So ready for games of cloud-and-rain
off with them to the Terrace of Love
hand in hand, leaning against you
settle a lifetime of love debts
in and out where you want like a butterfly.
shuai (inspects the portraits): Ah, my lovely ones, my darlings! How am I going
to get my hands on you for some hey-diddle-diddle?
(Same tune)
When do we get to play together
open brocade bed curtains, crush embroidered pillow
tear the slits of silk skirts
fling aside gauze waistbands?
Ooh, ooh-h-h!
One curvy little slipper in each hand
hugging you to my bosom
butterfly probing the blossom
till the flower yields its heart
a Heaven-sent gift of romance.
ma, ge: No need to get steamed up, boss, all anyone needs to find a wife is
cash and clout. Rich and powerful as you are, which one of these is going
to refuse you? Spend a bit of money, a bolt or two of cloth for betrothal
gift, get her home, and you can enjoy her any time you want. Only when
that time comes don’t forget the two of us!
(Tune: San xueshi)

Young gallant with your light fur cloak and emerald sash
lord of the spring in the haunts of the singing girls
host to three thousand satin-slippered guests
master of a dozen files of rouge-cheeked beauties
with your aura of tosspot and gay gallant
we’ll soon have you swaggering in bridegroom’s hat!
116 scene 19: The Portraits Delivered
shuai: When that happens I’ll be sure to set up an altar to honor my

generals!
(Same tune)
With goblets of gold and amber brimming wine
I’ll hasten to salute my generals in their triumph.
Gliding girls shake silver castanets
tipsy guests drink madly from satin slippers
all this to celebrate go-betweens’ success
as joy radiates from bridegroom’s brilliant cheeks!
ENVOI:
ma, ge:
Portrait paintings of beauties never surpassed

how might it be to meet them face to face?
shuai:
I shall burn incense, make obeisances

then dreams must bring our loving union!
scene 20
Cutting the Sleeve
petal: As the sun came up the young mistress and that Cousin Shen were
whispering together in the courtyard; this evening she’s sent off all her
attendants to go wait on Madam in her apartment; what’s this all about?
Wait till River Lass gets here; we’ll talk it over, figure out what she’s up to.
river lass (enters laughing): Oh, Petal:
Did you ever expect to see
a trick like this for a rarity:
to think our young Miss, sly little witch
tonight in her chamber a lover will snitch!
petal (laughing in turn): Rarity, say you! That’s not all:
Who ever went fishing without a hook
or sewed without thread, just a needle alone?
But our young mistress is one of a kind
dumps us and steals a man all on her own!
Today the master is away from home and Madam is not feeling well, so
Miss has sent all us attendants off to keep Madam company. It’s obvious
the two of them made an assignation this morning. But right now let’s
not tell on them, let’s see what happens tonight. Like they say,
Maiden by window gets romantic
river: embroiders lovebirds, shows she’s aflame
petal: peeping eyes next door see it all:
river: shame and shame and shame again! (They exit)
From balcony watch setting sun
dew thickens, water clock drips on;
go seek your cherry-apple tryst
when eastern wall is lit by moon.
This morning my sweet cousin and I made a tryst for tonight in her
boudoir, and I have watched and waited for darkness to fall. Now the
hour is late and the night is still. I came here by climbing through the
window and now must creep by the rose-raspberry trellis.
118 scene 20: Cutting the Sleeve
(Tune: Shui hong hua)

Late-roosting crows cawing from high branch
cease your racket!
By her boudoir
white moonlight flawless, pure
and where foot treads
mosses grow slick with heavy dew.
Turn by the low rose-raspberry trellis—
what is it catches at me?
Brambles catch at the flap of my gown.

Quickly now past the cherry-apple
and I am there! (He exits)

Secluded boudoir, lamp shadows dim
listening by window to rooks’ last cries
waiting, wondering why he’s not here—
is his lodging so high it slows the moonrise?
Earlier in the day Cousin Shen and I made a tryst for this evening, and it
is already late into the night watches; why doesn’t he come?
(Same tune)
Brows locked, no words, facing the lamp flame
in whose rooms
does phoenix flute fall silent? (VIII)
The river of Heaven sparkles, the moon grows bright
shadows deepen
flowering boughs hang low.
What startled flurry is that,
flutter of treetop crows?
(She listens intently)
Surely it’s him, tapping at the window grille

he is here!
shen (reenters): Here before Spring Splendor Hall not a soul is about; in the
wide courtyard, all is still; it’s frightening.
scene 20: Cutting the Sleeve 119
(Tune: Wutong hua)

Water clock’s level sinks
watches reach their end
I stand amid soaking dew
heart thumping, timid, fearful.
Ha, her window is open!
(He peeps in)
Ah, to see her like this
(he recites in balanced prose):
red ribbon dangling from her hair

lightly swept up from temples cicada-style;
delicate line of brows
cloud shadows on spring hills;
her face moonlit
whiteness of jade sparkling in autumn stream;
head raised to the sky
and an air of renewed concern!
Twin chignons tilted back, fair face turned to window

brimming eyes flash their clear gaze upward
yet fail to tell the moon goddess Chang’e
all that is in her heart!
(He plucks at the window gauze)
bella (with a joyful start) Oh, Cousin Shen, you are here!
(Tune: Xiu dai’er)

Where fronds of willow dangle beneath the moon
softly you step to my adjoining rooms
then as garden shadows foil my searching eyes
you suddenly snatch aside the window gauze—
a telltale sound—
you, handsome Xiangru, so bold in your passion
scaring this timid Wenjun half to death. (IX)
Now till the drum booms out the watch’s end

let’s sit and chat by the window at our ease.
shen:
(Same tune)
Flawless
this lovely face commanding adoration:
Surely Chang’o has left her moon palace
to sit before this mirror here on earth!

How can I, mere mortal of the muddy world
match this choice bloom from fairyland?
Like rash Zhang Qian of legend
I’ll ride a star-raft up the river of Heaven
we’ll steal across the magpie bridge together! (I)
How fine, this night’s clear brilliance
“one moment’s price a thousand bars of gold.”
bella:
(Same tune)
Alas
a young girl’s marriage, such a weighty matter
how can she lightly “ogle the boy next door”?
But when she longs so for so fine a youth
little she cares for infractions of the rites!
shen: The clepsydra has dripped half the night away. Joyous meeting so
hard to achieve—come now to bed.
bella:
In my flowering time
my tender sixteenth year
what do I know of amorous dalliance?
We’ll sit awhile to enjoy the moon together
thankful for cassia shadows and Chang’o’s company.
shen (tries to drag her off, but is pushed away):

(Same tune)
Adorable
beneath the lamplight, shy loveliness
dream encounter on Witch’s Mount!
Elegant coiffure, hangings of brocade
glamorous scene, gauze window, moonlit blossoms!
Sweet love
the night watch deepens, flowers are sleeping
we’ll twine our limbs as phoenix pairing
link the red thread from the Inn of Betrothals: (II)
jade gives off scent in the joy of our desire.
bella (as Shen takes her by the sleeve and leads her offstage):
(Tune: First Coda)
Wenjun’s first journey in the perfumed carriage! (IX)
(She speaks in a low voice):
I am too young to understand the ways of the world; please, handsome

Xiangru, don’t look on me as
experienced mistress ready to elope by night!
shen: No need for many words. Together we’ll gently test

this lotus flower the leaves shield from the breeze.
(They exit)
river lass (enters with Petal): “Don’t want it known? Then best not to do it!”
Did you hear how they’ve been chattering away in the young mistress’s
room half the night through! This is fine behavior, Miss, and still you’ll
brazen it out!
(Tune: Zui luo ge)

Tiptoeing, tiptoeing, drawing the gauze curtain
listen to them, listen to them, two so lovey-dovey!
That Cousin Shen,
over the wall in the middle of the night

like “waiting for the moon by the West Wing.”
Serving maid tells on him
flower picker gets caught;

Madam finds out
perfume thief gets punished:1
walls have ears, but what do those two care?
—But you can’t blame this Cousin Shen, it’s always the girl entices the
man in this world. Who ever heard of the man enticing the girl?
Look a bit closer

it’s all because of her
all sprouting from those whispers in the garden.
petal: If we make a noise now, first of all Miss will be annoyed with us,
and second of all we’ll spoil things for Master Shen. Let’s hide till Shen
comes out, then we’ll grab him and see what he has to say for himself.
river: Right. (They exit)
shen chun (reenters hand-in-hand with Bella):
(Tune: Taishi yin)

Brocade couch
springtime beyond price.
(He surveys the sleeve of his gown)
Soft fragrant gauze, red blooms against the green.
bella: What are you looking at? I blush for shame.

shen:
Memories of our loving beneath the coverlet

twin birds with conjoined wings sporting on sunlit bank
1. The handsome Han Shou was an aide to Jia Chong, grand marshal of the third-cen-
tury state of Jin. Between him and Jia Chong’s daughter Wu there developed a clandes-
tine romance. To please her lover, Wu presented him with a rare and distinctive per-
fume that had been a gift to her father, a mark of special favor from the emperor
himself. Rashly, Han Shou wore the perfume in Jia Chong’s presence. The theft of the
perfume thus came to light, but Jia Chong concealed the fact of his daughter’s illicit af-
fair by giving her to Han Shou in marriage.
your tremulous soft body shyly opening to me

sweet perspiration, a fine rain moistening the blossom
soft cries, orioles calling in evening court
succumb to low love murmurs as clouds shed rain.
bella: The night watches are ending, we shall be discovered; you must go
now.
shen: How can I leave you?
(Same tune)
Here in the lamplight
such loveliness.
(He embraces her)
So strong our passion, so closely bound our hearts!
bella (points to his sleeve): This sleeve bears its rouge traces of our love.
(She takes scissors and cuts it off )
I shall keep this as token for the time to come. In after days I want
you
never to forget this night of splendor.
I am only a girl, confused and driven by passion to transgress the laws of

propriety; please keep our secret:
don’t brag of this, my handsome lover

lightly to send me down to my grave
mere subject of a spicy tale.
shen: How could I do such a thing? But cockcrow announces the dawn,
the clepsydra has filled its measure; I must leave you now.
bella: Then early this coming night I’ll meet with you
beneath the window hangings where blossoms shade the moonlight. (She exits)
petal, river lass (they come rushing in before Shen is able to exit in his turn): A
tale, a tale, for Madam’s ears!
shen (in panic): What . . . what for Madam’s ears? Oh sweet sisters, please
keep this quiet!
petal, river lass (laughing): Master Shen! An educated gentleman like

you, how can you stoop to these tricks?
(Tune: Gun bian)

Flower plucked by stealth in the lamplight
flower plucked by stealth in the lamplight
so much crafty scheming!
Into the house at dead of night
daring all for lust!
When Madam finds out
think she’ll just let it pass?
shen:
Now it’s leaked out

let me beg mercy
please, sisters,
don’t keep me here in terror!
petal: You scholars that go stealing incense, filching jade—nothing but

thieves, that’s what you are, don’t come asking us to let you off lightly.
shen: All I came for was to
(Same tune)
enjoy the moonlight in empty court
enjoy the moonlight in empty court
chat a while by her window.
Nothing more than that—
why not just let me go?
petal: And did you “enjoy the moonlight” right into Miss’s bedroom? You
had it all planned, and now you want to deny it. My poor young
mistress,
cherry-apple flower fallen to earth

in a gust of spring breeze!
river: A perfectly respectable young lady, and now look what you’ve
turned her into!
petal, river:
And still you go on

brazening it out
with all this mealy-mouthed talk.
shen (bows to them, smiling): No need to argue, dear honest sisters, if you’re
willing to let me off then let me off. Otherwise . . .
petal: Otherwise what?
shen: If you won’t let me off, then she’ll have to play Oriole in the Western
Wing, and that makes both of you Red Maids, and no one escapes the
charge of procuring!
petal: Will you look at this woman stealer, this expert seducer? And if we
do have mercy on you just this once, how will you thank us?
shen: I’m here away from home and have nothing else to offer you; I’ll just
have to thank you with my body.
petal (spits in disgust): What would we want with your body?
river (laughs): Which of us gets thanked first?
shen: How about three in a bed?
petal: Pooh! What a shameless creature!
shen: Dear sisters:
(Coda)
Say nothing when morning comes
and I’ll show my thanks for this cover-up.
petal, river: Never mind anything else, you’ll need to burn incense in
the garden and bow and chant for us!
ENVOI:
petal, river:
Cassia flower plucked by stealth beneath the moon

just like that time in the West Wing play.
shen:
Don’t let the breeze carry one word of this
don’t let the parrot tell everyone around.
scene 21
Sending the Matchmaker
gatekeeper (enters with traveling bundle on back): “On orders from painted
hall, a sojourner in the post houses.” Gatekeeper here, ordered by the
master to carry a message to summon home the young master, who has
been absent now close on half a year on a visit to his uncle in Meizhou.
I’ve been hastening all the way, and it’s getting toward dark.
(Tune: Yifeng luo)

Wanderer not returned from edge of sky
bearing him a message
I hasten on.
Across the rivers, over the hills, evening draws on
tavern flag dangles at roadside rest.
Flock after flock the birds
return to treetop roost
file after file of travelers
rest at the inn
then one more stretch of dusty road till night.
(He exits)
shen chun (enters):
(Tune: Lin jiang mei)

Look back: secluded maid left far behind
that night’s sweet dream already dimmed.
Brocade sash carries still her scent
tug of passion by day
still besets dreaming soul in the dark.
Parting, reunion, joy and tears, one cup of wine

north, south, or east, or west, a ten-mile march:
never meant, love’s dream, to be held forever
scene 21: Sending the Matchmaker 127
so soon cockcrow announces the fifth watch.

My sweet cousin and I had opened our hearts to each other and were
just reaching the most blissful understanding when my father’s gate-
keeper appeared to urge me to return home. I had no recourse but to
take leave of my uncle and aunt and hasten back, filled with misery the
whole length of the journey. True it is, “Willow-shaded rest stops same as
before, still the way back is the sadder road.” Here I am now at my own
parents’ home; I will go in.
shen qing, madam shen (enter and recite):
Son at edge of sky delays return
aging parents strain their anxious eyes
suddenly from the eaves a magpie’s call
sad faces brighten now in glad surprise.
(They greet their son)
You are home, child. But why did you linger on so long in your uncle’s
house?
shen chun (makes obeisance):
(Tune: Naizi yi chun)
Blossoms when I left were opening in the court
now I am back fallen leaves cover the stream;
half a year has passed
without my salutations morn and eve.
shen qing: My instructions to you from the beginning were to return

without delay. How could you have forgotten?
shen chun: How would I dare forget them? But so urgently did my uncle
and aunt press me to stay,
I found no way to ply the homeward whip.

Bowing low I entreat
my parents’ loving sympathy
and pardon for your son’s transgression.
shen qing:
(Same tune)
Since you left for their house, half a year, a year.
128 scene 21: Sending the Matchmaker
In ordering you home, my first concern
fear of a drifting life in neglect of your books.
shen chun: How should I dare?

shen qing: My second, that though you have reached manhood, still
before the hangings phoenix-embroidered
you have not yet succeeded in
mounting the dragon of a successful match.
Now I understand that your uncle’s daughter, “One in a Hundred,” is a

most attractive girl, to whose feet
the red thread of marriage has not yet been tied.

This very day
I plan to send a matchmaker to her home
to seek her for your wife.
shen chun (aside): Then our bliss is near at hand!

shen qing: I sent my gatekeeper to summon the matchmaker, how is it
she is not here yet?
matchmaker (enters):
(Tune: Yi chun ling)

Skilled in cajoling
used to mediating
sweet talk and flowery phrases all I need
to help a fairy maid
flute her way to an immortal match. (VIII)
(She greets Shen Qing and Madam Shen)
Honored sir, venerable dame, what is your need for a matchmaker?

shen qing: I have sent for you on behalf of our son, who wishes to
marry.
matchmaker: I am on my way:
Only make ready the requisite bolts of red silk

and gold swallow hairpins will find their place!
My sole concern in life

to do good turns for all.
But tell me to which family I should proceed.

shen qing: To the residence of my wife’s brother, who holds office in
Meizhou and has a daughter of marriageable age by the name of Jiaoni-
ang, Bella.
(Same tune)
Man and maid
happy wedded lot
by matchmaker’s red thread discreetly tied.
matchmaker: “Marry a relative, add flowers to brocade.” I guarantee their

agreement upon my first visit.
madam shen: Convey my greetings to my brother, and my wish to bind
our
Wang family of time-honored line

by harmonious marriage ties with the Shen
as in the ancient village of the Zhu and the Chen
two surnames only were known.
We shall look for your good news
soon to prepare the hundred-year joyous feast!
shen qing, madam shen: Our thanks to you, Matchmaker:
there will be strings of copper cash

bolts of red silk cloth.
matchmaker: This is an auspicious day, I shall leave at once.
(They recite in verse):
shen qing:
Skilled matchmaker to bear the happy news
madam shen:
marriage ties to the hundredth generation;
shen chun:
let Heaven send its bluebird messenger
130 scene 21: Sending the Matchmaker
matchmaker:
no need for red leaf poem on this occasion! (XIII)
(Shen Qing, Madam Shen, and Shen Chun exit)
shen chun (reenters in haste): One minute, Matchmaker, please.

matchmaker: Why, sir, why such a hurry?
shen: There’s a secret I must tell you. (He bows)
(Tune: San xueshi)

With a bow I beg you, Matchmaker, to hear me
and bring this matter to full fruition.
matchmaker: No need for all this, sir, of course I shall do all I can.
shen: I won’t keep it from you: the young lady and I
already vowed before the stars a love of three lifetimes

and now beneath this moon we seek instant union.
matchmaker (with a laugh): So, this new bride is actually an old love!
shen: This is why I want you to make every effort
secure this love of a lifetime to be my wife

and I’ll burn heart-shaped cakes of incense
in gratitude to Heaven.
(He pulls out a letter)
I have a letter here; please deliver it secretly for me into the young lady’s
hands.
matchmaker: Of course. Two like you
(Same tune)
beauty and genius, no shallow passion
already bound by vows beneath moonlit blossoms.
I shall bear your heart’s secrets in this missive
I shall secure your union with a thousand red threads.
I guarantee your loving match
husband and wife

brocade-clad, dazzling in broad light of day!1
shen: If you can accomplish this, I shall give you an extra reward on my
own account.
(Coda)
This match does not come about by chance
matchmaker:
surely it’s Heaven decrees a happy union.
shen: Now leave at once and hurry back
I’ll watch and wait for bluebird’s joyful message.
ENVOI:
shen:
Secret whispers speak of heart’s desire

till matchmaker carry the happy news.
matchmaker:
Stand then and wait by riverbank

where the green willows weave close shade.
1. A metaphor for success in one’s career, from an old saying that to attain wealth and
renown without returning to one’s hometown to show it off is as pointless as wearing
brocade in the dark where it can’t be seen. The matchmaker may also be twisting the
application here to imply that the couple will also be freed from the stigma of clandes-
tine love.
scene 22
The Match Opposed
matchmaker:
(Tune: Pu xian ge)
Flowers sprout from every matchmaker’s lips
but no matchmaker’s better known than I.
Carry a proposal east
carry a proposal west
ten proposals, ten accepted.
Matchmaker, matchmaker
bustling all the way
who knows what the fates
have in store today?
Commissioned by Squire Shen to make a match for his son, I’ve inquired
my way as far as this, the official residence of His Honor Wang. I don’t like
to just barge straight in, so I’ll give a shout: Uncle Gatekeeper, are you
there?
gatekeeper (enters): “Slack day, no one comes to court, only the flunkeys
mill about like oxen.” Where did you spring from, old woman?
matchmaker: I’m here with a marriage proposal, uncle, all the way from
Chengdu, so please announce me.
gatekeeper: Wait a moment, His Honor’s just taking his seat.
wang wenrui (enters):
(Tune: Dao lianzi)
In twilight years
temples speckled white
daughter at my knee a budding beauty
when will the Red Phoenix star shine on her betrothal?
(Gatekeeper announces Matchmaker. She greets Wang, who asks):
Whose family commissioned you to come here?

scene 22: The Match Opposed 133
matchmaker: Beg to report:
(Tune: Yushan gong)

I have hastened here
bearing a proposal from young Master Shen.
wang: Which Master Shen is this?

matchmaker: None other than Your Honor’s brother-in-law’s family.
It’s Third Young Master,
genius Heaven-sent to pair with your daughter’s beauty

couple well-matched as twin emerald phoenix.
Families of such favored standing
union secured by red thread from lifetimes past.
Your Honor’s sister and brother-in-law send their greetings, and trust
that for the sake of past affection

since on both sides affinities prevail
today will seal this happy marriage contract.
wang:
(Same tune)
Obliged for this proposal
I am not averse to its consideration.
But there is one drawback: my daughter and Master Shen
first cousins in their generation—

how can they be joined as husband and wife?
matchmaker: Nothing against this. And since Your Honor is well aware of
Master Shen’s address and ability, you would have no regrets with him
for a son-in-law.
wang:
Yet his outstanding gifts

one day may win him a match of highest eminence!
I am afraid my poor daughter

134 scene 22: The Match Opposed
is destined to marry no such paragon;

a wasted effort
to bear the red leaf of this marriage pact! (XIII)
matchmaker: Let me still hope you may give your assent.

wang: Since you are here, you may pay your respects to my wife and we
can discuss it further.
madam wang (enters): “From afar I hear the matchmaker’s voice, a message
from the old man in the moon.”
(She greets Matchmaker)
wang wenrui: The matchmaker has come from a considerable distance,

she should stay for a cup of tea and something to eat.
(He exits)
matchmaker: Young Master Shen is seeking your daughter’s hand,

ma’am; I pray that you will be willing to give your support.
(Same tune)
In the betrothal of a daughter
yes or no should depend on mother’s word.
Master Shen is a fairy peach from Heaven
your young lady an apricot from the land of the sun
twin phoenix reflecting a single image
the heights of human joy will all be theirs.
If Madam will help bring about
this happy marriage

her kind act will be such
as builds a magpie bridge for the starry lovers. (I)
(Bella steals onstage unobserved to eavesdrop)
madam wang:
(Same tune)
Families well suited
indeed a possible marriage match.
But children owe obedience to their father
how is this for me as mother to decide?

If their affinity is Heaven-destined
their day to mount the phoenix will surely come.
matchmaker: Madam’s sister-in-law sends warmest greetings.

madam wang: Convey my respects on your return, and ask my sister-in-
law
not to be importunate
for a marriage contract
demands careful thought and guidance from the gods.
matchmaker: There can be no room for doubts about this proposal,

what is the need for divine guidance? Is the young lady here? I should
like if I may to pay my respects to her.
madam wang: You maids, ask your young mistress to come here.
bella (emerges with slow steps, and singing sotto voce):
(Tune: Yu baodu)
From shelter of silver-mounted screen
I heard my mother speak no sincere word.
Master Shen and I

a pair of mandarin ducks with conjoined wing
how could each be forced into solitary flight?
(She sighs)
Lovelorn before bright promise of romance

from now on we say farewell to future hopes.
matchmaker (greets Bella, then whispers): Is it not true that you are Master
Shen’s beloved?
bella (gives a start, and whispers in her turn): It is true.
matchmaker (sighs softly): Oh, the sight of the young lady
(Same tune)
as she answers in a whisper
eyes a-glisten with crystal drops
barred from her Herdboy by Silver Stream (I)

her silken kerchief grows moist with sparkling tears.
Heart-rending sobs distressing to the ear
as mournful howls of apes in Chu’s far gorges.
Master Shen asked me to give you this letter, Miss.
(She pulls out the letter and hands it to Bella, who places it in her sleeve and exits)
Young lady elegant as jade and pretty as a flower; Master Shen’s mind
and character rich brocade, refined as silk; they are truly a perfect match.
And then the young lady has reached her sixteenth year, the age of pin-
ning her hair; Madam should take care not to miss such an opportune
match.
madam wang:
(Same tune)
Phoenix must mate
but how to find happy predestined match?
The master’s tenure of office has stranded our daughter in this place, and
though her salad days approach

no fair future has been secured for her.
Someday the moon will light the Lovers’ Festival
and she will smile as a romantic suitor
hits the painted peacock’s eye!1
matchmaker: Let me plead once more with the master, and please give
me your support.
wang wenrui (reenters): Your proposal is not acceptable, Matchmaker, and
we should not detain you further. When you report to my brother-in-law,
tell him:
1. Allusion to a legend that the founder of the Tang dynasty passed the archery test of
hitting the eyes of peacocks painted on a screen to win the hand of his consort.
(Tune: Wu gong yang fan)

It is no pride of mine
that prevents this match.
The young master is truly
a scholar of talent and address

destined for eminence someday
who should seek a worthier alliance.
My daughter is
a silly girl of no consequence

no fitting match for one whose perfumed presence
recalls the ancient paragon Xun Huo!
matchmaker: Your Honor is too modest. Who is going to say this match
is not a suitable one?
wang:
Collect yourself
do not be so importunate.
Throughout the ages all ties of marriage
have been predetermined.
matchmaker: Ties of marriage, ties of marriage: all that’s needed is Your

Honor’s consent!
(Same tune)
A marriage affinity properly aligned:
one a Pei Hang of modern times
the other a Yunying from her fairy palace;
Indigo Field is the place to grow jade
what need to ascend to the Jasper City? (XI)
“Marry a relative, add flowers to brocade,”
just like Wen Qiao of former days

with a jade mirror stand as wedding gift for his cousin.
wang: My mind is made up, there is no need to go on.

matchmaker: If this proposal is not accepted, how is this poor match-

maker to make her report?
Journey of a hundred leagues for nought

enough to make a matchmaker die of shame.
This is a worthy union
to be secured by tying the scarlet thread!
wang (angrily):
(Same tune)
You speak without thinking:
a worthy union must be secured
with respect for family relationships;
laws established by our imperial court forbid the marriage of maternal

cousins.
They call each other brother and sister—

how can such a pair marry?
Our respects to the boy, and tell him
there’ll be no lack of families of rank
eager to win him with embroidered ball!2
Back with you at once, Matchmaker,
do not relax your efforts
but tie this red thread of yours
to another maiden’s ankle! (He exits)
matchmaker: Enough, enough, if this marriage is not to be I’ll take my

leave, but let me say good-bye to the young lady first.
madam wang: You maids, ask your young mistress to come back.
(Bella reenters)
2. Refers to the tradition by which a maiden would throw down an embroidered ball
into a group of suitors and select the one she hit as her betrothed.
matchmaker: His Honor persists in opposing your match; why don’t you
yourself try to bring him around?
bella: A girl such as I am, Matchmaker:
How can I speak of this marriage proposal
say what I want to say?
He and I made a solemn pact there in the garden
for a hundred years of joyous union—
who could foretell one second would tear apart
this pair of mandarin ducks with necks intertwined!
So they say, pretty face oft ill-fated.
For my marriage I can only sit
within my mosquito net—and wait.
matchmaker: A perfectly suitable marriage alliance, a waste for you both

if His Honor is against it.
bella (sighs, then sings):
(Same tune)
Future prospect rich as brocade
but the cruel Lord of Heaven will not permit it.
An end to it all, an end!
I’ll stay a solitary mandarin duck the rest of my life
south-flying magpie to roost in cold wintry woods:
I’ll strum no lute at dusk on autumn river!3
Meetings and partings, affinities and pledges, all are the work of Heaven
above. There is nothing more for Cousin Shen to concern himself with,
he must not distress himself over the failure of our match. (She produces a
letter) What I have tried to say in this letter
3. Allusion to the celebrated ballad by Bai Juyi in which a former courtesan laments her
marriage late in life to a traveling merchant. The preceding line derives from a poem by
Cao Cao of the third century: the magpie fails to find a roost, symbolizing a woman’s
lifelong spinsterhood.
you must explain to my true love:

in this life, in the next let him never forget
that night of incense-perfumed stillness.
(She exits)
matchmaker: Now I’ve said good-bye to the young lady I must thank
you, ma’am, and be on my way.
madam wang: Do not fail to give our best respects to my sister-in-law and
the young master, and beg that they will not blame us for the failure of
this proposal.
matchmaker: I will.
(Coda)
I hasten to do your bidding.
madam wang:
We have made you trudge a hundred leagues for nought
madam wang, matchmaker:
because what isn’t fated can’t be forced!
ENVOI:
madam wang:
Marriage affinities never were things of chance.
matchmaker:
The secret scarlet thread must needs be tied.
madam wang:
Do not complain if your proposal fails:
matchmaker:
mortals propose, it’s Heaven that disposes.

scene 23
A Drink with Courtesans
chen zhongyou:

Familiar figure ‘mid the capital’s elite
I’ve ridden each alley of the pleasure quarter
calling for wine, detained as honored guest
bowled over like the rest by the local blossoms.
In boyhood years ambitious to grasp the clouds

cutting a dash, a pattern to my sex
I fixed my gaze on silver flasks of wine
and dropped the Classics and the Analects.
Chen Zhongyou, at your service. Born into a family of means, raised
among the elite, I have cultivated the friendship of men of talent and en-
joy the reputation of a gallant, being something of a favorite indeed
among the more celebrated courtesans. Of my male friends Shen Chun
is the closest, of female Lovey Ding, and we never tire of our constant
commitment to wine and verse making. Just lately I’ve tried over and
over to drag Shen off to Lovey Ding’s place for a bowl of wine, but for
some reason or other he always excuses himself. Lovey too keeps insist-
ing that I bring him with me, and yesterday I went to see him and at last
got his agreement to pay her a visit. He should be along any moment
now.
(He exits)
shen chun (enters and sings):
(Same tune)
Crimson sleeves linked, off to drink amid the blossoms
why are my steps so hesitant?
—For thought of the lady of the marble balcony
her rouged cheek drenched with tears.
142 scene 23: A Drink with Courtesans
The other day a matchmaker was dispatched to my uncle’s house with a

marriage proposal. The question tugs at my mind, will it be successful or
no? Now comes Chen Zhongyou with an invitation to join him on a visit
to Lovey Ding. I didn’t want to go, but he insisted time and again and I
just had to force myself to accept.
(He exits)
lovey ding (enters followed by Little Chubby, and sings):
(Tune: Niannu jiao yin)

The courtesan’s trade
values signs of wealth above all else
and makes close relatives out of hard cash.
However handsome and witty a gallant you be
when your cash is spent, out you go.
Crude clients throng
the pleasant ones never come
and bad temper gets you nowhere.
chubby: Oh sister, clever and sharp as you may be, how are you ever go-
ing to jump clear of this dirty trade of ours?
lovey (recites in alternation with Chubby):
“Misty blossoms” for sisters
chubby:
unions short-lived as the dew
lovey:
grow old and before your gate
chubby:
those who stop are few.
lovey: Lovey Ding, courtesan, at your service, and this is my “sister” in the
profession, Little Chubby. I have long been noted for my grace and good
looks, and am a skilled musician. There’s not one of the great families but
has a scion who’s lost his head over me, yet I have no feelings for any of
them. There is only Shen Chun, a brilliant young man of this city and a
frequent visitor to my house, whose attentions I welcome with all my
heart. For some time now his visits have been few and far between, I
have no idea why. The other day I pleaded with Chen Zhongyou to drag
scene 23: A Drink with Courtesans 143
him here by any means he could, and today is the day they have prom-
ised to come. I have wine and refreshments waiting for them; what can
be keeping them, I wonder?
shen chun (enters with Chen Zhongyou; all exchange greetings, then recite in verse):
Half a year since last we met
chen:
peaches blossom as of yore;
lovey:
flowerlike face alas grows old
chubby:
guest invited, calls no more!
shen:
Ah, Miss Lovey, how can you say such things?
lovey: Please be seated and let us talk a while. (All take their seats) I thought
you had deserted me, sir—what wind blows you here today? You must
first drink three large cups of wine.
chen: A fair penalty.
shen: I accept your judgment. (He drinks)
(Tune: Niannu jiao xu)
With kind intent this lovely girl
entreating, bright sleeves raised high
offers the golden cup once and again.
chubby: Please drain your cup, sir, for me to refill.

shen: I’m getting drunk.
chen: You’ve only just sat down to drink, how can you say you’re
drunk?
shen (aside):
There in her boudoir where each held other’s gaze
now I picture her, brows drawn in the dim lamplight.
Here I sit drinking, but what will my love be doing now?
Ah pitiful
bodily self in painted chamber
soul flown to fragrant boudoir
already drunk before a sip is taken.
all:
A waste of this lovely night

when blossoms and moonlight vie for brightness.
chen: Play for us, Lovey, to persuade Shen to drink some more.
lovey: Gladly.
(She plays a song)
chen:
(Same tune)
Sitting together
shoulder emerald-clad leans against red
sing up, sing loud for joy
drown care in a thousand jugs of wine.
(Shen falls asleep)
When the lute’s strumming ceases

why is the officer’s blue sleeve wet?1
Shame on you
while silver-mounted candles burn bright
and gold cups softly offer
so to collapse into a sprawling slumber.
chen, lovey, chubby:

lovey: I wonder how it is that Master Shen
(Same tune)
in the old days
with a thousand graceful gestures
1. Allusion to the celebrated Ballad of the Lute by Bai Juyi, who wept to hear the lament of
a deserted wife; see preceding scene, note 3.
myriad gallant ways

would down gay cup after cup among the blossoms—
how then today can he
slump drunk, a lump of putty here at the table?
chen (gives Shen a push): Wake up, Houqing, have some wine.
(Shen mumbles in his sleep)
lovey:
Strange conduct
a couple of offhand remarks
the merest flicker of warmth
no taste for dalliance amid flowers and willows.

chubby: Master Shen is fast asleep. Come, Master Chen, let’s have a few
more cups to cheer us up.
chen: Good enough, but cups won’t serve the purpose, bring out the big
bowls.
(He drinks one bowl after another)
chubby: Master Chen knows how to drink!
(Same tune)
Well matched
one with bosom of soft damask
one with belly to hold a river
each on each pressing goblets of gold.
lovey: It’s getting late.

chubby:
Sharply strikes
sharply strikes the sound
of clepsydra’s drip as Dipper wheels.
lovey: I’m drunk too. Come to bed, Chubby.

chubby:
See them here

one with eyes blurrily slanting
one with senses off in the clouds.
(Chen spills his wine)
There goes the wine

sleeve of palace brocade soaked through.

lovey: Since Master Chen is so drunk you must help him to his bed,
Chubby. I shall wait here for Master Shen to wake up.
chubby (recites as she helps Chen to his feet):
Helping each other to wine by green marble table
now tipsily we totter where brocade bed canopy waits.
(They exit)
lovey (calls): Master Shen!

shen (startled into wakefulness, embraces her): Ah, cousin!
lovey: Cousin?
shen: Oh, suddenly I wake to find myself in this place. What time is it,
Lovey?
lovey: Past midnight.
shen: Where’s Chen?
lovey: He’s asleep.
shen: Then I’ll take my leave.
lovey: Where will you go at this time of night?
shen: Back home, why not?
lovey: Master Shen, I’ve invited you so often but you wouldn’t come, and
now you want to leave already. I may be only a common courtesan, but
in the past you’ve favored me with your affection. Why today are you
pretending to ignore me and treating me so shabbily?
(Tune: Liu yao jin)

Feelings blurred like a drunken man’s
but for whose sake?
I recall the hopes of time gone by
that we’d share our joy forever—
why now all at once is “peach sweet, plum sour”
so we face each other as strangers?
But of course,
how is so talented a youth

to saddle himself with a courtesan from the windblown dust?
Leave if you must,
but from now on

don’t park your carriage anymore
in this quarter of flowers and willows
this quarter of flowers and willows.
shen: I’m sorry, Lovey, don’t be angry with me. But there’s no way I can tell
you of the jumble of feelings in my heart.
lovey: What is so hard to tell? It’s just off with me, on with someone else.
shen: Whether in Chengdu or wherever, who am I going to find like you,
Lovey?
lovey: “Want to know what’s in his mind, just listen to what comes from
his lips.” Who were you calling out to just now in your dream?
shen: Since you’ve found me out I won’t try to hide it. But the one I’ve
found now is not someone from the windblown dust.
(Same tune)
Beneath the blossoming tree-peonies
is where I found a rare bloom.
lovey: Who is it then? Tell me!

shen: Her name is Wang Jiaoniang, Bella, and she is the daughter of Assis-
tant Magistrate Wang of Meizhou.
She and I, our minds as one

met as secret lovers.
lovey: What is she like?

shen: I can’t believe anyone like her exists in this world. Snow on pear
blossom, crabapple flowering in the rain, nothing comes up to her:
her charms outclass the rarest, choicest bloom.
Not to catalogue
each lovely feature of her person

her eyebrows alone, finest bright crescent moons
not even Xi Shi the Western Maid
or Consort Yang could vie with.
lovey (after some thought): Her name Bella, and such a beauty as you say—
could her child name be Yingqing, “bright precious”?
shen: How do you know this?
lovey: Just recently Master Shuai was seeking a beauty to take to wife and
sent people all over the place to collect portraits, nine girls all together,
and hers was one of them. White skin and vivid coloring, wide fascinating
eyes, hair curled at the temples in “paired cicadas” style, a look of wistful
longing on her face. I saw the portrait on a visit I made to the inner apart-
ments at Shuai’s place and remembered the name. Could she really be
the one?
shen: It’s as if you’d seen her with your own eyes.Yes, this is the girl I
found.
lovey: No wonder you think I’m dirt; she really is like an angel.
A girl like Bella,
rarest of creatures
you’d find her peer
you’d find her peer
only in Fairyland, in the Pearl Stamen Palace!
shen: This Bella of mine has a talent for poetry and a face and form to put
the flowers to shame; truly a beauty from beyond the mortal world and
no less than a woman genius.You do not exaggerate in calling her an an-
gel of Heaven. How can I help but love her, long for her?
(Tune: Jiaojiao ling)

Charming grace of springtime blossoms
spring moon shadows gleaming in the mist.

