In the Southern Mode, to the Tune of “A Sprig of Flowers” The Refusal to Get Old
Kuan Han-ch’ing (c. 1220–c. 1307)
I’ve plucked every flower that grows over the wall,
And gathered every willow overhanging the road;1
The tenderest buds were the flowers I picked,
And the willows I gathered, of the supplest green fronds;
A wastrel, gay and dashing,
Trusting to my willow gathering, flower plucking hand,
I kept at it till the flowers fell and the willows withered;
Half my life I’ve been willow gathering and flower plucking
And for a whole generation slept with flowers and lain among the willows.
Yellow Bell Coda
But I am an
Un-steam-soft-able, un-boil-through-able,
Un-pound-flat-able, un-bake-dry-able
Rattling plunkety-plunk coppery old bean.2
Who said you young gentlemen could intrude upon her
Un-hoe-up-able, un-cut-down-able,
Un-disentwine-able, un-cast-off-able,
Intricate, thousand-fold brocade snare?3
As for me, I can take pleasure in the Liang-yüan4 moon,
Drink no less than East Capital5 wine,
Enjoy the flowers of Loyang,
And pluck the willow of Chang-t’ai.6
Besides, I can compose poems, write ancient script,
Play the lute and play the flute;
I know how to sing the Che-ku, dance the Ch’ui-shou,7
Drive game for the hunt, kick the football,
Play chess and roll dice;
Even if you knock out my teeth, stretch my mouth out of shape,
Lame my legs, break my arms,
Even if heaven afflicted me with these several ills and disabilities,
I’d still not give up;
Not unless Yama8 himself gives the order
And the evil spirits themselves come to hook out
My three souls and return them to hell,
My seven shades and consign them to oblivion,9
Only then
Will I retire from the path of mist and flowers.10
Translated by Wayne Schlepp
Like the majority of the better-known Yüan dramatists, Kuan Han-ch’ing hailed from Ta-tu (modern-day Peking). A professional actor himself, Kuan is regarded as the greatest playwright of the Yüan period and the virtual creator of the genre generally referred to as Yüan drama (tsa-chü, literally “variety show”; see selection 216). Kuan was not only the best but also the most productive Yüan playwright, there being sixty titles associated with his name, eighteen of which are extant. His main characters are mostly female, which is atypical of Yüan drama. Kuan’s arias employ highly colloquial language and deal primarily with romantic themes, often in a humorous vein, as is the case here.
For a note on the new genre of verse called the aria (ch’ü), which became popular during the Yüan period, see selection 107.
1. Throughout the poem flowers and willows refer to courtesans.
2. Literally, “copper garden pea”—Yüan slang for a libertine who is somewhat past his prime.
3. A courtesan’s methods of getting a man into her clutches.
4. Liang-yüan was a vast park built in Han times by Prince Hsiao of Liang, here suggesting sophisticated tastes.
5. The Eastern Capital, i.e., Loyang, was noted for its luxuriance and beauty. See also note 1 on flowers and willows.
6. A district of Ch’ang-an, the Western Capital, where a famous T’ang courtesan named Liu (i.e., “willow”) lived. Chang-t’ai liu is often used in reference to courtesans generally.
7. Che-ku (Partridge) or Che-ku t’ien (Partridge Sky) is the name of a lyric verse form. Ch’ui-shou (Hanging Hands) is the name of a song to which one danced, hands hanging down the while.
8. King of the underworld.
9. The belief that one dies only after the evil spirits have hooked out of one’s body all ten of its souls.
10. The gay life among courtesans.