The Play Read online

  Brocade-and-embroidery picture is non-extant, possibly another title for Palindrome brocade.

  Kao-t’ang shindy, non-extant, was about a tale of the Watery badlands (Shui-hu 水滸) cycle, how Ch’ai Chin 柴進 was defeated when defending Kao-t’ang sub prefecture (Kao-t’ang-chou 高唐州), and the rebel chief Sung Chiang 宋江 went there to his relief. Hung Sheng’s own preface to the play says: “Civil mandarins such as Ch’ai Chin don’t covet money, and military officers such as Li K’ui 李逵 don’t begrudge their own life, which is why I’ve done a portrait of them. By depicting the noble morality of the Lady of Huang-ch’eng (Huang-ch’eng fu-jen 皇城夫人), the chastity of Mistress Ch’ai (Ch’ai ta-niang-tzu 柴大娘子), and the moral integrity of the mother of Kung-sun Sheng 公孫勝, I show maidservants putting the ‘temple-tresses and eyebrows’ [young ladies], some of this not mentioned in the Watery badlands cycle.” Clearly, this was another of Hung Sheng’s dramas about fine women.

  Integrity-and-filiality Ward, non-extant. Hsü Chi 徐積 (1028 - 1103) wrote an Integrity-and-filiality collected literary works (Chieh-hsaio chi 節孝集). He studied under the salient philosopher and educationalist Hu Yȕan 胡瑗 (993 - 1059), and was praised for serving his mother with “pure filiality”. Kao Lien 高濂 (fl. ca. AD 1573) wrote a play called Integrity-and-filiality (Chieh-hsiao chi 節孝記), concerning how the son of Huang P’u 黃普 of Nan-ch’eng 南城, Chȕeh-ching 覺經, sought his mother. One might conjecture that this play of Hung Sheng’s was also about a noble-minded woman, in this case a mother.

  Dancing “Rainbow skirt”, non-extant, was Hung’s prototype for Abiding-life Palace-hall. Eaglewood Pavilion, non-extant, also dealt with a theme also incorporated in the latter play. Both of these dramas would again have had the powerful and celebrated woman, Most-prized-empress Yang, at their center.

  Abiding-life Palace-hall, like many earlier plays and other writings, concerned the love affair of Emperor Shining August-emperor of the T’ang and Yang Jade-bangle (Yang Yü-huan 楊玉環), who became his Most-prized-empress (Yang Kui-fei 楊貴妃). It was much longer and more elaborate than any earlier drama on the same theme, and had fifty acts. Unlike Pai P’u’s 白樸 (AD 1226 – AD?) Rain on the parasol-tree (Wu-t’ung yü 梧桐雨), it doesn’t limit itself to Empress Yang’s death and the emperor’s sorrowful memories of her. From Act Twenty-six onwards, she frequently reappears as a spirit. She sees her scheming relatives carried off to Hell. The grieving emperor has a life-size image of her carved in precious wood. Meanwhile in the capital, after an unsuccessful assassination attempt by a loyalist musician, the adopted son of the rebel An Lu-shan murders Lu-shan. T’ang armies restore the empire, and the emperor returns to the capital. On his way, he reaches the spot where Empress Yang lies buried, and orders her exhumation for reburial. The grave is empty but for her perfume sachet. A woman brings one of Empress Yang’s silk stockings to him, and these two mementoes renew his sorrow. Back in the capital, he engages a Taoist necromancer to try and contact Empress Yang’s spirit. With the collusion of sympathetic gods, and the help of the Taoist, the two lovers meet once more, the Taoist conjuring up a bridge, and the emperor journeying to the moon to re-join Empress Yang. Already deities in a previous existence, they are now restored to Heaven and reunited in their love for vast time.

  The play’s superbly free in its imagination, and much of it is one ornate lyric poem to love. Hung Sheng took immense care in polishing it and in expunging some of the spicier love scenes to shift the emphasis to a dancing scene. Later, feeling that this weakened the love element, he revised it once more. Only after a third major revision did he settle its form and title. A music master added his expertise to Hung’s enormous knowledge of music for the songs.

  Although the play has a happy ending in the Chinese tradition, the element of personal and political tragedy looms large in the workings of the plot.

