[English translation] 赤伶 - Red actor

作曲//Composer：李建衡 (Li Jian Heng)
编曲//Arrangement：何天程 (He Tian Cheng)
作词/文案//Lyricist：清彦 (Qing Yan)
演唱/和声//Vocal/harmony：HITA
昆曲念白//Opera (Kunqu) singing：朱虹 (Zhu Hong)
混音//Mixing：何天程 (He Tian Cheng)
二胡//Erhu：钟意 (Zhong Yi)
笛子//Flute：笛呆子囚牛 (Di Dai Zi Qiu Niu)


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故事背景

民国二十六年，七月七日夜，随着日军枪声响起，全国陷入一片水深火热之中，此时尚未受到战火波及的安远县城内一片祥和，戏院的戏台上仍咿咿呀呀的唱着悲欢离合《桃花扇》，你方唱罢我登场，只是不知这戏里戏外唱的是谁的悲欢谁的离合。

裴晏之，便是这戏院的“角儿”，方寸戏台上，只见他水袖柔婉、昆腔曼妙，在一众叫好声中，生生演活了那敢爱敢恨、不惜血染桃花的李香君。然家国破碎，山河飘零，孰能幸免。
不久，战火便绵延到此，日本人包围住县城，并来到戏院要求给他们单独演一场，以慰问所有日本士兵，并指名裴晏之出场，若是胆敢拒绝，便烧了整个戏院乃至县城，所有人亦难逃一死。

裴晏之笑了笑，没有拒绝，转身坐到妆台前，描起了眉目。是夜，小县城内一片寂静，映衬着戏院里灯火通明，日本人都坐在戏台下，喝着酒吃着肉，放肆谈笑。锣鼓敲响，戏幕拉开，好戏开场。

台上唱的是情不知所起，一往而深。台下坐的是豺狼虎豹，恶鬼当道。随着鼓声急切，唱腔愈发悲愤，台下那些豺狼竟似也怔住了，就在此刻，台上“李香君”大喝一声“点火！”

直到敌人发觉，火势早已蔓延，想逃出去却发现门早已被堵得严严实实，整座戏楼都在他们不知不觉间被泼洒了油。

台上的戏还在唱着，正唱道：“俺曾见金陵玉殿莺啼晓，秦淮水榭花开早，谁知道容易冰消。眼看他起朱楼，眼看他宴宾客，眼看他楼塌了。这青苔碧瓦堆，俺曾睡风流觉，将五十年兴亡看饱……”楼塌了，戏却未终。

位卑未敢忘忧国，都道戏子无情，怎知戏子也有心。

Background:

On the seventh of July, in the twenty-sixth year since the establishment of the Republic of China, following the firing of Japanese guns, the whole nation was plunged into chaos and suffering. At this point in time, still shielded from war fire, was the peaceful county of An Yuan. Upon their theater stage, songs from the play, “The Peach Blossom Fan”, were still being sung. It was a love story of Hou Fangyu, a scholar from a distinguished family, and Li Xiangjun, a courtesan of great loyalty and integrity, set in the turbulent times at the end of the Ming dynasty. The actors take their positions, coming and going from the stage, only, it wasn’t sure whose heartfelt griefs were being performed.

Those were the days when only men performed on stage, playing both male and female characters. Pei Yanzhi was one such star of his theater group. Upon that stage, his long water sleeves flowed with grace, his singing voice never failed to mesmerize. The female lead he played, Li Xiangjun, though a courtesan of low standing, was bold in love and hatred, steely in her convictions, so much so she was willing to shed blood on her lover’s parting gift to her, the fan, which gave form to the peach blossoms splattered upon it. In rounds of cheers and applause, Pei Yanzhi brought Li Xiangjun to life. However, the nation is shattering, her lands left in desolation, who can be spared of this reality?

Not long after, the battlefront reached their doorstep. The Japanese army surrounded the city, and ordered a private show from the theater to entertain their men. They specifically named Pei Yanzhi to perform. If the theater refused, they would have it burned down, with all the people within. They’d even burn the city down. Everyone would die.

Pei Yanzhi smiled, and did not decline. He turned to his dressing table and began to line his eyes. Nightfall. The city was silent, a stark contrast to the commotion and bright lighting within the theater. Enemy soldiers seated before the stage, drinking and feasting and making merry. The cymbals and drums peeled, curtains rose, it’s showtime.

On the stage, singing about deep, unfaltering love. Beneath the stage, seated rapacious wolves and monsters. The drumroll intensified, the singing rose to a crescendo of grief and rage, startling the villainous audience. Just then, “Li Xiangjun” shouted her order, “light the fire!”

Upon the enemy’s realization, the fire had already spread, and while they crammed for their escape, found out that all exits were barred, tight and secure. The entire building had been drenched in oil without their knowing.

The songs continued still. “I’ve once seen jade halls in the twitter of morning birds, and flowers by the river pavilion in early bloom, who knew it was ephemeral as melting frost. Now I see him building crimson towers, now I see him hosting guests in banquets, now I see his tower coming down. Within this moss-ridden rubble, I’ve slept upon a grand dream, spectated fifty years of glory and fall…” The building came down, but the show had not yet ended.

Though of humble standing, he never dared to forget the plight of his homeland. People say actors are heartless, who knew they, too, had a heart.



