A Couple of Soles, by Yi Lu (Scene 8 The Bandits Set Out)

Li Yu

A Couple of Soles A Comic Play from Seventeenth-Century China TRANSLATED BY

Jing Shen & Robert E. Hegel

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SCENE 8: THE BANDITS SET OUT

fujing (dressed as the Great King of the Mountain,88 with the face of a tiger and grotesque in shape, leads a gang of villains onto the stage): (Tune: Xinghua tian) Deep among ten thousand mountains I have made a kingdom, My state, you ask?

It’s enveloped in clouds and by mist obscured.

Defense always ranks first in every battle plan, Long ago, I took over this dragon’s lair, this phoenix cave.

I look just like a Heavenly demon, by nature I’m like a bear; My prodigious strength to lift mountains few could ever match.

Say not that dolts like us possess no special skills, Apelike arms have always served to draw a mighty bow.

We89 are the Great King of the Mountain.

In form monstrously strange, By nature truly ferocious, Born among tigers and leopards, Raised with foxes and wildcats, I eat raw flesh90 and drink blood, I’m a modern who’s taken up ways of the distant past.

Pillowing on rocks and sleeping in the clouds, A mountain sprite enjoys the good fortune of immortals.

We had no parents when young and do not know who gave us birth. We only heard our old wet nurse say that before I was born, a very strange man appeared in these remote mountains who not only had the skill to tame tigers and subdue monsters but also regularly had sex with female beasts. Suddenly, one day, she caught sight of a blood-stained child in the thick forest who looked

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monstrously strange. We were that child. This old woman knew that We were that strange man’s son, given birth by a beast of prey, and that in the future We would turn out to have some good points. So she took me back home with her and raised me. I grew up to have a frame and movements that were similar to those of beasts. Whenever I ran into jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards, they treated me like close kin; not only did they not harm me, but they regarded me with tenderness. I have heard that a couple of decades ago, there was a simple children’s folk rhyme that said: “When the heart of a beast has a human face, The world will fall to chaos and waste; But a human’s heart that wears the face of a beast, Will quickly bring tranquility and peace.”

This prophecy will most obviously be fulfilled by my humble self. That is why among the ten thousand mountains I have gathered troops and bought horses, stored up fodder and stashed away grain, and trained my army for over twenty years, and finally the time is ripe. Because We were born in the mountains, We use the word “Mountain” as the name of Our state. Above I follow the will of Heaven, and I comply with the wishes of the people here below; for now I have taken my place as the Great King while making deliberate plans to achieve the honor of Son of Heaven. I have always wanted to rouse my troops and move out of the mountains.

But because a circuit official with the compound surname Murong, a master of military strategy, spends all of every day training troops and storing army provisions, even though I do not know their actual situation, the might of my glorious army has been taken away from us by his empty reputation. Lately, I have heard that he is losing interest in being an official and he is anxious to retire. It would be best to take this opportunity and stage an uprising, in order to force this official to resign, and settle his indecision for him. There’s just one question: the art of war has

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always valued the extraordinary. How could I realize my grand aspirations if I relied on only some rank-and-file soldiers? Happily, since We actually belong to the beastly tribe, We’ve regularly built up several regiments of special forces, all consisting of beasts of prey from the mountains. They will fight in the vanguard—with them killing their way forward, who would I fear could block my way? Generals and field officers, sound the bugle to call up the four regiments of tigers, bears, rhinoceroses, and elephants to lead the way. (Subordinates respond and blow the bugles. fujing mounts the platform, holding flags of command to signal his orders. Those dressed up as tigers, bears, rhinoceroses, and elephants enter one after another and dance. After each group has danced, fujing waves the flag of command and then they exit.)

Get the troops in order and move them out here and now.

(Everybody responds. fujing steps down from the platform and leads everyone around the stage.) together: (Tune: Tuo huan zhao) Hoist up that dragon flag, Hoist up that dragon flag!

Tigers and leopards charge ahead, Rhinoceroses and elephants show their might, Jackals and wolves snap their jaws, While stags and foxes cover the plain.

They are all our Extraordinary forces that will ensure

victory, Unlike the might of human soldiers, Who can sometimes be timid.

Our soldiers’ pay and provisions, you ask— Are mountain vetch and wild bracken; And their weapons?

Bows of peach with willow limbs.91

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It is dangerous to rattle them.

Do not sigh in resentment.

We advise you To temporarily lend us

Your land of splendid rivers and mountains! (All exit.)

xiaosheng (in martial attire at the head of the two generals wai and mo, who each lead rank-and-file soldiers onto the stage): (Tune: Xinghua tian) The golden goblet92 should not be allowed to lose the smallest piece, As a small ulcer can become a huge abscess.

Employing my strategies, I feel certain that we’ll win; Cherishing our land, I guard against any slip.

About to retire from office and leave but going into battle again, I cannot restrain my fervent desire to win victory.

It isn’t that the old official still craves a little action; After this one success, there will no more for me!

