Colin Huehns | December 2022 | London
Introduction
Possibly the high tide in the fortunes of the Jia family and their coterie, it is to the events in this chapter that they look back in Chapter 87 when fortune has begun to turn against them. At its heart is a poetry suite comprising 12 individual stanzas composed by youthful members of the circle in praise of chrysanthemums, which, as such, is an elegant form of entertainment. This they do while eating crabs that then themselves become the subject of a shorter series of three poems.
By now, rivalry between the two principal female protagonists of the novel, Lin Daiyu1 and Xue Baochai,2 for the affections of Jia Baoyu3 —the principal male protagonist—is undoubtedly hotting up in a subtle but unmistakable manner. Daiyu deservedly wins first place in the poetry competition for her elegant contributions, much to Baoyu’s annoyance and probably also Baochai’s chagrin. Despite this, the overall atmosphere remains one of unrestrained pleasure-seeking, and there are few external clouds on the horizon. Even repartee between maidservant and mistress gives a relaxed impression that all is at ease.
As with Chapter 28, where Baoyu takes the lead in laying out the rules of the drinking game, in Chapter 38 the suggestion to compose poems comes from him. Such poetry composition was a favourite pastime of the monied and, consequently, literate classes, and these poems were often sung, though whether this happened in this case is not made clear by the author. The creations of the circle are exhibited for mutual criticism and appreciation, and in response, the gushing praise that the participants express for each other’s work can seem a little forced, unctuous, and even self-indulgent. Perhaps, under the surface, all was not as contented as, at first, it seems.
* * *
Lin Xiaoxiang, seizes first place for poems appreciating chrysanthemums
Xue Hengwu satirises by composing a matching poem that praises crabs
[Lin Xiaoxiang4 is another name for Lin Daiyu; Xue Hengwu5 is another name for Xue Baochai.]
It is said that, once Baochai and Xiangyun6 [a young lady and distant member of the Shi family] had formulated their plan, there was no more talk that night. The next day, Xiangyun invited Mother Jia7 [the matriarch of the Jia family] and the others to view and appreciate the osmanthus flowers. Mother Jia and the others said: “As they are at their glorious best, we must avail ourselves of their elegant splendidness.” When it came to midday, as expected, Mother Jia brought along Lady Wang8 [Baoyu’s mother and a woman of an older generation who had married into the Jia family] and Sister Feng9 [her full name is Wang Xifeng and she is a central character of The Dream of the Red Chamber who had also married into the Jia family], and at the same time invited Aunt Xue10 [Baochai’s mother] and her coterie to come into the Garden [the Jia family residence]. Mother Jia thereupon asked: “Which spot would be suitable?” Lady Wang answered: “It depends on where Venerable Supreme Lady would like to be, then that would be the spot.” Sister Feng said: “The Lotus Fragrance Pavilion11 has already been erected, and at the bottom of the slope, the flowers on the two osmanthus trees are all blooming superbly, the waters of the lake are a deep green, and sitting in the small pavilion in the middle of the lake, wouldn’t that be spacious and bright? Looking at the waters, our eyes would also be clear and bright.” Mother Jia heard this and pronounced it: “Excellent.” So saying, she led everyone to the Lotus Fragrance Pavilion.
Lin Daiyu 林黛玉. “Lin” 林is the surname and “Daiyu” 黛玉 is the given name. In this translation, surnames and given names are separated respectively as two distinct words. Most given names consist of two characters or syllables, though some have only one. Although the characters that comprise surnames carry meaning in other contexts, they rarely do when used simply as surnames and so are not translated. The characters of given names are, however, chosen for their meaning. Here, 黛玉: black eyebrow mascara—jade.
Xue Baochai 薛寶釵. 寶釵: jewel—hairpin.
Jia Baoyu 賈寶玉. 寶玉: jewel—jade.
Xiaoxiang 瀟湘 is a citation from ancient texts and refers to celebrated women renowned for their beauty and femininity, hence in The Dream of the Red Chamber it is an epithet often used in connection with Lin Daiyu; for example, her quarters are called the Xiaoxiang Chambers 瀟湘舘.