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戲一折 水袖起落

唱悲歡唱離合 無關我

扇開合 鑼鼓響又默

戲中情戲外人 憑誰說

Act one plays, sleeves rise and fall

Singing of sorrows and joys, partings and unions, none concerns me

Fans open and close, drumrolls peal and stall

The passions within, the actor without, who’s to tell

慣將喜怒哀樂都融入粉墨

陳詞唱穿又如何 白骨青灰皆我

亂世浮萍忍看烽火燃山河

位卑未敢忘憂國 哪怕無人知我

Having used to blend all my colors in powder and paint

What matters if I sing these old worn lines, bone white or ash gray are all mine

In precarious times one endures the sight of war flames engulfing our lands

Despite humble standings I dare not forget my homeland, even if I should be understood by none

臺下人走過 不見舊顏色

臺上人唱著 心碎離別歌

情字難落墨 她唱須以血來和

戲幕起 戲幕落 誰是客

The persons down the stage walk pass, not a familiar face seen

The person upon the stage sings, songs of heartbreak and partings

Passions hard to put in words, her singing must be harmonized by blood

Curtains rise, curtains fall, who’s the guest in this

【昆曲】

李香君：濃情悔認真，回頭皆幻景，對面是何人……

【Kunqu opera singing】

Li Xiangjun: Deep passions I regret to have taken to heart, looking back it’s all but illusions, who’s there at the other end...?

戲一折 水袖起落

唱悲歡唱離合 無關我

扇開合 鑼鼓響又默

戲中情戲外人 憑誰說

Act one plays, sleeves rise and fall

Singing of sorrows and joys, partings and unions, none concerns me

Fans open and close, drumrolls peal and stall

The passions within, the actor without, who’s to tell

慣將喜怒哀樂都藏入粉墨

陳詞唱穿又如何 白骨青灰皆我

亂世浮萍忍看烽火燃山河

位卑未敢忘憂國 哪怕無人知我

Having used to hide all my colors in powder and paint

What matters if I sing these old worn lines, bone white or ash gray are all mine

In precarious times one endures the sight of war flames engulfing our lands

Despite humble standings I dare not forget my homeland, even if I should be understood by none

臺下人走過 不見舊顏色

臺上人唱著 心碎離別歌

情字難落墨 她唱須以血來和

戲幕起 戲幕落 終是客

The persons down the stage walk pass, not a familiar face seen

The person upon the stage sings, songs of heartbreak and partings

Passions hard to put in words, her singing must be harmonized by blood

Curtains rise, curtains fall, a guest at the very end

你方唱罷我登場

莫嘲風月戲 莫笑人荒唐

也曾問青黃 也曾鏗鏘唱興亡

道無情 道有情 怎思量

With one player’s curtain call, the next struts along

Jeer not at frivolous shows, laugh not at fooleries of men

I’ve once cared for rights and wrongs, I’ve once resolutely sung of glory and demise

The Path’s cruel, the Path’s kind, what’s to make of it

道無情 道有情 費思量

The Path’s cruel, the Path’s kind, no need to make anything of it

*****

Translator's note:


This story is a piece of historical fiction set during the Japanese invasion of China that began in 1937. As moving as it is, it is almost certainly not a true story. There are no historical sources for this, and to pull off the plan, the whole theater group must be in on it, which seems close to improbable. Still, I think it being fictional doesn't stop it from being enjoyable, especially given the context with theater performances and the featured play, "The Peach Blossom Fan". 

In the past, performers, actors, singers do not get much respect from mainstream society in China, perhaps due to their historical association with prostitution, and the perception that their work was just for frivolous entertainment. Many may have come from disadvantaged backgrounds that resorted to these means to earn a living. The word "戏子" is a slur for show runners and entertainers. In this context, we can draw parallels from the main character, Pei Yanzi with the character Li Xiangjun, that he plays.

It's too much for me to go into the details of the story for "The Peach Blossom Fan". Essentially, the courtesan who harbors the stereotype of being vacillating and unfaithful displays the exact opposite of those traits, and puts to shame even so called respectable men. She resist being framed by her enemy to marry her off to another by running into a nearby pillar, her blood splattered onto the fan given by her lover. Another character witnessed the event and was moved by her steely resolve, so he drew branches to turn the blood splats into peach blossoms, then sent it to Hou Fangyu, her lover, as proof of her conviction and devotion. This story was performed as a Kunqu opera play. Just to get a feel of what the performances are actually like, here's a snippet from the play. We as a modern audience may not be familiar with this type of aesthetics. It's rather slowly paced, and their style of singing reflects the aesthetics of earlier times. But I think it's really cool that they incorporate elements of it into modern songs like the one above.

If you are into a version of this song with a lighter dose of opera-styled singing, here's another cover by 等什么君 (Deng Shen Me Jun):

Just a few note on language, for the phrase "Having used to blend/hide all my colors in powder and paint", the "color" here means the actor's emotions, 喜怒哀乐, literally translating to happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy.

Being a "guest", in this context, contrast with being the master of ones homeland. So once the city was invaded, their home no longer belongs to them but the enemy, hence the subject is a "guest in their own homeland".

So yeah, I think I'm going to end it here cause this is getting way too long. Hope you enjoyed it, and have a great day!