The Drunken Man’s Talk: Tales from Medieval China

239 Pages·2015·1.1 MB·English

by  Alister D. Inglis

THE
DRUNKEN
MAN’S
TALK
COMPILED BY LUO YE

THE
DRUNKEN
MAN’S
TALK
TALES FROM
MEDIEVAL CHINA
COMPILED BY LUO YE
TRANSLATED AND INTRODUCED BY ALISTER D. INGLIS
University of Washington Press
Seattle and London
© 2015 by the University of Washington Press
Printed and bound in the United States of America
Design by Thomas Eykemans
Composed in Minion, typeface designed by Robert Slimbach
18 17 16 15 5 4 3 2 1
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage
or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
University of Washington Press
www.washington.edu/uwpress
Library of Congress CataLoging-in-PUbLiCation Data
Luo, Ye, author.
 [Works. Selections. English]
 The drunken man’s talk : tales from medieval China / compiled by Luo Ye ;
translated by Alister D. Inglis.
  p.  cm.
 Includes bibliographical references.
 isbn 978-0-295-99473-4 (hardcover : acid-free paper)
 i. Inglis, Alister David, 1963– translator. ii. Title.
 PL2687.L86a2 2015
 895.18′4209—dc23 2014049528
The paper used in this publication is acid-free and meets the minimum requirements of American
National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials,
ansi Z39.48–1984. ∞
Dedicated to the memory of my mother,
Joan Isobel Inglis,
and my father,
Robert Hamilton Inglis

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments xiii
Translator’s Introduction xv
The Drunken Man’s Talk
1 AN ACCOUNT OF THE PLOWMEN OF THE TONGUE . . . . . . . . 3
Preface to Storytelling (Equally Suitable for the Recitation
of Historical Material and Sutras) 3
The Beginnings of Storytelling 6
2 A LEGAL CASE INVOLVING ILLICIT LOVE . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Miss Zhang Elopes with Lü Xingge in the Night 10
3 ROMANTIC UNION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Lin Shumao Elopes with Miss Chu 18
Jingnü Has an Affair with Chen Yanchen 21
Wang Gangzhong of Xiantai’s Witty Verdict 23
4 WOMEN’S VERSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
The Poem inside the Robe Made by a Tang Palace Lady 25
Mistress Zhen of Jinling Has Poetic Talent 26
Han Yufu, Looking for Her Husband,
Writes a Poem at Mokoupu 26
Mistress Qian of Gusu Returns to Her Homeland
and Leaves a Poem on a Wall by the Road 27
Mistress Wu Sends Her Husband a Song 30
Mistress Wang Responds with a Poem to Upperclassman Wu 31
A Six-Year-Old Composes Poetry 32
5 HUMOROUS TALES FROM A PRECIOUS WINDOW . . . . . . . 33
Huang Jichong Does Not Exchange Wives due to Rank 33
They Become a Couple Thanks to Their Brother and Sister 35
When Receiving a Female Slave, One Cannot but Verify 36
A Monk’s Ill Fortune Proves Good 38
6 VERITABLE RECORDS FROM THE RED-LIGHT DISTRICT. . . . . 40
Liu Qiqing of Tuntian 40
Liu Satirizes Master Zhang’s Infatuation for a Courtesan 40
Three Courtesans Accost Liu to Compose Poetry 42
Liu Qiqing Responds with a Lyric to the Courtesan
Named Song Yu 44
7 RECORDS FROM THE RED-LIGHT DISTRICT . . . . . . . . . . 46
Introducing the Lanes and Alleyways of Pingkang 46
Notes on Courtesans and Their Adoptive “Mothers” 47
The Courtesans Pay Regular Visits to the Baotang Temple 48
Master Zheng Gives a Poem to Zhao Jiangzhen 49
Daoxian Had Been Renowned for Poetry since Childhood 49
Pan Qiong’er’s House Is Most Sumptuous 50
The Candles in Denu’s House Exude Exotic Fragrance 51
8 HUMOROUS QUIPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Laughing at the Lecherous  53
Du Zhenglun Derides Ren Huai’s Fear of His Wife 54
Deriding Those Who Know Not Shame 54
Deriding Those Who Supply Insufficient Wine
for Drunkenness  55
Women’s Jealousy 55
A Husband Ridicules His Wife’s Dark Skin 56
Deriding One Whose Face Resembles an Ape 56
Wang Cigong Borrows a Mule to Berate a Monk 57
Misreading a Line from an Old-Fashioned Poet 57
9 THE CHARACTERISTICS OF LADIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
10 POEMS ABOUT LADIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
11 ROMANTIC UNION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Introduction to Liang Yiniang and Master Li’s Song and Poetry 71
The Brief Note that Yiniang Gave Master Li 72
Two Poems Given to Master Li by Yiniang 73
The Reply that Yiniang Gave Master Li 73
The Song of Longing that Yiniang Gave Master Li 74
A Poem in the Fu Style that Yiniang Gave Master Li 75
12 EXTRAORDINARY ENCOUNTERS WITH IMMORTALS . . . . . . 78
Zhao Xu Wins the Lady of Green Youth for His Wife 78
Xue Zhao Takes Yunrong to Be His Wife 82
Guo Han Wins the Weaver Maid for His Wife 84
Feng Zhi Resists Destiny with an Immortal Maid 87
13 VIRTUOUS WOMEN OF THE INNER QUARTERS. . . . . . . . . 90
The Virtues of Lady Diao 90
Scrupulous Mistress Cao Refuses a Handout 93
Teaching One’s Child Wisely 93
Encouraging One’s Husband to Study 94
Filial Piety through Serving One’s Mother-in-Law Is Rewarded 94
Daoyun’s Talent and Rhetorical Prowess 95
14 LEGAL CASES INVOLVING WITTY VERDICTS . . . . . . . . . . 96
The Grand Councilor Tries the Case of Li Chunniang  96
Zhang Kui Passes His Verdict in a Lyric  97
A Ruling in the Case of Ji Shinu’s Request to Lead
an Honest Life  97
Ruling that a Prostitute Become a Wife  98
A Ruling in the Case of a Warrant Requested by a Courtesan  98
The Magistrate of Fusha Retains a Courtesan  99
A Divorce Ruling Due to the Husband’s Having Absconded  99
His Honor Huang Judges Mistress Dai for Criticizing
Her Husband 100
Su Zizhan Convicts a Monk Who Consorted with a Prostitute  100