''Tale of the Pipa'' ( "Tale of the Pipa" or "The Story of the

Lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" can ref ...

") is a Chinese '' nanxi'' play written by the playwright

Gao Ming Gao Ming (; 13051370), also known as Kao Ming, Gao Zecheng, and the Cabbage Root Taoist, was a Chinese poet and playwright during the Yuan Dynasty. Gao was born and grew up in Wenzhou. In 1345, needing to find a way to support his widowed mothe ...

during the late

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

. There are French, German, English translations of the play, and an English novelization-translation. It was the most popular drama during the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

,Tanaka, p
153
and it became a model for Ming drama as it was the favorite opera of the first Ming emperor

Zhu Yuanzhang The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328 – 24 June 1398), personal name Zhu Yuanzhang (), courtesy name Guorui (), was the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, reigning from 1368 to 1398. As famine, plagues and peasant revolts in ...

Plot

The play is set during the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

. Based on an older play, ''Zhao zhen nü'' (''The Chaste Maiden Zhao''), it tells the story of a loyal wife named Zhao Wuniang (T: 趙五孃, S: 赵五娘, P: Zhào Wǔniáng, W: ''Chao Wu-niang'') who, left destitute when her husband

Cai Yong Cai Yong (Chinese: ; 132–192), courtesy name Bojie, was Chinese astronomer, calligrapher, historian, mathematician, musician, politician, and writer of the Eastern Han dynasty. He was well-versed in calligraphy, music, mathematics and astrono ...

is forced to marry another woman, undertakes a 12-year search for him. During her journey, she plays the pipa of the play's title in order to make a living. The original story sees Zhao killed by a horse and Cai struck by lightning, however in Gao Ming's version the two are eventually reconciled and live out their lives happily. Gao reportedly composed ''The Lute'' over a three-year period of solitary confinement, locking himself in an attic room and wearing down the floorboards by tapping out the rhythms of his songs. ''The Lute'' won considerable critical acclaim amongst Gao's contemporaries, since it raised the popular and somewhat rustic form of Southern folk opera to a high literary standard, and it became a model for Ming dynasty theatre. It was a favourite play of the first Ming Emperor

, who commanded that it be performed every day at court.

Translations

Antoine (A. P. L.) Bazin wrote a French translation in 1841.Birch, p
xvii
This version, titled ''Le Pi-pa-ki ou l'Histoire de Luth'', was published in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

in 1841 by the

Imprimerie Royale IN Group (french: IN Groupe) is a French company specialized in the production of secure documents such as identity cards and passports, which it designs and sells to various governments and companies. It is the continuation of the Imprimerie Na ...

. A group of Chinese students in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

performed an English-language version of the play in 1925, translated by Y.H. Ku and

Liang Shih-chiu Liang Shih-chiu (January 6, 1903 – November 3, 1987), also romanized as Liang Shiqiu, and also known as Liang Chih-hwa (梁治華), was a renowned educator, writer, translator, literary theorist and lexicographer. Biography Liang was born in ...

, and acted by Liang and

Bing Xin Xie Wanying (; October 5, 1900 – February 28, 1999), better known by her pen name Bing Xin () or Xie Bingxin, was one of the most prolific Chinese women writers of the 20th century. Many of her works were written for young readers. She ...

among others.

Vincenz Hundhausen Vincenz Maria Hermann Hundhausen (15 December 1878 – 18 May 1955) was a German who was a German-language professor at Peking University and a translator of Chinese works into German.Walravens, p92 "xi 洪濤生" (footnote) He used the Chinese name ...

wrote a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

translation in 1930.Bieg, p
71
A complete English translation and study by Jean Mulligan appeared in 1980. ''Memoirs of the Guitar'', published in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

in 1928,Liu, Wu-Chi, p
291
is an English-language novel self-described as "A Novel of Conjugal Love, Rewritten from a Chinese Classical Drama". The author was Yu Tinn-Hugh and the publisher was the China Current Weekly Publishing Company.

Adaptations

A 1946 American musical comedy based on the Chinese play, titled ''

Lute Song The term lute song is given to a music style from the late 16th century to early 17th century, late Renaissance to early Baroque, that was predominantly in England and France. Lute songs were generally in strophic form or verse repeating with a h ...

'', was written by

Will Irwin William Henry Irwin (September 14, 1873 – February 24, 1948) was an American author, writer and journalist who was associated with the muckrakers. Early life Irwin was born in 1873 in Oneida, New York. In his early childhood, the Irwin fa ...

and

Sidney Howard Sidney Coe Howard (June 26, 1891 – August 23, 1939) was an American playwright, dramatist and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1925 and a posthumous Academy Award in 1940 for the screenplay for ''Gone with the Wind''. ...

.Birch, p
xvixvii
This adaptation was produced on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

. It starred Yul Brenner and

Mary Martin Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in '' South Pacific'' (194 ...

