le pavillon aux pivoines - Maison des Cultures du Monde

moves heaven and earth. Even though you
are a ghost, I want to spend my life with you.
Tu Li-niang: Truly I have longed for you.
Liu Meng-mei: Your love has survived death,
and so shall mine. Let me find a cord to
hang myself by, and I shall join you in the
afterlife where we shall be together.
Tu Li-niang: Wait, there is more. At my death,
the Judge of the Underworld took pity on
me and let me return to the mortal world
in search of you, allowing me hope of
coming back to life.
Liu Meng-mei: How can you be restored to life?
Liu Meng-mei: On a chill winter morning of
wind and mist,
I dig the earth to meet a fragrant ghost.
There, beneath that plum tree must be
where her grave lies. Let me go and pray
there awhile. Sweet mistress, I am going to
start digging. You must help me from down
in the underworld.
Chen Tsui-liang: Who is digging up a grave?
It’s Scholar Liu! Chun-hsiang, come quickly!
Chun-hsiang: What’s the matter, sir?
Chen Tsui-liang: I said he was modest,
respectful and polite. Be he turns out to be
a grave-digger!
Chun-hsiang: Don’t blame me for being
wrong about him!
Act 6: Restored to Life
[By Tu Li-niang’s grave beneath and old plum tree.]
–38–
Tu Li-niang: Tomorrow morning at the
seventh hour…
Liu Meng-mei: Before the rooster has crowed
three times…
Tu Li-niang: You must dig up my grave and
open my coffin.
Liu Meng-mei: Dig up your grave and open
you coffin?
Tu Li-niang: And then we will be able to
become husband and wife.
Liu Meng-mei: I want to be with you through
all eternity, never to be parted again.
Tu Li-niang: Scholar Liu…
Liu Meng-mei: Sir, I am digging up this grave
and opening the coffin in order to bring
the young lady of this household back to
life. In truth I tell you, last night the young
lady herself told me that the hour of her
return to life was today, before the rooster’s
third crow. Already, the rooster has crowed
twice, so I must work quickly…
Chen Tsui-liang: What a fine story! This I just
cannot believe. I’m going to report you to
the authorities for grave-digging.
Liu Meng-mei: In order to bring the young
lady back to life, I’d willingly die and let my
corpse be chopped into a thousand pieces.
Chen Tsui-liang: I’m off to report this to the
authorities.