“Xiang yong” (Poems on Fragrance): A Translation of a Scene from Li Yu’s Lian xiang ban (The Fragrant Companion)

CHINOPERL Papers No. 30 (2011)©2011 by the Conference on Chinese Oral and Performing Literature³XIANG YONG´ 3OEMS ON FRAGRANCE): A TRANSLATION OF A SCENE FROM LI YU¶S LIAN XIANG BAN (THE FRAGRANT COMPANION)1 DONGSHIN CHANG Hunter College Lian xiang ban ៀ俉դ (The Fragrant Companion) is very likely the first play that Li Yu ᵾ┱ í  ZURte.2 It opens with the following OLQHV³+DVUHDOEHDXW\HYHUHQYLHGRWKHUEHDXWLHV"2QO\WUXHWDOHQWFDQ XQGHUVWDQG WKH DSSUHFLDWLRQ RI WDOHQW´ ⵏ㢢օᴮᗼ㢢, ⵏ᡽࿻䀓ៀ᡽.3 Beauty and talent, the common topics in the caizi-jiaren ᡽ᆀ֣Ӫ (scholar-beauty) plays of traditional Chinese drama, receive novel treatments in the play: it is Cui Jianyun ፄㆻ䴢 and Cao Yuhua ᴩ䃎㣡, WZRZRPHQZKRIDOOIRUHDFKRWKHU¶VEHDXW\and WDOHQW³;LDQJ\RQJ´ 俉 䂐 (Poems on Fragrance), Scene Six of the play, depicts their first 1 In The Invention of Li Yu (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1988), p. 15, Patrick Hanan gives both a more literal translation of the title of the play, The Companion Who Loved Fragrance, and Women in Love, the English title he actually uses in the book. The play was also known as Meiren xiang 㖾Ӫ俉 (The Fragrance of a Beautiful Woman), a term that figures importantly in the scene translated below. 2 Shan Jinheng ௞䥖⨙, ³/L DV&DR¶V6(59$17@HQWHUV SERVANT: The sedan chair is here. Please come, young mistress. CUI: I have only just met her. How can we be parted? I would like her to condescend to stay and chat for awhile. ABBESS (To CUI): I have long admired your poetic talent, my lady. Today, I am very fortunate to have met you. May I ask you to compose a poem for my edification? CUI: When bored at home, I sometimes turn to pen and ink for self-amusement. How could that prove I am good at poetry? ABBESS: Please don't be so modest. I insist that you enlighten us. CUI: What should I take as a topic? ABBESS: You just smelled the fragrance of a beautiful woman, so how about using that as the topic? 35 Momu ᄛ࿶ was one of the consorts of Huangdi 哳ᑍ (The Yellow Emperor). She was so ugly that she was assigned the task of driving away evil spirits by her terrifying appearance. 36 The mo ᵛ performer plays secondary, usually older, male characters. CHANG, ³3RHPVRQ)UDJUDQFH´ 249 CUI: If that is the case, then the young lady should go first. CAO: ,FDQ¶WHYHQUHDGFKDUDFWHUVZKDWGR,NQRZDbout composing poetry? CUI: If that is the case, then your Reverence should go first. ABBESS: When I was young, I did learn how to hold and use the writing brush. But VLQFH,WRRNP\YRZVLW¶VEHHQWHQ\HDUVWKDW,KDYHQ WZULWWHQDQ\RUQDWH words.37 CUI: If that's the case, I will make so bold as to display my humble skills. I beg your Reverence and the young lady not to laugh at me. (After CUI finishes writing the poem, ABBESS recites it.) ABBESS:³,WVZDUPWKVHHPVWRFRPHIURPWKHKDPSHUXVHGWRURDVWFlothes dry, Its coolness from the breeze blowing into halls perched over water. Where does this thread of fragrance come from? )URPWKHZLGWKRIWKHVLONEHOWWKHLQVLGHRIWKHJLUGOH´ Wonderful! Wonderful! (CAO takes the poem and reads [it].) CAO: (Xueshi jiecheng38 ) In front of us, she flourished her brush without thinking things out, Confident her talent is the equal of that man who wrote leaning against a horse.39 37 Qiyu ㏪䃎 has multiple meaniQJV 7KH PHDQLQJ RI ³RUQDWH ZRUGV´ LV PRVW UHOHYDQW WR WKH FRQWH[W KHUH EXW WKH IDFW WKDW WKH SKUDVH PHDQV ³GHYLDQW ZRUGV´ LQ Buddhist discourse might also be important. 38 The aria is a composite aria in which the first four lines follow the structure of the tune San xueshi and the last five lines follow the tune Jie sancheng. CHINOPERL Papers No. 30 250 ABBESS: