dz_v05

Title: “Inviting Courtesans to the Underworld”
地下徵歌
Year: 1885 Volume: 5 Page Number: 36

Caption Translation: Precious (Fengbao) and Pearl (Fengzhu) were two well-known performers in a female theater troupe based in Jiangxi. They are both incomparably charming and talented creatures in the area. Only the ones around Yong River could match them.

One evening, an old man, who looked like the servant of an official family, came, saying that a certain official was throwing a big banquet for his guests, and he asked the two performers to go there quickly. The doorman agreed and took out two sedan chairs. They were about to pass the Qita Temple after crossing Lingqiaomen. The place was lined with unnamed graves without a single person present. The chair carriers were scared and thus refused to go further. The old man asked, “You’ve been walking so fast for so long. What’s there to be scared of?” Barely did the old man finish what he was saying, when a couple of servants came up with lights, asking, “are you coming?” “We are coming,” replied the old man. They saw grand doors whose rings had animal reliefs on them.

The lavishly dressed Precious and Pearl got off the chairs and entered into the ball room. Guests were all talking and laughing but their dresses seemed to be outdated. Just when the two were feeling suspicious, the official named some scenes he would like to hear. All of a sudden, all the instruments started to play. The guests shouted, “Bravo!” and gave out rewards, all in silver. The ecstasy of the two performers was beyond words.

Just at that time, a long wail penetrated the ballroom and all the candles went out. Humans could no longer be seen and no sound could be heard. The two performers looked up but they could only saw two or three fainting stars on the ceiling. Then they knew they had been entertaining ghosts. So they dashed out, terrified. The next day, they went back to check. They discovered that the spot was the grave of a scholar of the Imperial Academy in the Ming Dynasty.

Translator: Huang Tiying
Revised by Peter C. Perdue

Caption Text: 江西女班彩鳳堂其妓名曰鳳寶、鳳珠者，有殊色，而藝亦冠絕。等倫近則庽居甬江，聲稱藉甚。

一夕來一叟，若宦家僕，口稱江東某太史家今宵宴客，其速往毋遲。值班人應曰諾備轎二乘，忽忽出靈橋門，越七塔寺里餘荒塚纍纍，行人絕跡，輿夫懼不肯行。叟曰，「疾行數武，即至何憚為？」言未已即有二三厮僕掌燈來迎，謂叟曰，「來乎？」曰，「來矣。」果見獸環漚釘門苐。

赫奕雙鳳下輿入廳，事東西賓朋滿座笑語喧譁。苐衣服均非時下裝，正在懷疑之際，太史索劇本點雜齣數闕，箏琶蕭管一時競奏，眾賓客齊聲曰善，出賞賷，俱白镪。諸伶歡愜所望，莫可言喻。無何一聲長嘯，堂上燭滅，索影影不見，索聲聲不聞。仰視屋宇，但見流星三五點隱現雲際，駭極奔歸，知為遇鬼。翌日訪之，蓋是處為前明翰林某公之松楸云。

View on Yale Visual Resources