  The earliest known prose narrative of the real-life romance was by Ch’en Hung 陳鴻 (fl. ca. AD 813), given in the form of a Wonder-tale novella (also ch’uan-ch’i 傳奇). His courtesy-name was Ta-liang 大亮, and he lived around the reign-periods 785 - 805 and 806 - 820. Once he held a government post, as Department of State Affairs Ministry of Receptions Director (shang-shu chu-k’e lang-chung 尚書主客郎中). Excelling at historiography, he devoted his efforts for seven years to the compilation of the work Great unity records (Ta-t’ung-chi 大統紀) in thirty scrolls. He also wrote another highly regarded Wonder-tale novella, East-hall Old Father (Tung-t’ang lao-fui chuan 東堂老父傳). To Song of abiding woe, the story {appendix one offers a rough translation of this work}, Ch’en appends one of China’s all time most-famous poems, Pai Chü-yi’s 白居易 (772 - 846) Song of abiding woe (Ch’ang-hen ke 長恨歌) {appendix two offers a rough translation of this work}, the salient ancient piece on the romance.

  A fuller account, of luscious, convincing and sometimes most moving detail, Unofficial biography of Grand-truth (T’ai-chen wai-chuan 太真外傳) {appendix three offers a rough translation of this work}, was written by Yȕeh Shih 樂史 (930 -1007), courtesy-name Tzu-cheng 子正, a man of Yi-huang 宜黃, in present-day Kiangsu province Sometime during the years 975 - 997, he was promoted to the government post of Assistant Editorial Director (chu-tso tso-lang 著作佐郎), became governor of Ling-chou 陵州, and was summoned to be a Junior Compiler of the Academy for the Veneration of Literature (san-kuan pien-hsiu 三館編修). During the reign-period 984 - 987, he presented the emperor with four hundred or more scrolls of his writings, which were stored in the Imperial Archives (pi-ke秘閣/ pi-fu 秘府). He wrote Immortals cave-paradise collected literary works (Hsien-tung chi 仙洞集) and Expansion of “Records of the outstanding and remarkable” (Kuang “Cho-yi chi” 廣卓異記). In addition, he was author of the important, massive, gazetteer-style work Great Peace records of the world (T’ai-p’ing huan-yü chi 太平寰宇記), often abbreviated to Records of the world (Huan-yü-chi 寰宇記), and completed during the reign-period 976-984, originally in 200 scrolls, scrolls 113 to 119 later lost. No wonder his account of Empress Yang rings so masterly!

  Among the numerous other early references to the romance is The death of Most-prized-empress Yang from Liu Hsü 劉昫 (887 - 946), Old T’ang dynasty history (Chiu T’ang-shu 舊唐書), (945), “Biographies of the Emperor’s wives”, which provides an official dynastic history {appendix four offers a rough translation of this work}.

  During subsequent times, the finest work on the story is the AD 13th century Variety Play drama (tsa-chü 雜劇) by Pai P’u 白樸 (AD 1226), with its title translated as “Shining August-emperor of the T’ang dynasty on autumn night with rain on the parasol-tree” {appendix five offers a rough translation of this work}. Although the text is incomplete, having in original performance assuredly had much more dialogue in between its arias, in the Chinese this is one of the most beautiful and moving examples of the genre. This play of P’ai P’u’s is more compact, smaller in plot scope, and stresses the supernatural markedly and proportionately less than Hung Sheng’s drama, the final dream snippet hardly denting realism. Yet it was no doubt a strong inspiration to him.

  There were many other plays and works dealing with and touching on the theme of the imperial couple’s romance. While the present translation and introduction try to indicate many of the source resonances of Hung Sheng’s play, there remains a large hinterland to its complexity to be explored. It’s such a long piece that it’s hardly ever performed on stage in full, taking “three days and nights” to do so, and it’s been popularly known more through snippets of it and allusions to do it. Its full length is, however, an unparalleled rare rich and varied mixture, encompassing lyricism, comedy, bawdy, tragedy, political strife, warfare, valour, dastardly, the supernatural, cosmology, and, centrally, a story founded on monumental historical events of crucial importance for centuries of China’s, and indeed the world’s, destiny. Those events split and broke the empire of T’ang dynasty, which is widely considere
d the apex of Chinese civilisation. While the protagonists are elevated by connections with the divine, they are presented as the most human and emotionally accessible imperial couple of any tradition. I’ve sought principally to convey hints of the potential of this mighty opus.

  William Dolby, 2012

  Lasting-life Palace-Hall

  (Hung Sheng 1654-1704) – Volume One

  Translated by William Dolby

  Dramatis personae:

  Prologue: played by mo role-type-category actor

  Shining August-Emperor: Emperor Dark-progenitor (Hsȕan-tsung i.e. Shining August-emperor (Ming-huang), reigned 712 - 756. Played by sheng role-type-category actor, first appears in Act Two].

  Two eunuch court-attendants: first appear in Act Two.