Our paths led to meeting by Peach-Blossom Spring (X)
two hearts bewitched by mutual tenderness—
how could I bear to leave her?
lovey: Let alone you men, when I saw her portrait I couldn’t tear my gaze
away, I would give anything for a glimpse of her in person. They say she
has tiny feet; when you go to her please beg a pair of her discarded slip-
pers for me.
shen: Those tiny feet are worth a whole cartload of gold. When I go I’ll
bring back a pair of her slippers as a gift for you.
lovey (with a sigh):
No wonder you look on us as faded blossoms

when you’ve met with the goddess of Witch’s Mount. (V)
shen, lovey:
For dreams pursue where clouds hang dense with rain.
ENVOI:
shen:
Glamour of Xi Shi sent to the ruin of Wu

a thousand charms unknown to latter days;
lovey:
portrait alone enough to move men’s hearts

how fondly she must view her mirror image!
scene 24
The Matchmaker Reports
(Tune: Feng ru song man)

Till a joyous aura rises at our gate
why have we still no word?
Reckoning the distance, counting the days
tonight must see her return.
shen chun (enters):
I dreamed of good news coming

but awoke forlorn as before.
shen qing (recites):

All effects rise from previous cause:
madam shen:
most true is this of marriage tie;
shen chun:
Red Phoenix shines not on matchmaker-moon
till bluebird message descend from sky. (IV)
shen qing: The matchmaker has gone to your brother’s house, Madam,
to seek his daughter’s hand for our son. I am most anxious to know
whether the proposal will be acceptable or no.
madam shen: Last night the lamp wick flared up, this morning the mag-
pie cawed, both happy omens; surely this match will succeed.
matchmaker (enters):
(Tune: Suo nan zhi)

Staggering along
roads short and long
match proposed and rejected, what a blow for me—
not one cent’s reward
just a faceful of mud.
scene 24: The Matchmaker Reports 151
When I think how this match fell through,
man and maid

both set to cry their eyes out
and all my matchmaking toils for nought!
(She enters the house and greets the family)
shen qing, madam shen: Now you are back, Matchmaker, how did
our proposed match fare?
matchmaker: If I tell you, don’t be angry with me,Your Honor, and
Madam please don’t be upset. I went with your proposal and presented
it time and again, wore down half my tongue, but His Honor your broth-
er wouldn’t give his consent. He said the laws of the imperial court don’t
permit marriage between maternal cousins. I pushed and pressed until in
the end your brother lost his temper, so I made haste to be off and came
tramping back here in such a state I don’t know where to put my poor
feet.
madam shen: How could my brother refuse his consent?
shen qing: I had thought this match was nine-tenths a certainty.
If it has failed it must be the will of Heaven.
(Same tune)
No marriage bond
can be joined by force
if the Lord of Heaven’s register list it not.
madam shen:
He was inventing excuses to decline
and Matchmaker,
your running back and forth was to no avail.
He says maternal cousins may not marry—

what he’s after is some noble house
some grand alliance
and us his own family
he casts aside as dirt.
152 scene 24: The Matchmaker Reports
shen chun: What did my aunt say?

matchmaker: Your aunt said their daughter’s marriage arrangements
were for her father to decide.
shen chun:
(Same tune)
From what they say
they are treating me most harshly!
They think a student without prospects an unlikely son-in-law,
and yet I think of Wen Qiao in the olden days
with the gift of a jade mirror stand

taking his cousin as his spouse.
If a man like me in this lifetime
cannot marry into such a household

does it mean a young scholar
must remain single all his days?
matchmaker: I can’t blame you for complaining, young sir, but still let me
give you a word of encouragement:
(Same tune)
there’s no call for
such lengthy sighs
think what the capital holds for you, a future bright as brocade!
Those that take in Prize Candidates as sons-in-law—
all families of dukes and such!
When you’re casually claiming their daughter’s hand
you’ll realize it’s true, “in books
there are beauties with skin clear as jade”!1
(She whispers aside to Shen Chun):
1. The proverb cites as the rewards of scholarship not only beautiful maidens but also
chambers of gold to house them.
Only it’s a shame for the young lady
(Same tune)
a wilting blossom
a willow bud slow to open
green silk bodice speckled with fragrant tears!
The moment I mentioned your name, sir,
tears fell before she spoke a word

then wildly she poured out her tale of heartbreak.
Here is the reply she makes to your message. (She takes out the letter, which
Shen secretes in his sleeve) And she says you must not distress yourself over
the failure of your proposal,
how could her parents be so horridly stubborn,
their own daughter
emerald phoenix so ready to pair in marriage
so unfeelingly tricked?
(Shen Chun gives vent to a long sad sigh)
shen qing: My son,
(Same tune)
try not to feel
too great a grievance
it must be
not yet your time to marry.
madam shen:
Matchmaker, our son here

is worthy the hand
of a scholar to rival the lady historian Ban Zhao!
And son, I am only concerned that you may not
enter your portrait in the gallery of the eminent—

I have no fear of your
lacking a partner ‘neath the embroidered bed canopy.
Seize the moment

when the scholar tree’s leaves grow sere
the halls of examination open
and successful candidate wins fairest bride!
matchmaker: Meanwhile I’ll be off and look out for another good
prospect I can secure for the young gentleman.
shen qing: Thank you for the trouble you have taken; please accept this
silver in recompense. (Gives her an ingot)
matchmaker: Many thanks,Your Honor, Madam:
“Draw the thread, but if the thread breaks . . .”
“. . . don’t blame Heaven for your own mistakes!”
shen qing, madam shen, matchmaker: True it is, “a thousand

miles is nothing to two who share one fate, face to face is too far for two
who don’t.”
(They exit, leaving Shen Chun to speak the scene’s epilogue)
shen chun: A happy outcome hard to win; a frown on the brow, a hurt
in the heart. (He sighs) A marriage proposal rejected, no great matter for
concern. But the match I plan is no ordinary one. Ah Heaven, Heaven,
how can you be so unkind? But let me read my cousin’s reply. (Opens the
letter) So, it is in the form of a lyric to the meter of “Man ting fang.” (He reads
it aloud):
Golden light sieved by window hangings

ripples across bamboo mat
garden court a cool green shade.
Through the long silent night
slow wasting of sorrow.
Recalling again and again the moonlight then

intimate talk of love by little window
but a meager fate
a cloud passing on
leaving no wisp when it is gone.
A thoughtful red leaf billet-doux (XII)
conveyed the secret yearnings
of a wonderful new suitor.
But blocked at every turn
love became null:
surely my unlucky destiny
prohibits union
with a gallant, handsome mate.
But think of me
strive anew to redeem our bond
do not reject Du Qiu for being too fond.2
Oh, but now that this match has been declined I should feel ashamed to
go back again to my uncle’s house. Clouds and rain over Witch’s Mount I
fear I must relinquish forever; the breeze-blown mists by the banks of
the Luo are only a vain hope for me.3 Faced with such a love lyric as this,
I cannot hold back my tears.
(Tune: Xiao Nanzhi)

Reading these lines of verse
does heart break or no?
Our fated bond of three lifetimes sundered now
after those few short tender months
thrust apart far as skies of Chu.
2. Du Qiu or Du Qiuniang is an archetype of the aging or rejected beauty. She was al-
luded to by her emblem, the song “Gold Finery,” in an earlier aria: see scene 15, note 1.
3. The ode to the Goddess of the Luo River by the third-century poet Cao Zhi is almost
as fertile a source of erotic allusion as the Gaotang fu of Song Yu, set on the Witch’s
Mount above the Yangzi Gorges (see Signpost V).
The suit I pleaded blocked

no way our marriage can succeed
our love betrayed and null.
Truly, “tree felled, down comes every branch”
floods block the road to Blue Bridge. (XI)
When can there ever come an end to this regret?
Now fresh tears speckle the green silk bodice—

how shall we endure the long cold dawns and dusks?
I recall our secret pledges those nights in the lamplight, our solemn vows
beneath the moon—how could all have come to nought?
(Same tune)
Now today
recalling the start of our love
laughing I showered pear blossoms on her, we hugged the stove together.
She said if our union could not be fulfilled she would repay me with her
death—
tender words of deepest feeling

committed to be man and wife
now phoenix flown apart and solitary.
By her lonely window
the sadness of Wu Ziyu.4
To speak of that night
is to suffer pain at heart.
She tells me not to distress myself over this failure, but how can I cease
to think of her and long for her?
Callously your father tore up my loving petition
yet I swear that in this present incarnation
in life we’ll share one pillow, in death one tomb!
4. Bella prophetically invoked the tragic fate of Wu Ziyu, Purple Jade, in an earlier scene:
see scene 4, note 3.
ENVOI:
Thick clouds hide the blossoms from view
fierce winds hold back the promised rain.
The injunction you send is hard to follow
I can respond only with tears.
scene 25
Exorcism
matchmaker: “Accept a commission, faithfully execute same.” Master

Shen has fallen sick because of my failure to secure his marriage propos-
al. He sent for me on the sly to talk things over: he wants to visit the
young lady again but is afraid his father won’t allow it, so he’s got me to
persuade His Honor to send for a Daoist priestess to perform an exor-
cism. Then we’ll declare he’s possessed by a demon and the only cure
will be for him to seek refuge somewhere a long way away. That’s why
I’m off to consult Sister Zhang and her son.
sister zhang (enters):
(Tune: Shui-di yu’er)

Pacing the Dipper, invoking the stars1
self-proclaimed a shamaness
consecrating water, writing charms
useless but still designed to impress!
(She greets Matchmaker)
Ah, Mama Li, it’s been a long time, what wind blows you here today?
matchmaker: There’s a matter I need your help with. A little while ago I
was sent with a marriage proposal for Master Shen, but the family was
dead against it.
sister: Well, so they were against it. What now?
matchmaker: It turns out that the young gentleman and this young lady
are old sweethearts, and he wants to go visit her but is afraid his father
won’t allow it. So he wants you to perform an exorcism to cure his sick-
ness, pretend he’s possessed by a demon and the only cure is to take
refuge somewhere a hundred or two miles away in the southwest. Here’s
1. To “pace the Dipper” the Daoist adept steps out the pattern of the constellation in the
course of his or her ritual summoning of the star spirits.
scene 25: Exorcism 159
an advance of two ounces of silver for you if you’ll just come along with
me.
sister: Very well, and I’ll tell my son to come with us.
(They exit)
shen chun (enters, sick and supported by Madam Shen and Shen Lun): When shall
I be free of this sickness?
(Tune: Shan po yang)

Rickety-stick bones on point of collapse
feather-frail body, when will it mend?
madam shen: How sick do you feel, son?

shen chun: The moment I close my eyes
sweet and charming, there she is, like a flower, like shining jade. (He weeps)
Plop-plop the pearl tears fall.
What I loathe is that storm that rages down the River of Heaven
and traps this cursed flesh of mine in the temple on Witch’s Peak! (V)
Just to think of it my sad soul fades to nought!
shen chun, shen lun, madam shen:
False flush
flaming up like raging fire
sharp pain
icy cold of drenching flood.
(Shen Chun falls asleep)
shen qing (enters): How is the boy’s sickness?

madam shen: He has just gone off to sleep.
shen lun: My brother’s sickness is a very strange one.
(Same tune)
Now all at once his mind goes glimmering
now all at once his words stand on their heads.
Someone or other seems to visit him in dream
a few nights pass
and already he grows haggard.
160 scene 25: Exorcism
(Shen Chun laughs)
shen qing: What does this mean?

madam shen: It must be he’s lost his wits because his proposal wasn’t
accepted:
hear him babble like someone bewitched

crazy mumbling that bodes no good.
shen qing, shen lun, madam shen:
Weird behavior
how to discern what he means?
Mind a blank
his very life in peril.
shen qing: This is clearly some kind of demonic possession. I already

sent Matchmaker Li yesterday to ask Sister Zhang to perform an exor-
cism for us; we’ll see what she says when she comes.
matchmaker (enters followed by Sister Zhang and Lad): Here we are, we’ll go
straight in.
(All exchange greetings)
Sister Zhang, what kind of exorcism can you perform that will restore
our young gentleman’s health?
sister zhang: My method is the wizards’ own transmission, the True
Rite of the Dark Maiden of the Ninth Heaven. It requires the preparation
of wine and the three beasts, ox, sheep, and swine, for a sacrificial feast
for the Spirit General. First charm burned ascends to the courts of Heav-
en. Second charm burned, Spirit General takes up residence in the body
of my son. If there be demon, demon is seized, if there be monster,
monster is seized; no possibility of failure.
shen qing: The sacrifices are already in place, please burn the charms to
summon the General.
sister: Let Your Honor offer incense and I will burn the charms to sum-
mon him. (She goes through ritual motions) Incense of the Way, Incense of the
Power, Incense of Jeweled Favor, Incense to Link the Three Realms of
Heaven, Earth, and Man: at the command of the Dark Maiden of the
Ninth Heaven I offer this holy incense in sacrifice to the Spirit Comptrol-
lers of the Three Realms, the Attendant Powers of the Ten Directions,2 the
Earth God and the Dragon King of this locality, the various City Gods and
Temple Ministrants, the Holy Ones of the dark underworld, and all
Supreme Adepts whether dwelling near or far. Lend your divine majesty
and glorious omnipotence to drive off all demons and restore all propi-
tious forces, with your infinite magic powers sweep away all monsters
that creation may be nourished and sustained. Here Shen Qing, of this
same city of this same county of this same prefecture, for the sake of his
child Shen Chun, who dreams of evil ways and is cursed with sickness of
the body, at this present hour of this present day of this present month
of this present year respectfully requests your Spirit Officer to undertake
investigation of this case, if there be demon to seize the demon, if there
be monster to seize the monster. Prostrate here I offer incense, myriad-
fold I beseech the aid of your all-revealing mirror of justice.
shen qing (bows and offers incense):
(Tune: Zhu yun fei)

Bowed in prayer before the gods
helpless as my son’s health mends not:
wild and fanciful his speech
with laughter perverse as tears.
Behold
for sickness so protracted
sacrifices without blemish
to entreat your mighty aid
swiftly to drive off this evil
dispel on the instant this calamity.
sister (recites as she beats on her tablet):

Beat number one, Heaven clear
beat number two, Earth revere
2. The ten directions are the four cardinal points of the compass, the four intermediate
directions, plus above and below.
beat number three, Lord of Five Thunders

swiftly in true form appear
glory of sun
in east ascend
gold tablet sounds
General descend!
(Lad costumed as Spirit General takes up stance before the altar, leaning on his sword; Sister
Zhang writes out a charm, spurts water from her mouth, and continues to recite):
No common water hold I here

but dragon-spit Heaven and Earth to clear
myriad ages in Polaris Pool
now to dispel all monsters drear.
Earnestly we beseech the Spirit General on duty at this present hour of
this present day of this present month of this present year speedily to
descend before our altar to seize and punish such evil demon as he may
find. This without fail, by express command of the Dark Maiden of the
Ninth Heaven, so ordained!
(Lad falls flat; Sister Zhang spurts more water; Lad gets to his feet and goes into a dance)
lad:
(Tune: Bei Ji sheng cao)

Bright shines power of priestess’s charm
sincere is heart of supplicant
dark coils the incense smoke from holy altar
hot swirl the ashes of charm scripts in air
swift gusts the infernal wind through ceremonial hall.
To clash of gold tablet demon and god submit
before my gleaming blade vile monsters tremble.
sister: We are favored by the visit of the Spirit General. May we now ask
from whence come these demons or goblins who are tormenting Master
Shen?
lad: Let me take a look. (He inspects Shen Chun and bursts out laughing) I won-
dered what kind of monsters they might be, and look what I find:
(Same tune)
A bunch of slick-haired demons, lovelost maidens
have snared his ailing body.
sister: What sort of harpies are these?

lad: One dressed in green
trimmed paired lamps but failed to snare a mate;
one dressed in white
grieved that no slip of pear would grow on barren grave mound;
one dressed in red
from misty grave could not relate the grief of the perfumed sachet.3
These are all petty harpies who haunt the garden
and are trying to cheat this young breeze-and-moonlight gallant.
3. Three tragic heroines of traditional fiction and drama. The lady in green is probably
from a story in the fourteenth-century collection Trimming the Lamp, in which a young
girl named Liqing dies and becomes a ghost. At the Lantern Festival (first full moon of
the new year) she joins the strollers, accompanied by her maidservant, each carrying a
peony-decorated lantern. She meets a young man named Qiao and they fall in love,
marry, and live happily together, but their union is destroyed at last by a Daoist exor-
cist. The lady in white is the ill-fated imperial consort Yang Guifei. In fiction and drama,
the Tang emperor Xuanzong’s obsessive infatuation with her cost him his throne. On
the road to refuge his mutinous bodyguard demanded her death, and she strangled
herself beneath a pear tree at Mawei. The lady in red is Liu Panchun, heroine of the fif-
teenth-century play The Perfumed Sachet by Zhu Youdun. She is a prostitute in love with a
poor scholar, Zhou Gong, whose father prohibits him from seeing her. She swears fi-
delity to him and refuses to entertain other patrons, and Zhou writes her a letter reaf-
firming his devotion. Pressured by her bawd to accept a rich patron, Panchun hangs
herself. After her body is cremated, her perfume sachet containing Zhou’s letter is
found intact in the ashes.
shen chun (in disguised voice, as if bewitched): From whence comes this Spirit
General who dares interfere with us?
lad: You petty demons, hear my reply:
(Same tune)
I am the Elfin General of Cloud Fairyland
descended with sacred warrant from the Ninth Heaven
to display such power
can switch the stars and twist the Dipper
to manifest such glory
can drive the thunder and grasp the lightning
to unfold such majesty
can order the hills and establish the seas.
shen: However many tricks you may have, there’s nothing you can do to
us. We are tied to Master Shen by an infernal destiny that has to be, and
you shouldn’t meddle with what doesn’t concern you.
lad (in a rage): You petty demons
trying your monstrous tricks in this noble hall—
(he slashes with his sword)
hide as you may, I’ll chase you back

to your holes beneath the underworld’s Black Mountain!
shen: Don’t try to bully us. Our names are joined with Master Shen’s in
the register of predestined marriages; if you come after us aren’t you
contravening the will of Heaven?
lad: Silence, demons! You say that in the register of marriages
(Same tune)
your marriage with him is predestined:
how can a living person
permit such a ghostly tie?
shen: All through history there have been unions between living people
and ghosts.
lad:
Were you sprites from Fairyland

how could you attract this scholar?
Were you dragon spirits from the Palace of the Deep
how could you marry this mortal?
Were you harpies from the Eight Caves of Hades
how could you seduce this gallant?
You plan to drag his soul to your Terrace of Torment
but I’ll have you all in chains before the Court of Exorcism!
shen: Enough, enough! You press us too hard, we’ll withdraw for the mo-
ment. But wait twenty-five days, or thirty-seven, or forty-six, we’ll be here
again, and you won’t be able to follow him around forever.
(He falls into a swoon)
lad: The demons have left. Shen Qing, all of you, here are my instructions:
Pursuing grievances from former lives

this lifetime sees them plot to be his wives.
One time and place alone is safe and sound:
the time and place where Chicken meets with Hound!4
Wake up, Shen Chun, I leave you now.
(He falls to the ground)
sister zhang: The god has given his instructions and the young gentle-
man will be swiftly restored to health.Your Honor should offer incense
to thank the General.
shen qing (burns incense):
(Tune: Zhu yun fei)

In boundless merciful response
4. Chicken and hound correspond to signs of the zodiac; their significance here is ex-
plained by the dialogue that follows.
your glorious might commands our solemn faith.

All demons now dispersed
this sickness cannot endure.
Lo, incense smoke curls from jade brazier
the sacrificial beasts are all arrayed.
We bow toward holy altar
perform three thousand kotows in valediction
as the god ascends again to the ninth heaven.
lad (wakes and rises to his feet): A good snooze.

shen chun (wakes): A good sleep. What time is it? I feel much better for
my nap, I wonder why?
shen qing: What happened as you took this midday nap, my son?
shen chun: I saw a Spirit General in golden armor come into the room
and chase a bunch of harpies out the door.
madam shen: Sister Zhang’s charms really work!
shen qing: What did the god mean by the instructions he just gave?
sister zhang: By “pursuing grievances from former lives” he meant that
these demons had become involved with the young gentleman in a pre-
vious incarnation. “This lifetime sees them plot to be his wives” means
that this is something predestined from the underworld and so it would
not do to try to capture them. Just now the young gentleman said that
the demons would return after twenty-five or thirty-seven or forty-six
days of lurking about, and the god specifically ordered the young gentle-
man to go into hiding. What he said was, “one time and place alone is
safe and sound: the time and place where Chicken meets with Hound.”
“Chicken” indicates the southwest, “Hound” indicates a xu day, a day gov-
erned by the dog sign, like the day after tomorrow. So he was telling the
young gentleman he will only be safe if he starts out day after tomorrow
for someplace over a hundred miles to the southwest. If he waits till
these evil demons return it will be very difficult to drive them off again.
shen qing: What the god says is surely true, but where in the southwest
can he seek refuge?
shen lun: My uncle’s house is in the southwest, over a hundred miles
from here.
shen qing: We sent a marriage proposal only the other day that was re-
jected. How can he go back there now?
madam shen: That doesn’t matter, just so long as our son recovers his
health.
matchmaker: That’s right: new bond fails, old bond still prevails; there’s
no reason he shouldn’t go.
madam shen: When our boy first fell sick he recovered as soon as he
reached his uncle’s house, it must be the right thing for him to go now.
shen qing: In that case we’ll send word first, and then he can start out.
Here are a couple of ounces of silver, with our thanks to Sister Zhang.
sister zhang: Thank you,Your Honor.
ENVOI:
Clearly to him the divine message came
to flee at once far off with no delay.
This journey guarantees return to health:
when heart is sick let heart provide the cure.
scene 26
Third Visit
bella:
(Tune: Yu mei ren)
When will the last flower fall, the last leaf fade?
So many sorrows of passion fled.
Regrets unspoken, more than east wind can bear
pacing by window screen, recalling his presence.
(She recites in lyric verse):
A burst of warmth, a return of the chill

the night’s blustering settled.
Courts and kiosks silent, the Sweeping of the Graves at hand
the last blossoms falling
accentuate last year’s sickness.
Hard to break free from reveries of the past
deep-gated stillness, everyone gone.
The match we planned thwarted forever
stars lose each other, the Silver Stream flows on. (I)
After Master Shen and I last parted, a matchmaker arrived to propose
our betrothal, but who could believe my father would oppose this, forc-
ing the betrayal of our vows? The other day I was told that Master Shen
had fallen sick and intended to visit our home to recuperate. Now today
both my parents have gone to our neighbor Verger Wang’s home to view
his garden, and I shall try to catch a glimpse of Master Shen from my
courtyard here.
(Tune: Luo jiang yuan)

Sweet-scented mist thickens by window’s green
a flurry of pink as petals swirl down.
I met my “Young Liu” in time past beneath the blossoms
but ah, today

scene 26: Third Visit 169
peach bloom alone smiles now in the spring breeze.

Thoughts of those days
bring sudden spurts of tears.
Phoenix pair sundered, when to be reunited?
Hateful, the Lord of Heaven
denying us our joy:
in loneliness unending
in loneliness unending
how to pursue destined romance?
Devotion lasting as hills and seas
sworn to each other in vain.
I think back to when he and I were first together amid the blossoms:
(Same tune)
Strong the desire to share our joy
for him, for me alike;
today, alas, adrift like tumbleweed
often in silence I reproach the Lord of Heaven.
Months and years hasten on
blossoms blow west, waters flow east
the past recalled seems no more than a dream.
Forlorn and desolate
he with brows drawn in sharp regret
myself with pink-stained tears of deepening sorrow,
fulfillment of our married happiness
all vanished with the dreams of that lost spring.
I feel so tired, I’ll sit for a little while here in the creekside pavilion. (She
sits)
A year departed from this place
unchanged stand gate and pillared hall
spring breeze like an old friend again
wafts to my ears the oriole’s call.
For love of my cousin I fell sick, but I pleaded possession by an evil de-
170 scene 26: Third Visit
mon and came here seeking refuge. How deeply my heart is moved to
behold this garden scene just as it was before!
(Tune: Suo chuang han)

Within this gate this day one year ago
peach bloom and maiden cheek shared blush of pink;
today the peach alone smiles in spring breeze.
In the beginning we hoped to share lifelong happiness, like twin trees

with branches intertwined, but now this hope is thwarted.
Alas, goodwill is at an end

our former joy is but a dream
and her despairing grief must surely match my own.
(He sees Bella)
Ha, it is my cousin, sitting alone in the pavilion there.

bella (rises to her feet): Oh, Master Shen is here!
shen:
Encountering each other so abruptly here
what other than two sorrowful gazes joined?
I hope you have been well, cousin, since last we saw each other?
bella: Greetings, cousin.
shen: Why are you sitting here all alone, cousin? Where are my aunt and
uncle?
bella: They are invited to Verger Wang’s home today to view his garden.
They will not be back until evening-do sit with me here for a while. (They
seat themselves side by side) I heard you were sick, and indeed your face is
much thinner.
(Same tune)
Staring at blossoms desolate in east wind
the same pale light shone on my sallow cheek.
Ever since the failure of our betrothal agreement
no trace of rain, alas, on Witch’s Mount.

This life, past life, all a spring dream
for paired phoenix blocked from Emerald Terrace.
Why have you come here now?
Back and forth through wind and rain

only to distress yourself the more!
shen: How could we put each other out of mind in the few days and
months that have elapsed? It was not only “the gleam of moonlight on
the rafters”1 that made me think of you-walking or resting, sitting or
sleeping, have done so ever since I left you. At length I sought my par-
ents’ authority to engage a matchmaker in hopes of a successful marriage
agreement, but Heaven would not permit it and my lifetime dream was
thwarted. Now I have used a hundred tricks to return here, hoping to re-
vive the pact we had, and you greet me with “Why have you come?” Can’t
you imagine how downcast I feel?
(Tune: Xiu taiping)

For your sake I endured the clepsydra’s slow drip
for your sake shed tears to crimson the fallen petals.
Fearing no wedded phoenix bliss awaits us
I vowed we’d share one grave, “twin trees, boughs intertwined.”
So suddenly
the gong of dawn broke into the spring night
startling apart our mutual dreams of bliss.
The memory
only deepens distress of heartbreak-

what then of shared longings, your heart, my heart
and vows enduring as the hills!
bella: Your heart is truly set firm as iron or rock; how could I dare to
doubt you?
(Tune: Zhenxian xiang)

Your love lasting as Heaven and earth
my fond heart truly understands.
1. In a famous poem, the moon lighting up the rafters of his room made Du Fu think
of his friend Li Bai.
If bliss were not for phoenix pair in this life

surely the emerald coverlet was not for us to share.
For three years’ constant dream of clouds and rain I thank you—
how could my night of moonlit blossoms be cast to the passing breeze?
(She performs an obeisance)
I am more convinced than ever
and from now on
I’ll proclaim our shared devotion to the blue sky above.
shen, bella (as they walk hand in hand across the stage):
(Tune: Dong Ou ling)

Two as one
fish and stream.
scholar and beauty deep in love
the day of their joy must come at last.
shen (catches sight of the poems they once wrote): The old study is still the same,
the desk by the window, the ink of the poems fresh as if still wet; yet
how sad to think of the months and years that have flown.
shen, bella:
Sights to bring sighs

of sadness and pain
the things of bygone years before our eyes
all at once like blowing tumbleweed.
voice from within: The master and Madam have returned.

bella: The servants are announcing my parents’ return.You must go to the
hall to greet them; I shall stay in my room for the moment. (She exits)
wang wenrui, madam wang (enter followed by Petal, Gatekeeper, and Groom):
(Tune: Bushi lu)

Each fragrant cluster admired
year after year spring’s beauties bring delights
flower scents suffuse
the drinkers’ sunset leave-taking.
shen (greets them with an obeisance):

Parting the door hangings
I hasten to the hall for kotow of greeting.
wang wenrui, madam wang: Ah, Third Nephew, it’s you. We heard of
your sickness and your slowness to recover, and indeed
traces of ill health linger at your temples.

We worry also
that your journey here held many hardships:
you must look after yourself
you must look after yourself!
shen: I am grateful for your kind concern.

wang: What gave rise to your sickness?
shen:
(Same tune)
It was my fate to cross an evil spirit
sickness entered deep in my vitals
no medicine could prevail.
wang: What form did the sickness take?

shen:
Alarm and terror

confused dreams beset with demons.
madam wang: All this was brought about by our nephew’s unsettled state
of mind.
wang:
Anxiety of mind
failure to win success and fame has muddied your spirit.
This is not something for medicine to treat:
diversion and relaxation will ease this sickness.
shen: If Uncle and Aunt will take pity on this slight indisposition and re-
store me to health, I shall remember your kindness as long as I live.
If I may disturb you

to perch like a wren for a while in your home
I shall presume on your kind favor
presume on your kind favor.
wang, madam wang: Your old study is unchanged, no reason you

should not stay there. It seems to us your illness is due to despair of ever
attaining success and fame, something quite different from the tribula-
tions of hunger and hardship, but you will need to take good care of
yourself.
(Tune: Duan pai)

Choicest drugs little avail
choicest drugs little avail
when heart is deep distressed.
Make haste to dispel the autumnal sadness from your brow:
your elegant little studio
by good fortune is secluded and quiet
just right to rest the traveler’s burden
and gradually ease your turbulent distress.
shen: Thank you for your caring thoughts.
(Coda)
Favor so great
kindness so deep
smiling acceptance by gracious elders
already my sickness lightened by half!
ENVOI:
shen:
Journeying afar to cure dire sickness
wang:
former study awaits you still.

madam wang:
Truly, old garden has fairest flowers
shen:
homing bird can’t stay away!

scene 27
The Slippers
shen chun:
(Tune: Lan hua mei)

Stealing unseen into her apartments
all still, flowers scent the spring breeze.
And here is her boudoir (he peeps inside) —where can my cousin be?
Surely she is dreaming of love, “now cloud, now rain”!

Softly I raise the plum-blossom pink gauze curtain
—ha,
still no sign of my charming, enticing beloved.
(He turns back the bedclothes)
To speak of nothing else, how delicate this ivory bed, the embroidered
hangings, the brocade coverlet and horn-inlaid pillow softly gleaming.1
Spotless with no need of duster, sweet without burning of incense, what
kind of owner’s taste does all this bespeak! (He catches sight of her slippers)
And see, two little golden lotus petals peeping out beside the pillow, daz-
zling the eye!2 How could a thousand ounces of gold buy such a pair of
tiny feet? Lovey Ding once begged a pair of her old slippers, and I have
1. To the Western mind a horn-inlaid pillow hardly sounds inviting, but traditional Chi-
nese pillows were usually curved blocks of ivory, porcelain, or bamboo, which held the
sleeper’s head in cool comfort through the humid nights or were used in conjunction
with the kind of embroidered cushions that are noted on Bella’s bed later in the scene.
2. The ideal in foot-binding was to create the pointed shape of a lotus bud no more
than three or four inches in length. The water chestnut, whether flower or fruit, pro-
vides another pointed shape that the maid Petal uses as an emblem for Bella’s slippers
in the “guessing” aria that follows.
scene 27: The Slippers 177
asked for them several times without success—why not sneak this
pair now? (He takes the slippers and begins to walk off) Examining these
slippers,
(Same tune)
Red silk with phoenix embroidered at toe
squeezed into miniature three-inch length—
impossible not to be stirred by desire at the sight
such as disturbed the heart of Chu’s King Xiang! (V)

The print of her steps upon the green moss
a scattering of fragrant lotus petals!
Back here in my study, I’ll hide these slippers for the moment while I go
pass the time of day with my uncle. (He exits)
petal (enters and recites in verse):
Prettily made up with “green snail” mascara
scent of soft bosom on the breeze
languid she leans by carved balustrade
as partridge calls in garden’s ease.
Ever since Master Shen left I have missed him so much, deep in my
heart. Now he has come to visit the family again to recuperate from sick-
ness, and I’ve run into him a few times in the passageways. We’ve chatted
and joked, we really seem attracted to each other. I’m on my way now in
the middle of the day to take a peep at him in his studio. (She takes a few
steps) Ha, here’s the moss so thick and the door tight shut; he must have
gone out.
(Same tune)
Deserted desk by cold gauze window
pear blossom silently guards the long day.
I’ll go in and have a look around. These cool bed curtains, elegant win-
dow hangings, how charming! (She turns back the bedclothes and discovers the
slippers) Oh, the young mistress’s slippers, how did these get here? The
young mistress was at it back then, but there’s been no hard evidence
and so she’s always denied it. I wonder what she’ll say when I take these
slippers and return them to her?
178 scene 27: The Slippers
I’ve caught two slippery customers between the sheets!3
Ha, my young Miss,
grit your teeth and be stubborn as you may

you’ve let a gleam of spring sun escape you here!
(She exits)
bella (enters carrying a sprig of blossom):
(Same tune)
Breaking off a flowering branch, strolling the verandah
(she looks down at her dress)
see, drops of dew
soaking my emerald-green Hunan silk skirt.
(She puts down the blossom)
I must change my skirt and slippers
return to boudoir to change my dress.
(She lifts the bed curtain)
Oh!
Who has disturbed these hibiscus-patterned curtains

scattered the cushions patterned with mandarin ducks?
(She searches about)
Why aren’t my slippers here?

petal (enters): The young mistress is usually out by the window sewing, why
is she still in her chamber today?
3. Literally, she refers to the slippers as “two pointed ones,” but jian, “pointed,” has a
homonym meaning “adulterer.”
(Same tune)
Sneaking a glance through the little gauze window—
is she dreaming still of love with King Xiang of Chu?
Now I wonder what she is searching for?
(She enters the chamber and greets Bella)
Miss,
why this wordless muttering, why this fretting?
bella: Someone has been in my chamber just now. . . .

petal (sarcastically): Miss, a young lady’s boudoir like yours, who would get
to come near your dressing table?
bella: Then why have things disappeared from my room?
petal: What can’t you find?
Why suddenly so upset by some spring passion?
bella: Truly, who has been in my room?

petal: Honestly, I haven’t seen anyone; what are you so bothered about,
Miss?
(Tune: Hong na’ao)

Could it be
some plum branch plucked a jade comb from your hair?
bella: No.
petal:
Could it be
thorns caught your emerald skirt as you trod the green moss?
bella: No.
petal:
Could it be
someone besmirched the mandarin duck patterns in your sewing case?
bella: No.
petal:
Could it be
someone dropped and broke your seven-jewel flowered coronet?
bella: No.
petal:
Could it be
someone stole your cloud hairpin or your moon earrings?
bella: No again.
petal:
I’ve got it:

it must be
someone took a pair of your “water-chestnut points.”
bella: Yes, that’s it. I put them right here in my bed, why have they disap-
peared?
petal:
If it’s those embroidered slippers you mean

there was someone picked them up.
(She produces the slippers from her sleeve)
Why didn’t you say so before, instead of this
useless fussing, the moon lighting up reed flowers!4

bella: Very strange! These slippers
(Same tune)
in depth of night I hid them by my pillow
today’s dawn found them still on fragrant couch.
petal: If that’s so, how did they get out of your chamber?
4. Presumably, since reed flowers are white to begin with, the white moon is wasting its
time lighting them up.
bella:
I was no Fondle Jade, riding her phoenix to the palace of Qin— (VIII)
how could they turn to wild ducks soaring cloud-high?
petal: I think Miss must have given these slippers to someone.

bella: Hush! Why would I give my slippers to anyone? These embroidered
slippers of mine
like pretty coral branches on the seabed

someone has come and stolen them away
unless it’s you, lying minx, inventing some slander
to make me fuss and fret from ferry to ford!
petal: It’s you, Miss, who’s slandering me! If you want to know who took
your shoes, I can tell you.
bella: Who was it then?
petal: Your Petal early on
(Tune: Qi yan hui)

strolling past the studio window
caught sight of these “golden lotus”
twin pointed, ruby-red
delicate curves, bright gleaming.
A good thing it was me who saw them
and grabbed them specially for you.