Hengwu 蘅蕪 is a two-character collocation also meaning “chrysanthemum” and customarily employed in connection with Xue Baochai; for example, her quarters are the Chrysanthemum Arbour 蘅蕪苑.
Her full name is Shi Xiangyun 史湘雲. 湘 is a placename and the name of a river. It carries strong classical, poetic, and romantic connotations, and is the first character of Xiaoxiang 瀟湘, which represents Daiyu. The third and fourth poems, often interpreted as love-songs, of the ancient poet Qu Yuan’s 屈原 (c.340–278 BCE) Nine Songs《九歌》 are respectively titled “The Lord of the Xiang River” 〈湘君〉 and “The Lady of the Xiang River” 〈湘夫人〉; 雲: cloud.
Mother Jia 賈母.
Lady Wang 王夫人.
Sister Feng 鳳姐. Wang Xifeng 王熙鳳. 熙鳳: bright/harmoniously happy/prosperous—cock phoenix. Sometimes, the diminutive suffix 兒 is added after “Sister Feng”, thus 鳳姐兒.
Aunt Xue 薛姨媽.
Lotus Fragrance Pavilion 藕香榭.
The Lotus Fragrance Pavilion had originally been built in the middle of the lake and had windows in all four directions, with winding covered walkways left and right, and gushing waters meeting miniature rocky mountain peaks. At the back, there was a curvaceous bridge made up of zigzags. Everyone went up on the bamboo bridge, and Sister Feng immediately came up to support Mother Jia by the arm and said: “Venerable Ancestor should only pay attention to pacing boldly forwards and not anything else—these bamboo bridges by their very nature creak terribly ge-zhi-gi-zhi.”
After a short while, they entered the pavilion and saw that outside the railings, two low bamboo tables had also been placed, on one of which had been set cups, chopsticks, and utensils for drinking wine, while on the other were found a tea whisk and other articles for making tea, including small cups and dishes of all sorts. Two or three maidservants were over there fanning a wind-stove and boiling water for tea. Over here were several other maidservants who were also fanning a wind-stove and warming wine.
Mother Jia smiled busily and asked: “It’s extremely thoughtful to prepare this tea, and besides, because it is locally produced, it will be clean.” Xiangyun laughed and said: “Elder Sister Bao[chai] helped us to prepare these.” Mother Jia said: “I have always regarded that child as extremely conscientious, and she deals appropriately with all matters.” Whilst speaking, she looked at the black lacquered, mother-of-pearl inlaid celebratory duilian couplet hung up on the pillar and commanded Xiangyun to read it:
The osmanthus shadow breaks the orchid oars of our return home
Deeply flows the fragrance of withered lotus swiftly past the bamboo bridge
Mother Jia listened, and then raised her head and looked at the couplet written on the wooden planks, and thereupon turned and said to Aunt Xue: “In former times, when I was younger, in my home, there was a similar pavilion, and it was called the Pillow Dawn-Pink-Clouds Pavilion.12 At that time, I was just the same age as these sisters, and joined together as a group, we amused ourselves playfully all day long. Who would have thought that on one such day I lost my footing, fell, and almost drowned, and was only rescued with great difficulty and banged my head open on a wooden peg. To this day, on my temple, there is still a hole about the size of a fingertip that was banged open. Everyone fears the travails of passing across water and braving the wind, but, although this tale is terrible in the telling, who would have thought that it has turned out well in the end.”
Sister Feng didn’t wait for anyone to say anything and, smiling, said first: “If you hadn’t lived through that, would anyone else have been able to share your happiness today? We can see from this that Venerable Ancestor is blessed with a happy longevity that is not insignificant. Spirits control and the ghosts direct—to have banged open that hole and lived—what a splendid happy longevity! On Longevity Star’s [Mother Jia’s] head, although there was originally a hole, because it has been filled by ten thousand joys and ten thousand longevities, therefore it even protrudes a bit.” Before she had even finished speaking, Mother Jia and all the others were creased up with laughter.
