Marriages Made in Heaven

Tang Studies 10-11 (1992-93) M arriag es M ad e in H eaven SUZANNE CAHILL UNIVERSITY OF CAUFORNIA, SAN DIEGO A cycle of twelve songs entitled "Poems of Marrying Women" attributed to "various transcendents of Marchmount Sung" appears together with an introduction in the Ch'iian T'ang shih.1 These songs tell the tale of a night of drinking and divine festivities. They express major themes connected in both sacred and secular literature during the T'ang dynasty with the Taoist goddess known as Queen Mother of the West. She was the highest goddess venerated by Mao-shan or Shang-ch'ing Taoism, the tradition of choice among the literate elite who composed the official class of medieval China. The poems also celebrate the method of achieving the Taoist ideal of immortality by marriage to a divine spouse who serves as the adept's spiritual instructor. This method is characteristic of Shang-ch'ing Taoism. The "Poems of Marrying Women" are extraordinary in presenting a positive view of mortal marriage; most writings influenced by Maoshan Taoism criticize that social institution as an obstacle to perfection. The preface obeys in unconventional fashion the T' ang convention of explaining circumstances of poetic composition, telling a ghost story about two mortals who stumble into a heavenly wedding feast. The poems that follow purport to be speeches of divine participants. ***** 1 Ch'iian Tang shih (Taipei: Fu-hsing Books, 1967;hereafter CTS), han 12, ts'e 7, ch. 3, 2b. The present article is an offshoot of a study of the Queen Mother of the West, entitled Transcendence and Divine Passion (Stanford, 1993). Translations of relevant portions of works cited below appear in that manuscript. On Mao-shan Taoism, see Michel Strickmann, "The Mao-shan Revelations: Taoism and the Aristocracy," Toung Pao 63 (1977), 1-64. The same section of the Ch'iian T'ang shih contains additional examples of song cycles concerning the Queen Mother and other goddesses which likely were performed in court theatricals. One such set attributed to a "Flock of Transcendents from the Shu Palace" is found in CTS, han 12, ts'e 7, ch. 4, 7a. 111 Cahill: Marriages Made in Heaven Poems of Marrying Women During the Yi.ian-ho reign-period (806-821), T'ien Liao and Teng Shao of Loyang, men of wide learning and literary culture, went out through the Establishing Spring Gateway to gaze at the moon in mid-autumn. Encountering two clerks who invited them to come along, they reached a settlement where there were ponds, hostels, terraces, and kiosks. The clerks led them to a place where basins and mats were spread out as if in expectation of something. The clerks gave them orders, saying: "This evening, divine women from the Realm of Supreme Clarity are marrying transcendent squires from the Jade Capital. We are going to register you as leaders of the ceremony; you will ascend and descend and that will be alL" When they finishing speaking, flowers and lamps filled empty space. A pair of mica chariots descended, accompanied by flocks of transcendents. The Queen Mother of the West was seated inside hanging curtains, Liu Kang facing her. Mao Ying was in attendance; Ma Ku and Hsieh Zi-jan strummed a zither and struck a harp. The two clerks were none other than Wei Fu-ch'ing and Li Pa-pai. In an instant, the Martial Thearch of Han (Han Wu-ti) and the Brilliant Illustrious One of the T'ang (Tang Ming Huang) arrived. Not a moment later Mu, Son of Heaven, arrived. Each composed a song, urging toasts on the others. Han Wu-ti then summoned Ting Ling-wei to sing and Wang-tzu Chin to blow a mouth organ in harmony with him. The Queen Mother also summoned Yeh Ching-neng to sing about affairs of the time of the Brilliant Illustrious One. Thereupon a yellow dragon took up the cup and made a double salute before the chariots, making incantations to the transcendent squires and divine women. Liu Kang and Mao Ying, together with Ch' ao-fu, each composed poems in celebration of the ceremony. Jade girls drew transcendent lords and divine women...