What if someone else had passed by and spotted them?
If you didn’t give them to the young gentleman, Miss, then he must have
taken them. Otherwise,
tell me how these slippers got from boudoir to young man’s bed!
bella: What young man?

petal: Miss, how many are there in this house?
bella:
(Same tune)
How can we get to the bottom of this?
If you’re saying the young gentleman took them, my boudoir and his stu-
dio are quite separate; it’s not as if we were close to the guest quarters,
with doorways side by side.

If he were acting the “perfume thief”5
surely he would not in broad daylight
dare to come robbing my boudoir.
petal: Miss didn’t give them to him, and he didn’t take them—I suppose
it’s all just Petal slandering her young mistress! Very well, I’ll take the slip-
pers to Madam and she can investigate.
(Petal makes to walk off, but Bella catches hold of her)
bella: Don’t be too hasty, I didn’t say you’d taken them. But it’s a good
thing they’ve fallen into your hands—if anyone else had seen them, how
would it look?
Only, be careful what you say

don’t blurt things out before others.
petal: All right, then I won’t tell Madam.

bella: If you did,
I’d ask, since the slippers ended up with the student
then how did a little skivvy like you
find them in the student’s bed?
petal: You really can be a sly one, Miss. I’m not going to argue with Miss,
I’m going straight to Master Shen and see what he says. Like they say, “try
to find out what east wind wants, east wind will torment you.” (She exits)
bella: I know that Cousin Shen has asked me for my slippers time and
again, it had to be he who took them. But I wonder exactly how they fell
into Petal’s hands? There’s something going on between those two. They
5. For the theft of perfume as emblematic of illicit love see scene 20, note 1.
always say, trusting maiden, two-faced man—Cousin Shen, how heartless

you can be!
(Tune: Yi bu jin)
Feelings were ever hard to judge
and a man’s desires flow like the flowing stream.
This frantic buzz of butterfly and bee—
a gleam of spring sunshine—something to take to heart!
ENVOI:
Trying to figure how I should feel
flower just in bloom, here comes the butterfly!
I’d open my heart to the shining moon
but for moon shadows crossing the guest-wing stair!
scene 28
Petal Scolded
petal:
(Tune: Dao lianzi)

Spring day scrolls on forever
swallows fly in pairs
banish ennui from the gut, it lands again on the brow.
Long harbored, this ennui, with no outward sign,
but let spring yearnings overflow and everybody knows!
Master Shen has been on my mind ever since I first set eyes on him, but
he is only interested in the young mistress and doesn’t take much notice
of me. I tried to see him yesterday but he was out. I found a pair of slip-
pers on his bed that I picked up and returned to Miss, and what does she
do but start suspecting me! I’m going to tax Master Shen with this now,
and we’ll see what he has to say! (She takes a few steps, and recites a couplet)
Seeing these
delicate blooms slow to open after the night’s rain

verdant willows unfolding, moistened by the mist
—what a pretty springtime sight it is!
(Tune: Feng ru song)

Year after year the flowers and willows shrouded in chill mist
glory of spring ignores a person’s feelings.
Thousand, myriad cares oppress the brow
and try to shake them off, when can you ever?
(Shen Chun enters unobserved and eavesdrops on her)
Watching here as spring breeze ruffles the green curtain

heartsick to see the swallows pairing to roost.
shen: Don’t be heartsick, Petal, how about roosting with me?

petal: Oh, what a sneak thief you are!
scene 28: Petal Scolded 185
shen: If I’m a thief, what have I stolen?

petal: Stealing in to eavesdrop on what people say, aren’t you a thief?
shen (with a laugh): Don’t they say “catch a thief, show the loot”? Where’s the
loot when you eavesdrop?
petal: Where’s the loot indeed! Tell me, how did those embroidered slip-
pers get in your bed?
shen: No wonder I couldn’t find those slippers in my bed—so it was you
who stole them.
petal: For shame, you play the thief, then turn around and accuse me! I’ll
take you before the magistrate and see what you’ve got to say then.
shen: Take me before the magistrate, I don’t care.
petal: If you don’t care about the magistrate, I’ll have you up in front of
Madam.
shen: That I do care about. Let me plead with you. . . .
(He bows to her)
petal: Not enough.

shen: I’ll kneel.
petal: Still not enough.
shen: What then?
petal: Kneel and call me by name.
shen: What name? How about dearest sister?
petal: Pooh, who’s your sister? Call me mother.1
shen: “Mother” and “maid” are the same word.Your own name is Flying
Red—I’ll call you Red Maid!2
petal: What do you mean, Red Maid! Naughty child, you’re a proper Zhang
Junrui, don’t need me for your Red Maid. (She sees a pair of butterflies) Look
at these butterflies flitting to and fro, that’s what you are—see how they
1. It is a sign of subjection and deep self-abasement to place another person in the po-
sition of one’s own father or mother.
2. Red Maid is the name of the heroine’s saucy confidante in the play Romance of the West
Wing. The male lead in the same play, the seducer of the heroine,Yingying (Oriole), is
Zhang Junrui.
186 scene 28: Petal Scolded
(Tune: Zhuo mu’er)

graze the sweet flowers
touch wings as they fly
dare to brush gold-tipped saddle chasing the horse’s hooves
knock at boudoir door in pursuit of tryst
helplessly foiled, alas, by embroidered curtain;
wild as willow floss swirling in the wind
roaming deserted palace steps in search of jeweled hairpin
greenhouse walls cut off their dream of love!
shen: And these butterflies remind me of you, Petal:
(Same tune)
Pursuing a lingering fragrance
west across the stream
fluttering with the breeze, now high now low
chasing the last spring sunlight in neighbor’s garden
then back to drink in the blossoms’ springtime colors;
roaming with wandering bees in search of sweetness
your butterfly chalk, alas, tattered as bees’ bright gilt
yet still you whirl by the window—for whose sake?
petal: Stop this nonsense. If you can catch this pair of butterflies, I’ll get
the slippers back for you.
(They try together to catch the butterflies)
shen, petal:
(Tune: San duanzi)

See them floating side by side
garments a-flutter in the spring sunlight
crazily whirling
vain enough to sneak a peep in the mirror;
like gossamer strands adorning the choice blooms
each pair intent to crush the heart of the flower!
(They mime catching them)
Now trapped and lightly borne on this little fan!

bella (enters and recites in verse):

Rustle of green curtains against hooks of gold
empty court silent, spring shade over all;
toilet completed, wordless descend the steps
watching the butterflies drift across the wall.
I just saw a pair of butterflies in front of my window, where can they
have gone? (She sees Petal) Oh, what are you two doing here?
(Shen sees her and hurries off)
petal: I was just having fun catching butterflies.

bella (annoyed): Playing here instead of busying yourself with your embroi-
dery!
petal: Such a fine spring day, how can a person help wanting to play?
bella: Spring games are something for men to play, why should a girl like
you copy them?
(Tune: San duan cui)

Many a young nobleman rides on gold-tipped saddle
to indulge himself “treading the green” in spring;
many a gifted scholar bears his jar of wine
to compete in verse as cups float down the stream.
petal: Do you mean to say we girls aren’t people too?

bella: It’s for you little slaveys
to stitch and embroider in your room, that’s all.
petal: Nothing else?

bella:
Clean off the makeup traces from dressing mirror.
Who ever said you could
stroll in the moonlight

laugh beneath the stars
view the pretty flowers
idly stirring up spring passions
luring the fishing lad to Peach-Blossom Spring! (X)
188 scene 28: Petal Scolded
Just wait till Madam hears of it! She’ll take a thick rod
and beat the life out of a slavey like you!
petal: Your maid Petal
(Same tune)
never painted thin green line of brow
nor burned night incense in hibiscus court,
never dressed up in embroidered gown
to tie lover’s knots west of raspberry trellis.
Only, as I was enjoying
the fine spring breeze, the plum blossoms opening, flowering
I may have
stepped on a stray red bloom or two in the empty court.

Even if I played some games
enjoyed the sweetest scent
sought out the choicest bloom
it was only your little handmaid
going her childish ways as usual,

never a cloud-and-rain tryst on Witch’s Mount!
bella: Any more talk like this, I’ll report you to my mother and she’ll give
your bottom a good thrashing!
petal (kotows to her): Please, Miss,
forgive your little slavey just this once.
bella (aside): It’s me this little maid is hinting at. (To Petal): I’ll just make a
note of it for now, but if it happens again I certainly won’t let you off. (She
exits)
petal (angrily points after her): Who do you think you are fooling, Miss? You
come scolding me time and again, but I don’t care; wait till I get a chance
to tell Madam, and we’ll see how you talk your way out of it then! Ah,
Miss, Miss,
(Tune: Gui chao huan)

When no one’s about
no one’s about
what tricks you get up to,
then you go right ahead and sneer at me—
truly a case
truly a case of
fair words and faulty deeds.
I’m afraid this innocence is all a show
how can you keep on covering up forever?

Wait till word leaks out about guest wing in the moonlight
and red leaf down palace drain reveals the name! (XIII)
When that time comes
too late for regrets when the spring sun gleams out!
ENVOI:
Amazing, the tricks she can try on
sending word without wild goose knowing!
When bluebird brings message from the clouds
then you’ll see some stormy weather!
scene 29
Interrogation
shen chun:
(Tune: Ti yindeng)
Desires, despairs, so many, so hard to banish
daylong listlessness whether seated or afoot
spring flowers, autumn moons, the seasons pass
until two hearts shall grow together as one.
Why before old sorrows mend
do new griefs already stir?
(He sighs and recites a couplet):
So heavy this world’s woes, so few our joys

before the Lord of Heaven must I still my voice?
The other day I sneaked a pair of embroidered slippers from my cousin’s

boudoir and hid them beneath the cushions on my bed, never dreaming
that Petal would find them and return them to her young mistress. Then
yesterday in front of my aunt and uncle, Petal, at odds with her mistress,
pointed to the slippers Bella was wearing and said to me in a loud voice,
“Those are the slippers you couldn’t find the other day!” My cousin col-
ored up and hastily changed the subject, so fortunately our secret didn’t
leak out. But since then she has been avoiding me—I don’t know
whether because she is afraid of discovery or because she resents me.
I’ve worried how I might sort things out with her, and it’s too bad I
haven’t had the chance yet. I’m on my way now to the rear garden to see
if my cousin might show herself, who knows? (He takes a few steps) Oh, a
sheet of notepaper lying under the blossoms here! (He picks it up and reads
aloud):
Orioles tread pink petals fallen from the branch,

weight of spring thoughts
presses to listless ennui.
scene 29: Interrogation 191
Willow floss dreams disperse, clouds over Chu lie thick,

endless longings stir to no avail.
Fond thoughts reveal themselves as snares for the mind
but no inch of sorrowing heart will be governed.
No way to send faithful word to edge of sky
I turn for help to swallows under the eaves.
—A lyric to the meter of “Green marble table.”
It is a lyric of spring’s discontents—as I savor its message

I’m convinced my sweet cousin composed it.
(Tune: Yu jia ao)

In this scented note I read such strong feelings:
“treading pink petals”—
what an image of spring melancholy!
Willow floss all gone, brows still locked
as two true hearts are cast apart.
Her pretty room so close at hand
cut off as if by hills and swollen streams
so that I moan and gaze in endless longing!
(He reads the poem again)
The thoughts in the poem are my cousin’s, yet the strokes of the calligra-
phy do not seem like hers. I shall ask her about it when I see her.
(He leaves the paper on the table and exits)
bella (enters):
(Tune: Zui fu gui)

Others have gained some inkling of my spring longings,
storm waves rise though Blue Bridge is so close. (XI)
How to dispel new sorrows, old regrets?
From dreams of love come love’s own tragedies!
Time and again
sight of the blossoms has specked my silk gown with tears
but secrets of my heart

192 scene 29: Interrogation
to whom can I reveal?
Nothing that happens in this world happens by chance. The other day
Cousin Shen stole my embroidered slippers. If he is not having an affair
with Petal, how did the slippers happen to fall into her hands? I found
them teasing each other there in the garden and gave Petal a scolding.
She took offense and deliberately mentioned the slippers in the presence
of my parents. Fortunately I managed to change the subject, but my heart
gave a jump halfway up to the sky. I believe they must be fond of each
other, because why would she risk getting Cousin Shen into trouble un-
less he had told her to say what she did? As they say, “hills and streams
can be fathomed but not the human heart; how many men can be as
callous as you?” At first I foolishly trusted Cousin Shen, and now I am
filled with endless remorse.
(Same tune)
Thinking back, I have only myself to blame
I should realize students are a shabby lot.
How can I bear such betrayal face to face—
ah, why did I ever compose those matching verses!
(She takes a few steps and catches sight of a parrot)
When I met with Cousin Shen in this hall there was no one else to see
us, but this parrot saw everything! (She tosses a handful of beans at it)
Tease the parrot with a handful of red beans

for the thousand miseries it might remind me of!
parrot’s voice (from offstage): Why are you throwing things at me, Miss
Bella?
shen chun (reenters in haste): “Flowers’ stillness shows no one has been,
bird’s call announces someone comes.” (He bows to Bella) Why have I seen
so little of you these last few days?
bella: Male and female should keep their distance, how can frequent
meetings be permitted?
shen: Please don’t be so formal. There’s an old saying, “One day without
sight of you is like three autumns’ separation.” I’ve been longing to see
you for days. Please come into my study for a while so we can talk.
bella: How can male and female cousins be permitted to meet unchaper-
oned?
shen: I’m afraid you must be cross with me. Do come into my room and
let us talk things over. (He drags her into his study) Please sit down. (Bella sits
but stays silent. Catching sight of the poem on the table, she picks it up and reads it, but
says not a word) Why don’t you say anything, cousin?
(Tune: Gui zhi xiang)

Sitting there so depressed
silent, avoiding me
brows so lightly painted
locked in a mist of sadness.
There must be in your heart
must be deep in your heart
a thousand ramparts of misery
hard to imagine, hard to break down.
Nerve-racked, a goose with head cut off
ten thousand hurts
but why, what has caused this?
Tell me, cousin, when did you write this lyric?
(Bella makes no reply; Shen bows to her)
Why won’t you answer, cousin?
(Bella twists around to turn her back to him)
Why are you like this?
(Same tune)
Such gestures of chagrin
clouds of hair bent low
sole response to my thousand entreaties
eyes lowered, gaze averted.
Her thoughts must be filled
her thoughts must be filled
with a sadness wide as the sky
and all on my account.
Try to guess the cause:
194 scene 29: Interrogation
surely something has just happened

to upset her in some way?
(He bows to her again)
Please don’t be angry, cousin, I beg you to say what is on your mind.
bella: This is Petal’s writing.You got it from her, so why try to deceive me?
shen: So the poem is Petal’s! I found it just now in the garden, why are you
so suspicious?
(Tune: Da ya gu)
An idle glance around the garden
a chance discovery
a single sheet woven of plantain fiber.
This was no casual love lyric matched on the sly
giving a glimpse of hidden lusts—
why then this frown, these close-knit brows?
(Bella does not speak but gives a long sigh, then begins to adjust her gown in preparation for
leaving. Shen tugs at her sleeve)
Stay a little longer, cousin, let us get things clear before you leave.
(Same tune)
I try to resolve in my mind
what fault I can have committed
to cause you such distress.
Is it your whim to reject our former love
and seek to foment a quarrel with no cause?
How can I stand these thousand fruitless worries?
bella (again adjusts her gown and rises from her chair): “Breast by grief tormented
so, how can others ever know?” (She exits)
shen: Oh, oh, my cousin is so cold to me, straightening her dress and for-
mally taking her leave. To whom could I ever express this sense of griev-
ance I feel? (He sighs) Ah, cousin, cousin,
(Same tune)
You are as bitter as you are passionate!
So many silences
such creasings and wrinklings of the brow—

misunderstood, to whom can I speak my heart’s truth?
How can it be that you have
wiped from your mind those nights of moonlit blossoms

to show a poor student such wanton cruelty?
ENVOI:
Mumbling to myself, thoughts spinning
sight of flowers deepens regret.
Failing to fathom what is in her heart
I lean by the rail and question the east wind.
scene 30
Viewing the Portraits
master shuai:
(Tune: Ye xing chuan)

Smiling amid the flowers, smiling beneath the willows
who but yours truly every inch the gallant?
The only flaw, no fair mate yet encountered
no marriage partner won
and heart sore frustrated.
Born and raised in gilded chambers

yet unwed, I deck my walls
all about with scrolls of beauties,
worship each as evening falls;
though they stay beyond my grasp
still their glamour never palls.
To aid my search for a wife I have sent all about to purchase portraits of
beauties, nine all told. I can’t tell which are true and which are fake and
so don’t care to go straight ahead and make a marriage proposal. But
when I’ve nothing else to do I view them, call to them, make obeisance,
sing their praises, wishing hard that one of them would come to life. To-
day I’m free, so why not a viewing session? (He inspects the portraits) Oh, this
beauty is a real stunner!
(Tune: Xiao jin zhang)

A master painter
no false or lying stroke
a fairy goddess straight from Heaven above.
See how graceful
how elegant—
oh! all at once
all at once my spirit stirs within me.
Lovesick the long night through
scene 30: Viewing the Portraits 197
fever spreading, no one to relieve me—

how can I get her
get her here within the gilt bed curtains?
I’ll call to her, see if she will respond.
(He calls “O beautiful maiden,” responds for her, and laughs at himself)
(Same tune)
Here I’m calling to her and answering myself
but her eyes are still looking straight at me—
how bright her gaze, limpid as autumn stream!
Every curve of her body is so luscious!
Her luscious body, so shy, so soft

it really is sculpted of jade
molded of fine powder
slender waist palace-style
slender as willow swaying before the breeze.
O beautiful maiden, speak back to me!
(He pretends to call “O sir,” then responds to her and laughs at himself)
Lips about to speak, surely alive

how she keeps on teasing me!
How can I get her
Every one of these girls has the looks “to cause fish to sink, wild geese to
drop from the sky, to cloud the moon and put the flowers to shame.” I
don’t believe such beauties really exist in this world,
(Same tune)
companions of the fairy Flying Garnet
beside her on the Terrace of the Sun—
where to seek such in this mortal world?
Not to speak of getting one of them for my wife, if I could only jostle
against her
198 scene 30: Viewing the Portraits
(he mimes an embrace)
cuddle her in my arms!

But no chance, alas, in this lifetime
and no chance is hard to bear
night after night burning incense to no avail
cry after cry of “Oh, my heart’s own darling!”—
how can I get her
I’d sit yearning for them all day through, and every night they’d come to
share my bed. One would say, “Sir, I am here to keep you company,” and
the next one would say, “Sir, tonight it’s my turn to serve you.”
(Same tune)
Lovey-dovey as phoenix pairing
and one lucky enough for marriage
night after night a partner of my dreams
so loving, so willing
so devoted to me
I cuddle her in my arms
as she sweetly murmurs
murmurs and squirms without cease.
Oh dear, but then I wake up
lying alone as before

cold coverlet as the dusk fades.
How can I get her
Well, all this be as it may, might as well take a nap now and have myself a
dream.
lovey (enters and recites in verse):
Who would want to be a woman
a “flower in the mist,” the saddest case
hiding the way things are from herself
fooling others with smiling face?
Lovey Ding here. Master Shuai sent for me yesterday but I was busy,
booked for an official banquet, so I’m on my way to see him today. (She
enters his study) Here is his study, how come it’s so quiet everywhere? (She
catches sight of him) Oh, so he’s still asleep. I’ll wake him.Your Honor,Your
Honor!
shuai (wakes with a start and embraces her): Oh my beautiful darling, you’re
here!
lovey (laughs): What devil’s got into you—who’s your beautiful darling?
shuai: Ugh, it’s Lovey! I sent for you yesterday, why didn’t you come?
lovey: I was booked for an official banquet yesterday, I couldn’t come see
Your Honor till today. But sir, why are you all worked up like this?
shuai: All I can think of is finding a wife. Tell me, Lovey, you’re always com-
ing and going in the houses of the great; have you ever seen any live girls
as beautiful as the ones in these portraits?
lovey (examines the scrolls): Why not? Just to take this one, this Miss Bella, I’m
told her golden lotus feet are half the length of others’ and her every fea-
ture is beautiful. And furthermore, no one can touch her for poetry and
calligraphy. A portrait can only give you a fraction of an idea. So judging
from this one, I should think the rest are all the same way.
(Tune: Yu baodu)
Lovely girl young and tender
powdered fragrance subtle as pear blossom
evening showers, clouds at dawn at Gaotang (V)
beyond the skill of painter to depict.
So many winning charms no painted scroll can show
truly the pick, the number one in the world.
shuai: From what you say, it seems there really exists a girl like this in the
world—then I’m going to propose to her.
(Same tune)
Impossible to depict in full
a rare creature, Bella, in this modern world.
Truly beats Chang’e, goddess in the moon
let alone the top model here on earth.
If in this present lifetime I can really

200 scene 30: Viewing the Portraits
climb Phoenix Tower with her playing pipes for me (VIII)

I’ll gladly cancel out my past and future!
lovey: There’s just one thing: beautiful as she may be, I’ve heard there’s
someone she’s known; I’m afraid she may no longer be a virgin.You’d
best go back to your scrolls here and choose another beauty.

Faces like flowers, but flowers that can speak
certainly can be found in this world,
but this Miss Bella,
already plucked by another hand

green freshness not what it was
spring radiance flown to the pleasure quarters—
when a man like you seeks a “perfume thief”1
to become his loving mate
he need fear no lack of daughters of good family.
shuai: But when I look at the beauties in these portraits I can’t find her
equal. If I can get a wife like her that’s all I want, nothing else matters.

She’s Heaven-blessed with “beauty to topple nations”
I’m provided with a “fit mate” in marriage.
As long as she’s willing to dispense her charms
as long as she’s willing to dispense her charms
what do I care how fresh the bloom?
Say she’s a faded petal borne by the stream—
why shouldn’t I play the fisherman? (X)
lovey (aside): If it turns out like this, I’ve done Master Shen an injury! (To
Shuai) Your Honor is the respected scion of a wealthy family,
1. I.e. a girl sufficiently enamored to steal perfume for him; see scene 20, note 1.
(Same tune)
it’s you should pluck the number one bloom—
why scrape the faded blossom from the wall?
shuai: No harm in that. Just as long as a girl is gorgeous
though she come from a scarlet-pillared house of joy

though she come from a scarlet-pillared house of joy
we can still be playmates, phoenix cock and hen.
Say she’s a fading petal borne by the stream—
why shouldn’t I play the fisherman?
lovey: So you’re happy to be a turtle of a cuckold!

shuai: Well, there’s plenty more of that sort these days. Tomorrow I’ll get
someone to talk to His Honor and then I’ll go ask for her hand in
marriage.
(Coda)
My soul already flies to her dressing table
I only wish it could be done
this day, this very minute
to romp and roll with her, phoenix cock and hen
settling our debt of predestined love!
ENVOI:
lovey:
Silk scrolls all around bear portraits of beauties
shuai:
but this little charmer outdoes the rest.
lovey:
Winning her for your marriage partner
shuai:
beats “breaking off the cassia bough” as Prize Candidate!

scene 31
Solemn Pact
bella:
(Tune: Shi’er shi)

When will old regrets disperse?
Now at a stroke more griefs pile up.
This callous Xiangru
so quick to dodge and shift
filling my heart with pointless torment
thinning my waist to a willow wand.
(She recites in lyric verse)
Here in secluded garden

a thousand thoughts cluster on waking
how long ago our passion fled
a flying cloud, a passing shower.
Watching the pairing swallows return
more than one gold hairpin crushed
desolate here, the old flowers turned to dross
don’t let new blossoms brighten the kiosk moss.
I gave myself to Cousin Shen, never thinking that his heart would change.
He has betrayed the pact we made, as if the deep feelings we once had
for each other were tossed into the flowing stream. How bitterly I re-
proach him as I think of these things!
(Tune: Ji xian bin)

Cuckoo’s cry in blossoms’ ruffled shade
bears endless griefs of spring to maiden’s chamber.
Brows lightly limned draw down, clouds on spring hills
as memories of bygone days recur.
Each corner of carved balustrade for support
despite myself my sad heart twists and turns
coiffure neglected
now twin red threads of betrothal break asunder.
scene 31: Solemn Pact 203
I think of those old Tang stories, how young Zhang betrayed Yingying and
Li Yi cast off Huo Xiaoyu1—so many men have gone back on their word
this way. But it would only happen because they had to spend two or
three years in another part of the country—there has never been another
like Master Shen, breaking his word in the twinkling of an eye!
(Tune: Wutong shu fan)

Before the flowerlike cheek has paled
don’t say his heart has changed—
a sudden freezing wind one night
and the garden turns to autumn.
But the Eastern Prince, God of Love, pities those “wild flowers”
who vie before their mirrors with brocade trinkets
while I find silken coverlet, coiling incense smoke
jeweled mirror, scented dressing case
1. Arthur Waley’s fine translation of the first of these stories is included in the first vol-
ume of my Anthology of Chinese Literature. Yingying, daughter of a good family, arouses the
passion of the young scholar Zhang (Chang) and gives herself to him. He leaves for the
examinations in the capital. They exchange letters,Yingying’s being a most eloquent
statement at once of her love and of the “shame of self-surrender.” Zhang declares his
decision to break with her, citing the examples of ancient rulers each brought to ruin
by a single woman: “If Yingying were to marry a rich gentleman and become his pet,
she would forever be changing, as the clouds change to rain, or as the scaly dragon
turns into the horned dragon. . . . I know that my constancy could not withstand
such spells, and that is why I have curbed my passion.” The most notable of numerous
works based on this story by Yuan Zhen is Wang Shifu’s Romance of the West Wing
(Xixiangji).
Tang Xianzu’s chuanqi play The Purple Hairpin (Zichaiji) is based on the second tale,
Jiang Fang’s Story of Huo Xiaoyu. Xiaoyu is the daughter of a prince, but by a slave wo-
man, and she is expelled from the palace on the death of her father. She becomes a
courtesan and attracts a young scholar, Li Yi, who promises lifelong union but eventu-
ally deserts her. A stranger brings Li at last into Xiaoyu’s presence at a feast, where she
upbraids Li, dashes a cup of wine to the ground, and dies with a curse on her lips. Her
curse is fulfilled: Li attains no peace with any woman for the rest of his life.
204 scene 31: Solemn Pact
useless as round silk fan in autumn’s chill.

(Tune: Jin wu xi shan yang)
Icy strings tuned with tears
lack power to express my grief.
Languid on ivory couch
thoughts circle to no purpose:
who more loving than he
yet changing in an instant;
how foolish we were then
burning incense to seal our pact.
Torment
sparkle of tears flooding to Heaven
pitiful
clutching my coverlet, trying to sleep.
I can find no distraction today, let me lie on this bed and sleep a while.
(She falls asleep)
shen chun (enters):
(Tune: Wu ye’er)
Blue sleeve moist
speckled with tears
to whom to open my inmost heart?
Every inch trodden of idle court
each turn of deserted gallery.
Prostrate I plead with highest Heaven:
how to retrieve a fair maid’s love?
Thousand, myriad regrets: if only I had not been so careless, leaving

those slippers there to arouse my sweet cousin’s suspicion. Today I am
seeking an opportunity to visit her room and tell her of my true feelings.
(He takes a few steps) In the past when I came here she would welcome me
with a joyous smile. Today the curtains hang cold and undisturbed; I
wonder if she can be still sleeping. Oh, a poem written here on the win-
dow paper:
(He reads it aloud)
Ash-laden incense hard to light

fitful breeze, flower shadows start.
Pacing my room, limitless thoughts

idle lines from a breaking heart.
Ah cousin,

A poem of heartbreak from you
tear-bespeckled
like dew-fresh moss.
So may joy turn to sad lament
as coils of incense smoke disperse
trinket flowers fade.
Hard to untangle the twists of my inmost heart:
I ask high Heaven
what reason for this discord
storm wave on tranquil stream?
(He strokes Bella’s back)
Cousin, what are you doing asleep here at midday?

bella (gets up angrily): This is my bedchamber, why do you come here with-
out excuse?
shen (bows to her): I am at fault. But let me ask you one question: since our
reunion you have shown me much affection, but in recent days you have
avoided my company. It must be that you reject me, or why this contrast
between past and present? (Bella makes no reply) Being rejected, I acknowl-
edge my unworthiness and shall no more presume to enter your
boudoir. But I beg to be informed of the reason for this rejection.
bella (in tears): In the past I had more than a little affection for you, but
never dreamed the day would come when you would cast me aside. It is
you now who have rejected me—how should I dare reject you?
(Tune: Mao’er zhui yuzhi)

On that past day we two made vows beneath the moonlit blossoms:
till earth grew old, till Heaven failed our passion would endure.
Who could foretell that months and years would pass
and still no happy union with you?
Whether the change was in your heart or mine
I leave to you, sir, to explain
I leave to you, sir, to explain.
shen: How could my heart ever change? It’s you, womanlike, fickle in your
affections, then throwing the blame on me.
bella (sighs): Well, so you say.
(Tune: Jin luo suo)

Foolish to call a woman’s love light
changing at a moment’s whim.
The old saying is “doting woman, faithless man”:
this parallel makes

a perfect fit;
how are such a pair to grow old together?
shen: I made a vow, “in life one room, in death one tomb.”
bella: This I shall never forget,
do not speak of it again.

It was you traded billets-doux in the garden
it was you set aside our betrothal pact for this life
it was you sought to retie the scarlet thread elsewhere.
I shall cling to a lonely pillow
pass desolate days

whether by day or night or in my dreams
go down in solitude to the Yellow Springs of Hell
(she weeps)
and in life to come never

never do I ever want to see you again.
shen: If my love for you had altered, how could we ever have arrived at
this day? But tell me cousin, what has happened to make you so suspi-
cious of me? I beg you to tell me straight out if I am to die at peace, eyes
closed.
bella (sighs): You know very well, no need for me to tell you.You chanced
to leave a pair of slippers, and Petal found them; Petal chanced to drop
her poem, and you found it. How many coincidences in this world can
top these?
(Tune: Tanpo cu yulin)

These things you did
too much by chance
amazing, chance piled on chance.
The slippers you took she found in your study
the poem she wrote you picked up from the flowerbed.
It seems the two of you
share a predestined fate of no common sort

and so I must never complain though I choke off
choke off my love for you.
Enjoy your new love, don’t worry about me:
I order you to care for one alone

take no thought for old ties
that might hinder a happy marriage.
shen (casts his eyes heavenward and gives a great sigh): I’ve tried to imagine what
offended you so deeply—so it was all on account of Petal!

What a shame this happened:
to know what is in my heart
you need only ask Heaven above
then your true love for me surely must return.
In moonlight by empty pavilion
beneath trees in sacred grove
how could I coolly ignore the Prince of the East, god of love?
No matter what I say now you’ll never believe me. But what if I swear a
solemn oath before the gods? (He draws Bella by the sleeve)
We will stand side by side

telling our thousand cares, our myriad plaints
to the cuckoo whose tears ran blood in former days. (VI)
bella (smiling again): Do you mean this?

shen: Of course.
bella: Then if you do, there is a pool in the rear garden that faces the
shrine of the Prince of the Shining Soul. He is a spirit most attentive and
forthright who is certain to answer every prayer. I will believe what you
say only if you will direct your words straight toward his shrine.
shen: Then let us go. I am certain the Prince of the Shining Soul must
know what is in my heart. (They circle the stage, reach the rear garden, and make
prostrations) I, Shen Chun . . .
bella: I, Bella Wang . . .
shen, bella: . . . beg your aid for us twain, divided in form but one in
mind, born in different hours but wishing to die on the same instant, to
become in Heaven paired birds with conjoined wing, on earth twin trees
with branches intertwined. May we be apart no morn or eve, abandoned
neither in this incarnation nor in any to come, while summers and win-
ters succeed each other on the path by the Thousand Year Rock of Zhu
Yingtai, while winds whip and rains drench the hundred-foot tablet of
Liang Shanbo.2 May our earthly parts be interred and like the blood of
Chang Hong turn to jasper incorrupt;3 may our souls cry eternally to the
moon, ageless as Wangdi of old. (VI) May our love remain ever unchang-
ing, may these words stay forever fresh. Should this woman desert this
man may she sink into everlasting perdition; should this man desert this
woman may he instantly perish by stroke of thunderbolt. Heaven and
earth in your majesty, bear witness to this vow; spirits divine in glory, let
the mirror of your truth illumine this oath.
(They make prostrations, rise, and sing in unison)
(Same tune)
Heads bowed, prostrate before divine spirit
accept our hearts’ sincerity
our adamantine will.
No lusting after casual flower, alluring willow
2. The folktale of Liang Shanbo and his beloved Zhu Yingtai tells in essence a similar
story to this play: after death the tragic couple metamorphosed into butterflies that fly
with conjoined wing.
3. This legend of the righteous Chang Hong occurs in the Daoist philosophical text
Zhuangzi.
but in this life sharing one couch

in life to come by Rock of Incarnations4
paired mandarin ducks rejoicing in one tomb.
May the betrayer of this oath
be apprehended by the Spirit
and swiftly cast into the Yellow Springs.
bella (makes obeisance to Shen): I am grateful for the depth of your affection. I
made a hasty judgment and wrongly blamed you. We two
(Tune: Si fan Huang ying’er)

voices as one speaking our oath
our happy love
stronger than before
surely the Lord of Heaven will grant our desire
as years come and go
sharing one pillow
three incarnations recalling this sacred vow
each night, each dawn
in love unfailing
transformed, two purple swallows on the wing.
shen: By leaving those slippers on my couch and chancing to pick up that

note I offended my sweet cousin. If you had not told me everything that
was in your heart, when would this ever have been cleared up?
(Same tune)
Thinking of our failed betrothal
tears spurted forth
to wear away a stone.
4. The Rock of Incarnations appears often in popular literature as physical testimony to

the strength of karma. It alludes to the close friendship between a scholar named Li
Yuan and a Buddhist monk named Yuanguan, “Perfected Vision.” “Twelve years following
my death,” Yuanguan instructs Li, “you must meet me at the Indian Temple in
Hangzhou.” Li duly arrives at the temple, where he finds a young herdboy who sings a
ditty about “souls of yore by the Rock of Three Lifetimes” and reveals himself as the
reincarnation of the monk Yuanguan.
Bemoaning our loss, couple put asunder

I feared that never again in the shadows of this life
the dreams of the life to come
should my eyes be granted sight of my beloved.
Now as this day brings blessing
the return of your loving smile
I long only to fuse our jade-pure bodies into one.
shen, bella (hand in hand):

(Coda)
One love in two hearts intertwined
may the joyous centenary feast be ours at the last.
The recovery this day of the sweet devotion we had lost sight of recalls
the story of Wei Gao and his beloved Jade Flute returned to life to fulfill
predestined union!5
ENVOI:
shen:
To gods and demons confess our love
bella:
swear not to part while Heaven and earth shall last.
shen:
Let no trifle ever again come between
bella:
to prompt us to compose verses of heartbreak.
5. The legend tells how Wei Gao gave Jade Flute a ring before departing on a far journey.
As years pass without his return, Jade Flute despairs and dies. At length Wei Gao is pre-
sented with a singing girl also named Jade Flute, and discovers that her finger bears a
circle of raised flesh as though a ring lies hidden beneath the skin. A Yuan play, Qiao
Mengfu’s Love of Two Lifetimes, retells the story.
scene 32
Petal Tells
petal:
(Tune: Yifeng shu)

Curtains open to mist-freshened air
profusion of blooms
brightens the eye
grasses greening the steps
on spring stroll
lotus-bud footprints lightly placed.
Few visit as sun wheels over court
but calls of oriole break the silence.
Oh, Master Shen is coming.
Elegant Sir Scholar

more than once in spring flirtation
I’ve smiled a welcome among the flowers.
shen chun (enters):
(Same tune)
Brocade-hung pavilion shines in splendor
deepening spring ennui
until the time she wakes.
Linger on empty stair
treading the fragrant dust
the green spring grass.
Incense burner grows cold as long day passes window . . .
petal (calls): Master Shen!

shen:
. . . but suddenly I hear a pretty warbler’s call!
petal (calls again): Master Shen, where are you going?