Mother Jia smiled and said: “This monkey is exceptionally spoilt—she even makes fun of me! I resent it so much I could tear apart your oily mouth.” Sister Feng said: “When we go back, we’ll be eating crabs, and fearing that would cause you to store up ‘coldness’ in your heart, I am teasing you, Venerable Ancestor, so that you might have a laugh or two, and in your joy, have a couple more to eat, and no harm done.” Mother Jia smiled: “In the future, I would like you to follow me night and day, and even if I am smiling all the time, you are not allowed to return back to your room.” Lady Wang laughed and said: “It is because Venerable Supreme Lady likes her that she spoils her like this; and after continuing to talk to her in this manner, she’ll become even more unreasonable.” Mother Jia smiled: “I certainly do like her to be like this, and besides, she also isn’t the sort of child who doesn’t know the difference between the high and the low. If there is frequently no man about the house, ladies are, by their very nature, inclined to chatter and laugh, but when all’s said and done, as long as they are spot on when it comes to important ceremonial, that is what counts. There is no point whatsoever in having them act furtively like ghosts and spirits.”
So saying, they went together into the pavilion. After tea had been served, Sister Feng busied herself setting out cups and chopsticks. At the top table were Mother Jia, Aunt Xue, Baochai, Daiyu, and Baoyu; at the eastern [right-hand] table were Xiangyun, Lady Wang, and the three “…chun” cousins of the Jia family: Yingchun,13 Tanchun,14 and Xichun;15 at the little table to the west [left] next to the door were Li Wan16 [a lady of the senior generation who had married into the Jia family] and Sister Feng, but their seats had been set out to no purpose as the two of them did not dare sit themselves down and simply waited on Mother Jia and Lady Wang’s tables.
12 Pillow Dawn-Pink-Clouds Pavilion 枕霞閣.
13 Yingchun 迎春: welcome—spring.
14 Tanchun 賈探春. 探春: explore—spring.
15 Xichun 賈惜春. 惜春: regret—spring. Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xichun are three members of the “…chun” quartet of young ladies of the Jia household, the other (and first) being the imperial concubine Yuanchun 元春: first—spring.
16 Li Wan 李紈. 紈: a type of fine silk.
Sister Feng exhorted the servants thus: “Too many crabs should not be brought out at any one time, and they should remain in the steaming vessels until needed; just take out 10 for the time being, and when these have been eaten, then take out more.” While requesting water to wash her hands, she stood in front of Mother Jia and peeled out crab meat. In the first serving, she gave them to Aunt Xue, who said: “I will break them open myself and eat them seasoned fragrantly sweet, and there is no need for anyone to serve them to me.” Sister Feng then offered them respectfully to Mother Jia, and on the second serving gave them to Baoyu. She then said: “Heat the wine until it comes to a rolling boil and then bring it here,” and she also ordered serving women to take out green bean powder smoked in chrysanthemum leaves and osmanthus flower pistils in preparation for washing hands.
Xiangyun accompanied her in eating a crab and then stepped down from her place to give way to someone else. Emerging outside, she ordered a servant to fill two plates to give to Aunt Zhao17 [Tanchun’s mother]. She also saw Sister Feng walk over, who said: “You aren’t accustomed to dressing crabs and serving others. Go and eat you own portion. I will first dress them for you and only eat my share after the gathering has dispersed.” Xiangyun was unwilling to accept this, and so, ordered servants to set out a couple of tables and place settings on the covered walkway and had the maidservants Yuanyang,18 Hupo,19 Caixia,20 Caiyun,21 and Ping’er22 go and sit there. Yuanyang thereupon smiled to Sister Feng and said: “If Second Lady [Sister Feng] is serving here, that means that I can go and eat my fill.” Sister Feng said: “By all means you can all go; just leave everything in my hands.” So saying, Xiangyun took her place as before, and Sister Feng and Li Wan managed everything with hustle and bustle.