  Eunuch-Chamberlain Kao: Kao Li-shih, a leading minister in the court of Emperor Dark-progenitor, played by a ch’ou role-type-category actor, first appears in Act Two.

  Two palace-ladies: first appear in Act Two.

  Empress Yang:Most-prized Empress Yang (Yang Kui-fei), i.e. Yang Jade-bangle (Yang Yü-huan 楊玉環), the principal wife of Emperor Dark-progenitor, played by a tan, a female role-type-category player, first appears in Act Two.

  An Lu-Shan: Part-Turkic frontier general, played by ching role-type-category actor, first appears in Act Three.

  Chang Ch’ien:A mandarin in the offices of the prime minister.

  Yang Kuo-Chung: Prime minister of the T’ang dynasty government, cousin of Empress Yang, played by a fu-ching role-type-category actor, first appears in Act Three.

  Dame Ever-new: Yung-hsin, an elderly or no longer young palace-lady, played by a lao-tan role-type-category actor, first appears in Act Four.

  Dame Remember-me: Nien-nu, a young palace-lady, played by a t’ieh-tan role-type-category actor.

  Young nobleman: wang-sun, first appears in Act Five, played by a wai role-type-category actor.

  Crown Prince: first appears in Act Five, played by a mo role-type-category actor, and followed by a hsiao-sheng role in the same act.

  Queen of the State of Han: sister of Empress Yang, and played by lao-tan role-type-category actor, first appears in Act Five.

  Queen of the State of Kuo: sister of Empress Yang, played by a t’ieh role-type-category actor, first appears in Act Five.

  Queen of the State of Ch’in: sister of Empress Yang., played by a tsa role-type-category actor, first appears in Act Five.

  Retainer: appears in Act Five. Played by a tsa role-type-category actor.

  Another steward: appears in Act Seven, played by a mo role-type-category actor.

  Another maidservant: mei-hsiang, appears in Act Seven, played by a wai role-type-category actor, and appears in Act Seven, played by a fu-ching role-type-category actor.

  Yet another steward: appears in Act Seven, played by a wai role-type-category actor.

  Yet another maidservant: appears in Act Seven, played by a ch’ou role-type-category actor.

  Maids: ya-huan, appear in Act Eight.

  Eunuch-supervisor: in the imperial palace, appears in Act Nine, played by a fu-ching role-type-category actor.

  Two eunuch attendants: appear in Act Nine.

  Second eunuch supervisor: appears in Act Nine, played by ching role-type-category actor.

  Kuo Tzu-yi: leading T’ang dynasty general, first appears in Act Ten, played by a wai role-type-category actor.

  Pub-keeper: in a pub in Ch’ang-an, first appears in Act Ten, played by ch’ou role-type-category actor

  Military retainer:an officer under Kuo Tzu-yi, first appears in Act Ten, played by fu-ching role-type-category actor.

  Moon-Goddess Contestant: first appears in Act Eleven

  Charmeuse: Ch’ang-e, first appears in Act Eleven, played by a lao-tan role-type-category actor.

  Female immortals: of the Moon-goddess, first appear in Act Ten.

  Wintry-flute-reed: immortal lady, palace-attendant under Moon-goddess, appears in Act Eleven, played by a t’ieh role-type-category actor. Then plays as a ch’ou role-type-category actor in Act Eleven.

  Four, six or eight female immortal musicians: first appear in Act Twelve

  Attendants of Yang Kuo-chung: (chih-ts’ung) appear in Act Thirteen.

  Attendants of An Lu-shan: (chih-ts’ung) appear in Act Thirteen.

  Li Kui-nien: elderly grey-bearded famous music expert of the T’ang dynasty court, appears in Act Fourteen, played by a mo role-type-category actor.

  Ma Hsien-ch’i: imperial-court entertainer, one of the emperor’s Young Gentlemen of the Pear-orchard Conservatoire, player of the Square Resonator percussion instrument, appears in Act Fourteen, played by a fu-ching role-type-category actor.

  Lei Hai-ch’ing: imperial-court entertainer, one of the emperor’s Young Gentlemen of the Pear-orchard Conservatoire, player of a special type of p’i-p’a lute using an iron plectrum, appears in Act Fourteen, played by a wai role-type-category actor.

  He Huai-chih: elderly, white-side burned imperial-court entertainer, one of the emperor’s Young Gentlemen of the Pear-orchard Conservatoire, player of the p’i-p’a lute, appears in Act Fourteen, played by a ching role-type-category actor.

  Huang Fan-ch’o: imperial-court entertainer, one of the emperor’s Young Gentlemen of the Pear-orchard Conservatoire, player of the clappers. He was also historically a very famous court-jester of the emperor. Appears in Act Fourteen, played by a ch’ou role-type-category actor.