212 scene 32: Petal Tells
shen (looks around): It’s Petal calling me. I’ll pretend not to hear and escape
to the rear garden.
Secret flutter in my heart

turn by emerald screen to forestall
more rumors of springtime dalliance at Wuling. (X)
(He exits)
petal: Oh, Master Shen obviously saw I was here and he’s slipped away
pretending not to notice me. I’m sure it’s because of the young mistress
that he’s treating me so rudely. Ah, Miss, you managed to gloss over that
business of losing your slippers the other day, but the next thing of the
sort that happens I’m going straight to Madam, and then won’t we be
sorry for you! Like they say, “in spring breeze I hate him chasing me, by
autumn moon he’s cooled and I’m in love!” (She exits)
bella (enters):
(Tune: Busuanzi)
Boudoir silent the livelong day
sun casts shadows on window gauze
rising from sleep, resenting sight of flowers
red candles, rouge traces cold.
(She recites a lyric):
Tender thoughts
memories cling
nightly light incense to honor Wangdi. (VI)
Old sorrows, new delights no others share
only our two hearts secretly aware.
Ever since Master Shen and I swore our pact, our fondness for each oth-
er has doubled in intensity. Idle on this spring day, I plan a gentle stroll to
enjoy the garden’s fragrance, wishing only that Master Shen were here to
keep me company. (She takes a few steps)
(Tune: Jin wutong)

Light ‘broidered curtains hung for spring
blossoming branches on every hand
before the petals fall
I tread each scented path.
scene 32: Petal Tells 213
This springtime scene is one and the same with previous years:
year by year the loveliness returns

spring after spring causing the same distress
absence of my beloved
robbing the spring of its charm
wasting the beauty of the garden scene.
shen (reenters): I’ve managed to dodge Petal and make my way here. Ah,
here before me is my sweet cousin, gazing all about her on the path be-
side the tree-peonies.
(Tune: Dong ou ling)

By the carved rail
screened by path’s turnings
I come upon my beloved standing all alone
delighting the eye, adorned or simply coiffed
her form set off by willows’ grace
charming, lips open as if to speak.
(They greet each other)
bella: I was strolling here in the garden alone, I am glad you have come.
shen: See her happy smile of greeting.
bella: By good luck the maidservants are all busy attending on my moth-
er in the main hall, so now you are here we can walk together in the
garden.
shen: I am delighted to accompany you. See, cousin, no step disturbs the
famous garden . . .
bella: red petals grieve on mossy stair . . .
shen: powder traces on golden dimpler . . .
bella: scent of incense as garments air.1
1. The “dimpler” performed the function of the beauty spot of the eighteenth-century
belle; incense smoke freshened the lady’s garments when she hung them at night over
a frame in her chamber. The lovers here extemporize a quatrain that turns the garden
scene into a boudoir, in readiness for the lovemaking that follows.
(Tune: Zao luo pao)

Splendors on every side outdo each other
happily in quiet grove
only the sweet birds call.
Delicate pinks, soft purples screen the glade
lingering blooms like traces of paint and powder.
Shadows quiver in spring breeze
flower scents rise
against glow of morning clouds
red finery doubly bright
every new aspect vying for attention.
shen: Before these lovely scenes, spring urges rise unbidden:
(Tune: Da sheng yue)

Fine gauze garments, breeze-stirred willows
cheeks start to flush
soul half tipsy.
(He leads Bella by the sleeve)
We steal, you and I, a-tiptoe down the paths . . .
bella: Where are we going?

shen: In front by the Hundred Flowers Kiosk is a shaded spot where no
one comes.
There with grass for coverlet, leaves for mat

mandarin ducks may twine their necks in the flowers’ shade
for truly, love deepens in a lovely spot.
bella: It’s embarrassing to talk like this, please be a little more reserved.
shen:
See her part pleased, part upset

half resisting, half drawing me on
wrenching my whole soul from me.
bella (pushing him away as he takes her in his arms):
(Same tune)
I order you to stop, my Prince of the East, lord of love.
shen: No one can see us here, what is the harm?

bella:
Shame lest Heaven should see us—

what then?
shen: My passion is at its height, I can’t help myself.

bella: They say true romance lies not in consummation.
shen: Unconsummated, how can it be borne?
bella:
How hotly he assails me

how coldly I fend him off!
shen: Why this talk of fending off?

bella: I am an unworthy creature and dare not refuse you. But I fear
when clouds and rain first join, when joy is most intense and passion
turns to swooning, should someone indeed chance upon us, I should
have no place to hide for shame!
Lost in the ardor of clouds and rain

passion not easily suppressed.
(She starts at the call of a bird)
Oh, isn’t there someone coming?
(Shen releases her)
Bird on bough calls prettily and my heart gives a jump!

Don’t be so hasty, sir—
there in the shade
someone is listening.
shen: How can there be anyone? It’s the call of a bird has ruined our mo-
ment of joy. But there’s something else: since you and I have sworn to
become husband and wife, from now on let us no longer call each other
cousin. Here where no one can hear us I call you by name, Bella, my wife!
bella: Yes!
shen: Now, wife, call me husband!
bella (in a low voice): Master Shen, husband!
shen: Yes!
bella (weeps):
(Tune: Jie san cheng)

Phoenix cock and hen answer each other
from each to each respect and deepest love
but with joy at its height come sudden sobs of anguish.
shen: Bella, wife, why these tears?

bella:
Since we so love each other

why can’t our union come soon?
What use to tell our inmost desires
when each word blurs sight of Heaven
for the names “husband” and “wife” contain no truth!
And I fear
it is for nought we walk hand in hand
chatting and laughing here in the garden.
shen: You and I are entitled
(Same tune)
to join in flight, phoenix cock and hen
as when maid of Qin played the flute on her balcony! (VIII)
(He wipes away a tear)
In the depths of misery I think of joy:
(He dries Bella’s tears)
Since we so love each other

we need not speed our union
but the words “husband” and “wife” we shall keep safe
gold pins in jeweled box to prove our faith
though today we torment each other
walking hand in hand
laughing and chatting here in the garden.
bella: If you will remain faithful to our pact, Cousin Shen, then though I
die I shall close my eyes in peace.
shen: Our pact was made long ago, no need to arouse sad thoughts by
speaking of it today. Let us make the most of this lovely spot and take
our pleasure there by the raspberry trellis.
shen, bella (as they walk hand in hand):
(Tune: Diao jiao’er)

Hibiscus-verdant screen
raspberry-fragrant path.
By winding balustrade a host of wildflowers
set off each other in gay profusion.
You and I, constant hearts
to face this lifetime
to await the next
inseparable.
Together our joy redoubled
as tree-shaded cloud pavilion
birdsong by flower-decked kiosk
conspire to gladden the stroller’s sense
and inspire such depth of feeling!
petal (enters and spies them): What can the young mistress be doing here with
Master Shen? I shall bring Madam here to catch them. (She exits)
bella: We have stayed too long, what if someone should see us? We must
go back.
shen: We can give ourselves a little longer. Let’s go look at the flowers
again.
(Tune: Coda)
Delight in spring stroll still unsated
past belvedere, past poolside pavilion
to gaze once more as our reflections
join on the silvery water.
(They exit)
petal (calls from offstage): A lovely day, and the peonies open to the fullest, do
come see them, Madam!
madam wang (enters with Petal):
(Tune: Yi duo jiao)

So green the grass
so bright the blooms
beauty returning year by year.
Old eyes at sight of blossoms brim with useless tears:
turn by the kiosk
turn by the kiosk
already the breeze bears off the falling petals.
(She points to the peonies)
How early the peonies are this year!

shen, bella (reenter hand in hand):
(Same tune)
Fresh the blooms
bright their colors
more charming yet the flowerlike faces
as we two man and wife stroll here on flower-strewn path
and orioles on the bough
orioles on the bough
weary the listener with their song.
(They catch sight of Madam Wang, and Shen hurries offstage)
madam wang: What are you doing here, Bella, instead of in your boudoir?
bella: I grew weary of sitting so long in my boudoir and came to look at
the garden for diversion.
madam wang: Ha, how can a young girl like you be allowed to walk alone
in the middle of the day in such a deserted place?
(Tune: Dou hei ma)

Cold dank groves
shrouded in cloud and mist
all still, no one about
but weasels and flying squirrels everywhere
wicked flower goblins
willow elves at their pranks:
how would your mother feel
should you stir up some of these?
bella: I shall not dare do it again.

madam wang: If you wish to take a stroll you must have slaveys to keep
you company.
Though splendor of spring disturb your thoughts

gazing at blooms beyond the pavilion
how should a young girl like you
a young girl like you
walk out without a maid for company?
petal: Oh Miss,
(Same tune)
you slipped away from your chamber
for a peek at all the finery.
If it hadn’t been that Madam
saw you with her own eyes
she’d have thought it just chatter
of orioles and swallows
or all the fault of your poor little maid
luring you into

willful ways.
This copse is gloomy in broad day
don’t be so careless of your precious little body.
If it’s flowers you’re after
flowers you’re after
at least let your maid keep you company.
madam wang: Tchah, who asked you to butt in, creature! See Miss back
to her boudoir now. (She watches as Petal exits with Bella) I’ve noticed a change
in my daughter’s speech and behavior these last few days; I’ve been un-
easy in my mind about her. And today here she is with Master Shen and
no one about, what can they have been up to? Better send Master Shen
back home tomorrow. True it is, “to keep bees and butterflies from your
vase, fasten tight the window gauze!” (She exits)
scene 33
Reluctant Parting
shen chun:
(Tune: Nu guanzi)
Spite aroused for no cause
spirit desolate
looks neglected
restless pacing of marble terrace
no recourse but return.
Success comes hard, no gain without loss

all look at me with eyes askance:
Fan Li sailed off with his Western Maid—
when comes fulfillment of our romance?1
Yesterday in the garden we were betrayed by Petal, and now I can do
nothing but take leave of my aunt and uncle and return home. My uncle
seems still undecided, but my aunt is set against my staying and so I
must resume my wanderings. (He sighs) But after I leave here today how
shall I ever see my sweet cousin again? This is why I hang about and pro-
crastinate, hoping for a chance to say farewell to her. Oh, what a cruel
blow!
bella (enters):
(Tune: Ku xiangsi)
Nightlong a harsh wind blocked the spring
fallen petals in wild disarray.
1. The ancient courtship of the beautiful spy Xi Shi, the Western Maid, by Fan Li, chief
minister of the King of Yue, is alluded to in this line, which reads literally “moonlit
breezes (i.e., romance) of the five lakes suddenly stilled.” The phrase I have translated as
“romance” in the last line refers literally to the (love) debts owed to each other by
paired mandarin ducks.
scene 33: Reluctant Parting 221
Ah Heaven,
so fiercely you have struck this sorrowing maid

breaking my heart
what hope of mending?
I’ve been told Cousin Shen has taken leave of my mother and father and
is to return home; I suppose there was nothing else he could do. I have
stolen out now to say farewell to him. Here is his study. (She greets Shen
with tears) No sooner had you and I renewed our joy than a sudden storm
arose. Although this was Petal’s doing, in truth it was what fate had in
store for us at this time. Ah Heaven, Heaven! What a meager destiny you
have granted to Bella Wang!
shen (weeping also): The ancients had a saying, “success comes hard.” I could
never have believed you and I would be put through such trials as these!
(Tune: Wu geng zhuan)

By verdant pool
at setting sun
cuckoo calls as bloody tearstains dry. (VI)
Each cry announces death’s approach
death’s approach that urges parting
over and over
vain longing to remain.
Blocked by rubble
waters flood
the ford to Peach-Blossom Spring. (X)
Tonight I’ll wake from dream
wake from dream to find myself where?
Myriad desolations
to whom to impart?
bella:
(Same tune)
Flowing tears
a thousand strands of rain
does your heart break as mine?
222 scene 33: Reluctant Parting
I heard you were going

now it is clear you are forsaking me
nor can thousand, myriad tendernesses
hold you here with me.
So hateful this parting
cruel interdiction
of the road to Blue Bridge. (XI)
Even the gift of dream
the sweetest dream will not find you:
only regrets to weight the brow
the sky itself frowning its sorrow.
shen: How hateful of Petal to bring all this about by her treachery!
(Same tune)
Split asunder
the intertwining branches
parted the pair-eyed fish.2
Fair blossoms rousing the harsh wind’s jealousy
now strew the steps
and rot into mud.
This is the conjunction
of former lifetime’s woes
with this life’s wrongs:
birth in some mismatched hour recorded
recorded in Lovers’ Register (II)
loneliness to come
the dictate of Heaven’s will.
bella: Although it is that creature Petal who has disrupted our betrothal, I
don’t feel resentment toward her now.
shen: If not toward her, then whom?
bella: You are the one I’m concerned about:
2. Flatfish are symbols of marital bonding.

(Same tune)
They say success
has many setbacks
but tell me, will our springtime never come?
Poor fragrant soul adrift on the flowing years
I command you, Prince of Love
not to reject our old passion.
So readily forsaking me
swift to tear apart
hard to reunite:
now you are leaving
leaving when to return again—
for waning moon to regain her fullness
broken string to be mended?
shen: With our situation as it is now, how can we predict the time of our
reunion?
(Same tune)
Regrets press close
for this our parting
with little hope of reunion to come.
Oh my sweet cousin,
keep closest watch by jeweled screen and curtain

while I by willow bank
reed-flowering ford
under bright moon
beside misty waters
follow uncharted ways;
for our dream of three lifetimes is cut off
cut off the road of return
and hope of happy marriage
hard now to restore.
bella: Don’t they say “hills and streams block the way, but nought can
block this love”? I ask only that you keep me always in your heart, come
back again when the chance arises, let no doubts or misunderstandings

lead you to reject me and leave me prey to the wiles of others.
(Same tune)
Do not on my account
sink deeper into melancholy
sighing before the mirror’s bronze;
put aside “the Six Dynasties’ powdered beauties.”
Let’s vow that our devotion
shall not perish as the dew at dawn:
I shall watch for your horse at the gate
your carriage on the path
the moment of your coming.
By the Hold-Back-Spring Pavilion the flowers will bloom as before
in life, in death
one room, one tomb.
gatekeeper (enters; Bella hides): “Song of farewell follows departing steed,

three cups of bitter wine see off the traveler.” Is your baggage packed and
ready, Master Shen? His Honor has a banquet early tomorrow, and
Madam is not feeling well, so they will be unable to see you off. They
have sent me with money for your journey, and word that you should
leave at your convenience and not trouble yourself with farewells.
shen: Very well. My regards to His Honor and Madam.
gatekeeper: Very good, sir.
(He exits; Bella emerges from hiding)
shen: Obviously the gatekeeper didn’t come just to present me with trav-
eling funds but to speed my departure. I can delay no longer and must
take my leave of you now.
(In tears, he makes a formal bow to Bella)
bella: My mother is very cruel. I have written a lyric for you; whenever
you read it you will feel as if you were with me.
(She draws it from her sleeve)
shen (reads it aloud):

Nutmeg branch denies the spring3

wind on the hills before us
rain on the hills before us.
Cuckoo weeps blood as fifth watch ends (VI)
cold grips the blossoms
cold grips the traveler.
What difference, meeting and parting, sorrow and joy?
Joy and sorrow at meeting
sorrow and joy at parting
easy to leave, hard to meet again.
Afraid to sing “Sunlight Pass”
mustn’t sing “Sunlight Pass.”4
(He weeps)
I shall rehearse this poem in my memory day after day.

bella: I wonder what will become of me when you are gone!
(Tune: Xiang luo dai)

Loath from now on to dress these clouds of hair
loath to embroider my flower patterns
flute played by moonlight, yes, but phoenix soars alone: (VIII)
behind spring bed curtains I’ll wait for dream or word
passing the days
in thoughts of our early times
the pear-blossom sprig you tossed, the hugging the stove together
love’s pangs a thousandfold
before trust grew secure.
Don’t say the east wind in a single night
can blanch green leaf, pink cheek!
3. The budding nutmeg is a symbol of virginity. Bella here seems to be reflecting ironi-
cally on the early passage of her own “springtime.”
4. Sunlight Pass (Yangguan) leads into Central Asia and figures in Wang Wei’s well-
known quatrain of parting, which ends “Take another cup of wine / Once out of Yang-
guan, no old friends.”
shen: Now that it has come to this, you must take good care of yourself,
cousin, until we can be together again.
bella: Soon after you leave now, the autumn examinations will begin. My
one wish is that you pass high on the list; then perhaps when you send
to renew your suit my father may be willing to give his consent.
shen: Whether I achieve fame and fortune is the will of Heaven, but your
true love, cousin, I shall never lose sight of.
(Same tune)
I fear no loss of fame and fortune
only the failure of our marriage hopes.
Tears of blood dry on blue sleeve
as song of “Sunlight Pass” begins
sun sinks behind far hill
clamor of wild birds
past sorrows, desolate lonely dreams.
My body leaves you, not my heart;
try to dispel your sadness
cherish for me your flowerlike beauty
and I will mine the earth or pierce the sky
to win reunion with you.
bella: I am deeply grateful for your sincerity. I will wait for you till death.
shen: I shall see you back to the courtyard path.
(They part from each other, then stop)
bella (weeps): Oh, Cousin Shen, you are really leaving me!
(Coda)
Really to leave me—
a thousand strands of sorrow—
to go where at sky’s edge old friends are few.
When you can, Cousin Shen, send me a letter.

shen: Hai, sweet cousin, close confined in maiden’s chamber, I only fear
too long a flight for wild goose to maiden chamber!

ENVOI:
bella:
Hearts poured out by secret patterned window
shen:
longing to crest blue peaks on phoenix wing
bella:
alas, on scented path to Peach-Blossom Source
shen:
dreams are blocked by flurry of wind-tossed petals.

scene 34
Envoys Appointed
marshal shuai:
(Tune: Qi niangzi)
All-powerful guardian of western frontier
commanding staffs civil and military:
a wastrel only son
diseased and sick
torments my mind by day and night.
Forebears high-placed, vermilion-clad

renowned throughout the vast southwest
rich and honored in high degree
yet with no worthy offspring blest.
For many years I have maintained order on the western frontier, my
might and powers long known to all. When the Tibetans raided across
the border they glutted themselves with pillage but then left for home
again, and high officers both central and provincial seized this pretext to
gain promotion. That was how I rose to the rank of marshal, entrusted
with sword and mace of authority to execute first and investigate after-
ward in any troublous circumstance. My place is above all other officials,
whether civil or military. Is this not the height of fame and fortune? Yet I
have only a single son at my knee, and though he has reached manhood,
for some reason or other he has resisted the idea of marriage every time
we have discussed it. Moreover, he is sick at present and keeps to his
bed, which causes me a great deal of uneasiness. His constant compan-
ions Tertius Ma and Decimus Ge must surely know what has caused this
sickness.You men, have them brought in for questioning.
tertius ma, decimus ge (enter in response to servants’ shouts):
(Tune: Zizi shuang)

High-quality hangers-on here, don’t snigger,
light jackets, skullcaps, cutting a figure,
scene 34: Envoys Appointed 229
same faults as our playboy chums, but bigger,

we flatter and kiss ass with ceaseless vigor.
The young governor got the notion to take that Bella Wang to wife and
has ordered the two of us to plead his case before the old man. Going
before the old man doesn’t consort with our dignity, but now he has sent
for us; it may be he’ll ask about such things and we can seize our chance
to propose the match. And if we do succeed, imagine the favors we’ll get
from the governor!
(They greet Marshal Shuai and kotow)
marshal: The two of you spend all day every day with my son, how have
you managed to get him into this state?
(Tune: Hua qiao ling)

It’s you lot, good-for-nothing parasitic bums
have lured my son into
hanging around every inn and brothel in town.
ma, ge: What, us two? We wouldn’t dare!

marshal:
If it’s not you, then how come

he’s sick today, half crazed
no energy, flat on his back
burning hot as fire
herbs and drugs no help:
just tell me please
what’s brought this about?
ma, ge: We won’t try to deceive Your Honor; there is a reason for the young
master’s sickness. It was one day,
(Same tune)
a sudden glimpse of a pretty face
a looker, a real eyeful
one look and he was on fire

230 scene 34: Envoys Appointed
more than his heart could stand.
The young master had sworn he would take a real stunning beauty for
his wife, to spend his lifetime with her
cock and hen, tupping and turning
but because Your Honor was away on the frontier
the fighting went on

the wedding was off.
And that’s why
he’s sick to his stomach

feverish, wasting away.
marshal: (enraged): So that’s what it is! Infuriating!
(Same tune)
Eminent family like ours, the peak of society
phoenix nest, not for some common chick!
Counselor Zhang’s daughter, Governor Li’s daughter,
each one’s hand at his choosing
and your young master
turns up his nose and refuses.
I’ll wager this woman is nothing but a
common trollop, a casual tart

not for polite society.
Go, you two, inform the young master that when he’s recovered from his
sickness I myself shall
select a fine partner for him

secure his marital bliss.
ma, ge: Is Your Honor aware who this young lady is? She’s none other than
the daughter of Assistant Magistrate Wang of Meizhou, Bella, pretty and
accomplished to beat all. Scions of gentry and noble families all want her
scene 34: Envoys Appointed 231
for their wife, but because her father is on assignment in Meizhou he still
hasn’t promised her to anyone.
(Same tune)
Family ranked as lesser gentry
yet listed in offices civil and military.
Blessed with bewitching beauty
finished in all proper feminine studies
ideal prospective partner.
If Your Honor desires his son’s
recovery from sickness

only the taking of this girl to wife
will dispel this foul contagion.
marshal: I too have heard of this girl’s high quality.You may go inform
your young master that the assistant magistrate’s term of office is almost
completed, and on his return here I shall send the two of you to seek his
daughter’s hand for my son.
(He exits)
ma, ge: All right! Now that His Honor has given his consent, this match
can’t fail. We’ll go tell the young master—won’t he just be cock-a-hoop!
ENVOI:
Falcons, running dogs for the rich
flowers bloom from our panderers’ lips:
when red candles burn for our young lord’s wedding
what rosy goblets we’ll toast him with!
scene 35
The Keepsake
(Tune: Lin jiang xian)

Glad news by letter yesterday
loaded with honors, kinsman returns.
shen lun (enters with Shen Chun):
Though still far off, goblets and jars await them.
shen chun:
Privately try to guess

the day of their arrival.
shen qing: A messenger from your uncle reported yesterday that he has
completed his term in Meizhou and will be passing through here en
route to his new post. His transfer being urgent and his household nu-
merous, it will not be convenient for him to stay in Chengdu, but we are
to meet with them at the posting station. Are the wine and refreshments
made ready? We must hasten now outside the city walls to welcome
them.
shen chun, shen lun: The wine and refreshments are ready; we may
leave at once. (All exit)
bella (enters in carriage, with Coachman): From our start in Meizhou to this
place, windblown dust of the road, how wearying a journey!
(Tune: Xiangliu niang)

Hateful carriage wheels, horses’ hooves
hateful carriage wheels, horses’ hooves
heart crushed beneath them
pale cheeks more gaunt than autumn flowers.
Crossing high hills and river valleys
from childhood cosseted in maiden’s chamber
scene 35: The Keepsake 233
how to endure these hardships?

And in the lonely hostels
in the lonely hostels
tossed like a tumbleweed
no rest for grieving heart. (She exits)
petal, river lass (enter in shared carriage): The young mistress’s carriage is
in front and we follow on behind; what lovely scenes all along the way!
(Same tune)
Rumble of carriages, horses’ neighing
rumble of carriages, horses’ neighing
endless blowing dust
shuttling of travelers north and south.
Through this village, by that creek
through this village, by that creek
woodland tints deepen with setting sun
as we part the blind to peek out:
ranges of blue hills forest-clad
ranges of blue hills forest-clad
elegant carriages pressing close
a procession in a painted scroll! (They exit)
wang wenrui, madam wang (enter with numerous Attendants): Several

days out of Meizhou, soon we shall reach Chengdu:
(Same tune)
Long resident in Meizhou
long resident in Meizhou
dreams still tethered there
alas, “another pointless crossing of the Sanggan.”1
Hiding the sadness at heart
1. North China’s Sanggan River was a metaphor used by poets to represent the border
between the civilized world and the barbarian wilds. The citation here is of a line from
the Tang poet Jia Dao.
234 scene 35: The Keepsake
hiding the sadness at heart

leaving never to return
looking back, the tears start.
attendants: Your Honor’s family are waiting at the posting station ahead
to receive you.
wang: Let us hasten to the posting station to greet them:
Posting station by the bridge
posting station by the bridge
east and west, night and morn
officials in endless procession.
shen qing, madam shen, shen chun, shen lun (enter and greet
Wang and Madam Wang by exchanging lines of verse):
Passage of years since last we met
wang, madam wang:
roadside reception here arranged
all:
fond thoughts always in our dreams
joy that loved faces have not changed.
(Same tune)
After long separation
after long separation
all looking as before.
shen qing: I raise my cup to salute your promotion, brother-in-law:

wine at posting station, heart-to-heart talk.
madam shen: I am afraid we have allowed our son to put you to much
trouble during these years of your residence in Meizhou.
wang, madam wang: Our own flesh and blood, how can you speak of
trouble?
madam shen: How is it your daughter, Bella, is not with you?
wang, madam wang: We shall not have the time to pause in our jour-
ney and have sent her on ahead. She will miss seeing her aunt, but we
must leave again very shortly.
shen qing, madam shen, shen chun, shen lun: Stay a little
longer,
another cup to ease you

another cup to ease you:
when shall we meet again
once you leave us now?
madam wang: We should go, the day grows late and we must not keep
the girls waiting.
all:
Twilight over the woodlands

twilight over the woodlands
urges the travelers on
tells them they may not linger.
shen qing, madam shen: Then we shall say farewell. Shen Chun, es-
cort your uncle and aunt a little farther. “At the rough halt, a few cups of
wine, before we part north, south, east, west.”
(They exit with Shen Lun)
wang: How far in front are the other carriages?

attendants: A mile or two.
wang: Make haste to catch up with them. “Jade-handled whip to noble
steed, or stray at night in forest mists.”
(Exits with Madam Wang and Attendants)
shen chun: I came on purpose to see my cousin; how could I guess her
carriage would have gone on in front? I’ll follow the narrow paths to
overtake her. Truly, “to follow the phoenix back to the heavens, oh that I
had a pair of wings!” (He exits)
bella (reenters in carriage, with Coachman): They tell me Cousin Shen is to be at
the posting station to receive my mother and father. I long to see him but
cannot do so; oh, how I long for him!
(Same tune)
Alone and desolate
alone and desolate
yearning for him but he comes not
sad heart unfathomable as the sea.
shen chun (swiftly reenters): That is my cousin’s carriage in front. Luckily the
other carriages aren’t here yet, I’ll spur up to it and raise the blind to see
her. (He calls out) Cousin, Shen Chun is here.
bella (answers his call and hides her tears behind her sleeve): Cousin Shen, it’s you.
shen:
Wild moans of grief and pain

wild moans of grief and pain
no word, but tears flow down
each gazes at other, heartbroken.
bella: Never since we first met have I been able to bear one single day
away from you, and this parting is for years to come, a distance of hun-
dreds of miles. I think of you so constantly, but how can we be sure ever
to meet again in future days? Who knows but I shall lower my head to
close my eyes in death, my bones decay, my body waste away, and you
will seek another mate and bestow the tenderness of the bedchamber
on another.
I fear this body’s wasting, bones’ decay

I fear this body’s wasting, bones’ decay
and you at that time
in amorous play among the “flowers and willows”

all tender feelings cast aside.
shen: Ah, sweet cousin, how little you know my heart!
(Same tune)
Gods and spirits bear witness
gods and spirits bear witness
my heart and mind are as your own
through lives to come no thought of change.
bella: If you truly honor me with your love in this way, I shall die without
regret.
Moved by the depth of your devotion

moved by the depth of your devotion
though bones grow cold and turn to dust

my spirit self is bound to yours forever.
coachman (urging departure): It is growing late, we must hasten on.

bella (recites in verse):
Impatient coachman halts our talk
pain deepens to be torn away
three years, a thousand miles apart
no Daoist magic of one brief day.2
You and I must part now not knowing when we may ever meet again.
This perfume sachet is worked inside with gold thread and a hundred
pearls in a phoenix roundel. It can be taken for a lovers’ knot. I give it to
you with all my heart so that you may think of me whenever you see it.
Come to me when you are at liberty, take no count of distance as a hin-
drance.
Hateful the coachman’s urging

hateful the coachman’s urging
a hurried farewell now
this perfume sachet for remembrance. (She exits)
shen (in tears): My cousin is gone. If I try to overtake her again,
(Same tune)
though hills ahead are lost in mist
hills ahead are lost in mist
hiding her carriage from view
my soul pursues her image a thousand miles.
I could never catch up, can only turn back
2. She refers scornfully but perhaps also wistfully to Daoist teachings concerning the
relativity of time (as of all phenomena). She anticipates also Shen Chun’s allusion, in
the scene’s envoi, to the Terrace of Heaven (Tiantai) mountains, where two men of Han
times found that six months of dalliance with fairy maidens proved on their return
home to have spanned the same time as seven generations.
back to lonely room

back to lonely room
my love far off as spreading skies of Chu
where to seek even in dream?
Wintry crickets on every side
wintry crickets on every side
for whom do they creak out
their melancholy like mine?
(Coda)
Torn away at parting, tears fall faster
love longings of the past redoubled now.
But when I look at this lovers’ knot perfume sachet I shall
take it to be herself to give this passion rest.
ENVOI:
Parting from loved one on misty riverbank
seeking sweet dreams to follow her from afar
I grieve for the blocked road to the Terrace of Heaven
will my dreams bring at least a glimpse of her?
scene 36
The Road to the Examinations
first student (enters with companion):
(Tune: Zui luo po)

Dragons long coiled in ditch obscure;
comes a sudden thunderclap:
spring tides, a rosy halo the river’s length!
second student:
Vying to leap the gateway to success

spirit of ancient heroes seen once more!1
shen lun (enters with Shen Chun):
(Same tune)
Ten years by study window, no one calls
now joy should fortune smile—
we hasten to the palace eager for victory.
shen chun:
Gazing back toward her boudoir

heart filled with secret grief.
shen chun:
Three years’ wait to face the test
1. The metaphor behind the lines of both men is that of the unrecognized talent that
“hides in a pond” as commonplace fish until the day it can leap the rocky falls of Drag-
on’s Gate (Longmen) and turn into a dragon: when, in other words, the poor obscure
student can achieve success in the state examinations.
240 scene 36: The Road to the Examinations
shen lun:
the empire’s heroes join the fray
first student:
but blurry-eyed examiners
second student:
fail the gold steed, pass the clay!
both students: As we travel together to the examinations each of us is
clenching his fists and flexing his muscles, telling himself he is sure of
success, each of us except Shen Chun. He alone looks ill at ease; why is
this?
shen lun: My brother has been melancholy the whole journey, you must
ask him to explain the reason.
first student: With your talent and learning, Shen Chun, winning
renown should be as easy as picking greens. Why are you so down-
hearted?
second student: Indeed, Shen Chun, your learning is immense. First
place on the list is right there in your satchel, you have no need to worry.
shen chun: It is you gentlemen who are advanced in their studies and
certain to pass in high position. I am an ignorant boor, I don’t expect to
make the list at all; I’m just tagging along now in the dust of your carriage
wheels. The dreary scenes along our way have greatly depressed me and I
have given up any idea of winning renown.
(Tune: Basheng Ganzhou ge)

Thousand, myriad sorrows
to think of our first meeting
fine rain and gentle clouds;
now the pink petals flying
tell of one more spring’s passage,
graying of autumn at my temples
further torture on lonesome road.
all:
Sun half set
behind sparse willows
chirp of cicadas mournful to the ear.
Speak no more
scene 36: The Road to the Examinations 241
of fame and fortune

tell the Lord of the East, god of love, what’s in your heart.
shen lun: You seem so lethargic, brother, sad as though something were
deeply troubling you. Shake off this mood and brace yourself for the
scholarly battle to come, and you are certain to pass high on the list;
what then can be beyond your reach?
(Same tune)
Skilled in letters beyond the common run
now attend battle in the examination halls
join in the fray with fragrant brush
see dragons rise up from your inkstone
with one stroke sweep away battalions!
Then with the flowers of office at your brow
clad in the green cloud-patterned gown
as Advanced Scholar ride forth from the palace
to ardent clamor of pipe and drum
whirling spring dust through the capital’s streets
excited babble
from red-lacquered balconies
toss of embroidered ball to chosen bridegroom!2
first student: So many wearers of the scholar’s silken hat know noth-
ing of letters, only wealth and influence. And the way I see it, even influ-
ence doesn’t matter as much as wealth—just get rich and the influence is
yours. These days, if fathers want to see their sons in office they don’t
need to teach them to read and write, all they need to do is earn some
cash. Enough cash, and you can pass on your Elevated Ones and Ad-
vanced Scholars down the generations.
(Same tune)
Let the Bureau of Appointments close its doors
young men of genius die of grief
2. See scene 22, note 2.

who knows, who cares?