Sister Feng, as previously, went down to dress the crabs. Having settled down for a while in their allotted places on the covered walkway, Yuanyang and the others began eating with gusto, and when they saw her coming, got up, and said: “What has Lady come outside once more to do? Why not let us enjoy ourselves for a bit!” Sister Feng smiled and said: “Maidservant Yuanyang is becoming even naughtier. I am doing the work for you and yet you have not the courtesy to receive the favour gracefully and are still complaining at me. Shouldn’t you be swiftly pouring out a flagon of wine for me to drink?” Yuanyang smiled, hurriedly poured a cup of wine, and presented it right to Sister Feng’s lips. Sister Feng craned her neck and drank it. Hupo and Caixia also poured a cup and set it to Sister Feng’s lips, and she drank it.
Ping’er had long since scraped a shell full of yellow crabmeat and sent it over. Sister Feng said: “Pour out a little more ginger vinegar.” She ate for a moment and then, smiling, said: “Carry on sitting here and eat up. I can go.” Yuanyang smiled and said: “How shameful! Eating our share!” Sister Feng smiled and said: “Don’t get so fresh with me! You know your Second Master Lian23 [Zhang Lian, Sister Feng’s husband] has taken a fancy to you and has requested of Venerable Supreme Lady that she bestow you to him as a concubine.” Yuanyang blushed scarlet and clucked her tongue, nodding her head, and said: “That is also just the sort of remark that Lady likes to make! If I don’t wipe your face with my fatty and smelly hand, then I haven’t got even!” So saying, she got up and made ready to wipe.
Sister Feng said: “Good elder sister! Let me off this time!” Hupo smiled and said: “If Maidservant Yuan[yang] leaves her be, will Ping[’er] still let her off? Look everyone: she hasn’t yet eaten two crabs and even so has already drunk a saucer of the bitter vinegar of jealousy instead.” Ping’er was in the process of peeling a crab that was full of yellow meat, and when she heard that she was being mocked, she took the crab and wiped it across Hupo’s face, spouting both laughs and curses: “I’ll get you, you gossipy, good-for-nothing old hussy…”24 Hupo, also laughing, dodged to one side. Ping’er ended up punching the air and, thrusting herself forwards, managed instead as it so happened, to wipe right across Sister Feng’s cheek. Sister Feng, who was engaged in mocking Yuanyang, couldn’t help but being completely taken aback by this and let out a yelp “aiyo”, and everyone could contain themselves no longer and convulsed in guffaws of laughter. Sister Feng also couldn’t stop herself laughing and cursing: “You wicked tart! Scoffing your face has blurred your vision—disrespectfully pawing at your mistress like that.” Ping’er hurriedly rushed across and wiped Sister Feng’s face clean for her and then brought some water over for her to wash herself with. Yuanyang said: “Amitābha Buddha! This is undoubtedly retribution for sins in a past life!”
17 Aunt Zhao 趙姨娘.
18 Servants do not usually have surnames. Yuanyang 鴛鴦: a two-character collocation that means “mandarin duck”, though often used metaphorically to indicate “husband and wife” or to symbolise lovers.
19 Hupo 琥珀: a two-character collocation meaning “amber”.
20 Caixia 彩霞: coloured—dawn-pink-clouds.
21 Caiyun 彩雲: coloured—cloud.
22 Ping’er 平兒: 平: flat; 兒 is a diminutive suffix.
23 Second Master Lian 璉二爺. Lian 璉: a type of jade sacrificial vessel.
24 The term translated as “hussy” here is 蹄子, which refers to a hooved animal. In Ming and Qing dynasty novels like The Dream of the Red Chamber, it is commonly employed to indicate women, often in derogatory contexts. It is a cruel term as it probably refers to the shape of a woman’s feet after they had been bound.
Mother Jia heard these goings-on from where she was, and in concertina-like fashion asked: “What have you seen? What is the joke? Tell us and we will have a laugh too.” Yuanyang and the others, in loud laughing voices, immediately replied: “Second Lady came to snaffle crabs for herself to eat, but Ping’er created a rumpus and wiped her mistress’s face all over with yellow crabmeat. Mistress and servant fighting, no less!” Mother Jia, Lady Wang, and the others listened and burst out laughing. Mother Jia, smiling, said: “Look, all of you, at her pitiful state. Those crab legs and stomach, give her some of that to eat.” Yuanyang and the others laughingly answered, saying in loud voices: “The whole table is covered with crab legs: all Second Lady needs to do is to get on with it and eat some of them.” Sister Feng, smiling, washed her face and went over to wait on Mother Jia and the others as they ate for a while.
