Courtesans and Opium by Anonymous

Author:Anonymous
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LIT008010, Literary Criticism/Asian/Chinese, HIS008000, History/Asia/China
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2009-06-23T00:00:00+00:00

Male and female they mingle together—

It’s partly for worship, partly delight.

With clouds up above, the hills vivid green,

The moon on the water, ripples of light.

Lanterns shining skyward, the beat of oars;

There’s wine and song in the taverns all night.

They gather on purpose to honor Guanyin;

This Yangzhou is truly a festive sight!

The brothers paid for the tea and tobacco in the pavilion, and everyone boarded the boat again. By the time they had returned to Little Gold Hill and Peach Blossom Temple and enjoyed the sights there, the sun had set and all the pleasure boats had lit up. The lake was filled with lamplight, which reflected on the water like a thousand strips of flaming silk or a myriad sunset rays. Mooring the boat at a lively spot, they set the table for dinner and played guess-fingers. The boys of the band had their supper in the lantern boat and played and sang in the cabin, then circled their boat and hailed the other boats, which also began playing music and competing with them in song. When the lantern boat had hailed a dozen or more boats, it pulled alongside their boat, and the boys who played the male and female leads in the opera came aboard and toasted the passengers, played guess-fingers with them, and also sang two popular songs. Lu Shu rewarded them with four silver dollars, and they withdrew to the lantern boat, which their boatman continued to row back and forth. It was the fourth watch before the pleasure boats began to go back under Rainbow Bridge.

By this time the sworn brothers were worn out with partying, and they told the boatman to head slowly back to the Tianning Gate dock. When they arrived, the chairs of the Qiang Da courtesans were already there waiting for them. The courtesans clung to their lovers and asked to be taken home. The lovers nodded, and everyone collected his or her belongings and handed the toys, jasmine, and tuberoses to a servant to carry. Then they took leave of Lu Shu and Fragrance and got into their chairs and went as far as the Tianning Gate. Outside the guardhouse they saw two foreign-style lanterns belonging to the northern headquarters of the Yangzhou garrison. An officer and a few soldiers from the garrison were there to keep order. On this day the gate was open, and they went through it to Qiang Da’s.

Lu Shu and Fragrance collected their belongings and went ashore with Cloud and Lute. An endless stream of people was passing by. At Tianning Gate there was a kiosk offering free tea. It had a matting roof from which four split-bamboo lanterns hung bearing the words “Make Friends with Tea.” A number of country people, both men and women, were heading to the temple to worship. Others were standing in front of the kiosk drinking tea, while still others, tired out from all their walking, were sitting on the ground eating watermelons, cantaloupes, and dry rations. But Lu Shu was in no mood to look at any of them.

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