By the Phoenix Pool of the royal palace
see the innermost councils of the court
staffed by a troop of illiterate apes,
babes with the milk stench, the womb fuzz still on them
wildly disputing secrets of Heaven and earth.
all:
Top of the lists

holders of key posts—
whenever were these all learned men?
Short of cash
though talent tried and true
still you’ll end up like poor Liu Fen.3
second student: We can say these things, friend, but don’t tell me
everyone who makes the pass list is a man of wealth and influence. If
Heaven will just give you a hand up, you can be a poverty-stricken no-
body with no writing skills and still worm your way in somehow. Even
useless characters like us, there’s no saying we can never pass. It’s like the
ancients used to say, it’s all a matter of luck, fate, chance, destiny.
(Same tune)
If it’s in our stars, no problem
no need for the likes of us
to be giants of the world of letters.
We’ll make the list, stroll the palace walks
rise from earth to soar the clouds
our sleeves filled with fragrance divine
tottering drunk among red-skirted bevies.
3. Liu Fen, scholar of Tang times, an archetype of the critic of government policies
whose outspokenness kept him lifelong out of high office.
scene 36: The Road to the Examinations 243
all:
Dust of the capital

on sable cloak
still the same person we were before
but now the golden carp hangs at our belt
new gowns, brocade, the latest style
lording it in glory over family and friends.
shen chun, shen lun, first student: What you say makes
sense. But is that all you plan to do with your success, just show off be-
fore family and friends and not take up some noble task as sage or saint?
second student: Where will you find sages or saints these days? Ele-
vated Ones count as sages, Advanced Scholars count as saints. Get to
be a high official, build a mansion or two, buy some land, take a few
concubines, put up some laudatory placards, display a bit of phony
erudition, let your family and friends throw their weight about, and that’s
it.
shen chun, shen lun, first student: This is the truth of it. But
we are close to Chang’an; let’s each find lodging and prepare for the ex-
aminations.
all:
(Epilogue)
Gates of the capital in view
imperial palace close at hand
now to submit our writings
hoping to outsoar the white clouds
members all of the company of young hopefuls,
companions of the Sprouts of Jade!
ENVOI:
shen chun:
Traveling the long and dusty road

shen lun:
bold spirits pack the official carriages:
first student:
who will pass in highest place
second student:
to pluck first blossoms from the moon?

scene 37
Celebration
shen qing (enters with Madam Shen):

(Tune: Sheng zhazi)
Now joy lightens the brow
this day as never before.
madam shen:
Word comes that both our sons
dress now in brocade.
shen qing: Grieve not for meager property:

madam shen: in virtuous sons find heart’s desire;
shen qing: high on the lists together both,
madam shen: Heaven now will feed the clan entire!
shen qing: Our two sons, Shen Lun and his younger brother Shen Chun,
attended the examinations together. In the autumn examination for the
status of Elevated One and in the following spring examination for Ad-
vanced Scholar, both placed high on the lists. Our elder son is appointed
Chief Secretary at Mianzhou in Sichuan; our second son, because of his
additional command of the skills of archery, is granted the post of Regis-
trar at Yangzhou in Shaanxi. Both are returning home before proceeding
to their posts. Have servants tidy the gates and courtyards, wife, in prepa-
ration for their arrival.
shen lun (enters with Shen Chun, the two of them wearing the square hats and loose
girdles of officials and followed by Attendants):
(Tune: Lin jiang mei)

Brothers twain returning, clad in brocade by broad day1
fresh fame outvying the “gilded youths of the south.”

246 scene 37: Celebration
shen chun:
Crossing the high hills and the deepest waters

remembering our kin
bringing comfort to our kin.
(They greet their parents with obeisances, and recite in verse):
shen lun:
Humble cot left at dawn for palace gate
shen chun:
swift to succeed, the world acclaims our merit.
madam shen:
Truly the studious will attain their goal
shen qing:
Heaven will not forsake the ardent spirit.
We rejoice, our sons, in your success, and in the fine appointments you
have won, conferring good fortune indeed on all our family.Yesterday, in
the evening
(Tune: Yu furong)
the flaring lamp wick presaged good news
of your return, two brothers brocade-clad.
Clansmen and neighbors all about
all filled with joy;
honor and glory to our ancestors, whose blessing
ensured fair prospect for your scholarship.
We are conscious of your efforts

morn and eve in studious recitation
till scholarship today brings sweet reward.
shen lun, shen chun: That your children have chanced to win suc-
cess is due to the favor from on high of Heaven and earth, and to the
protection and succor of our father and mother here below.
(Same tune)
Flowers at our temples, palace-style
scene 37: Celebration 247
plain commoners’ garments traded for brocade:

what will they say of our writings—one character
a thousand ounces of gold!
Down at heel last year, look at us now—
mastery of letters has brought us to this day.
All this we owe to our family’s support
and each other’s company in the examination halls.
Your sons, the two of us brothers
each strummed his lute for the ears of a kindred soul.
gatekeeper (enters): “Destitute in your own village, no one knows you; get
rich and you’ll find relatives everywhere.” When my master read the
names of the two young masters Shen on the examination pass lists he
sent me to congratulate them. This is the place, I’ll go on in. (He greets the
family) Congratulations to the two young gentlemen on passing their ex-
aminations; my master sends his felicitations by his gatekeeper. As for my
master himself,
(Tune: Cu yu lin)
when he set eyes on the pass list
his heart was filled with joy
in hopes to bask in the favor
of influential in-laws.
The two young gentlemen, he says,
sharing one surname, each gowned in cloud-patterned brocade!

So he sends me as bluebird messenger (IV)
bearing his gilt scroll of greeting
to seek out your residence and salute you
in token of ancient friendship.
shen qing, madam shen: A long journey, we have put you to such
trouble.
gatekeeper: My master also wanted me to say that since the two young
gentlemen have been honored with appointments but the date for them
to assume their posts is still some way off, it would be a glorious thing
for our humble house if they would condescend to visit.
248 scene 37: Celebration
shen chun: It would be fitting, brother, for you to go in response to our

uncle’s summons.
shen lun: As the Analects say, “While father and mother live, do not travel
afar.”Yet we may not disobey the instructions of our uncle and aunt: I as
older brother must bear responsibility for matters at home while you
make the visit.
shen qing, madam shen: Since it was you, our younger son, who put
your uncle’s family to the trouble of entertaining you in the past, you
should visit them at this time to show your gratitude.
shen chun: I understand. But give me your sympathy
(Same tune)
as one just now returned from the capital
to his ancestral grove
compelled to leave home once more
to travel the muddy road
scurrying morn to eve without respite.
shen qing, madam shen: The time for you to assume your office is
not far distant:
before spring ends you’ll proceed to your post in splendor.
Do not delay your return

ply the hasty whip
we shall be looking out for your homecoming.
ENVOI:
shen chun:
As I grasp the jeweled reins to leave your presence

my soul in dreams will linger in parents’ hall.
Fond thoughts will follow you on this far journey

linger not in distant parts with no word sent.
scene 38
Return in Triumph
wang wenrui:
(Tune: Xi di jin)
Curtains lit by glancing sun
shadows of blossoming boughs across the steps
auspicious magpies chattering from the eaves:
what welcome visitor comes now?
Sunlight passes in a snap of the fingers

imperceptibly the flower shadows fade.
I sent my gatekeeper to convey our congratulations to our two nephews,
and to invite them to visit us—how is it they are not here yet?
shen chun (enters, hatted and girdled and followed by Gatekeeper):
(Tune: Ye xing chuan)

Willow-shaded rest halts along the route
lean nag bears me to edge of sky
slow travel for hasty heart—
how to reach that lovely maiden
my vision blocked by tinted clouds?
After long separation from my sweet cousin I have received her father’s
invitation to visit and am on my way in hopes of seeing her once more.
Here is her home. (He enters and greets Wang, reciting in verse):
More than a year since I stood in your presence,
wang:
far for carp missive to greet your eyes; (IV)
shen:
meeting today as long ago
wang:
but raised in triumph to the skies!
250 scene 38: Return in Triumph
I was overjoyed, good nephew, to learn that your brother and yourself
had placed high on the lists of examination success.
(Tune: Yu jiao zhi)

Acclaimed in examination halls
your names the envy of the streets of the capital
scholars reaping learning’s reward
footsteps clear of the common dust
in curtained carriage, banners flying
pride now of kinsmen, neighbors near and far:
whose face but beams with happiness
whose bosom but overflows with joy!
shen: All this we owe to our uncle’s benevolent support. My brother and I,
in truth,
(Same tune)
for years availing nothing
now joyfully take flight to phoenix terrace.
Speak as you may of youth’s cloud-soaring ambition,
when useless mediocrities like ourselves
suddenly one day find fame and fortune
land by chance among residents of the moon
we can only credit our ancestors’ deserts
and the edict of the Lord of Heaven!
wang: How is it your brother has not accompanied you?

shen: He has stayed behind to attend to the needs of our parents. I trust
my aunt and yourself, and my fair cousin, have enjoyed good health
since I last saw you?
wang: All has been well with us. Gatekeeper, ask Madam and the young
mistress to come greet our guest.
(Madam Wang and Bella enter and greet Shen)
shen: Uncle and Aunt, permit me to make obeisance to you.

madam wang: You must be tired from your journey, we shall excuse you.
(Same tune)
We heard of your “strolling the flower-filled lanes”
as a successful candidate
scene 38: Return in Triumph 251
and of your undertaking this long journey

braving the rigors of the road
and no time yet to shake the dust from your person.
wang: Some wine to slake the thirst in your throat!
(Gatekeeper pours wine)
A few cups now to refresh the visitor’s bosom;

tomorrow we’ll prepare a welcoming feast.
Have the guest’s baggage taken to the east wing
where he may wash away the dust of the road.
bella (aside, as she gazes at Shen):
(Same tune)
In a year of separation
for locked brow not one moment’s clearing.
Now facing each other here in solemn hall
not a word to express our feelings!
Gazing, unspeaking, minds a-whirl
face to face yet blocked from Witch’s Mount! (V)
When will our mutual joy ever be fulfilled?
I fear to lift sad face for others to see.
(She exits)
madam wang: You are weary from your long journey, nephew. We have
made ready a quiet room in the east wing where you may take your rest
for the time being.
shen: I am most grateful, Uncle and Aunt.
wang, madam wang:
(Tune: Ge wei)
Tranquil guest chamber by quiet paths
cut off from central hall as by a sea.
shen (as Wang and Madam Wang exit):
But my soul in dreams may still fly off to boudoir’s jeweled mirror stand!
252 scene 38: Return in Triumph
Here is my room, a remote enough place indeed! Obviously my aunt has

her suspicions of me and is keeping me well out of the way. My cousin
and I stood gazing at each other just now and found it impossible to ex-
change a word. If I had known it would be like this, I would have done
better not to come at all.
(Tune: Wu gong yang)

Prisoner in lonely room
mist-wrapped, cloud-enshrouded
no sign of visiting blossoms.
Sad soul dream wandering
where can I turn for love?
How am I to endure
cold isolation like this?
Spring shadows breeze-tossed beyond the wall
here, yet as if not here—
oh, the waste of an old love, come a thousand miles to this moonlight!
To be with my lovely one, my own “gold hairpin”
I hurried and scurried this far:
now in jeweled boudoir still she waits
but moon rises cold, flowers fill the loveless dawn;
speechless we gazed in hapless melancholy.
Impossible situation
bottomless love longing
turning my hair to white in utter torture!
(Tune: Jiejie dai yaoyao)
Useless, fruitless visit
hundred, thousand griefs past supporting.
Those past times—all a dream of Nanke,
the life of the world in an anthill?1
1. A Tang story by Li Gongzuo, which provided Tang Xianzu with the framework for the
last of his “four dreams” plays, tells of a man who fell asleep by an anthill, which he en-
tered in a dream; within that miniature world, he underwent all the vicissitudes of an
adventurous life.
scene 38: Return in Triumph 253
Meeting in broad day yet held far apart—

who could endure these myriad desolations?
(Coda)
Yet to force my way into maiden’s chamber
would bring down the wrath of my elders.
Nothing to do but suffer
bearing still this burden of helpless love longing:

best to despair of spring hopes and go back!
ENVOI:
Thick bamboos creak like tinkling jade
dreams colder than night rain by obscure window.
Try to make out where her precious chamber lies
rise at dawn to trim the lamp once more.
scene 39
Bewitched
ghost of a girl (enters in the guise of Bella Wang and recites):

Nor cloud nor mist nor wisp of smoke
I move between Heaven and Hades’ Springs,
a thwarted love millennium-old
still to my wasted body clings.
I am the ghost that haunts the Green Bamboo Pavilion, in front of which
I was buried, maiden untimely dead. There is a secret love that remains
unresolved, and each night as I roam in spirit form by moonlight I see a
young scholar in the studio just to the west of my pavilion. He rests on
his bed and gazes at the bamboos, moaning and heaving long sighs. It
must be his longing for the young lady of the house that has brought
him to such a state. It stirs my amorous heart and revives once again my
own unforgettable passion. Tonight I plan to indulge these suppressed
desires, myself impersonating the young mistress. See there on the hori-
zon, the moon has already risen:
(Tune: Yue shang wu geng)

Blossoms faded, petals fallen
lonely spirit roaming free
passion’s embers glowing still
till earth grow old and Heaven fail.
Now in this eerie shimmering
between the twilight and the moonglow
softly I pass the trellised roses
to where a flickering lantern
its candle dripping waxen tears
is sole companion to a handsome, sad young scholar.
He stirs my heart till I can’t resist
can’t resist this longing
a demon fever this time
stronger than ever in my mortal life!
scene 39: Bewitched 255
(She exits)

Mat of speckled bamboo, tears of the river goddess (VII)
moving the solitary heart, blocking the path to dreams;
here on my couch I lie in deepening sadness
door barred, awaiting the rising moon’s bright beams.
It was for the sake of my beloved cousin I came here, but her mother al-
ready harbored suspicions and housed me in this remote part of the
guest quarters. Fearful of arousing further resentment, I dare not blunder
uninvited into the main house; yet after this journey of hundreds of
miles I can’t bring myself simply to give up, take my leave, and return
home.Yesterday, paying my morning respects to my aunt and uncle, I
chanced upon my cousin, who said her mother has grown too old to pay
much attention and it was Petal whose meddling had caused this es-
trangement. So now I am going to make up to Petal, get her on my side
so that perhaps I’ll be able to stay on another month or so and have the
chance to be together again with my cousin. I don’t know whether I shall
succeed in this. Meanwhile I spend my evenings in solitary worrying,
shut in here facing my lamp. Truly, “if only the frogs’ croaking could tell
you my secret wish—could not the fireflies’ glow light us to rendezvous?”
How depressing!
(He reclines on his couch)
(Same tune)
Alone in the cold lamplight
waxen tears of the candle match my own
lying here on ivory couch:
real or unreal, the woman in my dreams?
Image without form
heart and soul thrust apart
what length of watches through how many nights?
Chill of emerald coverlet
sadness of lonely bed.
A sudden rustling outside my window:
silk-clad feet, surely, softly treading the moss?
256 scene 39: Bewitched
(He listens closely)
No,
only a chilly gust

lightly stirs my papers.
ghost (reenters): Here is the young man’s study.
(Tune: Zui luo ge)

Chill of night, moonlight fading
crickets’ chirp by window gauze
sighs of lonely wandering soul
filled once again with longing for her lover.
I share just the same feelings as the young lady of the house:
There she sits, moping from dawn to dusk

and all for him;
here am I, soul-weary and shaken
and all for him.
I skulk and sneak, false form disguised
yet woman and ghost
two maidens still
both share the same true passion!
(She knocks at the window frame)
shen (startled): Just now I heard footsteps outside my door, and now a
knocking at my window. Is someone here?
(Tune: Bai lian xu)

Listening as the watches deepen
tracing the bamboo shadows on moonlit window gauze . . .
(Ghost knocks more urgently)
So late, the night so still, who is it knocking?
Who knows whether mortal or fearsome demon?

Open the door to see. . . .
(He sees the Ghost)
Oh, cousin, what are you doing here?
All alone in chill dew and night breeze

here beneath my window
hesitant, half hidden
jade-white shoulders bowed!
ghost: I waited for you so long!
(Tune: Zui taiping)

Do not be alarmed
night after night I’ve yearned for you
to come to you, solitary soul
by light of waning moon.
shen: How did you manage to come tonight, cousin?

ghost:
Tonight while my maidservants slept

I stole here to your window;
boundless
the myriad loving thoughts my lute would express
could I share a moment of this breeze with you
to confess every last secret
here by this night incense stand
till our two minds are one.
shen: I have longed for you so much, you have never been out of my
thoughts for a second.
(Tune: Bai lian xu)

So close at hand
yet cut off as by Ba River from Witch’s Mount
morning and night my heart filled only with you
clutching my cold sheets, tears like tangled hemp
never dreaming that tonight

258 scene 39: Bewitched
trimming the dying lamp

your perfumed shoulder pressing mine
we might tell old sorrows and new griefs
till the cock cries at dawn!
ghost: No sooner do we come together than the night is ending:

(Tune: Zui taiping)
Ah, ah,
why must moon’s frozen wheel decline
my signal to depart
crows cawing here and there
as Mercury, hook of the dawn, awaits the moonset
and wandering soul takes its flight.
Ai, ai,
and you must watch nightlong, trimming your lamp
till we may mount together the paired phoenix.
(Cockcrows sound offstage)
I leave you now. Coming by night like this, leaving at dawn,
for fear of discovery

slipping like cloud shadows through the moonlight
no different from a ghost!
shen: I shall be as lonesome as ever when you are gone.

ghost: From now on I promise to come every night.You must not enter
the residence without good reason, and if we should chance upon each
other do not greet me; if I should say anything to you, be careful not to
make any kind of flirtatious reply. We must convince people you have no
interest in me, so that we can dispel their suspicions and go on enjoying
each other’s company.
shen: As long as you will come to me each night, what cause would I have
to visit your room? But do not fail in your nighttime visits, to leave me
hoping here in vain.
(Coda)
Though slippery your footing in the blossoms’ shade
come earlier if you will tonight,
don’t make me guard my failing lamp till eyes grow dim!
ENVOI:
Alone by my lamp, listless among the shadows
I long for your coming, your voice in this solitude.
ghost:
Do not break this nightly pact we make;

know that my heart is constant as the surging tide.
scene 40
A Haunting Suspected
bella:
(Tune: Yizhi hua)

No word spoken, but such anxious thoughts:
how hard to cope with callousness!
Cheeks drawn with care for long days now
so many sorrowful moments
surely his love no longer as it was.
Far-seeming as edge of sky
myriad desolations
useless to speak of them to slaveys.
Old affection cold as ashes

dust gathers, orchid drapes hang still;
by flowered bed curtain, darkened screen
last night my candle flared at will.1
Though Cousin Shen is so close at hand, Petal has obstructed my every
attempt to see him and we have had no chance to talk about our long
separation. All I can do is make up to her and try to get her on my side.
But somehow Cousin Shen’s former affection for me seems to have
cooled, and ten days or more may pass without his visiting the main res-
idence. He answers neither invitation nor summons.Yesterday Petal told
me that celebrated courtesans and beauties crowd his apartments; he
must surely have found a new attachment and so lost sight of his old
love for me. I ordered a slavey to peek in at his window in the evening,
and true enough a woman was sitting close beside him. What is more,
her face and manner were the image of my own—who knows if this be
1. Indicating the proximity of a ghost or spirit.

scene 40: A Haunting Suspected 261
living woman or ghost? When Petal comes I shall get everything she
knows out of her.
petal (enters): Young mistress, yesterday the slaveys were saying that wo-
man in Master Shen’s apartments was the very image of you. If she’s a
living person, how can such an exact likeness exist in this world? And if
it’s a ghost, how can we believe such creatures really exist?
(Tune: Nu guanzi)
Sitting by his lamp, flowerlike face
a new light-o’-love for sure, a bit of floating froth:
heartless rascals, these students, as everybody knows.
Otherwise,
what kind of wicked demon

could play a trick like this
so we don’t know, are we in a dream or crazy?
Fond lover turned to callous wretch
while you his phoenix mate beckon in vain!
petal, bella:
Ponder as we may
no way to solve this riddle.
bella:
(Same tune)
Romantic hero singing a new love song
making a fool of me
weeping here in the garden, moaning for him!
True and false weirdly confused
ghost or devil
hard to make out.
Coming hundreds of miles to reach me
how then can he reject me, Xiangru-style (IX)

and take his jeweled lute to strum elsewhere?
262 scene 40: A Haunting Suspected
bella, petal:
Ponder as we may
no way to solve this riddle.
petal: We shall need to invite Master Shen himself here to explain this
situation.
bella: I’ve sent for him several times, but he always makes some excuse;
what can be going on?
petal: Wait in the inner hall, Miss, I’ll get Smartie to say Madam is sending
for him; then he’s bound to come.
(They exit and Smartie enters, dragging Shen Chun by the sleeve)
shen:
(Tune: Yijiang feng)
Waking with the morning blossoms
alone by dawn-brightened window
suddenly a maidservant calls.
smartie: Madam wants you and if you don’t go she’ll be annoyed.

shen:
Strange message—
why does your mistress
send so urgently for me?
smartie: I don’t know, come to the inner hall and find out.
shen (aside): My cousin already told me not to enter the main residence for
no reason.
I want to go but hang back,

want to go but hang back.
smartie: Don’t dilly-dally, just go straight in.

shen:
Is it something I’ve been up to
that has annoyed your mistress?
smartie: She isn’t annoyed with you.

shen (sees Bella and tries to turn back): Oh, my cousin sitting here alone, how
can I go in?
(Same tune)
So delicate, so lovely
alone in chamber’s stillness
secluded spot where no intruder comes.
smartie: The young mistress was just asking for you.

bella (reenters and calls): Cousin Shen!
shen (doesn’t respond, but turns to leave): I’m off.
bella:
What an act
how many times repeated
leaving me here among the blossoms calling, calling in vain!
(She tugs at his sleeve)
shen: My aunt has sent for me, I must go, I must go.
Don’t pull at my green sleeve

don’t pull at my green sleeve—
my heart thumps uncontrolled
for fear we may be seen!
bella: Sit down a minute, there’s something I have to say to you.
(Shen looks about helplessly, then sits down)
I have never treated you unkindly in the past; why then, now you have
become successful, should you suddenly cast me aside?
(Shen makes no reply)
(Tune: Liangzhou xu)

Ennui of cloistered chamber
no sign of living being
close at hand yet far as edge of sky.
For your sake I’ve spent balmy nights alone
silk kerchief soaked with tears
not dreaming you would casually reject me
time and again
denying me to my face;
truly, bright clouds block notes of fairy pipe (VIII)

our moment of love leads nowhere
a thousand regrets
but who will hear my plaint?
shen (still makes no reply; aside): What devil talk is this from my cousin today?
bella: Why will you never answer me? And tell me, who is it sits there
with you each night?
shen: No one.
bella: I know about her, don’t try to deny it.
shen (aside): How can she say this? (To Bella, after looking all around): You told
me not to speak to you, why are you asking me all these questions now?
bella: Why should I have asked you not to speak to me?
shen (startled): What’s this? (He looks around) Is there someone about?
bella: There’s no one here, you may say what you wish.
shen: When you came the other night,
(Same tune)
in the cool of evening
the courtyard was still
when unknown to your maids you stole to me.
bella: What a monstrous story! Then let me ask you, what am I supposed
to have said when I saw you?
shen:
You said when others were present

I should say no tender word to you.
bella: And did I come every night?

shen:
Beginning last month

until this very morning
each night in joy and laughter.
bella: This is truly a strange tale.
By lonely lamp fretting the long cold nights away

how could I be sharing my sad thoughts by your window?
How could you invent

a tale like this?
shen: There is no one else here, why are you denying it? You have come to
my studio every night, and you ordered me to say no word lest Petal and
the others know of it and make trouble.
bella: Well then, you are truly bewitched. I’ve always heard that the place
you’re staying in is out of the way and haunted by evil spirits; I believe
one of them must have taken on my shape and form and bewitched
you. I’ve been making up to Petal and now we have her on our side. Day
and night I’ve sent servants to invite you and you’ve never come; I have
asked you questions and received no reply. I told myself you had found
another love. I sent a slavey to spy on you and she saw a woman exactly
like me—what can this be but an evil spirit? This is why I had you come
here, to ask you about it—if you don’t believe me, call for Petal and ask
her!
petal (reenters): Why have you cast off my mistress, sir?
(Same tune)
So often with others present you put on an act
leaving my young mistress completely bewildered—
heartbreakers like you should be scorched with moxa or incense!2
Last night we had a slavey
spy as you sat by lamplight

murmuring together
with someone just like my young mistress
flowerlike face her very image

surely a gossamer sprite flown down from the moon
or a jade-bedecked flirt from the house next door
2. Cauterization with moxa was a painful remedy for various sicknesses and some-
times used for punishment (of refractory slaveys, for example), as was the application
of burning incense sticks to the skin.
come to upset people

just for the fun of it.
shen (alarmed): Petal, is this the truth you’re telling me?
(Same tune)
I. . .
I hear these things you are saying
and suddenly my soul takes flight!
bella: I can’t believe there are really such things as ghosts, either.
bella, shen:
Surely our mutual yearnings in so many lovelorn dreams

have prompted
prompted some evil demon to show its face!
shen (with a bow to Bella): If it hadn’t been for your love, your ceaseless ten-
der concern for me, I should have died at the hands of a wicked demon!
For these past two months I have ignored your kindness toward me—
how could I have been so heartless?
Loving affection for two long months

carelessly cast aside
condemning you to pitiful lonely nights:
tears brim and well from my eyes
this sudden revelation
sets my heart thumping.
petal: Now that it’s all cleared up, you must stay no longer here in the in-
ner quarters but return to your guest chamber.
shen: How can I go back out there tonight? I shall stay here.
petal: So many times in the past you wouldn’t come when we sent for
you; now you won’t go when we tell you. I was teasing you just now. If
you go back to your quarters, how will you survive without the young
mistress coming to keep you company?
shen: I was really beginning to wonder if what you were telling me was all
devil talk. I’m not leaving now, I’m staying right here.
petal: But go back just for now, and when night comes I’ll bring Madam to
visit you and we’ll make some plan. But when Madam asks you, don’t
tell her it was the image of the young mistress, or she’ll begin to suspect
things.
shen: Then I’ll go. But Petal, be sure to come early!
ENVOI:
Monster, demon, not by chance
bella:
studio becomes false Peach-Blossom Spring
petal:
as Liu and Ruan once on the Terrace of Heaven (X)
all:
were tricked into centuries of fairy love.

scene 41
The Ghost Exposed
madam wang (enters with Petal): Petal, are you telling me Master Shen has
been bewitched by some demon? Who discovered this?
petal: All the servants in the guest quarters are talking about it. Some of
the slaveys didn’t believe it, but last night they went and saw for them-
selves.
madam wang: Then tonight you and I must go also and look into this.
(They exit)
shen chun (enters):
(Tune: Yue yun gao)

Silent, empty the green-clad steps
chirping of crickets all about
no sooner sinks the evening sun
than misty moon begins its rise.
Will-o’-the-wisps, green glow of lamp
flickering as curtain quivers.
When I think how my cousin has come to me night after night and we
have shared our joy in the way of lovers with nothing amiss in any way—
how can it be that when I see her in the daytime she tells me my night
visitor is a ghost or demon, and Petal says the same? Tonight they want
me to wait for the ghost and find out
right or wrong
true or false—
bewildered, I’m lost in doubt.
(He starts in alarm as a wind rises offstage)
Leaves rustle on the trees, the ground shakes by the wall, surely it must
be a ghost coming!
A dark wind pierces chill through the window

my body shivers with the cold.
scene 41: The Ghost Exposed 269
I will force myself to sit here and wait to see what happens. (He takes a seat)
ghost (enters):
(Same tune)
Solitary in the Yellow Springs below
I could not wait for moonrise.
Ghost as I am, I have been impersonating the young lady of the house
and holding secret trysts with Master Shen for a month and more.
This flowerlike countenance

is a false face, not my own
but my lonely spirit lives on
with a passion that is no sham!
At this hour tonight
passing through pavilion’s shade

rounding the weed-grown steps—
(She takes sudden fright)
what is that clanging now?
Oh, the wind stirring the chimes below the eaves. I will cross over now
over low wall in shadows of clouded moon

back to mortal world to bewitch young Ruan.1
Here you are, sitting by yourself, Master Shen; I could hardly wait till
evening to come keep you company.
shen (aside, rising startled to his feet): This is obviously my cousin, how can they
speak of a ghost?
(Tune: Taishi chui xiudai)

Hesitant to believe
1. A double allusion, to the fabled lover of our Signpost X, and also to Ruan Zhan of the
third century, who stoutly disputed the existence of ghosts until one argued with him
for a while, then in exasperation proved his point by disappearing as they sat talking.
270 scene 41: The Ghost Exposed
how can they say these things?

See how a soft glow lights the room at her entrance. . . .
It’s said a ghost casts no shadow and wears seamless clothing (he peers at
Ghost)
Her face in the lamplight quite as usual

her dress a rainbow skirt with emerald sheen—
how can this be a ghost? Only, I wonder why
coming at night, leaving at dawn, a month and more

why does no maidservant keep her company?
I’ll ask her. Cousin,
in the chill dews of this bare, desolate arbor

how can you not be frightened, all by yourself?
ghost (with a sigh): Thinking only of you
(Tune: Zui taishi)

my love
I longed so impatiently
for dusk and moonrise.

Evening toilet no sooner made
evading the servants’ eyes
fearful and in haste
I crept here to your studio
in true devotion
willing to cheat the spirits, to scare off ghosts and demons.
But the night grows late, let’s talk no more of this.
(She tugs at his sleeve)
While moon is shadowed and scent of flowers sweet

let’s set ourselves to celebrate our joy
don’t waste this lovely night
till the watches end with cockcrow.
shen (stumbling back in fright): Stay away, cousin!
(A wind rises offstage)
I’m afraid, I’m afraid!
(Tune: Taishi chui xiudai)

A chilly wind
(He shades the lamp)
threatens the flickering lamp

shadows loom as clouds steal light of moon.
I stare at her flowerlike face:
ghost or not, utterly enchanting
surely this is the Bella I’ve always known?

Eyeing her closely
true or false revolving in my mind:
has a sprite by chance descended from the Jade Heaven
to lure my soul to flights of wild desire?
(He starts to approach her, then backs away)
But what if this really is a demon?
I’d take her in my arms, but terror fills me!
ghost: Master Shen, on seeing me you start to draw close, then back away
again; why is this?
(Tune: Zui taishi)

Don’t be afraid.
You and I will be man and wife
showing our love in a thousand ways.

Why now pretend to ignore me
preparing to cast me aside?
shen: Cousin . . . can it be you’re not . . . human?

bella: Nonsense, if I’m not human I’m what, a ghost?
Callous King of Chu

taking me for some creature of a Gaotang dream! (V)
Master Shen, I believe your heart is fickle!
Painful truth:
students were ever scoundrels
paying no heed to ties of former days.
(Madam Wang and Petal reenter and spy on them. Ghost tugs at Shen’s sleeve; he dodges
her)
You and I, life companions

stable as the hills
till rivers cease to flow
in death itself
together still, two graves, a single bier.
(Petal rattles the window frame; Ghost instantly exits)
madam wang (rushes with Petal into the studio and looks all about): Who was that
person just now?
(Tune: Xiang Liu niang)

Whose daughter that
whose daughter that
graceful as a flower
murmuring sweet nothings here by studio window?
shen (panicked): No . . . no one.

petal: There was obviously someone here, how can she have disappeared?
Mysterious being
mysterious being!
Search behind patterned screen
still no sign of her!
shen: I daren’t lie to you, there actually was a girl here. How can she have
disappeared?
Turning it in my mind
turning it in my mind
can she have been some fairy maid
suddenly flown back to Heaven?
petal: Don’t you understand, sir—you have been bewitched!
(Same tune)
Some flower harpy or willow demon
some flower harpy or willow demon
assuming human form
snaring a young man’s soul away from him.
madam wang: Can it be we have all been seeing a ghost?

shen: It’s my fault, I’ve misbehaved and been bewitched. Please save me,
Aunt!
I was in utter terror

I was in utter terror—
this was not some mirage
mere shadows quivering in the breeze.
petal: This is an out-of-the-way spot, that’s why there are demons.You’ll

be all right if you move where there are other people.
madam wang: You must move to the inner hall for a while.
Don’t be distressed
don’t be distressed
come back to the inner rooms
and be safe there from all harm.
shen: I owe you thanks for saving my life!
ENVOI:
petal:
Whose were the midnight chats by light of lamp?

shen:
Human or ghost, fruitlessly we ponder.
madam wang:
Deep in painted halls the traces linger
all:
where amorous bees and butterflies come not.
scene 42
Master Shuai Proposes
tertius ma, decimus ge (enter and recite):

Running our errands for the rich
known as joy boys to all about.
Red Phoenix star lights happy pair
bluebird of love gets the message out.
A while ago His Honor Shuai ordered the two of us to act as go-be-
tweens to seek the hand of Miss Wang for his son, but with Assistant
Magistrate Wang in office in Meizhou it wasn’t possible for us to go right
away. Now his term is up and he is being transferred, so Master Shuai
wants us to call on him to propose the match. The day the affair is con-
cluded we get a handsome reward. It’s a fact, the day that they agree is
the day our fortune’s made. (They exit)
(Tune: Biyu ling)

No choice yet made of dragon suitor
for tender child in lonely chamber
but to our joy this gifted youth
comes to redeem his former pledge.
A happy marriage prospect:
may the Lord of Heaven quickly grant our wish.
Grievous the loss of white-haired partner

heart torn with care for girl and boy;
family station once secured
progeny will bring lasting joy.
It was my misfortune some months ago to lose my wife of many years
to a mortal sickness. I am left with a son too young yet to know anything
of the world, and my daughter, Jiaoniang, Bella, who though grown to
adulthood has not yet been betrothed in marriage. When Master Shen
276 scene 42: Master Shuai Proposes
first sought her hand I denied him on the ground of their relationship as
maternal cousins. But during his present stay in our home I have ob-
served his ready ability in the management of affairs, and moreover his
examination success at such an early age presages a boundless future ca-
reer. In the hope of resuscitating his original proposal I had Petal sound
him out, and he seems agreeable. I have sent a matchmaker to his family
and obtained their consent also. Now all that remains is to select an aus-
picious date and make the exchange of gifts, and I shall be able to set my
mind at rest.
tertius ma, decimus ge (reenter): “Bearing word from bluebird of love,
we call at home of peacock screen.”1 We’re here to put forward the boss’s
marriage proposal, so let’s go straight in.
wang: What is the reason for your visit, gentlemen?
ma, ge: The two of us are retainers of the Shuai family, who have sent us
here on a mission of Heaven-sent joy.
wang: If you are retainers of the Shuai family, you are welcome to take a
seat. Please let me know the details of this joy you bring.
ma, ge: Hear then:
(Tune: Suo chuang han)

In your home a maiden fair
and our young master
in the springtime
of his youth:
two matched in beauty
as bright-plumaged mandarin ducks.
On this account
we bear our bluebird message
in prayer for fulfillment of union divine.
Please,Your Honor,
1. For the allusion to the son-in-law hitting the eye of the painted peacock, see scene
22, note 1.
scene 42: Master Shuai Proposes 277
no need for contest before peacock screen

when Heaven has ordained this happy match;
we guarantee we’ll leave you overjoyed.
wang: There is something you gentlemen are not aware of. Handsome
though this proposal may be, there is one drawback:
(Same tune)
How could a lowly family like mine
aspire to gaze on such cloud-soaring heights?
No good can result
from climbing by alliance with the great.
ma, ge: This is no problem: though our master’s family boasts an unend-
ing line of generals and ministers of state,Your Honor is himself an offi-
cial of the prefectural court and may be considered of appropriate social
standing.
wang: But my daughter
commonplace girl of drab appearance

ill suited to so high a match:
please make apology as graciously as possible.
ma, ge: What kind of apology could be acceptable? The family has put to-
gether a thousand gold ingots, ten pairs of white jade discs, a hundred
bolts of silk, two bushels of pearls, all awaiting immediate delivery as
bridal gifts. A match like this, how many dukes and earls would pursue it
for their daughters and not succeed? So how can you go turning it
down?
wang: It is just too much for a lowly family like mine to aspire to.
Don’t speak of growing jade in Indigo Field—2

I have no wish for a match of this description.
ma, ge: You had better not persist in this refusal. Surely you understand
2. I.e., securing a happy match, from the tale of a man told by the spirits to plant a rock
in Indigo Field. It turned to precious jade, which he used to win a distinguished bride.
the extent of our master’s power and influence. If he wants something

from you there can be no question of your not being willing.
wang: But when there are so many eminent families in this area, why does
he have to choose such a humble one as mine?
ma, ge:
(Same tune)
Must family that lords it over West Sichuan
fear lack of eminent houses seeking marriage ties?
And then our young master
firm and sincere

in quest of virtuous young maiden:
Your Honor is a member of the class of officials; surely you must under-
stand the meaning of the word “influence”? Promise your daughter to this
family, and
close ties with relatives among the great

must bring you limitless pride and glory.
wang: And if I won’t?

ma, ge: Do you suppose a military officer like His Excellency Shuai will
not know how to deal with you? In his possession currently are the
sword and mace of authority, which entitle him to execute first and hear
the case afterward. Each of his brothers, furthermore, holds office at
court:
no place to hide should they exert their power!