I lead my troops to resist the bandits; traveling day and night, we arrived here, very near to the bandit army. I have heard that the enemy chief is a monster who is extremely quick and fierce and whose vanguard is all ferocious beasts. I figure that the only way to capture the enemy is by strategy, because I think it would be hard to take them by force. Generals, you all come near and hear my instructions. (All respond.)

I have heard that the enemy army is limited in number and relies instead on beasts of prey to protect them. If the beast soldiers win the victory, the enemy force will go on a rampage; but if the beasts are wounded and disabled, the enemy will naturally suffer defeat. There is no more excellent way to defeat the beasts than to attack them with fire. I have already had a deep trench dug at the main road, in which land mines and firebombs have been planted; when they trigger the mechanism, the mines will automatically

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explode. Following the explosions, sparks will fill the sky and cover the plain; exposed to flames, the hairy beasts will catch fire all over.

The burns will cause such pain that they will naturally run away.

You will lie in ambush at strategic points, and when you hear the sound of the cannon, rouse your troops to pursue and slay them.

Once the victory is assured, we will discuss searching the mountains.93 You must all carry out this plan carefully and not disobey my orders! (All respond and march.) together: (Tune: Tuo huan zhao) Set an ingenious trap, Set an ingenious trap!

A clever strategy to subdue the tigers, A brilliant route to pursue the deer, An ingenious ruse to defeat the dragon,94 They stirred up a fire just to burn themselves.95 We guarantee to make you Shed your hairy garments;

Stark naked, you’ll turn a reddish brown.

You cannot escape the moat fish’s disaster,96 While we can’t entertain a guest with a burned head!97

together: Throw away long rapiers And discard that “Moye” sword.98 Watch us sweep away their demonic aura, Without wasting an inch of our steel. (All exit.)

(All the beasts enter together and dance. Suddenly a cannon is fired, and flames shoot up all over the stage. All the beasts flee helter-skelter and exit.)

fujing (leads extras walking anxiously onto the stage): (Tune: Shuidi yur) Raging flames are hard to block, I sigh in resentment as they burn all around.

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Beasts stampede, and horses flee; Even we wear out our boots in running.

Oh, no, oh, no! His fire attack burned all my beast soldiers to death! Now that I have lost my vanguard, the rest of my troops cannot advance! All I can do is withdraw my troops and retreat. (wai and mo lead troops onstage in pursuit and attack them. The bandit troops are defeated and exit.) xiaosheng: Since the renegade army has suffered a crushing defeat, we should take advantage of our victory to search the mountains.

But after repeated battles today, both our horses and men are worn out, and I am afraid there might be mishaps. I remember that before I left, my lady repeatedly urged me to spare lives. We have killed enough today and can leave them some leeway. (Turns.) The enemy’s force is depleted, and our army’s strength is exhausted.

Order the generals and field officers to stand down their troops.

(All respond and march off.)

(Tune: Tuo huan zhao) Withdraw all our Heavenly troops, Withdraw all our Heavenly troops!

Extinguish all the beacon-fires, Store away the signal drums, The demon star99 has suddenly disappeared.

Food and drink brought to welcome our army now cover the plain, As the myriad folk all sing and cheer, Happily relying on the might of our arms To protect their lives and work.

Shadows of the sun have moved across to mulberry and thorn bush;100 Record the day of victory that brought peace to people and their state!

(Repeat together)

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Throw away long rapiers And discard that “Moye” sword.

Watch us sweep away their demonic aura, Without wasting an inch of our steel.

(All exit.)

A Couple of Soles is a classic comedic romance by the seventeenth-century playwright Li Yu. The first major comedy from late imperial China to appear in English translation, it provides an unparalleled view of Chinese theater following the Ming-Qing dynastic transition.

“Li Yu ranks among China’s finest wits, but none of his ten comedies had been translated into English. This masterful yet accessible rendition of A Couple of Soles makes, at long last, Li Yu’s comic genius and theatrical ingenuity visible to students, readers, theater practitioners, and drama scholars around the world.”

—Patricia Sieber, Ohio State University “A Couple of Soles displays to the Anglophone world the masterful craft of the Chinese dramatist Li Yu. Sustained by extensive commentaries, informative notes, and contemporary wood-block illustrations, this edition

by Jing Shen and Robert E. Hegel exemplifies the very best of translation-in-research.”

—Vibeke Børdahl, Copenhagen University “This brilliant book combines excellent scholarship about the innovative seventeenth-century dramatist Li Yu, noted for his unrestrained speech and behavior, with a wonderful translation of one of his comedies.”

—Colin Mackerras, Griffith University Li Yu (1610–1680) was a popular author and theatrical impresario with a reputation for tales that tested social limits.

Jing Shen is professor of Chinese language and literature at Eckerd College.

Robert E. Hegel is professor emeritus of Chinese language and literature and Liselotte Dieckmann Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature at Washington University in St. Louis.

Tra n slat io ns fr o m t he A s ia n C l as s i c s ISBN: 978-0-231-19354-2

Cover image: Royal Asiatic Society, London, UK / Bridgeman Images Cover design: Lisa Hamm

Columbia University Press / New York

cup.columbia.edu

Printed in the U.S.A.