. Cyril Birch, collaborator in a translation of ''

The Peach Blossom Fan ''The Peach Blossom Fan'' () is a musical play and historical drama in 44 scenes that was completed in 1699 by the early Qing dynasty playwright Kong Shangren after more than 10 years of effort. The play depicts the drama that resulted in ...

'', wrote that presumably the basis of the American play was the A. P. L. Balzin French translation of the Chinese play.

References

*Bieg, Lutz. "Literary translations of the classical lyric and drama in the first half of the 20th century: The "case" of Vincenz Hundhausen (1878-1955)." In: Alleton, Vivianne and Michael Lackner (editors). '' De l'un au multiple: traductions du chinois vers les langues européennes Translations from Chinese into European Languages''. Éditions de la maison des sciences de l'homme (Les Editions de la MSH, ), 1999,

. , 9782735107681. *Birch, Cyril. "Introduction: ''

'' as Southern Drama." In: K'ung, Shang-jen. Translators: Chen, Shih-hsiang and Harold Acton. Collaborator: Birch, Cyril. ''The Peach Blossom Fan'' (''T'ao-hua-shan'').

University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...

, 1976. . * *''Das traditionelle chinesische Theater Vom Mongolendrama bis zur Pekinger Oper'' (Volume 6 of ''Geschichte der chinesischen Literatur'', Wolfgang Kubin, , 9783598245404).

K.G. Saur K. G. Saur Verlag is a German publisher that specializes in reference information for libraries. The publishing house, founded by Karl Saur, is owned by Walter de Gruyter and is based in Munich. In 1987, K. G. Saur was acquired by Reed Intern ...

Walter de Gruyter Walter de Gruyter GmbH, known as De Gruyter (), is a German scholarly publishing house specializing in academic literature. History The roots of the company go back to 1749 when Frederick the Great granted the Königliche Realschule in Be ...

, 2009. , 9783598245435. * Liu, Wu-Chi. ''An Introduction to Chinese Literature''.

Greenwood Publishing Group Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. (GPG), also known as ABC-Clio/Greenwood (stylized ABC-CLIO/Greenwood), is an educational and academic publisher (middle school through university level) which is today part of ABC-Clio. Established in 1967 as Gr ...

, 1990. , 9780313267031. * Tanaka, Issei. ''The Social and Historical Context of Ming-Ch'ing Local Drama'' (Chapter 5). In: Johnson, David, Andrew J. Nathan, and Evelyn S. Rawski (editors). ''Popular Culture in Late Imperial China''.

, 1985. p. 143. , 9780520061729.

Notes

External links

*
The Lute
"
Archive

World Digital Library The World Digital Library (WDL) is an international digital library operated by UNESCO and the United States Library of Congress. The WDL has stated that its mission is to promote international and intercultural understanding, expand the volume ...

*
Gao Ming (c. 1305- c. 1370): Yuefu yushu (Xin qiejing xuan gujin Yuefu gundiao xinci yushu ying) / Pipa ji
" - 1599 illustrated version at the

Royal Danish Library The Royal Library ( da, Det Kongelige Bibliotek) in Copenhagen is the national library of Denmark and the university library of the University of Copenhagen. It is among the largest libraries in the world and the largest in the Nordic countries ...

* French translation of ''Lute Song'' by A.P.L. Bazin: *
Version on the

Hathi Trust Digital Library HathiTrust Digital Library is a large-scale collaborative repository of digital content from research libraries including content digitized via Google Books and the Internet Archive digitization initiatives, as well as content digitized locally ...

*
PDF versionArchive
an
Word versionArchive
** On

Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical c ...

: *** No. 1: Gao, Ming. Translator: Bazin, Antoine-Pierre-Louis.
Le pi-pa-ki: ou, L'histoire du Luth : drame chinois de Kao-Tong-Kia représenté à Péking, en 1404 avec les changements de Mao-Tseu
'. (original document from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

) L'Imprimerie royale, 1841. *** No. 2: Gao, Ming. Translator: Bazin, Antoine-Pierre-Louis.
Le pi-pa-ki: ou, L'histoire du Luth : drame chinois de Kao-Tong-Kia représenté à Péking, en 1404 avec les changements de Mao-Tseu
'. (original document from

) L'Imprimerie royale, 1841. *
Other Stories--"Tale of the Pipa"
"

National Palace Museum The National Palace Museum (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Kwet-li̍p kù-kiung pok-vu̍t-yèn), is a museum in Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan). It has a permanent collection of nearly 700,000 pieces of Chinese artifacts and artworks, many of which wer ...

. * {{in lang, fr Info page:
Kao-tong-kia : Le Pi-pa-ki, ou l'Histoire du luth
"
Archive
''La Bibliothèque numérique sur la Chine ancienne''. Ming dynasty plays Plays set in the 2nd century