Good fortune or ill, it’s up to you to choose
but withhold assent at this time, and tomorrow it will be too late to re-
pent, so let’s not hear any more of
“no wish for a match of this description”!
wang (rising to his feet, aside): True enough, who in the whole of this province
but fears the might of the Shuai? And then the son is young and a
charmer, and to bestow my daughter on him would bring no disgrace.
scene 42: Master Shuai Proposes 279
(Same tune)
Family of power and prosperity to rival Heaven:
decline this alliance, what would their wrath be like?
I am concerned about the marriage agreement previously concluded

with Master Shen. However, he has not yet sent the bridal gifts:
the bluebird message has fortunately far to come

red leaf must float in vain. (XIII)
Then I must switch the red thread that binds the couple,
contract a new connection for my daughter.
(He turns back to Tertius and Decimus):
My respects to His Excellency Shuai, and assure him that since he deigns
to make this request I should not dare do other than respectfully submit.
Only, I fear my little chick unworthy of this bird of paradise.
ma, ge: Granted the favor of your assent, we are off to report this to our
young master.
Joyous acceptance of happy marriage bond

sure to delight him beyond the telling.
(Coda):
Gracious assent brings bliss to affirm by joyous feast
wang:
hundred-year happy union, no product of mere chance.
ma, ge:
We will tell our young master

to hasten preparation of red-candle wedding banquet.
ENVOI:
wang:
Open the peacock screen, set out hibiscus pillows

ma, ge:
here comes a handsome hero to enter the archers’ lists.
wang:
All recognize the marital tie as Heaven-ordained
ma, ge:
bustle of happy throng fills lodge and terrace.

scene 43
Parting in Life
bella:
(Tune: Xinghua tian)

From their lodge at Qin the phoenix scatter (VIII)
clouds mask the serried peaks of Witch’s Mount. (V)
No longer trusting last night’s pleasant dream
its recollection brings grief to the heart.
Today recalling glad days past

time of love by time betrayed:
limitless sorrows of this life
glazed tile shatters, bright clouds fade.
Master Shen and I exchanged secret marriage vows, but our plans have
been frustrated. When my mother died my father grew concerned that
there was no one to look after family affairs, and so he promised me in
marriage to Master Shen. I thought perhaps it was true that Heaven
above would not deny the hopes of mortals, but suddenly along came
young Shuai demanding to marry me, and my father felt helpless in the
face of such a powerful and important family and went back on his for-
mer word. How hateful to think of these things:
(Tune: Xiao tao hong)

Though the world’s myriad schemes must fail in the end
what heart ever knew wounds deeper than mine?
Old vows in doubt
new griefs at hand
where will the stream carry the fallen blossoms?
Sighs for the two of us, parted from now on
one east, one west
no thought of wedded bliss
only despair to bring this life to an end.
282 scene 43: Parting in Life
(She sighs and recites in verse):
Truly,
as rain on plane tree fall the tears
each heavy drop a separate grief;
for tears of sorrow, a time to end
for sorrowing bosom no relief.
This is the cruel fate I must suffer, as
night rain strikes plane tree beyond window’s gauze

though every willow and peach is bride to the east wind.
When I heard what Petal had to say the shock almost killed me.
(Tune: Xia shah hu)

Still night, water clock dripping to its end
dawn drum, last stroke of bell
scattering dreams of lovers’ paradise.
As new passions strengthen
new grievances arise:
clandestine joy, fond adoration
sigh now for all our past, wiped out in an instant.
Stupid of Heaven
to strip apart twin blossoms from one stem
and lure a crow to mate with nesting phoenix!
Heaven dim, earth god blind
for me the mortal sorrow of a hateful marriage.
I am preparing now to tell him what has happened—for him too the
shock will be a huge one. (She takes a few steps and peeps in at Shen) Oh, he is
still asleep.
shen chun (enters, still sleepy):
(Tune: Jin jiao ye)

Sound sleep by green gauze window—
who peeps through silk-hung frame? (Sees Bella)
So it’s Bella, my wife
suddenly breaking through the flying clouds.

scene 43: Parting in Life 283
(He takes her in his arms)
I squeeze her waist, press close her fragrant body.
bella: There’s something you don’t know, Cousin Shen: yesterday I could
be your wife, today I can’t! (She weeps)
shen: What are you saying?
bella: Our marriage pact of former days is ruined.Young Shuai came ask-
ing for my hand, and my father felt helpless before such power and in-
fluence and promised me to him.
shen (startled): How can this be—your father has promised you to someone
else, to Shuai?
(Tune: Zhang tai liu)

Oh, oh, cruel storms from a wicked Heaven
mandarin ducks asunder, where will they ever meet again?
So recently your father
promised that we should marry, two surnames one

and I prepared to be son-in-law, close as fish to water:
why now from a flat plain does he raise a new Mount Hua
thrusting us apart, one east, one west? (He weeps)
Pearls of tears burst forth
this very day we must part.
bella: Though my father has gone back on his word you must not blame
him.
(Same tune)
Not the fickleness of my treacherous father
but myself to blame, too passionate, too ill-fated.
Never meant, you and I, for red brocade in spring sun
as blossoms on the stream we must follow the eastward flow.
No path to lead to Blue Bridge in this lifetime (XI)
we shall strive for union in death
though none in life.
We must see in our affection for each other
only the fading dream of an azalea branch. (VI)

shen: It’s myself rather that have been dealt a meager fate.
(Tune: Zui niangzi)

Red Phoenix Star registered our match
but Flower Star gave no support
pact long agreed
voided in an instant.
Since times of old so many beauties and men of talent have found each
other as partners
fates as one, wills as one;
it was only for you and me
to suffer so many myriad pains of heartbreak

and be meant in the end to find no mutual bliss.
bella: Vows we made in life frustrated, dying vows still remain.
(Same tune)
Meager fate in former life
cruel fate in this life
constant loneliness
ever repining.
I recall the little court east of the raspberry trellis
our loving tenderness deep as ocean
longing only for instant phoenix mating.
shen: Parting and reunion, joy and sorrow, all are decreed by Heaven. Now
that young Shuai has sent to demand your hand the wedding day cannot
be far away, and I should take my leave. Our union in this lifetime is at an
end from this time forth; you must exert yourself to serve your new
lord. But when you recall moonlight by window of west chamber, the
deep flower shadows, our love as deep, our devotion sincere, at those
times do not forget me! (He weeps)
(Tune: Wu ban yi)

Be swift to play and sing in gilded hall
be swift to wear a smile in the spring breeze.
Mine is the misery of poor Han Chong1

truly ill-fated
our marriage doomed to failure.
Old happiness remembered seems a dream
now one of us goes west, one east.
You must see the future brings no hope
of chance encounter with young Xiao on the road:2
we must part as if forever in life and death.
bella (angrily): You, a man, a stalwart six-foot male, and can’t hold on to a
mere woman! And now matters have reached this point you would hand
her over to another man—how can you bear to do this? This body of
mine is not to be shamed a second time. It was promised to you, and it
belongs to you!
(Same tune)
How could I strum my lute on the Han’s east bank3
1. Han Chong’s clandestine betrothal to his beloved Ziyu, the princess Purple Jade, was
negated by order of her father, King Fuchai of Wu; see scene 4, note 3.
2. “Young Xiao” was a name commonly applied to a lover in Tang poems, rather as
“Young Lochinvar” was used in English.
3. Bella compares herself to the unhappy wife of Bai Juyi’s celebrated Ballad of the Lute
(Pipa xing). The poet hears her playing on a boat moored near his own by the riverbank.
As Arthur Waley describes the content of the poem:
(Bai) knew by the touch that the player must have been trained at the Capital, and
on making enquiries was told that she had once been a courtesan very well known
for her lute-playing. When she lost her beauty and the young men no longer came
galloping to her gate she married a tea-merchant and settled at Jiangzhou. Her
husband, she said, was often away on business. . . . Bai was deeply moved both
by the woman’s story and by the music. . . . “She made me for the first time real-
ize that I was living as an exile.” . . . (At the poet’s request she plays again): “Every-
one present wept bitterly. But who wept the most? The Marshal of Jiangzhou (the
poet himself): his blue shirt was wet with tears.”
how could I dance again in the misty willow groves!

Call yourself a man
your affections such a muddle
when we have sworn deep love, sincere devotion
how can you so casually let me go
so easily accept failure!
You must see when I reach the Yellow Springs
in death I will still be yours
though grievous hurt makes tears of blood spurt forth.
(She gives herself over to bitter weeping, hiding her face with her sleeve)
shen (holds her close): How can you think what I said came from my inmost
heart? It’s just that for now I can think of no way out:
(Tune: Jiang tou song bie)

Not my intent
not my intent
so lightly to dismiss our vows;
I only fear
this love of ours
we must in the end let go.
Better to thrust apart the phoenix pair
to save both from lovesickness and bitter grief.
(He sighs)
Not to leave now, how could I bear to see
(Tune: Jiang shenzi)

with my own eyes these blossoms fall and bloom anew?
And if I leave, how to bear
prospect of endless wandering, drifting?

Thinking back, I blame the Lord of Heaven
better he had never joined our hearts at the start
then today we should not be brought
to bury our love this way.

bella: Since you have not given up your love for me, I look to you to
make some plan soon to save me.
shen: Now it has come to this, we must think carefully.
(Tune: Yu wen)
Thoughts of our pact, incense-sealed in garden shade
bella:
no choice but to keep close company in death
shen, bella:
how could red candles in bridal chamber burn for another? (Bella exits)
gatekeeper (hastens onstage as Shen prepares to exit): Letter from a hundred

leagues, to greet the wanderer.Your visit has lasted for months, young sir,
and your father has worried about you. Now he has developed a sick-
ness that will not leave him, and he has sent me on purpose to bring you
back home.You must come at once, if you please.
shen (pondering): What to do now? Because my sweet cousin is so sick at
heart I feel I must stay. But this summons from my ailing father makes it
impossible for me to delay any longer. And I have already announced my
departure to my uncle.
wang wenrui (enters): A lash of fading sunlight hastens departure, eyes
blurred by west wind deepen grief. Why do you make such haste to leave
us, nephew?
shen: My father is sick and has summoned me to him; I must leave at
once. Ever since I came here, Uncle, you have treated me as though I
were your own son, and I am truly sad at heart to take leave of you now.
(Bella reenters, and stands peering at Shen from behind Wang’s back)
(Tune: Yi ying’er)
For years past
in your company
I have received kindness deep as ocean.
This day we part, reunion hard to foresee
stream after stream, pass after mountain pass
cloud after cloud above.
(He catches sight of Bella, and each of them wipes away secret tears)
In memory our old friendship seems a dream

tearstains run deep
blue sleeve soaked through
back turned to hide from east wind.
wang: When you reach home I trust you will find your father recovered,
and be able to visit us again. My daughter’s wedding will take place in the
near future and I hope you will come to help manage our family affairs.
shen: My cousin’s wedding day will be very soon, and it will be some
months before I can return to assist you. Also, the time approaches when
I must take up my appointment, and it is hard to predict when we shall
meet again in the future.
wang: My daughter will marry soon and the day of your return is uncer-
tain: perhaps we shall not see each other again.You maids, ask the young
mistress to come forward to say farewell to her cousin.
(Bella hastens offstage, wiping away her tears)
smartie (enters): The young mistress is not feeling well and does not wish
to come.
wang: She must make the effort.
smartie (exits and reenters at once): The young mistress has been feeling un-
well and is sleeping.
shen: Then I must take my leave.
(Same tune)
Copious tears at parting
reunion hard to foresee.
wang: Your aunt has left us, and now you are going
and my daughter to be married one day soon:

only a lonely old age to look forward to.
You will return home
to serve your father and mother, “strong cedar, gentle lily”

while here I sit daylong in empty hall.
wang, shen (weeping together):
Sad at heart gazing into each other’s eyes

against the east wind
blue sleeves soaked
knowing the heartbreak of wild goose flying.
(Coda)
wang:
No sorrow in life more bitter than parting
shen:
so many times this journey made
but today for me
sorrow at parting inexpressible.
ENVOI:
wang:
Years of traveling these long roads
shen:
in posting station sighing for home
wang:
saddest of all this parting today
shen:
could any onlooker understand?

scene 44
Wedding Rehearsal
master shuai:
(Tune: Lihua’er)
Cheeks a-bloom, nattily dressed
dashing groom as all admit.
Check them off: three months to wait!
Tchah—
how can I last till the happy day?
I’ve got myself betrothed to Bella for wife; the exchange of gifts is this
month and the wedding in the tenth month. Reckon it up, that’s three
whole months’ worth of days—how am I going to wait that long? I’ve
sent for those two, Tertius Ma and Decimus Ge, get them to hurry things
along a bit. How come the lazy hounds aren’t here yet?
tertius ma, decimus ge (enter):
(Same tune)
Rare skills are ours as go-betweens
to lure the Moon Goddess down from the clouds
when blossom time comes blooming red
we get our share, never fear.
(They greet Shuai)
shuai: I’ve been on fire and you two act like you’re on ice. Useless couple
of layabouts: I told you the second the match was arranged I wanted her
brought here for me to wed, how do you think I can last till the tenth
month? I sent for you first thing this morning and this is the time you get
here—disgusting! Infuriating!
ma, ge: Oh dear, when did you ever see anyone as desperate for a wife as
this? Exchange of gifts this month, wedding in the tenth, the day selected
by His Honor himself. When you get your wife we both get our share—if
scene 44: Wedding Rehearsal 291
it were up to us, never mind today, you’d have had your hands on her
days ago!
shuai: Huh, what do you mean, I get my wife, you get your share?
ma, ge: There you go, jealous again. We’re not talking about sharing your
wife’s what-d’you-call-it, it’s the go-betweens’ reward we’re after.
(Tune: Yu feng huamei xu)

Bright candles in bridal chamber
light up romantic scene
new bride, new groom
hand in hand through tasseled curtains
what so precious as this moment of spring!
Splendid man and wife you’ll make
one tightly clasping slender waist
one lightly grasping jade-white body.
Don’t forget then
don’t forget your go-betweens
remember the longings you had today!
shuai (makes a face): I’m burning for a wife and here you come and fan the
flames! Let me ask you, a dashing elegant bridegroom like this, don’t you
think the bride will be delighted?
(Same tune)
Beaming with joy
hat a-gleam
crisp new gown
taking Bella to wife
sleeping with her behind tasseled drapes—
thrill of joy beyond compare
just like butterfly entering blossom
just like fish playing in stream!
Try out the cherry apple’s new blooms—
oh, there’s no end to romantic thoughts!
But there’s one thing: before you can strike the bell, first smelt the
bronze. Now that we’re nearing the time of the wedding it’s important to
practice being the groom.Yesterday I sent for Lovey Ding to come and act
292 scene 44: Wedding Rehearsal
the bride, so now that you two go-betweens are here too we can have a
rehearsal of the ceremony. How come Lovey isn’t here by this time? Let’s
see if she’s coming. (He looks out the door) Ah, here she is.
lovey ding (enters):
(Tune: Tao liu zheng chun)

Still in the act of dressing
I hear the summons and hurry here:
I wonder what he’s after?
(She greets Shuai)
shuai: What took you so long, Lovey?

lovey: Yesterday I had a friend wouldn’t leave me alone, so I was late get-
ting up.
shuai: You had a friend wouldn’t leave you alone, I was by myself all night
all shriveled and shrunk.
ma, ge: No more chitchat. The boss has got himself up as bridegroom; he
wants you to act the bride for now in a wedding rehearsal, and if you’ll
stay the night afterward he needn’t stay shrunk any longer.
lovey: When is His Honor getting married?
ma, ge: Tenth month.
lovey: Then it’s a bit early to be instructing the bridegroom.
shuai: I’ve hardly been able to wait this long.
ma, ge: Time for Your Honor to get dressed.
(They dress Shuai in ceremonial hat and girdle)
Lovey dress up too.
(They dress her as bride)
We dress up too.
(They dress as masters of ceremony)
Before you go through the kneeling rituals, if Lovey is going to instruct

you as bridegroom you must kotow to her as your tutor.
(Shuai kotows, and Ma and Ge sing out instructions)

Bow to tutor, bow to tutor: so many girl pupils become brides, today the
bride becomes tutor here! Teacher at school soft as cotton, teacher in the
bedroom is the one to fear! Now that you’ve bowed to the tutor, you
must retire to the rear hall and wait for us to call you forth.
(They call three times for him before he comes out and takes his position)
Your Honor is got up good and proper!
(Tune: Pu deng e)
Silver flowers stuck in your hair
every inch the bridegroom.
Now Your Honor goes up to the palanquin and helps the bride out.
Before red candles and brocade screen

bring the radiant beauty forth.
(Shuai ushers Lovey forward to take up her position)
Stand side by side.
Let the bride take the east side, your honor.
One east, one west

sound gongs and drums.
Now you kneel to the ancestors.
(Shuai kneels; Ma and Ge call out)
Bow to ancestors, bow to ancestors: bride stands still while bridegroom

bows, henpecked husband trying to please. Kneel by day and kneel at
night, down in the bed on both his knees. In the past bridegroom tu-
tored bride; bride tutors groom in times like these!
shuai: What do you mean, bride tutors groom?
ma, ge: Groom’s not used to it, bride’s an old hand, tonight you’ll find out
by degrees! Now groom tugs red silk sash to lead bride into nuptial
chamber.
Now both have bowed to ancestors

giggling for joy they haul red sash behind gauze curtains.
294 scene 44: Wedding Rehearsal
What happens now isn’t for us to teach you; Lovey will have to explain it.
lovey:
(Same tune)
Wine cups emptied, enter the nuptial chamber.
Your Honor will need to use a bit of subtlety here,
don’t let your crude ways show.

A hundred sorts of tenderness
to invite her within the gold-’broidered drapes.
Now’s the time,Your Honor, to
undo her jeweled headdress

remove her silken garments.
If she’s willing, well and good,
if not, down on the floor on both your knees!
shuai: Why should I do that?

lovey: Tell me, who doesn’t go kneel to his missus these days? I’m sure
you don’t need me to teach you that.
When you lift her onto the bed

expect a hundred coy displays of innocence.
ma, ge: Give us a few details of what happens next, Lovey.

shuai: A real man has his own system for these things, he doesn’t need to
have it all explained.
lovey: It’s just those cracked old jars you’re used to,Your Honor, a young
bride isn’t going to be the same thing at all:
(Same tune)
Lean lightly against her jade-white body
as your young bride
will gently resist with spring-shoot fingers

half bashful, half feigning to push you away
you must show delicate sympathy
forcing the tender bud
disposing waist and limb

she sweetly panting, softly moaning.
shuai (makes a face): Ai, you’re getting me all hot.

ma, ge: We’re getting all hot too.
shuai: Tchah, is this a time for you go-betweens to stick your noses in?
lovey:
What a time of romantic bliss
sweeter than stepping on clouds in the heavens.
ma, ge: Right, end of instruction of groom, all that remains is to thank
your tutor.
shuai: And it goes without saying, once I’m married you go-betweens too
will get your reward.
(Coda)
I’ll keep in mind every last detail
and when it’s time for boudoir felicitations
then you’ll see
tutor and go-betweens all rewarded.
ENVOI:
ma, ge:
Tender the peaches, lush their leaves
shuai:
a maid to be wed to make happy home.
lovey:
Learn child-rearing, then get wed
all:
a credit to family, a lesson to the nation.1
1. The third line of the envoi twists a maxim from the Confucian classic the Great Learn-
ing; the other three lines are derived from an epithalamium in the Book of Songs.
scene 45
Weeping on the Boat
smartie (enters and recites):

There on her bed the beauty lies sick
flesh grown haggard, bones grown weak
like the last quarter of waning moon
as dawn winds chase by Chu’s high peak.
All the time I’ve been tending the young mistress I’ve been watching her
spirits sink lower and lower, few happy moments, long spells of sadness.
Now she is seriously ill, her lovely face all altered, her chaste beauty fad-
ing, seeming to moan in her sleep then waking dizzy and confused, truly
a pitiful sight. But just as I’m telling you this, here’s Petal.
Blossoms opening, falling as the seasons change
all else passes from this world, only sorrow stays
through the Three Gorges the endless surging tide
never carried grief away, not since earliest days.
Likely lad and loving maid fail to form a pair
old man in the moon didn’t write it in his books (II);
greatest beauty in the land, might destroy a city
but alas, the wild wind was jealous of her looks.
Through the ages Wangdi’s soul has wept its cuckoo tears (VI)
When will it be called back to fulfill its span of years?
Our young mistress, so talented, so beautiful, but most of all so passion-
ate, no sooner set eyes on Master Shen than she placed her fate in his
hands. Ever since her mother died I’ve been urging her father to com-
plete the arrangements for their marriage, but who could foresee that the
Shuai family would force themselves on her and His Honor would go
back on his word? Grief over this has made the young mistress desper-
ately ill, within an inch of her life by this time.
smartie: Hai, the young mistress so sick now, what is best to be done?
petal: I’ve overheard the mistress talking in her sleep, all she wants is to
see Master Shen again. I sent a secret note summoning him and he has
already come back as close as the riverbank, but he doesn’t dare risk
scene 45: Weeping on the Boat 297
coming here and encountering His Honor. So we’ve arranged to secretly

help the young mistress, sick as she is, down to Master Shen’s boat to
see him.You keep watch in her chamber, Smartie, while I take her there.
Hai, young mistress,
in dreams you thread the willows in the cold dawn breeze . . .
smartie:
life hangs like pear blossom in the spring’s last chill . . .
petal:
you would turn your chaste spirit into solid rock . . .
smartie:
but how will you make the climb up Lookout Hill?1
(They exit)
boatman (enters with Wife and recites):

Waves run high on Wash-Brocade River
here comes the boatman rowing his little skiff
rocks one way, rocks the other, can’t control the oar
like last night with Mother on the cabin floor!
wife: You cheeky!
boatman: We’ve reached the bank.Young gentleman in the cabin there,
come see if you can make out the Wang family estate.
shen chun (enters):
(Tune: Meihua yin)
Myriad dismal feelings, whom to tell them to?
Sudden stabs of pain
tears turn to blood.
How many dawns and dusks
returning up the stream
soul a-tremble, starting up moment to moment
but never a glimpse of the beloved face.
1. There is more than one Lookout Hill (Wangfushan or Watch-for-Husband Mountain)

in China, named for some boulder at the top that is believed to resemble the figure of
a standing woman, turned into stone as she watched for the return of her husband. In
one version of this legend, a woman daily carried a basket of earth up to the summit
so that the mountain gradually grew higher to permit her to see farther.
298 scene 45: Weeping on the Boat
Heartbeats like rain on autumn plantain

limbs worn as blossoms at end of spring
ceaseless love longings, endless sorrow
fevers of homeless wandering.
I was hastening homeward at the news of my father’s ill health when un-
expectedly my sweet cousin’s sickness grew critical and Petal sent a se-
cret message to summon me back. Not daring to inform my father, I
hired a boat at dead of night, stealthily retraced my steps, and arranged a
clandestine meeting with my cousin on board the boat. Truly, “autumn
over Witch’s Mount, drizzling night rain, so different from western lodge,
waiting for moon to rise.” (He exits)
bella (enters, sick and supported by Petal):
(Tune: Qiu rui xiang)
Lying a-swoon, bowels twisted by sadness
I prop myself up, stupidly stare at nothing.
petal:
How many more times to bloom and fade in the wind?
bella:
My sickness drags on and deepens.
New fevers thousandfold

crease the brow
spring’s glory past, the loved one
hard to reach now.
petal:
Night and morn
rice bowl untouched
fate forlorn.
bella:
Dreaded lone wild goose crossing sky
brings sorrow nigh.
Almost a month now, Petal, since Master Shen left, and my sickness
grows desperate. But you tell me he has been waiting close by for days
now in the hope of seeing me again. My father has gone some distance
out of the city today; you must help me go to Master Shen.
petal: Your strength so feeble, Miss, your body so frail, how will you be
able to walk?
(With her support, Bella takes a few slow steps)
(Tune: Bu bu jiao)
So frail, so little of skirt waist left to fold
each stumbling step a hardship
spirit timid and faltering
spectral soul
a flame that flares and dies.
Oh Miss,
I beg you end this grieving

do not so lightly let your poor body perish.
bella: Ah Petal, surely you know what is in my heart:

(Tune: Chen zui dong feng)
Longing for him my fragrant flesh has wasted
night and day passed in grievous sighing.
Till the Xiang River runs dry
rocks turn to ashes, mountains crumble
how can this heartache cease?
bella, petal:
Shared pillow a butterfly dream2
bloodstained tears there in the garden
through life and death at Heaven’s will to perish together.
2. The common allusion to the Daoist classic Zhuangzi. The author dreamed he was a
butterfly. On waking he realized that he would never again be certain whether he was
Zhuang Zhou who dreamed he was a butterfly, or a butterfly now dreaming it was
Zhuang Zhou.
petal: There is Master Shen’s boat moored beneath that cliff. I’ll help you
down, Miss, then go look out for your father.
shen chun (enters and supports Bella while Petal exits): How short a time since
we parted, cousin, for your sickness to have reached this stage!
(Tune: Hao jiejie)

Not one full month of autumn
since I left my loving cousin:
how could you grow so gaunt
so cruelly worn by sickness!
shen, bella:
Frail waist
hardly three folds of green skirt remain
thinner than chrysanthemum stem.
bella: Oh Cousin Shen, no longer than a month since you and I parted,
yet it seems more than an entire autumn.
(She takes Shen’s hand and is shaken with grief)
(Same tune)
I sigh that one month’s parting
seems years of separation.
Life flickers as dying lamp flame
that waits to perish in the wind.
bella, shen:
Sharp the pain

as all along the river red leaves fall
yet redder the blood that rims our longing eyes.
bella: No sooner did you and I meet than I promised myself to you. Who
could have foreseen this day when our dreams are at an end?
(Tune: Sanyue haitang)

Think back to the joy of our love
meeting at night by raspberry trellis

laughter and singing as in the lodge at Qin
tune after tune on jade pipes. (VIII)
Alas
phoenix pact never recorded by the old one in the moonlight
mandarin duck contract torn up by the Lord of Heaven.
Bitterness high as mountain peak
tears that will end when the waves end
held apart as sun and moon, as stars in separate skies.
shen: It is my own cursed fate that has brought us to this, you must not
blame yourself.
(Same tune)
Still no closure
to debt from former life, bad karma in this
blossoms open only to be shrouded in mist
clouds hide the moon at the full.
Sad, sad
pretty face ever ill fated
just as poor scholar doomed to fail.
Cast aside
all prospect of romance
the years of youth thrown away.
bella:
(Tune: Tete ling)

All for nought, our vows beneath the stars
burned in vain the incense before the gods.
Fair dawn, foul dusk
a thousand grinding ills
unbearable ennui:
broken marriage pact
and soul’s memorial tablet
meet in sharp collision.
shen:
(Tune: Wu gong yang fan)
Broken the marital mirror3
loosened the lovers’ knot
when to be retied?
bella:
Ill-fated young Wenjun (IX)
not for her to ride in perfumed carriage.
(She takes out the severed length of sleeve)
I am grateful for your deep affection. Thinking back now, shall we ever
know such a time again?
I give back this perfumed fragment of your green sleeve

token of romance forbidden to this life.
This meeting today must be our eternal farewell.
It is meant that you must leave

but how can I bear this parting?
bella, shen:
True it is, face lovely as a flower
fate like a single leaf.
shen: How could I not be aware that your love for me is firm as the hills?
But under the compulsion of your father’s dictates, all you can do is sub-
mit now to marriage to another.
bella: Do not speak of this again, Cousin Shen.
(Same tune)
An evil marriage fate
3. The broken mirror as symbol of marital separation originates in stories of husband

and wife on the eve of departure from each other breaking a (metal) mirror, each to
keep half as pledge.
no way for you and me to share
in life one room

in death one tomb.
But how can one steed be doubly saddled
a single wheel describe two ruts?
I shall keep the three chastities and seven loyalties
committing this life to fulfillment of past life’s karma.
That time when you and I sat together hugging the stove, I told you
that if our love proved hopeless I would recompense you with my
death.
If today I cannot die in your company

how can I let you go?
bella, shen:
Remember the pear blossom tossed with a smile

the time we sat hugging the stove.
(Tune: Yu jiao zhi)
The time we sat hugging the stove
framing our pact before the blossoms.
shen: A pact there was, but do not speak of it.

bella: How could I forget our pact even if I wanted to?
I pledged my youth to you alone

what hurt should I feel in death?
There is just one thing: your future career holds endless promise; you
must choose a worthy partner. I dare not hope to share in your fame and
fortune. But you have only a frail constitution and have often been sub-
ject to ill health:
How will your weak body withstand a thousand trials?
I am afraid I have done you harm, imperiled
those future nights of spring within brocade curtains.

bella, shen:
How to suppress these feelings?

How to be at ease in the Yellow Springs?
shen (in tears):

With your own health in such danger, cousin, still you are so solicitous of
mine. Thoughts of this kind I long ago committed to Heaven’s will.
(Same tune)
I moan for sorrow
each word you utter brings pain.
Those times we knew all cast aside
it is cruel of the Lord of Heaven
cruel to torment us so.
From this time forward I banish the words “wealth” and “honor” from my
considerations:
fame and success, idle as snow in spring sun.
And speak no more either of such a thing as marriage,
thought of predestined bride more faint than moon at daybreak.
shen, bella:
To whom to lament these innermost longings?

When will there come an end to these regrets?
petal (reenters):
“They meet, and every word brings tears, enough to make the gibbon
howl.” Miss, sir, please don’t stay here weeping, His Honor is on his way
home and you must leave each other now.
shen: Petal, you well know the deep affection between your mistress and
myself. This meeting today must be our eternal farewell, but how can we
bear to part?
petal: Success or failure of marriage hopes is as unpredictable as a turning
wheel. How can you be sure you will not meet again in the future? All
Miss must do is look well after herself so that she can recover her
health.
bella: Say nothing of a broken pact that will prevent our future meeting.
Even should a meeting be possible, my sickness is so desperate I do not
think I can hold on for long.

Talk of those old days
slices my heart inch by inch.
From this time on
don’t think to imitate the old poet Yu Liang

serenading the pear blossom
watching the moon rise over South Lodge,
don’t think to inscribe your message of love
to float on leaf through palace drain: (XIII)
we are fated to spot the Xiang River bamboos
with our own bloodstained tears. (VII)
I’ll sleep alone through the long night of death
for who
who will come to warm with sympathy
the chill of a weed-grown tomb?
(With a great sob she swoons against Shen’s breast)
shen (loudly calling): Cousin, cousin, come back to us!
(Tune: Dou ye huang)

See the incense melted, jade worn down
her body drained by sickness.
Don’t think to meet again in this world
don’t think to meet again in this world
to scoop up the moon reflected in the wave
to grasp the image from the mirror’s face
oh, oh, the ever-turning pain.
From now on
from now on my will is spent, my love despairing
the tearstains on this shirt sleeve
layered thousand, ten thousandfold.
petal (weeping): Who could see this without grieving!
(Tune: Yuan lin hao)

Moan after moan of pain, of hurt
stain after stain: of tears? Of blood?
(Bella revives)
bella, shen:
How to believe the cruel fate, the ill karma

that tortures us like this
that grinds us to destruction!
boatman (enters with Wife): There’s a favorable wind just now, sir, a good
time for setting off back.
petal: His Honor will be here soon, Miss, you must hurry ashore.
bella (clutches at Shen’s sleeve): So many times in the past we have parted in
tears, but this must be our farewell forever!

This parting today of the living
cuts deeper than parting in death.
Now that you must leave me, I want you soon to find a fair bride,
do not let our few years of romance

secret romance among the flowers and willows
rob you of a lifetime of love
a lifetime of moonlit nights ‘mid incense and brocade.
bella, shen:
Each syllable
slicing the heart inch by inch
word after word
myriad folded sorrows.
shen: Sweet cousin, if truly you are doomed to die on my account, then
there is no way I can bear to live on alone.
(Same tune)
This “jewel in the palm”4 tied so close to my heart
never did I dream we must part for a thousand ages.
Vowing to share with you both life and death
vowing to share with you both life and death
how could I seek new happiness
new happiness with another?
shen, bella:
Each syllable
word after word
bella: This life is over for us—but shall we be permitted to meet again in
our next life?
(Same tune)
Parting today in life as if in death
blossoms never to open again, moon forever occluded
not for one brief moment
not for a moment can we be husband and wife
no more than an idle tale for the life to come.
bella, shen:
Each syllable
word after word
petal: A thousand partings or ten thousand partings, part you must: His
Honor is back, make haste and hurry ashore!
bella (clinging in tears to Shen as Petal tries to drag her away):
4. Phrase commonly used by parents to refer to a beloved daughter.

(Tune: Ku xiangsi)
Parting how bitter, how cruel
never to meet again unless in dream!
(She exits leaning on Petal’s arm)
shen (weeps as he watches them go): Ai, she is gone. Finished, all finished. In the
Nine Songs are the lines
no joy greater than first meeting with true friend

no greater sorrow than parting for all of life.
Long ago, in the moonlight by the west window, my cousin and I ex-
changed vows before Heaven—how could we know that this would be
the upshot of it all? I would linger on a few days more to see whether
my cousin is recovering from her sickness, but dare not for fear of dis-
covery by her father; nothing for it but to hasten back downriver. (Boatman
and Wife mime rowing out from the bank) See the boatman ply his oar, the
weed-strewn waves curl in the wind, the cormorant-painted prow shoot
forward. The wild swan disappears from sight, strain the eyes as you may,
hills and streams without end. How to withstand this depth of pain?
(Coda)
Boat homeward bound, eyes fill with grievous pain
somewhere a cry of wild swan leaving—
or is it my beloved
the sound of her bitter weeping still in my ears?
ENVOI:
shen:
Ailing beloved borne to riverbank
boatman:
waves of the Wei River choke and will not flow.5
5. The name of the Wei River occurs in a famous song of parting and is used figuratively
here.
wife:
One call, one echo, one breaking heart
all:
the gibbons’ wailing deepens sorrow.

scene 46
Petal Questioned
wang wenrui:
(Tune: Shuang quan jiu)

Spoiled young lady
dead set against engagement:
can’t think what’s in her mind
to act so foolishly.
Must ferret out what’s behind this
to set my mind at rest.
“Fail to take good care of things and you’ll find yourself full of care.” I
promised my daughter to the Shuai family and the wedding day is draw-
ing near, but here she is resisting to the death; comes with hair all
mussed and face unwashed, pleading to break the engagement. I can’t
think what she’s up to. I suspect Petal must know all about it, so let me
call her in and question her. Petal!
petal (enters):
(Same tune)
My beautiful young mistress sick
grown all thin and haggard.
Try a hundred ways to console her
she only sinks deeper in mute despair:
that young scholar will have to return
before this illness can be cured.
(She greets Wang)
wang: How does your young mistress’s sickness progress?

petal: Bad as can be.
wang: Let me ask you, now that your mistress is grown to womanhood,
surely she must want a husband? I’ve promised her to Shuai, but she in-
sists she wants to break the engagement. What’s her reason for this?
scene 46: Petal Questioned 311
petal: For my young mistress
(Tune: Huaqiao’er)
her one heart’s desire
is betrothal to a young scholar
to share the light of his dim lamp
to serve him with respect
“raising the tray to the level of her brow.”1
Those scions of rich and noble houses—
who knows what sort they are?
Few can be wise and good
most of them stupid and wild:
better to sleep alone all your life
than breathe their foul atmosphere.
wang: So that’s it. She doesn’t realize the extent of the Shuai family’s
wealth and eminence, or that Master Shuai is in line to inherit all its hon-
ors. Furthermore, he is a thoroughly upstanding and superior young
man, quite unlike the common run.You tell all this to your mistress,
make her stop worrying and compose herself in readiness for the day of
her wedding.
(Same tune)
Noble house of wealth and eminence
young and handsome as well
soon to set black silk hat on his head
jeweled belt at his waist.
When your mistress enters his family she will be addressed as “Madam”
and “My Lady,”
honored with rose cape and headdress of gold

splendid beyond all compare
a very different matter than a
1. As did the paragon of feminine humility, the wife of Liang Hong of Han times, who
knelt to serve his food and would not presume to look up to meet his gaze.
312 scene 46: Petal Questioned
sour-breathed son-in-law
and poor scholar’s partner
porridge-wife eating husks
in a stink of pickles and leeks.
petal: I understand.
wang: Take Master Shuai’s portrait to show her and it will be sure to please
her. And tell her
ENVOI:
Marriage was ever predetermined
what point in grieving or worrying then?
petal:
If dry vine clings to jade peach tree
petal, wang:
calm down and let things take their course!

scene 47
Maiden’s Passing
bella (enters, sick and supported by Petal):

Ailing spirit forever poised to flee
winning no word of pity
tearstains dry, dark with blood
weeping till death in empty room.
Not for frail health succumbing to autumn chill

but for love’s sorrow and the tears that flow:
others seek life but life is not for me
I now seek death, but death comes dragging slow.
petal: What can be in your mind, Miss? All His Honor wants is for you to
get over your sickness and fulfill your marriage plans—why is dying the
only thing you can talk about?
bella: Others cannot know what I have at heart, but how could I keep it
from you? But tell me, what did my father say when he called you just
now?
petal: He said that marriage is Heaven-ordained and you should not be
stubborn and waste your life for nothing. Master Shuai is ready to take
you to wife at once, and so will you please compose yourself in readi-
ness for the wedding day.
bella (enraged): Don’t ever speak of Shuai again! As soon as you mention
him I want to slash my throat and kill myself.
(She seizes a knife to do this, but Petal takes it from her)
petal: Oh Miss, why be like this?

bella (with a sigh): I gave my word long ago:
(Tune: Ji xian bin)

The oath I swore reverberates in my ear
314 scene 47: Maiden’s Passing
how could I forget it for a second?