  Li Mo: a young student from Ch’ang-an, and a famous player of the iron transverse flute (t’ieh-ti), appears in Act Fourteen, played by a hsiao-sheng role-type-category actor.

  Messenger: a government messenger, appears in Act Fifteen, played by a mo role-type-category actor.

  Messenger: a government messenger, appears in Act Fifteen, played by a fu-ching role-type-category actor.

  Elderly farmer: of Eastern Village (Tung-hsiang) in Chin-ch’eng County, the village-head, appears in Act Fifteen, played by a wai role-type-category actor.

  Blind fortune-teller (male): appears in Act Fifteen, played by a hsiao-sheng role-type-category actor.

  Blind woman: fortune-teller’s assistant, player of the Three-string Banjo, appears in Act Fifteen, played by a ching role-type-category actor.

  Posting-station lictor: of the Wei-ch’eng posting-station, appears in Act Fifteen, played by a ch’ou role-type-category actor.

  Non-Chinese beauties: appear in Act Seventeen.

  Non-Chinese soldiers: appear in Act Seventeen.

  Middle army Mandarin: an officer under Kuo Tzu-Yi, first appears in Act Twenty, played by a mo role-type-category actor.

  Four bearers of swords and staves: Under Kuo Tzu-yi, first appear in Act Twenty, played by tsa role-type-category actors.

  Spy:an officer under Kuo Tzu-yi, first appears in Act Twenty, played by a hsiao-sheng role-type-category actor.

  Weaving Damsel: a star-goddess, Heaven’s Grand-daughter, grand-daughter of the supreme God (Jade Emperor/Jade God of Heaven), first appears in Act Twenty-two, played by a t’ieh role-type-category actor.

  Palace lady 1: saucy one, first appears in Act Twenty-two, played by a ch’ou role-type-ctegory actor.

  Palace lady 2: in the service of Plum-blossom, first appears in Act Twenty-two, played by a fu-ching role-type-category actor.

  Oxherd: a star-god, lover of Weaving-damsel, first appears in Act Twenty-two, played by a hsiao-sheng role-type-category actor.

  Ke-shu Han: old, white-whiskered T’ang dynasty general, appears in Act Twenty-three, played by a ch’ou role-type-category actor.

  Two foot-soldiers: under Ke-shu Han, appear in Act Twenty-three.

  Ch’en Yuan-li: T’ang dynasty general, the Dragon-warrior General of the Right, appears in Act Twenty-five, played by a mo role-type-category actor.

  Old man Kuo Ts’ung-chin: old rustic of the wild countryside around Fu-fen, appears in Act Twenty-six, played by a wai role-type-category actor.

  Envoy: from Ch’eng-tu, appears in Act Twenty-six, play
ed by a fu-ching role-type-category actor.

  Two bearers: under the envoy from Ch’eng-tu, appear in Act Twenty-six, played by tsa role-type-category actors.

  Officers and soldiers: of Shining August-emperor’s Dragon-warrior Army, appear in Act Twenty-six.

  Empress Yang’s spririt: appears in Act Twenty-seven, played by hun-tan role-type-category actor.

  Kuo’s spirit: appears in Act Twenty-seven, played by t’ieh role-type-category actor.

  Two demon lictors: appear in Act Twenty-seven, played by tsa role-type-category actors.

  Yang Kuo-chung’s spirit: appears in Act Twenty-seven, played by fu-ching role-type-category actors.

  Ox-headed demon: appears in Act Twenty-seven.

  Yaksha: appears in Act Twenty-seven.

  Local Land-god: of Ma Wei’s Slope, appears in Act Twenty-seven, played by fu-ching role-type-category actor.

  Li Pig-son: Li Chu-erh, a favourite of An Lu-shan’s, an assassin, appears in Act Thirty-four, played by ch’ou role-type-category actor.

  Four soldiers: of a watch-patrol in Ch’ang-an, appear in Act Thirty-four, played by hsiao-sheng, mo, chung-ching and lao-tan role-type-category actors.

  Two palace-ladies: of An Lu-shan’s, appear in Act Thirty-four, played by lao-tan and fu-ching/chung-ching role-type-category actors.

  General: of An Lu-shan’s, appears in Act Thirty-four, played by tsa role-type-category actor.

  Four generals: under Kuo Tzu-yi, appear in Act Thirty-five, played by sheng, hsiao-sheng, ching and mo role-type-category actors.

  Master of Ceremonies: under Kuo Tzu-yi’s command, in Ch’ang-an, appears in Act Thirty-five, played by ch’ou role-type-category actor.