Daiyu felt weak and didn’t dare eat too much. She just ate a little neck of pork and then excused herself. Mother Jia also did not eat for a while. Everyone washed their hands. Some viewed the flowers, while others played with the water and watched the fish, and thus they amused themselves for a time. Lady Wang thereupon asked Mother Jia: “The wind is strong here—which is why we ate the crabmeat again—so Venerable Supreme Lady should still return to her chamber and take a rest. If you are still happy with this, then tomorrow you can come here again and stroll around.” Mother Jia heard this and, laughing, said: “Absolutely! I am also concerned whether you are all content, and if I were to go, I am anxious that it might sweep away your high spirits; but since we’ve come as far as to say this, we’ll take our leave.”
Turning her head, she urged Xiangyun: “Don’t let your elder brother Bao[yu] eat too much.” Xiangyun promised her. She also urged both Xiangyun and Baochai: “Don’t you both eat too much either. Although these things are fine to eat, they aren’t good in themselves, and if you eat too much of them, you will get stomach ache.” The two of them quickly assented. After they had accompanied Mother Jia out of the courtyard, they nonetheless returned to the scene and issued orders for the scattered remnant of the place settings to be tidied up and new ones laid.
Baoyu said: “Let’s not have new ones laid, let’s compose poetry instead. Put the large circular table that we use for family gatherings right in the middle and spread wine and food on it. And there is no need to have specific place settings that might restrict us, so anyone who wants to eat something can go and eat it, and we should sit freely just as we would like—wouldn’t that be more convenient and appropriate?” Baochai said: “What you have just said is spot on.” Xiangyun said: “Since you put it like that, there are others whom we might invite.” Thereupon, she ordered that another table be laid out, and for hot crabs to be fished out and put on it, and invited the maidservants Xiren,25 Zijuan,26 Siqi,27 Shishu,28 Ruhua,29 Ying’er,30 and others to sit with them together. On the mountain slope and under a sweet osmanthus tree, two long blankets decorated with flowers were spread, and the serving women, maidservants, and so on who usually waited in attendance were all ordered to sit there, though they only paid attention to eating and drinking, waiting for instructions to be issued to them once more.
Xiangyun then conjured up the subject for the poems and wrote it down, and using pins, hung it on a wall. Everyone looked at it and said: “Novel and strange! Our only worry is that we won’t be able to compose anything.” Xiangyun also carefully explained the reason for unrestricted rhyme schemes. Baoyu said: “This is correct and reasonable. I too detest restricted rhyme schemes most.” Because Daiyu had neither had much wine to drink nor had eaten crabs, she ordered the servants to move an embroidered stool over and sat leaning on the railings, holding a fishing rod, and catching fish. Baochai took an osmanthus bloom in her hands and amused herself, playing with it for a while, looking down from the window frame on which she was inclined, and picked at the osmanthus pistils, throwing them into the water, and enticing fish to swim to the surface and nibble at them.
For a time, Xiangyun was entranced, and once again graciously allowed Xiren and the others precedence as she called on those at the foot of the mountain slope to give full rein to their appetites. Tanchun together with Li Wan and Xichun stood in the shade of a weeping willow watching the gulls and herons. Yingchun, however, sat alone under the canopy of the blossoms and took a needle and threaded together a train of jasmine flowers. Baoyu looked for a time at Daiyu fishing, and for a time, leant next to Baochai and talked and laughed with her, just for a remark or two, and for a time, looked at Xiren and the others eating crabs, accompanying her in drinking a mouthful or two of wine, and Xiren also peeled a crab for him.
25 Xiren 襲人: literally, “assail—person”; here, it is her goodness that floods forth like a flower’s perfume and “assails” those around her.