I am bound now to pine to death for him.
petal: What’s so great about dying? Even in death you’ll surely be filled
with regret.
bella:
There is no sighing in my heart

I shall die with no regrets:
a swift return to the infernal springs
one way or another fulfills my heart’s desire.
petal: You have been educated and know the Rites, Miss; surely you have
learned that a maiden before her marriage must obey the dictates of her
father. Such stubborn resistance as you maintain now, how can this be
termed filial obedience?
bella: There’s something you don’t realize, Petal. When I first met Master
Shen, even though I had not received my father’s instructions I reflected
on how important a matter was marriage, and how many fair maidens
had been linked to spouses of little worth and had spent their lives in
misery. Rather than feel remorse after the fact, why not choose my fate
from the start? And so at that time the two of us determined on mar-
riage, and my father gave us word of his consent. But now of a sudden
he has promised me to another man; the fault for this betrayal lies
with him and not with myself. There was once a daughter of the Xun
family who cut off her hair and disfigured her face in resistance to the
order to marry, but later generations did not call this unfilial. How can I
now be forced to follow my father’s dictates and thereby break my first
vow?
petal: When you first met Master Shen you were just enamored of his tal-
ent and handsome looks. This Shuai family is one of the wealthiest and
most eminent in the land, and Master Shuai himself is a thoroughly up-
standing and superior person, perhaps even more than Master Shen. I’ve
been told he hungers for you even more than for food and drink, never
thinks about anything else. If you switch to the Shuai family then there’ll
be neither breach of promise for your family nor disappointment for
theirs; won’t that be a gain for both sides?
scene 47: Maiden’s Passing 315
(Same tune)
Surely there were many beauties in the past
who needed only to wed a husband
to find their hearts’ content.
His Honor has given me a portrait of Master Shuai for you to see, Miss,
just look:
shows him a gallant young man, rich and distinguished

elegant as Song Yu of old
handsomer than Pan An himself
every bit as good as that other charmer.
Oh Miss,
don’t do this
don’t let your flowerlike face
jade-smooth limbs
perish for nought!
bella (pushes the portrait aside without looking at it): What is it to me however
handsome he is?
(Same tune)
Who has there ever been who loved like this
in life, in death
never ceasing?
Let him be gallant and noble as he may
how could I cast aside my lover
and follow another man?
How be so inconstant in my marrying
faithfulness of mandarin ducks turned topsy-turvy!
petal: I think the reason you refuse to obey your father’s orders is that
you once made a pact with Master Shen. But I’ve been told that now
Master Shen is on his way home they are already proposing his marriage
into an eminent family. It will do you no good to stay faithful to him.

Only a beauty “fit for golden chamber”
taken now as bride

will content his heart:
already he has forgotten what is past.
Oh Miss,
such shrunken limbs

such chill and lonely tears
wasting your life away grieving for him!
If you don’t believe me, he has sent back the perfumed sachet you gave
him, with the broken bracelet and hair ornament attached.
(She produces these)
Think what it means:

this broken hair ornament
nothing but a bill of divorce!
bella (examines them and weeps): I’ve belonged to Master Shen for so many
years; do you think I don’t understand what is in his mind? He has heard
that I am desperately sick and knows there must be some cause for this,
and so he has sent these to release me from our pact.
(Same tune)
Close for so long a time
his heart
my thoughts
as one in sympathetic understanding.
He in my thoughts each morn, each eve
and I in his wherever he might be
surely both now destined to die of grief.
Two loving vows
that night beneath the moon
offered together before the Sea God’s shrine.
petal: Despite the pact you made long ago, now that Master Shen has
learned of your new betrothal he can only seek a wife elsewhere. And
because of this you yourself must accept another man. Neither of you is
betraying the other, Miss, in your secret heart—please think of this and
reconsider.
bella (with a sigh): What is the use of repeating all this!
(Tune: Cu yu lin)
Though I am but a young girl
wayward as water by nature
yet how could I imitate willow or peach
brides to the east wind’s blowing
or act with such inconstancy
to sell smiles in the brothel’s doorway?
Let alone that Master Shen is not that kind of person
alas for me
even should his heart have changed
still I should long to be his.
petal: The ancients said it well: “If he’s proved unfaithful, I can change my
mind too”—you mustn’t be so headstrong, Miss, and sacrifice your own
life to no purpose.
bella (takes out the sachet and examines it closely, then throws it aside): I have always
known that Master Shen would never betray me. Having behaved im-
properly on first coming to know him, should I now change heart and go
to another man, this would be the height of wantonness. I lacked control
in the beginning, and now I must follow through to the end. (She gives a
long sigh) Because you are so deeply concerned for me, Petal, I must beg
you to say no more. Truly I do not begrudge dying to recompense Master
Shen’s love. (She weeps)
(Same tune)
I am no “girl washing silk”
yet for chastity’s sake
like the faithful concubine Green Pearl
I would leap from a tower
or like Spring Swallow
stain with my youthful tears the poplar pillar:

all these, I think, knew the same pains of love.1
The words of our old pact
till Heaven fades and earth grows old
unchanged since those hours hugging the stove.
petal (sighs): But Miss, even if Master Shen hasn’t found another wife al-
ready, if anything should happen to you, do you really think he would
stay single all his life? And then what a bitter cup you’d have to drink
there in your weed-grown tomb, down below in the Yellow Springs, while
he’d be taking his pleasure feasting on his Jasper Terrace—and too late
then for regret!
(Tune: Huangying xue huamei)

To see your life-spirit delicate as a thread
rain driving the fading blossoms
tossed by the wind
east and west swirling, never resting!
You cling to your sorrow—
who knows what joy is his?
And should the worst come to pass (She weeps)
Who’ll pity your lone shade in the chill of the Yellow Springs?
bella: Don’t distress yourself so,
1. When the ancient hero Wu Zixu came to a river in his flight from his enemies, he
begged food from a girl washing silk. After serving him she drowned herself; tales of
the event give various explanations for her act, such as her wish to reassure Wu that
she would not betray his whereabouts or her remorse because by seeking her silence
Wu had not shown greater trust in her. The purported reason most relevant here, how-
ever, is her sense of shame, as an unmarried girl, at having had dealings with a strange
man.
Green Pearl was a concubine who committed suicide rather than submit to the
man who had killed her husband; Spring Swallow is the subject of a ballad by the great
Tang poet Bai Juyi.
sorrowing—
I shall die gladly, constant to one
never to imitate
wanton flower on wayward branch!
petal: Since you were so determined to sustain your vow, why didn’t you
tell His Honor how things were when he first promised you to Shuai?
bella (sighs): From that day forward there was only death for me, I gave up
thoughts of love forever. My father had broken his word; whatever I said,
he would never listen. And my clandestine meetings with Master Shen—
how could I speak of these before my father!
(Tune: Huangying chuan zaopao)

Illicit love between man and maid—
how could I for very shame
confess such a thing to my father!
petal: If you didn’t tell him right at the beginning it’s too late now. Oh
Miss,
how hard regret must come if you die now!
bella: I have no regrets now. I have written two poems, which are under
my pillow; you may show your love for me by sending them to Master
Shen when I am dead.
petal (in tears): You can talk of nothing but dying, Miss! I don’t believe you
have taken either food or drink for days now, and all the color and
sparkle you used to have, I don’t know where they can have gone. All
that remains is two rows of tearstains like palest rouge, and a body worn
to skin and bone like sticks of ice-cold jade. It’s pitiful, pitiful!
When did half a spoonful of rice

half a cup of tea
ever pass your lips these last few mornings!
bella (sighs):
Scattering tears
like wind-driven rain
feeble body
blowing willow floss
saddest of cuckoo cries cannot call back (She sobs)

cannot call back my spirit now departing! (VI)
(She faints away)
petal: Oh Miss, Miss! Oh, it’s happened,Your Honor, come quickly, quickly!
(Tune: Huangying dai yifeng)

My two eyes drained of tears
I hear the summons
my daughter’s life in crisis.
Oh child, child,
again and again I cry, but there’s no stir of breath.
petal (calls her): Miss, oh Miss!

petal, wang:
Call after call in our sorrow

but you lie swooning, unaware.
wang: It is over, nothing more to say,
it’s I have destroyed your youth, to my bitter regret.

To see her brows drawn in pain
tears drying to dust
eyes wide open—accusing whom?
petal: Miss has taken neither food nor drink for days now, and so she has
fainted away. If we can get some warm water into her perhaps that might
bring her around.
(They put a cup to Bella’s lips and she comes around)
bella: Aiyo, my father, your child begs forgiveness.

wang: Don’t say such things, child, just hold on now!
bella (sighs): It is over, Father, your daughter has . . .
(Tune: Shan po-li yang)

here in your own house, Father, I have failed you.
Let me die now and go to serve my mother: my only wish
to be with her, to care for each other forever.
petal: If you will only get better, Miss, your father is bound to let you have
all your heart desires.
bella: Don’t speak of this anymore. I have nothing to demand from you,
Petal, except first, my father will be left all alone and you must take good
care of him, and second . . . (She falls silent)
petal: Why do you stop, Miss?
bella (lowers her voice):
You must never
never mention to others what I did.
I choke back the words in my heart’s depth
that only Heaven shall know and earth shall hear;
when I am dead
let purple grasses clothe my tomb a thousand years

while I, changed to a springtime silkworm
spit out new threads to the moment of my death.
bella, petal, wang:

Let tears like specks of blood
spot green bamboos on great Shun’s burial hill (VII)
and the breeze bear this frail wandering spirit
to the Chaste Wife’s shrine on Lookout Mountain.2
2. Multiple allusions here: the late-Tang poet Li Shangyin has an image of the silkworm,
spinning out its threads until the very moment of death; in the same way the poet’s
work involves endless and involuntary sacrifice. Bella seems to be suggesting that her
efforts to keep silent about her love must result after death in the transformation and
magical manifestation of the words she has left so long unspoken.
Bamboos speckled with spots that originated as the mourning tears of the con-
sorts of the legendary emperor Shun figured in the aria “Jiang’er shui” in scene 45;
Lookout Hill appeared in the same scene in the early exchange of rhymed verses be-
tween Petal and Smartie.
wang: Child, if you will only recover your health, I will break off the con-
tract with the Shuai family.
bella (sighs): Please never mention the name Shuai again, Father.
(Same tune)
The marriage paper you speak of is my funeral spirit-money;
the family you name is my sworn foe in this life.
Never, never, never
never mention again my heart’s desire
to speed me ever faster to die of sorrow.
Death, death, death
a thousand, myriad deaths, but death must come
what better than to speak my farewells today!
bella, petal, wang:
Let tears like specks of blood

spot green bamboos on great Shun’s burial hill
and the breeze bear this frail wandering spirit
to the Chaste Wife’s shrine on Lookout Mountain.
wang: Child, you must hold on to your life!

bella: Help me to the main hall, Father.
wang: I’ll help you, child.
(Wang and Petal support Bella between them)
bella:
(Coda)
Truly
west wind has borne away the tears that drenched my eyes
all that is left in my heart is ashes
(She gives a long sigh)
that surely in death
will fly as rain to shower on the Terrace of Love!
(All exit, then Wang and Petal reenter, weeping)

wang: Oh, pitiful, pitiful, the worst has happened and she is dead. Now we
must send word to the Shuai family informing them of this and breaking
off the marriage contract, while at the same time we convey the sad
news to the Shen family. Ai, child, child, what bitter grief you have caused
me!
ENVOI:
Pink-blooming maiden to the Yellow Springs
petal:
white-haired age destroyed by weeping.
wang, petal:
Bystanders who learn of this
all must join us with flowing tears.

scene 48
Joined in Death
shen chun (enters, melancholy):
(Tune: Po Qi zhen)
One or two drooping plantain leaves
room empty, curtains cold, soul forsaken
sad wild goose at sky’s edge
wintry crickets in the grass
rain on dark gusts of wind.
No flicker of flame from darkened lamp
brow pale and graying as death approaches:
has she reached there, she of my dreams?
Heaven of Lovers’ Parting, farthest of all

but today I climb to a level higher still;
my soul gone wandering, nowhere to be found
loneliness grows at sight of lamp grown chill.
Since I parted from my sweet cousin and returned home I have soaked
my pillow with ceaseless tears, stained the sleeves of my gown with
blood from my eyes. The day of her wedding is close at hand, but I do
not know whether she still lives or is dead. In my imaginings I wonder
how even with the blue sky for writing paper, Mount Omei for ink stick,
the Three Gorges of the Yangzi to wet my inkstone, and tall bamboo from
the River Xiang for the stem of my writing brush (VII)—even with all
these, how could I find a way to express the bitterness that fills me?
(Tune: Shuazi dai furong)

Sudden recall of those days
among the flowers, beneath the moon
when we found our joy together
vowing never in this life
should paired phoenix fly apart on lonely wing.
Now I sigh
scene 48: Joined in Death 325
for so many sad times of separation

for failure in the end to grow together
two trees with branches intertwined.
I gaze where green plane trees pierce the evening clouds
and a single wild goose croaks from Chu’s broad sky.
If my cousin is indeed to die on my account, then I can do nothing but

follow her example.
(Tune: Pu tian le)

I moored my boat and we wept there on the river
weeping that sliced our two hearts inch by inch.
A place of grief
the sky grew dark
the river mists thickened
and from the sobbing of the waves
the very fish darted off.
Is there another in the world with pain like mine?
When you in your youth and beauty choose the path to Hades
how could I bear to paint a new wife’s eyebrows?
I recall our words as we sat hugging the stove
our vow to be together through life and death!
shen lun (enters and recites in verse): Demon of sickness, demon of grief
which of these brings greater woes?
Sickness more serious than grief
yet grief through sickness deeper grows!
My brother has always been something of a gallant, elegant and self-as-
sured. But for years now, on each visit to our uncle’s home, he has set
out with his face wreathed in smiles and come back in low spirits, all
pleasure fled. This has been even more acute the last few days; he sits in
his room like the man in the old tale writing characters in the air with his
finger, nothing but the words “Oh, oh!” as if he were talking to someone—
and what has brought this about I have no idea. I must go now and
see how he is. (He comes upon Shen Chun, who sits there with a vacant expression
and pays no attention to him) Why are you sitting here moping like this,
brother?
326 scene 48: Joined in Death
shen chun (startled, jumps up): My sickness has left me a little confused,
please excuse me.
shen lun:
(Tune: Wei fan xu)

Sighing here all by yourself—
why so distressed
so bereft of sense?
If I’m to make a guess,
must be some singing girl you knew, some Tiny Su

whose painted carriage you can’t get out of your mind.
Don’t lose your way:
a man of your gifts, toast of the palace
a “striped tiger” of the Orchid Terrace
will find no lack of jade-smooth partner
to cuddle ‘neath the bridal curtains—
take care you don’t risk your precious health
wandering among the wanton blossoms!
shen chun (sighs):
(Same tune)
Wanting to speak but hesitant . . .
shen lun: Don’t be so hesitant, tell me all about it; perhaps I can
help.
shen chun:
There is someone
I love and long for.
shen lun: Who is it?

shen chun:
This “beauty in chamber of gold”

has promised we shall be bound in marriage.
But oh, oh
such bliss is not for us in this life
some former existence destined us
to be wrenched apart for no good reason

till eyes run dry with weeping.
gatekeeper (enters): “Pitiful the parting cup, bitterest of all the eternal
farewell.” (To Shen Chun) Sad news, our young mistress is dead. I have His
Honor’s letter here.
shen chun (startled): My cousin is dead? Oh Heaven, the bitter pain! (He
tears open the letter) Ai, Petal has put in two farewell poems from my cousin;
as I read them, my breast is rent in a thousand pieces, my bowels sliced
inch by inch! Oh Heaven, Heaven! Time now for Shen Chun to die!
(He falls in a swoon)
shen lun (raises him): Come around, brother!

shen chun (slowly revives): Ah Heaven! Oh cousin, how miserable your fate
to come to this!
(Tune: Xiang liu niang)

Recalling how by chance
recalling how by chance
we met among the flowers
sat hugging the stove, poured out our inmost thoughts
and now you are dead
now you are dead
your soul flown to Chu’s most distant skies:
can I see you even in dream?
The pain, to be barred forever
to be barred from this time forward
our paths lost in the clouds
red thread severed, never to be joined again.
shen lun: Do not grieve so, brother.

shen chun:
(Same tune)
Sorrow for the lodge at Qin, silent now
sorrow for the lodge at Qin, silent now
gone the listener to fairy pipes
who shall dance with lone phoenix under the moon? (VIII)
To read the sadness in these verses

to read the sadness in these verses
as she moistened her brush by the ancestral hall
makes me shout my grief to Heaven above.
Our road to reunion blocked
road to reunion blocked
gladly I go to the Nine Springs
to be by her side again.
shen lun: Ah, brother, how can you say such ill-omened things? Isn’t it
true that what has been severed cannot be joined again, what has died
cannot come back to life? Furthermore, Bella was your maternal cousin;
two attempts to propose marriage failed to secure a lifelong contract:
how could such excessive grieving be other than an offense against what
is proper? You are an educated man familiar with the Rites, it is essential
for you to control yourself to protect your health. I shall go inform our
parents; then all we can do is prepare funeral items for the gatekeeper to
take back with him. (He exits with Gatekeeper)
shen chun: Hai, brother, how can you understand the power of the love,
the strength of the loyalty between Bella and myself, never to fail though
a hundred ages pass? Now that she is dead on my account, how can I
bear to live on alone? I shall leave behind a poem of farewell to my par-
ents and my brother, then my only course can be to strangle myself and
follow my love into the shades below.
(With tear-filled eyes he writes and recites a poem to his parents)
Live long as Old Dou, hoary as cedar

and Mother Cai, venerable crane:
I die before you, debts unpaid
for care and nurture and loving pain.
(And one to his brother)
Two brilliant young phoenix thought to soar

high among fortune’s sunlit clouds;
today the wild geese fly apart
one a lone shadow the cold mist shrouds.
(Throws down the brush; in a voice full of grief )
Father, mother, brother, it is not that I am careless of your goodness to

me and willing to leave your side prematurely. But since time began no
true hero or man of honor has ever begrudged sacrificing his life to keep
his solemn vow. My cousin and I vowed on oath that though born in dif-
ferent hours we would die on the same day. She awaits me now in the
Nine Springs below, and Heaven would never countenance my betraying
our pact. She once gave me an embroidered silk kerchief as an earnest of
the time when golden lotus candles would burn and the silver lamps
shine bright, when together we should take in hand the red sash of mar-
riage and fasten emerald girdles over skirts of rare brocade. Never did I
imagine that today I would use this kerchief to strangle myself, that it
would become a summons to my soul, a banner for my funeral. Ah
Heaven, Heaven, is this not pitiful?
(He starts to strangle himself)
shen qing, madam shen, shen lun (rush in, see him, and go to his
rescue):

Terror
terror to fright the heart
to set the body trembling!
Tight drawn the perfumed silk about his throat
panic keeps hand and foot from helping!
(They untie the kerchief and cry out “Son! Son!” and “Brother! Brother!”)
We call, no response—what can we do?
(Shen Chun gasps for breath and cries “Aiyo! Aiyo!”)
Listen—a rattle in his throat
breath cut off, but still a low groan

he gasps and moans
snatching some slender thread of life.
Child, brother, come around, come around.

shen chun (in a hoarse whisper):
(Tune: Ku xiangsi)
Hastening down the path to follow her—
who calls me back from the road to the Springs?
shen qing, madam shen: Oh child, your father and mother are here,
what has brought you to this desperate act?
shen chun (sighs): My respects to you, my parents, hear what I have to
say: for the maintenance of our ancestral traditions, the increase of our
family greatness, it is sufficient that my brother is at hand. Unfilial, I can-
not continue to serve you. I can only ask that you put out of your mind
your tender love for me and avoid excessive sorrow on my account, so
that my eyes may close peacefully in death. (He grieves deeply)
(Tune: Erlang shen)

Hear my plea
do not distress yourselves, my parents, over me.
As for my brother,
his feet are already set above the clouds

his honored rank, his phoenix and dragon seals
will bring new glory to our house
while I, unfilial son
my life
wasted, gone for nought
in mid-career must leave my parents’ side.
shen qing, madam shen: Oh son, do not say these things. Our only
wish is that you will rest now, take care of your health, to be our comfort
as we advance to white-haired age.
shen chun: I fear there can be no hope of my recovery. Brother, with the
aging of our parents and my own premature death you must serve them
diligently, for they have only you to rely on.
Look well to their needs

our white-haired parents in the evening of their day
as sun’s last rays touch mulberry and elm.
shen lun: Brother, how can you be so wrong-headed? The man of worth
exerts his will to the four corners of the world—how could he be con-
tent to die at the hands of a girl? You have achieved distinction at an early
age, the bright clouds are beneath your feet, what is this trivial infatuation
for a mere female? Think of the number of beautiful women in this
world—and yet for the sake of just this one you would betray the hopes
of our parents and sacrifice the six-foot body they bequeathed you! I
submit, brother, this is not worthy of you.
(Same tune)
I sigh for you
academician of renown
habitué of the palace, the orchid halls:
is there no powdered daughter of minister or prince
flowerlike cheeks smooth as white jade
to share your song of courtship?
And must you now sacrifice your precious youth?
Look, please, at your father and your mother
aging, infirm, their tears run dry for you.
If in fact you do not recover
but grieve your white-haired parents with such pain

how will it be?
shen qing: Every word your brother says makes sense, my son, give up
this obstinacy at once!
madam shen: Do you think there won’t be a fine wife for you, son, now
you’re an official? To throw your life away just because a marriage pro-
posal miscarried, what a senseless folly!
shen chun: How could I fail to understand what my parents are saying?
But I have reached the point now where I could not decide for myself
even if I wished to. I can only ask you, my father and mother both, not to
harm the living for the sake of the dead but to let your son repay in the
next life the boundless loving care you have bestowed on him in this.
(Tune: Er ying’er)
Words come hard
my body in this place

my soul already flown.
I recall that time long ago
a pact for life and death written by moonlight

known to the spirits, not to be forsworn. (He weeps)
Oh my parents, my brother, I cannot do as you say.
No tear is left to fall

no shred of breath will come
the sooner I die the better
to join her where she is.
shen qing, madam shen: Do not talk like this anymore, son.
shen chun (stares wide-eyed):
To snatch another moment of time

is only to breathe more sighs!
(He closes his eyes and faints away)
shen qing, madam shen (weeping): Oh son, son! We shall die, we shall
die of grief!
(Tune: Er xian bin)

Hearing these words
a rain of tears, not to be wiped dry.
As we grew old we looked to you to see us off at the end
aware that father and son cannot long

accompany each other in white-haired age
but now you take your leave so young
the phoenix pair must mourn their chick!
madam shen (with tears of rage): It is my brother who is at fault in all this!
Twice over he repudiated the marriage pact
himself the cause of his young daughter’s death

and traitor to another’s son.

Bitter the pain
ah Heaven, why does Heaven
gouge the flesh from our very hearts?
shen lun (tries to raise Shen Chun to his feet): Hold on, brother, how can you
die like this with your parents at hand, how can you let yourself go?
(Same tune)
Hastening to wipe
cold sweat that pours like rain from his temples
limp and sprawling
his poor worn body cannot be raised.
See, brows drawn tight
no thread of breath:
all for this maid, his cousin
a man of learning lost for nought.

Bitter the pain
ah Heaven, why does Heaven
gouge the flesh from our very hearts?
(They abandon themselves to loud wailing)
shen chun (struggles to regain his senses and is propped up by them all): Father,
mother, brother, it is no use for you to cry out, I can live no longer.
(Coda)
Not my lot in this life to remain with you
my soul already soars high to the Jasper Terrace.
(He sighs)
I have lived to my twenty-fourth year only to become
a fragment of three incarnations’ dreaming.

ENVOI:
Cruel it is to part for all of life
but parting in death a greater sorrow still.
Green grass where tears spot wintry pool
through ages to come, the water specked with blood.
scene 49
United in the Tomb

River Ba flows east
west rise hills of Shu
a thousand ages past
each to each lost from view.
Oh, oh, how pitiful, what pain! Seems to me when people have daugh-
ters, or sons either, it’s best for them to be stupid and ignorant, for then
they can live long lives free of calamities and end up as respected elders.
But take my young mistress, so full of wit and passion, and yet it’s exactly
those two things have destroyed her. As for me, Petal, I don’t see myself
as inferior to others in looks or ability, but since it’s my place to be only a
serving maid there’s no smart young man for me. I’ve always fretted
about this, but now that I’ve seen what became of my young mistress it
doesn’t bother me nearly so much. She’s left me her hair ornaments, all
gold filigree and kingfisher feathers, and every time I see them I feel twice
as sad. Then I go into her room and there are unfinished poems and
paintings strewn all over, it’s just as though she’s there herself smiling
and laughing, weeping and sighing—what can I do but feel the bitter pain!
His Honor is filled with remorse over her, so sorry he went back on his
word; he cries and cries every day till his old eyes can’t see. Today marks
the seventh se’nnight of her passing; I’m visiting her spirit tablet to call
back her soul. Ah, and here comes His Honor, in tears.
wang wenrui (enters, weeping, and recites):
Temples hoary, white hair sparse
life like a dream goes glimmering;
precious daughter before my eyes
a fledgling partridge mourned in spring.
Petal, when your mistress passed away I had still your young mistress to
wait on me morning and evening and so did not feel too lonely and de-
serted. I had arranged her betrothal to Shuai in the expectation that he
would enter this family, a son-in-law to be “half a son,” be my heir and
336 scene 49: United in the Tomb
support me in my old age. Who could have known she would die so
soon? Seeing her spirit tablet standing there unpartnered, so cold and
lonely, what can I do but grieve!
(Tune: Bei xin shui ling)

Sorrowing, crying till eyes grow dim
for precious child
bowels sliced inch by inch
never again to watch her graceful movements to and fro
never again to hear her lively voice in my halls:
who will warm my declining years?
Melancholy deepens with each new thought.
petal: It’s really sad to think of my young mistress:
(Tune: Nan Bubu jiao)

A night of autumn wind blighted the chrysanthemums
and took the life of my beautiful young mistress.
I watch dust gather on her dressing table
approach the curtained spirit tablet
ask her lovely spirit:
Young Mistress,Young Mistress
can your tiny ears hear me? (She sighs)
But I can see you frowning still, as if
the regrets you had in life still cling to your brow.
wang: When first I promised my daughter to Shuai I had one purpose only:
(Tune: Bei Zhe gui ling)

Because my youngest child
was not yet grown to manhood
I chose a family of substance
for her betrothal in marriage:
not for their gifts of white jade and yellow gold
but for the support of “half a son”
to reestablish our house.
scene 49: United in the Tomb 337
Who could have foreseen Heaven’s will
casting down this “jewel in our palm”

gouging out this flesh from our very hearts.
To speak of it wounds the spirit
to think of it grieves the soul.
Oh child,
though your mother will be company in the Yellow Springs
will you not think of your father
white-haired, sorrowing, life as good as over!
petal: Oh my young mistress, others didn’t understand what was in your

innermost heart, but Petal knew your every secret:
(Tune: Nan Jiang’er shui)

Your heart’s secrets could not be told
you body’s weakness could not be borne.
Often I watched you when spring flowers bloomed
eyes moist, brows drawn in pain
or when the moon gleamed white
shrinking back chill and lonely
but never dreamed the green grave mound
so soon would claim your living body.
I say this, and wipe the tears from my eyes:
how can we see the hour of your rebirth
even if like Qiannu in the story
your wandering soul rejoined your sleeping corpse?1
gatekeeper (enters): Toil and trouble on the road, grief and sorrow the
message I bring. (He greets Wang and Petal) Beg to report to Your Honor: I
1. The Tang story of Qiannu, who lay apparently dead while her soul pursued her lover,
was the basis of a masterpiece of the Yuan zaju drama, Zheng Dehui’s Qiannu li hun.
took word of the young lady’s passing to Master Shen, and when he
heard she was dead he hanged himself.
wang: What? Master Shen has hanged himself?
gatekeeper: Luckily the family found him and brought him around.
petal: Then he came around, and it’s all right.
gatekeeper: But although they brought him around he refused to eat for
a couple of days, and so he died after all.
wang, petal (amazed): What, Master Shen is dead as well? (They weep)
gatekeeper: There’s a letter here from Your Honor’s brother-in-law; he
blames all this on Your Honor because you twice broke off your daugh-
ter’s engagement.
wang (reads the letter): I can’t wonder he blames me. Oh, Nephew Shen:
(Tune: Bei Yan’er luo dai De sheng ling)

When I consider your gifts, so young in years
eagle already soaring to the moon’s bright palace
sure to be portrayed with leaders of the age
in the imperial gallery of the Unicorn Hall:
lost now for love of a simple mandarin-duck mate!
My daughter and he
two in the springtime of their youth

so nicely matched in beauty and in talent
not theirs in this life the alliance of Qin and Jin2
they can seek union only in the life to come.
Bitter
each sorrowful word he spoke at his dying
sobbing
to wring tears from a man of stone or iron.
petal (weeps): Surely each one of them to be pitied as much as the other.
wang: Ai, Petal, I believe it is you who are to be blamed for the deaths of
both my daughter and Master Shen. Why couldn’t you have told me the
2. Two early feudal states long linked by marriage alliances.

truth when I questioned you, instead of letting their affair go on ripening

till it bore such fruit as this? What good is it for you to bewail them now?
petal (crawls on the floor begging forgiveness): Your poor Petal was truly at fault in
this. I was only hoping that you might go along with the betrothal, and
then the affair would not have come to light. Who could have guessed it
would turn out as it did and cost the lives of the two of them! Such a
couple:
(Tune: Nan Jiaojiao ling)

One a frustrated Xiangru, fretting by palace gate (IX)
one with the passion of Qiannu’s wandering soul3
watching by green gauze window for her lover
endless regrets nursed in the heart of each
dead now, no hope of growing side by side
twin trees with intertwining roots
twin trees with intertwining roots.
wang (sighs): Twice breaking off the marital agreement, that was my own
misdeed, too late now to repent.
(Tune: Bei Shou Jiangnan)

Oh
had I only known how they would be torn asunder,
been swifter to conclude their marriage pact!
Tender luan bird, fledgling phoenix fly apart
both now transformed, cuckoos that cry their grief. (VI)
Weep
weep till sound fades, breath fails
while in the Yellow Springs they curse this white head.
petal: I don’t think their dying can be blamed either on Your Honor or on
my own fault; it was all predestined by Heaven above. They are gone now
and cannot return again, dead and cannot come back to life.You are an
old man,Your Honor, you must not distress yourself with grieving.
3. See note 1 above.

(Tune: Nan Yuan lin hao)

Do not let grief for them trouble your soul in dreams
do not let tears for them flood your sorrowing cheek
in truth, only predestined fate
can bring about a harmonious match
still less may we foretell
whether we live or die.
wang: When I think of Master Shen’s appearance and deportment and the
quality of his gifts, his learning, I cannot wonder at my daughter’s love for
him. Now, since I thwarted their hopes in life, it is fitting I should unite
their fates in death.
petal: What do you mean by “unite their fates in death”?
wang: I shall have the gatekeeper escort my daughter’s coffin to the Shen
family home for burial by the side of Master Shen. If the dead have
awareness, this will surely cause them to rejoice in the Springs below.
petal: This is just the right thing to do.
gatekeeper: I shall see to the conveyance of the young mistress’s coffin
straightway.
wang (strokes the coffin): Child, can your spirit hear what I say?
(Tune: Bei Gu mei jiu dai Taiping ling)

Recalling your sad lot in life
I wish your love to thrive in death:
paired mandarin ducks laid close in tomb’s high mound
may the souls of both know joy
husband and wife together in the ghostly caverns
secure at last in your eternal union.
While your coffin was here, child, it was like seeing you before me, but
now even that is being taken away:
only I remain, lonely, bereft of daughter

no one to care for me, look to my needs
left to a vain and empty white-haired age. (He weeps)
Mind darkens, eyes grow dim with weeping:
you were to be my heir, to follow behind my hearse; ai,
myself grown old, how could you be first to die?
gatekeeper (kneels): Though the young mistress is dead before her time,
Your Honor has still the young master here before him. If you should
harm your health,Your Honor, by falling victim to excessive grief, who
could be entrusted with such a substantial estate? They used to say “can’t
keep at home a daughter grown”; if the young mistress had lived she
would have gone as bride to another family. How could she have stayed
forever by your side? Now she has become a spirit, roaming the realms
of paradise or fairyland; how does this differ from leaving home in mar-
riage? We beg Your Honor to take care of your precious health, do not
harm the living for the sake of the dead.
petal: The gatekeeper has put it well. And now that the young mistress
and Master Shen will share the same tomb in accordance with your in-
structions, they will soon find their joy.
(Southern coda)
I recall how they told their love beneath the stars,
unwilling to part in this life or the next.
And now
paired mandarin ducks sharing a single tomb

in the Springs below the two will find their peace.
ENVOI:
wang:
Vows blocked in life, achieved in death
gatekeeper:
Heaven’s Lord works his secret way.
petal:
Each spring the moon, pitying the green tomb
all:
will shine on blossoms of crabapple and pear.

scene 50
Reunion with Immortals
shen chun, bella (enter together, wearing the flowing garb of immortals):
(Tune: Tang duo ling)
Petals fall, still the stream flows on
past the ancient Terrace of Heaven ford.
Recalling true love constant in life and death
mirror and hairpin tokens redeemed at last
hand in hand we roam the cyan clouds.
shen:
Drawn as one by love through sun and rain
bella:
The “Love of Two Lifetimes” now is ours.1
shen:
Pear blossoms fleck the green grave mound
bella:
the changing years’ perpetual flowers.
shen: After that first meeting among the blossoms, cousin, when straight-
way we made our marriage pact, we encountered many obstacles and
went to our deaths lamenting our fate. Today, though the hopes we had
in life were dashed, we have fulfilled our vow of union in death.Your fa-
ther had our coffins laid side by side in the tomb by the Washing-Brocade
River, so that dawn and dusk we should be together. The nether world
has its pleasures no less than the mortal, so let us make a nostalgic jour-
ney today to view once more the scenes of our old rendezvous.
(Tune: Er fan Pang zhuangtai)

By your dressing chamber

scene 50: Reunion with Immortals 343
slender blossoming branches still shade the tiny window

everything unchanged from former days.
bella: Here again are last year’s swallows, pairs flying together:
their chattering recalls the ennui of the past.
shen: I am thinking it is only now that the myriad griefs and regrets of
those old times are at an end.
Loving companions through a dream of three incarnations

those cares of former years all canceled now.
shen, bella:
Clouds chill the Qin Terrace
the river rolls on through nature’s splendor
but our devotion endures as Heaven and earth.
bella: I remember it was more than once that you and I happily strolled
these paths,
(Same tune)
joined in pure devotion
through the many turning years. (She sighs)
But never did we think to meet with such obstacles, until suddenly
in the Phoenix Lodge the purple flute was stilled. (VIII)
shen: Do not speak of these things now.

