|
Synopsis : Ye Yan / The Night Banquet
Scene I : At dusk on the estate of Han Xizai, a respected minister and statesman of the Southern Tang dynasty. A banquet is planned for the evening. Hongzhu, his first concubine, serves him tea, sets out the zithers, and questions the fates using a pair of slippers : the sign of thunder appears. First interlude : Night. Li Yu, last emperor of the Southern Tang dynasty, awaits Princess Zhou, his wife's younger sister. He recites poetry, dances gracefully and imitates a female voice. He orders two painters, Gu Hongzhong and Zhou Wenju, to spy on Han Xizai, the man who he is considering naming Prime Minister. Scene II : Night. Han Xizai's house is brilliantly lit. An attendant announces the guests arriving. The guests sing a hymn. Hongzhu dances for Han Xizai, who pretends to lead a life of idle pleasure so as to tarnish his reputation and thus avoid being associated with an Emperor whom he suspects will be condemned by History. Gu Hongzhong and Zhou Wenju are shocked by the behavior of such a cultured man. Their painting of the feast will bear witness to it. Second interlude : Midnight. All is calm. Li Yu foresees the end of his empire. A ghost of Han Xizai appears. The quotations from the Book of Changes, evoke, through the image of the path of the sun, the rise and fall of the ruler. Scene III : Inside Han Xizai's residence. At night. The guests are drunk. The painters express their astonishment to Hongzhu at her master's behavior, which they see as an offense to to the Empire. Scene of drunkeness. The two painters exit, furious. Third interlude : Dressed in a white robe, looking at the sky, Li Yu sings of the decline and decline of the Empire : Henceforth, my life will be nothing but an eternal regret. Scene IV : Han Xizai awakens afther the night of the banquet with no recollection. To Hongzhu he reaffirms his refusal to serve the Emperor. Epilogue : All characters sing Li Yu's poem Yumeiren. |