26 Zijuan 紫鵑: purple—cuckoo.
27 Siqi 司棋: operate—chess.
28 Shishu 侍書: serve—book.
29 Ruhua 入畫: enter—picture.
30 Ying’er 鶯兒: 鶯: oriole; 兒 is a diminutive suffix.
Daiyu put down her fishing rod and walked back into the sitting room. She took a small wine jug incised with niello patterns of plum blossoms and picked up a banana leaf-shaped cup made of flowering crab apple tree wood and soapstone. A maidservant saw her and aware that she wished to drink some wine, immediately walked over to pour for her. Daiyu said: “You should all just be paying attention to eating and should let me have the fun of pouring for myself.” So saying, having poured herself half a cup, she saw that it was yellowed rice wine, and so she said: “Having eaten a little crab meat and feeling a fluttering of heartburn, I think I should drink a mouthful or two of warmed spirit-wine.” Baoyu immediately took up the thread and said: “There is warmed spirit-wine here.” And he ordered a jug of wine infused with mimosa flowers heated and brought over. Daiyu drank but a mouthful and then put the wine down. Baochai also came over, took another cup, and too drank a mouthful before putting it down.
She then dipped her brush-pen in ink, brought it to the wall, and taking the first title “Remembering Chrysanthemums”, ticked and claimed it, adding underneath the character 蘅 [heng] of her soubriquet [Xue Hengwu]. Baoyu immediately said: “Dear sister, for the second poem, I already have four lines. Leave this one for me.” Baochai laughed and said: “I am finding it extraordinarily difficult to compose a poem, and yet you have it in a flash, just like that.” Daiyu said not a word but took the brush-pen and, taking the eighth title “Asking Chrysanthemums”, ticked and claimed it, and then took the eleventh title “Chrysanthemum Dreams”, and also ticked and claimed it, adding underneath them the character 瀟 [xiao] of her soubriquet [Lin Xiangxiao]. Baoyu then took the brush-pen and, taking the second title “Visiting Chrysanthemums”, ticked and claimed it, adding underneath the character 戌 meaning “joyful” that was associated with him.
Tanchun got up and, looking at these, said: “Surprisingly, no one has chosen ‘Hairpin Chrysanthemums’; let me compose a poem to this title.” She indicated Baoyu once more and, smiling, said: “And as has been announced: it is not allowed to use any words and phrases out of the boudoir; you take care not to do this.” So saying, Xiangyun could be seen coming over, and she took the fourth and fifth titles in succession, “Towards Chrysanthemums” and “Presenting Chrysanthemums”, and ticked and claimed them, adding underneath the character 倦 [xiang] that is found in her name [Xiangyun]. Tanchun said: “You should also choose a soubriquet.” Xiangyun smiled and said: “In our home, although at the moment, there are many lofty and spacious chambers, I am not yet living in any of them, and so, borrowing their names as soubriquets is of no interest to me.” Baochai, smiling, said: “Just now, Venerable Supreme Lady said that in your home, there was also a water pavilion called Pillow Dawn-Pink-Clouds Pavilion and wasn’t that yours? Although it is no longer, when all’s said and done, you are still the former occupier.” Everyone said: “Sounds reasonable.” Baoyu did not wait for Xiangyun to make a move and quickly erased the character 湘 that represented her and replaced it with the character 究 that means “Dawn-Pink-Clouds”. ′
Part II of Chapter 38 will be presented in the next issue of Vantage.
31 “Remembering Chrysanthemums” 〈憶앞〉.
32 “Asking Chrysanthemums” 〈問앞〉.
33 “Chrysanthemum Dreams” 〈앞夢〉.
34 “Visiting Chrysanthemums” 〈訪앞〉.
35 Baoyu’s quarters are called the Joyful Red Courtyard 戌紅牘.
36 “Hairpin Chrysanthemums” 〈凄앞〉.
37 “Towards Chrysanthemums” 〈對앞〉.
38 “Presenting Chrysanthemums” 〈묩앞〉.