Mandarin-duck partners in the Marriage Register
decreed from times of old
our secret vow to be united in death
through boundless true devotion is today fulfilled.
bella: I wonder, do my father and Petal know that I have come here to-
day? (Sadly) Life and death two different realms, separate paths through
light and shade.
bella, shen:
Thinking back to those old times
thousand, myriad obstacles
say only “can’t keep at home a daughter grown.”
344 scene 50: Reunion with Immortals
(They seat themselves)

Cold gauze window, spring breeze still
the mistress gone, sad traces remain;
purple swallows by painted eaves
old nest still fragrant, powder-stained.
It has been a sad time, all alone here since my young mistress passed
away. Today is the Clear and Bright, the Festival of Cold Food in remem-
brance of the dead, and I am recalling how in the past we would go up
together to her dressing chamber for the view out over the fresh green
of the willows fringing the field paths. Today the willows are just the
same, but where is my young mistress? (She mimes climbing the stairs, sees
Shen and Bella, and collapses in terror) Hai, how can my young mistress and
Master Shen be here?
bella: Don’t be frightened, Petal. When Master Shen and I left the mortal
world we found refuge at once on the paths of the immortals, where we
roam together from dawn to dusk, in joy beyond that known to the liv-
ing. Although my body lies dead I have no regrets, but I have never been
able to repay the kindness of my parents and my brother is still a child,
so I must depend on your support in the management of the household.
Serve my father diligently and do not grieve for me. If you are able to at-
tend at my tomb for the offerings of food and sweeping of the grave, I
shall see you there.
(Petal sits there stunned)
shen, bella: We must write a poem on the wall as proof of our visit.
(They do so and swirl offstage together)
petal (comes to herself ): Ai, how can there be such weird happenings in this
world? The two of them as large as life, talking so freely; could I have
been dreaming wide awake? The young mistress said clear as day she
would see me by her tomb—I must ask His Honor to go there with me.
Your Honor, may I please speak to you at once?
(Tune: Yunu bu rui yun)

Fine rain and gentle wind
the Clear and Bright comes around once more
to pierce the heart of a white-haired elder.
Petal, this is the day of the Clear and Bright Festival; we must prepare the
offerings to be made at my daughter’s tomb. But what are you looking so
startled about?
petal: I went upstairs just now and there I saw the young mistress and
Master Shen, laughing and talking just like in life, and they ordered me to
go sweep their grave and said I would meet them there. How could such
a weird thing happen in this world?
wang: What are you talking about? I’ll go up there with you and we’ll see.
(They mime climbing the stairs) Where are you, daughter, Master Shen? (They
look about the room) Oh, something is written on this wall. (He reads aloud)
Love denied in maiden chamber

now we rest in halls of jade and amber;
guided back by posts of stone2
scenes unchanged, though that day’s lovers gone.
Moonlight like a flowing stream
enters a new tomb where twin souls dream;
urged on by yellow crane
leaving now, when may we come again?
(He grieves) Oh child, If your spirit is truly here, cannot you come forward and
greet your father?
petal: Strange—some of the strokes are growing paler, now it is all fading
away. The young mistress was just saying something about roaming the
2. The allusion here is to a Daoist sage who after death was transmuted into a crane
(immortals were often described as ascending to or riding above the clouds on yellow
cranes) and roosted on a stone pillar by his hometown city gate. The allusion to the
“stone perch” is repeated following the aria by Shen Lun later in the scene, and again in
the last aria before the coda.
paths of the immortals; I believe she must already have become one. She
arranged to meet me by her tomb; we must leave at once and go there.
wang: Very good, very good:
Let broken words between ghost and mortal

stand for hearts shared in worlds of light and shadow.
(He exits with Petal)
shen qing, madam shen (enter with Shen Lun and Attendants):
(Tune: Juhua xin)

Watching from village gate where Brocade River winds:
no messenger bluebird comes, leaves fall from grave-mound trees.
shen lun:
Memories, tears hard to restrain

a cup of wine offered by desolate tomb.
shen qing: This is the day of the Clear and Bright. The son we lost was
buried together with Bella, daughter of the Wang family, on the bank of
the Washing-Brocade River. We go now to offer sacrificial wine at their
tomb.Your Uncle Wang, son, arranged to join us for the sweeping of the
graves today; what do you think is keeping him?
shen lun: Here is a party coming now.
(Wang Wenrui enters with Petal and Attendants; all exchange greetings)
wang (recites in verse):

Sad visit after partings in life and death;
meeting today in deeper sadness still.
shen lun, petal:
Endless regrets filling the heart of each
all:
as pine and cypress moan above grave’s green hill.
wang: By twice repudiating their betrothal I thrust apart my esteemed
nephew and my own daughter. As we meet today I am filled with re-
morse not only toward the dead but toward the living also.
shen qing, madam shen: It was the cruel fate our young ones shared
that brought about this sad result. They owe their present union in the
tomb to your kind favor.
wang: To see the aspen drooping over this lonely grave mound and to
think of two in the springtime of their youth lying here like this—how
bitter the pain!
all (sobbing in grief):
(Tune: Zhu ma ting)
Pine and catalpa fill the view
fox and hare scamper about old graves.
The Clear and Bright, the Day of Cold Food
here beside the Jade Wall Mountain
the banks of the Brocade River
peaks lost in cloud, the stream flows on
icy winds gust and moan.
(They pour out the offering of wine)
Sniveling tears flow down

with the last drops of sacrificial wine.
shen: Son, daughter-in-law, dead before your time, think of your parents in
advancing age, who looked to you for their own tomb sacrifices. How
could you cause your parents to make the oblation for you?
(Same tune)
By common fate condemned to the dark
leaving behind your white-haired elders:
reluctant to curb your fond desires
you swore the marriage oath
shared your abode of love
never considering how the elders of both families
bereft of children at their side

would mourn through their declining years.
all:
Weeping to bring down lonely grave mounds
can your ears hear us, deep in the tomb?
wang: Child, nephew, now in death it is clear you have ascended as spirit-
beings. But think of your parents:
(Same tune)
Who to care for their declining years;
when will their cries of pain, their weeping cease?
We recall the perfection of your match
truly a champion in the grove of letters
allied to a paragon of feminine grace;
now talent and beauty lie beneath desolate mound
your fates fallen short even of the common run.
all:
In death may you be as paired mandarin ducks

together in paradise, the islands of the blesed.
madam shen: Son, daughter-in-law,
so young, laid beneath desolate mound

drenching in bitter tears your white-haired parents.
In a dream last night I saw my son and daughter-in-law standing side by

side before me, but I woke to find it was nothing but a “dream of Nanke,”
the human world in an anthill.3
Together you entered my dream last night

hand in hand, chatting and laughing
till to waking eyes no vision remained
only a shaft of moonlight through gauze window.
During your lifetime your marriage plans were thwarted; now you lie
buried here and all for nought.

all:
Paired in death as mandarin ducks

your destiny as man and wife too far to seek.
shen lun: My brother, your name and mine were linked in the world of
letters, and the amity between us was that of the redbud legend.4 Swift
successes in the examinations presaged honors for us both, to the glory
of our family and our native place. Who could have foretold that you
would fail to consider your white-haired parents, and willingly seek death
for the sake of a young girl, whose life with yours is now committed to
the Yellow Springs? How sad that you have caused the elders of both
houses to prostrate themselves in tears before this common tomb.
(Same tune)
As your name rode at the head of the current
you were summoned like the dying Li Ho in his dream
to record the building of the White Jade Tower in Heaven
leaving me, lone wild goose, bereft of company
and your aging father and mother both
to weep before your grave.
Grief insupportable cuts off cuckoo’s cry
where youthful cheeks lie buried
clouds of wildflowers brighten the yellow clay.
all:
Ceaseless regrets, reproaches;

will you return to stone perch in the moonlight?
4. The legend of three brothers who, in planning to divide the family estate, decided to
cut down and split into three parts a redbud that grew before the ancestral hall.
Overnight the tree was blighted, as if by fire. The brothers took this as an omen and re-
scinded their decision to divide the property, whereupon the redbud resumed its flour-
ishing state.
petal: I recall how my young mistress and Master Shen from the moment
they first met were anticipating their deaths. Now all has taken place as
they said; their concern was not for nothing.You promised to meet me at
your tomb—why is there no sign of you?
(Same tune)
The romance of those days
one thread of passion, two minds drawn so close
torn apart in life
vowing union in death
on phoenix mounts roaming the upper air.
Moonlight on twin mounds by lonely Tiger Creek
now brings fulfillment of their garden oath.
all:
Surely another Herdboy and Weaving Maid (I)

visit each dawn and dusk the Terrace of Love!
petal:
(She sees a pair of mandarin ducks)
Look, a pair of mandarin ducks, fluttering up and down there ever since
we arrived, won’t be caught, can’t be chased off—so close, inseparable,
the very image of my mistress and Master Shen! Can these be their souls
in transformation?
all: A wonder, a marvel indeed!
(Tune: Cui pai)

Two mandarin ducks
flutter about the grave mound
sad cries like cuckoo’s calling rise to the trees.
See the bare hills, dark stream
bare hills, dark stream
white clouds edge the sky
a thousand ages without change;
one spark of deep devotion
when shall it ever burn out?
Serried desolate graves far as the eye can see;

as we look back
sniveling tears flow down.
(Same tune)
Branches intertwine
flowers bear double blooms
birds fly on wings conjoined
fish frolic side by side:
what can destroy the soul
what can destroy the soul?
Summers come, winters go
spring and autumn alternate
prairie grasses, wildflowers all
cover the earth with sadness:
Serried desolate graves far as the eye can see;
as we look back
sniveling tears flow down.
petal: Oh dear, suddenly that pair of mandarin ducks has disappeared—

it’s obvious it was the souls of the two of them made manifest to us.
They used to say that when they died they would return at once to the
paths of the immortals, and it seems these were no idle words. Truly,
“nothing human is more changeless than the heart, nothing in the world
endures like love.”
all:
(Tune: Yi cuo zhao)

Heaven endures
as a river flowing east:
when will the gathered clouds
lift at dusk from Witch’s Mount
or tearstains disappear
from the bamboos by the River Xiang?
The moon of ancient times
still shines by night on pine and cypress
but first to last
imperishable is love:
do you not see

the mandarin-duck tomb
standing a thousand years by the Brocade River?
FIRST ENVOI:
Life and death an instant’s rise and fall:
a sorrowing sunset wind tossing the aspens.
The years will end, but love can have no end:
what is this life if not a dream? (All exit)
shen chun, bella (reenter together): We asked Petal to meet us by our

tomb, and today when both our families gathered at our graves we trans-
formed into mandarin ducks to manifest ourselves to them. They did not
recognize us, though face to face, and hurried away.
bella:
(Tune: Yifeng shu)

Shades of darkness separate sylph and mortal
before our families we weep in vain.
shen:
Vows of man and wife fulfilled

we roam forever the Jasper Terrace:
time on earth a lightning flash
endless the days and months of immortality.
shen, bella:
Singing hymns of the immortals

pouring wine from nephrite jars
we roam together in peach-blossom shade.
shen:
(Same tune)
Lush the blooms of plum and pear
at autumn’s end still the hibiscus open.
bella:
Life no more than froth on the stream

yet the love between you and me can never end.
Night after night the moonlight cool as water
shines on the mandarin ducks’ fresh grave.
bella, shen:
Sailing the Islands of the Blessed

climbing the moon’s Agate Tower
we sweep away love longings of the world of dust.
lord of the brightening east (enters with attendant Sylphs, and recites in
verse):
A fleck of passion took on mortal form
for love in Lovers’ Heaven to endure;
mortals, say not the sylphs dwell far away:
where passion’s roots are cut they rest secure.
Shen Chun, Bella Wang, hear my instructions to you:
(They kneel)
In the beginning the two of you dwelled as Golden Boy and Jade Maiden
by the Jasper Pool on Mount Kunlun, home of the Queen Mother of the
West. A wish you conceived to taste worldly pleasures was punished by
exile to mortal confines, where after experiencing to the full the bitter-
ness of love longing it was your fate first to join in illicit union, and at last
to find refuge in the ways of propriety. No shame can attach to Bella
Wang, who vowing to die for her love of a partner of talent displayed the
chastity of Lookout Hill.5 Nor should we scorn Shen Chun, who sacrific-
ing his life to fulfill his promise exhibited the dedication of young Wei,
drowning in the flood at Blue Bridge. (XI) Though lustfulness and suc-
cumbing to passion are deviations from the correct path, steadfastness

and the guarding of integrity are of the utmost import to the immortals;
working out the initial Cause, you have escaped the fall into ultimate Dis-
aster. Shen Chun is promoted Revisioner of Documents before the bench
of the Jade Emperor, Bella Wang to Sylph Overseer of Blossoms in the
bower of the Queen Mother of the West, with the concurrent charge of
Registrar of Marital Affinities for the mortal world. It will be her responsi-
bility to estimate the worth of all persons of beauty and talent, to ensure
fulfillment of their desires and safeguard against mismatches.
(Shen and Bella give thanks, rise, and don ceremonial robes)
all (circling the stage in procession):
(Tune: Hong xiu xie)

Sylphs through months and years endure forever, forever;
passions of the dusty world all severed, all severed.
Robes of bright brocade cloud-patterned
skirts of silk gauze sunset-hued
bearing tablets of white jade
pouring wine from jars of gold
joined in procession to the Triple Peaks
joined in procession to the Triple Peaks.
shen, bella:
(Tune: Fu huan zhuo)

Among the ancient Triple Peaks
among the ancient Triple Peaks
here we ramble now.
Sun’s black raven, moon’s jade hare
pass and repass like shuttles
and the stars swarm by
while mortals struggle in all directions
entangled, alas, mired in the swamp of passion.
How to evade the blows of passion’s folly
the endless turning of fortune’s wheel?
Only as now by the grace of Heaven
we are led to the ford of the Peach-Blossom Spring. (X)
all:
Harmony of sylph companions

phoenix partners all allied
cangues of jade, golden fetters
struck now from our wrists.
(All bow their heads)
(Tune: Yong tuanyuan)

Ten million years for our gracious sovereign lord!
May his mercy and virtue spread to darkest corner
the people open smiling lips in peace
ants and insects couple in harmony.
These deathless souls of phoenix and luan bird
fulfill in truth their three incarnations
inscribed of old on sacred Rock.6
Mortals and spirits reunited
flourish as the woods in spring;
to ripen true feeling in human hearts
needs all the days of earth and Heaven;
after return to perch of stone
the city walls remain unchanged.
(Coda)
Association of living and dead
phoenix and luan bird comradeship
imperishably deep and true:
may all the loving wives and husbands under Heaven
win each and every one their hearts’ desire.

SECOND ENVOI:
Moonlight pales above Swallow Lodge7
green willows shade the mandarin-duck tomb.
Sadness clings to the hundred-year autumn scene
no waking yet from vinous dream of spring.
Talented writers revive old tunes
new lyrics only for the ears of beauties:
plumb the secrets of three incarnations
don’t let passion fleck your locks with snow!

Other Works in the Columbia Asian Studies Series
translations from the asian classics

Major Plays of Chikamatsu, tr. Donald Keene 1961
Four Major Plays of Chikamatsu, tr. Donald Keene. Paperback ed.
only. 1961; rev. ed. 1997
Records of the Grand Historian of China, translated from the Shih chi of
Ssu-ma Ch’ien, tr. Burton Watson, 2 vols. 1961
Instructions for Practical Living and Other Neo-Confucian Writings by
Wang Yang-ming, tr. Wing-tsit Chan 1963
Hsün Tzu: Basic Writings, tr. Burton Watson, paperback ed. only. 1963; rev. ed. 1996
Chuang Tzu: Basic Writings, tr. Burton Watson, paperback ed. only. 1964; rev. ed. 1996
The Mahābhārata, tr. Chakravarthi V. Narasimhan. Also in paper-
back ed. 1965; rev. ed. 1997
The Manyōshū, Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai edition 1965
Su Tung-p’o: Selections from a Sung Dynasty Poet, tr. Burton Watson.
Also in paperback ed. 1965
Bhartrihari: Poems, tr. Barbara Stoler Miller. Also in paperback ed. 1967
Basic Writings of Mo Tzu, Hsün Tzu, and Han Fei Tzu, tr. Burton Wat-
son. Also in separate paperback eds. 1967
The Awakening of Faith, Attributed to Aśvaghosha, tr.Yoshito S. Hakeda.
Reflections on Things at Hand: The Neo-Confucian Anthology, comp.
Chu Hsi and Lü Tsu-ch’ien, tr. Wing-tsit Chan 1967
The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, tr. Philip B. Yampolsky. Also
in paperback ed. 1967
Essays in Idleness: The Tsurezuregusa of Kenkō, tr. Donald Keene. Also
in paperback ed. 1967
The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon, tr. Ivan Morris, 2 vols. 1967
Two Plays of Ancient India: The Little Clay Cart and the Minister’s Seal, tr.
J. A. B. van Buitenen 1968
The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu, tr. Burton Watson 1968
The Romance of the Western Chamber (Hsi Hsiang chi), tr. S. I. Hsiung.
The Manyōshū, Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai edition. Paperback
ed. only. 1969
Records of the Historian: Chapters from the Shih chi of Ssu-ma Ch’ien, tr.
Burton Watson. Paperback ed. only. 1969
Cold Mountain: 100 Poems by the T’ang Poet Han-shan, tr. Burton Wat-
son. Also in paperback ed. 1970
Twenty Plays of the Nō Theatre, ed. Donald Keene. Also in paperback
ed. 1970
358 Other Works in the Columbia Asian Studies Series
Chūshingura: The Treasury of Loyal Retainers, tr. Donald Keene. Also in

paperback ed. 1971; rev. ed. 1997
The Zen Master Hakuin: Selected Writings, tr. Philip B.Yampolsky 1971
Chinese Rhyme-Prose: Poems in the Fu Form from the Han and Six Dy-
nasties Periods, tr. Burton Watson. Also in paperback ed. 1971
Kūkai: Major Works, tr.Yoshito S. Hakeda. Also in paperback ed. 1972
The Old Man Who Does as He Pleases: Selections from the Poetry and
Prose of Lu Yu, tr. Burton Watson 1973
The Lion’s Roar of Queen Śrı̄mālā, tr. Alex and Hideko Wayman 1974
Courtier and Commoner in Ancient China: Selections from the History of
the Former Han by Pan Ku, tr. Burton Watson. Also in paperback
ed. 1974
Japanese Literature in Chinese, vol. 1: Poetry and Prose in Chinese by Japa-
nese Writers of the Early Period, tr. Burton Watson 1975
Japanese Literature in Chinese, vol. 2: Poetry and Prose in Chinese by
Japanese Writers of the Later Period, tr. Burton Watson 1976
Scripture of the Lotus Blossom of the Fine Dharma, tr. Leon Hurvitz.
Love Song of the Dark Lord: Jayadeva’s Gı̄tagovinda, tr. Barbara Stoler
Miller. Also in paperback ed. Cloth ed. includes critical text of
the Sanskrit. 1977; rev. ed. 1997
Ryōkan: Zen Monk-Poet of Japan, tr. Burton Watson 1977
Calming the Mind and Discerning the Real: From the Lam rim chen mo
of Tsonខ -kha-pa, tr. Alex Wayman 1978
The Hermit and the Love-Thief: Sanskrit Poems of Bhartrihari and Bil-
hanខ a, tr. Barbara Stoler Miller 1978
The Lute: Kao Ming’s P’i-p’a chi, tr. Jean Mulligan. Also in paperback
ed. 1980
A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: Jinnō Shōtōki of Kitabatake Chika-
fusa, tr. H. Paul Varley 1980
Among the Flowers: The Hua-chien chi, tr. Lois Fusek 1982
Grass Hill: Poems and Prose by the Japanese Monk Gensei, tr. Burton
Watson 1983
Doctors, Diviners, and Magicians of Ancient China: Biographies of Fang-
shih, tr. Kenneth J. DeWoskin. Also in paperback ed. 1983
Theater of Memory: The Plays of Kālidāsa, ed. Barbara Stoler Miller.
The Columbia Book of Chinese Poetry: From Early Times to the Thirteenth
Century, ed. and tr. Burton Watson. Also in paperback ed. 1984
Poems of Love and War: From the Eight Anthologies and the Ten Long Po-
ems of Classical Tamil, tr. A. K. Ramanujan. Also in paperback
ed. 1985
Other Works in the Columbia Asian Studies Series 359
The Bhagavad Gita: Krishna’s Counsel in Time of War, tr. Barbara Stoler
Miller 1986
The Columbia Book of Later Chinese Poetry, ed. and tr. Jonathan
Chaves. Also in paperback ed. 1986
The Tso Chuan: Selections from China’s Oldest Narrative History, tr. Bur-
ton Watson 1989
Waiting for the Wind: Thirty-six Poets of Japan’s Late Medieval Age, tr.
Steven Carter 1989
Selected Writings of Nichiren, ed. Philip B.Yampolsky 1990
Saigyō, Poems of a Mountain Home, tr. Burton Watson 1990
The Book of Lieh Tzu: A Classic of the Tao, tr. A. C. Graham. Morning-
side ed. 1990
The Tale of an Anklet: An Epic of South India—The Cilappatikāram of
Ilខ anខ kō Atខikalខ , tr. R. Parthasarathy 1993
Waiting for the Dawn: A Plan for the Prince, tr. and introduction by
Wm. Theodore de Bary 1993
Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees: A Masterpiece of the
Eighteenth-Century Japanese Puppet Theater, tr., annotated, and
with introduction by Stanleigh H. Jones, Jr. 1993
The Lotus Sutra, tr. Burton Watson. Also in paperback ed. 1993
The Classic of Changes: A New Translation of the I Ching as Interpreted by
Wang Bi, tr. Richard John Lynn 1994
Beyond Spring: Tz’u Poems of the Sung Dynasty, tr. Julie Landau 1994
The Columbia Anthology of Traditional Chinese Literature, ed. Victor H.
Mair 1994
Scenes for Mandarins: The Elite Theater of the Ming, tr. Cyril Birch 1995
Letters of Nichiren, ed. Philip B.Yampolsky; tr. Burton Watson et al. 1996
Unforgotten Dreams: Poems by the Zen Monk Shōtetsu, tr. Steven D.
Carter 1997
The Vimalakirti Sutra, tr. Burton Watson 1997
Japanese and Chinese Poems to Sing: The Wakan rōei shū, tr. J.
Thomas Rimer and Jonathan Chaves 1997
A Tower for the Summer Heat, Li Yu, tr. Patrick Hanan 1998
The Classic of the Way and Virtue: A New Translation of the Tao-te
ching of Laozi as Interpreted by Wang Bi, tr. Richard John Lynn 1999
The Four Hundred Songs of War and Wisdom: An Anthology of Poems
ខ ūrខ u, eds. and trans. George L.
from Classical Tamil, The Puranān
Hart and Hank Heifetz 1999
Original Tao: Inward Training (Nei-yeh) and the Foundations of Taoist
Mysticism, by Harold D. Roth 1999
Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching: A Translation of the Startling New Documents
Found at Guodian, Robert G. Henricks 2000
modern asian literature

Modern Japanese Drama: An Anthology, ed. and tr. Ted. Takaya. Also in
paperback ed. 1979
Mask and Sword: Two Plays for the Contemporary Japanese Theater, by
Yamazaki Masakazu, tr. J. Thomas Rimer 1980
Yokomitsu Riichi, Modernist, Dennis Keene 1980
Nepali Visions, Nepali Dreams: The Poetry of Laxmiprasad Devkota, tr.
David Rubin 1980
Literature of the Hundred Flowers, vol. 1: Criticism and Polemics, ed. Hual-
ing Nieh 1981
Literature of the Hundred Flowers, vol. 2: Poetry and Fiction, ed. Hualing
Nieh 1981
Modern Chinese Stories and Novellas, 1919 1949, ed. Joseph S. M. Lau,
C. T. Hsia, and Leo Ou-fan Lee. Also in paperback ed. 1984
A View by the Sea, by Yasuoka Shōtarō, tr. Kären Wigen Lewis 1984
Other Worlds: Arishima Takeo and the Bounds of Modern Japanese Fic-
tion, by Paul Anderer 1984
Selected Poems of Sō Chōngju, tr. with introduction by David R. Mc-
Cann 1989
The Sting of Life: Four Contemporary Japanese Novelists, by Van C. Ges-
sel 1989
Stories of Osaka Life, by Oda Sakunosuke, tr. Burton Watson 1990
The Bodhisattva, or Samantabhadra, by Ishikawa Jun, tr. with intro-
duction by William Jefferson Tyler 1990
The Travels of Lao Ts’an, by Liu T’ieh-yün, tr. Harold Shadick. Morn-
ingside ed. 1990
Three Plays by Kōbō Abe, tr. with introduction by Donald Keene 1993
The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Literature, ed. Joseph S. M.
Lau and Howard Goldblatt 1995
Modern Japanese Tanka, ed. and tr. by Makoto Ueda 1996
Masaoka Shiki: Selected Poems, ed. and tr. by Burton Watson 1997
Writing Women in Modern China: An Anthology of Women’s Literature
from the Early Twentieth Century, ed. and tr. by Amy D. Dooling
and Kristina M. Torgeson 1998
American Stories, by Nagai Kafû, tr. Mitsuko Iriye 2000
studies in asian culture

The Ōnin War: History of Its Origins and Background, with a Selective
Translation of the Chronicle of Ōnin, by H. Paul Varley 1967
Chinese Government in Ming Times: Seven Studies, ed. Charles O.
Hucker 1969
The Actors’ Analects (Yakusha Rongo), ed. and tr. by Charles J. Dunn
and Bungō Torigoe 1969
Self and Society in Ming Thought, by Wm. Theodore de Bary and the
Conference on Ming Thought. Also in paperback ed. 1970
A History of Islamic Philosophy, by Majid Fakhry, 2d ed. 1983
Phantasies of a Love Thief: The Caurapan̄atcāśikā Attributed to Bilhanខ a, by
Barbara Stoler Miller 1971
Iqbal: Poet-Philosopher of Pakistan, ed. Hafeez Malik 1971
The Golden Tradition: An Anthology of Urdu Poetry, ed. and tr. Ahmed
Ali. Also in paperback ed. 1973
Conquerors and Confucians: Aspects of Political Change in Late Yüan Chi-
na, by John W. Dardess 1973
The Unfolding of Neo-Confucianism, by Wm. Theodore de Bary and
the Conference on Seventeenth-Century Chinese Thought.
To Acquire Wisdom: The Way of Wang Yang-ming, by Julia Ching 1976
Gods, Priests, and Warriors: The Bhrខ gus of the Mahābhārata, by Robert
P. Goldman 1977
Mei Yao-ch’en and the Development of Early Sung Poetry, by Jonathan
Chaves 1976
The Legend of Semimaru, Blind Musician of Japan, by Susan Matisoff 1977
Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan and Muslim Modernization in India and Pak-
istan, by Hafeez Malik 1980
The Khilafat Movement: Religious Symbolism and Political Mobilization
in India, by Gail Minault 1982
The World of K’ung Shang-jen: A Man of Letters in Early Ch’ing China,
by Richard Strassberg 1983
The Lotus Boat: The Origins of Chinese Tz’u Poetry in T’ang Popular Cul-
ture, by Marsha L. Wagner 1984
Expressions of Self in Chinese Literature, ed. Robert E. Hegel and
Richard C. Hessney 1985
Songs for the Bride: Women’s Voices and Wedding Rites of Rural India, by
W. G. Archer; eds. Barbara Stoler Miller and Mildred Archer 1986
A Heritage of Kings: One Man’s Monarchy in the Confucian World, by
JaHyun Kim Haboush 1988
companions to asian studies

Approaches to the Oriental Classics, ed. Wm. Theodore de Bary 1959
Early Chinese Literature, by Burton Watson. Also in paperback ed. 1962
Approaches to Asian Civilizations, eds. Wm. Theodore de Bary and
Ainslie T. Embree 1964
The Classic Chinese Novel: A Critical Introduction, by C. T. Hsia. Also in

paperback ed. 1968
Chinese Lyricism: Shih Poetry from the Second to the Twelfth Century, tr.
Burton Watson. Also in paperback ed. 1971
A Syllabus of Indian Civilization, by Leonard A. Gordon and Barbara
Stoler Miller 1971
Twentieth-Century Chinese Stories, ed. C. T. Hsia and Joseph S. M. Lau.
A Syllabus of Chinese Civilization, by J. Mason Gentzler, 2d ed. 1972
A Syllabus of Japanese Civilization, by H. Paul Varley, 2d ed. 1972
An Introduction to Chinese Civilization, ed. John Meskill, with the as-
sistance of J. Mason Gentzler 1973
An Introduction to Japanese Civilization, ed. Arthur E. Tiedemann 1974
Ukifune: Love in the Tale of Genji, ed. Andrew Pekarik 1982
The Pleasures of Japanese Literature, by Donald Keene 1988
A Guide to Oriental Classics, eds. Wm. Theodore de Bary and Ainslie
T. Embree; 3d edition ed. Amy Vladeck Heinrich, 2 vols. 1989
introduction to asian civilizations

Wm. Theodore de Bary, General Editor
Sources of Japanese Tradition, 1958; paperback ed., 2 vols., 1964
Sources of Indian Tradition, 1958; paperback ed., 2 vols., 1964; 2d ed.,
2 vols., 1988
Sources of Chinese Tradition, 1960; paperback ed., 2 vols., 1964; 2d ed.,
2 vols., 1999
Sources of Korean Tradition, ed. Peter H. Lee and Wm. Theodore de
Bary; paperback ed., vol. 1, 1997
Sources of Chinese Tradition, 1999; 2d ed., vol. 1, compiled by Wm.
Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom; vol. 2, compiled by Wm.
Theodore de Bary and Richard Lufrano
neo-confucian studies
Instructions for Practical Living and Other Neo-Confucian Writings by
Wang Yang-ming, tr. Wing-tsit Chan 1963
Reflections on Things at Hand: The Neo-Confucian Anthology, comp.
Chu Hsi and Lü Tsu-ch’ien, tr. Wing-tsit Chan 1967
Self and Society in Ming Thought, by Wm. Theodore de Bary and the
Conference on Ming Thought. Also in paperback ed. 1970
The Unfolding of Neo-Confucianism, by Wm. Theodore de Bary and

the Conference on Seventeenth-Century Chinese Thought.
Principle and Practicality: Essays in Neo-Confucianism and Practical
Learning, eds. Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom. Also in
paperback ed. 1979
The Syncretic Religion of Lin Chao-en, by Judith A. Berling 1980
The Renewal of Buddhism in China: Chu-hung and the Late Ming Syn-
thesis, by Chün-fang Yü 1981
Neo-Confucian Orthodoxy and the Learning of the Mind-and-Heart, by
Wm. Theodore de Bary 1981
Yüan Thought: Chinese Thought and Religion Under the Mongols, eds.
Hok-lam Chan and Wm. Theodore de Bary 1982
The Liberal Tradition in China, by Wm. Theodore de Bary 1983
The Development and Decline of Chinese Cosmology, by John B. Hen-
derson 1984
The Rise of Neo-Confucianism in Korea, by Wm. Theodore de Bary
and JaHyun Kim Haboush 1985
Chiao Hung and the Restructuring of Neo-Confucianism in Late Ming, by
Edward T. Ch’ien 1985
Neo-Confucian Terms Explained: Pei-hsi tzu-i, by Ch’en Ch’un, ed. and
trans. Wing-tsit Chan 1986
Knowledge Painfully Acquired: K’un-chih chi, by Lo Ch’in-shun, ed.
and trans. Irene Bloom 1987
To Become a Sage: The Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning, by Yi T’oegye,
ed. and trans. Michael C. Kalton 1988
The Message of the Mind in Neo-Confucian Thought, by Wm. Theodore
de Bary 1989

Cyril Birch - Mistress and Maid (Jiaohong Ji) by Meng Chengshun (2001)

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Оригинальное название

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Cyril Birch - Mistress and Maid (Jiaohong Ji) by Meng Chengshun (2001)

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Mistress & Maid

translations from the asian classics

Wm. Theodore de Bary, Chair

Translated by Cyril Birch

columbia university press / new york

Columbia University Press wishes to express its appreciation for assistance

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Casebound editions of Columbia University Press books are printed on

scene 26 Third Visit 168

The author of Mistress and Maid ( Jiaohongji), Meng Chengshun,

Meng Chengshun’s claim to fame as a dramatist and scholar of the drama

could stand as metaphor for a different kind of commitment. Both before

of the supreme eighteenth-century novel Dream of the Red Chamber (Hon-

doubt with justiﬁcation, credited his mid-seventeenth century audience with

Numerous fairy-tale and other ﬁgures were so ever-present

signpost i: Herdboy and Weaving Maid

Folktales relating to heavenly bodies have a strong romantic ﬂavor. The

signpost iii: Chang’o, Goddess of the Moon

signpost iv: Bluebird, Wild Goose, and Fish Messengers

signpost v: Witch’s Mount, Jasper Pavilion, Terrace of the Sun

signpost vi: The Cuckoo’s Tears

signpost vii: Xiang River Bamboos

signpost viii: Fondle Jade

signpost ix: Wenjun and Sima Xiangru

signpost x: Peach-Blossom Spring

signpost xi: Blue Bridge

signpost xii: The Rainbow Skirt

signpost xiii: The Red Leaf Poem

shen chun, aspiring candidate for the state examinations

master shuai, a rich idler

chen zhongyou, friend and drinking companion of Chen Chun

sister zhang, Daoist priestess

(enters and sings):

(Tune: Xijiang yue)

(He recites in verse):

Jiaoniang, Miss Bella, daughter of the Wang family

But the sought match is blocked

and Master Shuai, lordly and lustful

(Tune: Man jiang hong)

Like Pan An or Song Yu, poets of old

Gan Luo at twelve served at the court of Qin

(enter with Shen Lun):

A hundred years of tranquil nights

(Tune: Yi chun ling)

making your mother and me

stand by the gate, gazing till vision dims

And when you greet your uncle and aunt

may know blessings without end

shen qing, madam shen:

Remember to seize the chance of wild goose passing

Though Meizhou is not far distant from here,

this very day I’ll look back

come back soon,

let’s stand together while the ﬂowers still bloom.

shen chun: I shall not fail to return promptly.

shen qing, madam shen:

A somber parting, west of Thousand League Bridge.4

Most bitter: parents at home, their son far away.

shen qing, madam shen:

Willow branches yellowing at the tips

honoring parents’ command I journey far.

Already we count the days till your return

don’t dally among beauties of Loyang!