[第四幕，第一场] [ACT IV, SCENE I] 田母家的庭院如今已改建为仪式宴会场。华丽的旗帜在微风中轻轻飘扬。一张漆桌居中，摆满了美味佳肴——座位按严格的等级排列：萨顿居首，大郎与巴希拉分列左右，官员们位于下座。其后是一座高台，田母身穿沾满污渍的厨娘长袍伫立其上，铁骨如刀锋般站在她身旁。远处战鼓如垂死心脏般低沉跳动。
The courtyard of Tiān Mǔ’s house, now transformed into a ceremonial banquet ground. Ornate banners flap gently in the breeze. A lacquered table dominates, set with delicacies—yet the seats are arranged in strict hierarchy: Sàtǔn at the head, Dà Láng and Bǎ Xī Lā at her right and left, lesser officials below. Behind them, a dais where Tiān Mǔ stands, dressed in the stained robes of a cook. Tiě Gū looms beside her, a shadow sharp as a blade. Distant war drums pulse like a dying heart.
萨顿、达朗（面容憔悴，玉色肌肤上缠绕着黑色血管）、巴希拉（笑容过于灿烂）、朝臣与可汗使者依次入座。他们落座——不知不觉间重现了双胞胎的最后晚餐。 Enter Sàtǔn, Dà Láng (sickly, her jade-pale skin threaded with black veins), Bǎ Xī Lā (smiling too wide), Courtiers, and the Khagan’s Envoy. They take their seats—unknowingly mirroring the Twins’ last supper.
萨屯 / SÀTǓN.
（冷笑）泥土地上的盛宴？真是……粗鄙。伟大的天牧竟然把她的剑换成了一把勺子？
(Sneering.) A feast in the dirt? How… rustic. Has the great Tiān Mǔ traded her sword for a ladle? 铁骨 / TIĚ GŪ.
（冷冷地）将军今晚提供的是款待，而不是荣耀。
(Coldly.) The General serves hospitality tonight—not glory.
（巴希拉勉强地笑了笑。达朗摇摇晃晃地捂着腹部。仆人们端上热气腾腾的饺子，皮上沾满了浓汤。） (Bǎ Xī Lā chuckles nervously. Dà Láng sways, clutching her stomach. Servants bring steaming dumplings, their skins glossy with broth.)
天母 / TIĀN MǓ.
（鞠躬，声音如丧钟。）这位卑微老妇感谢各位的到来。正如每场宴席中所言, 愿暴君之肉，从其骨上剥落。
(Bowing, voice like a funeral gong.) This humble old woman thanks you for partaking. As they say at every feast, may the flesh of tyrants fall from their bones. （客人们开始吃饭。巴希拉吃得很卖力。达朗脸色苍白，满头大汗，却一动不动。）
(The guests begin to eat. Bǎ Xī Lā eats with forced gusto. Dà Láng, pale and sweating, does not touch her plate.) 萨屯 / SÀTǓN. 天牧，你为何乔装打扮？一个衣衫褴褛的将军？
Even a general must soil their hands to win honor. [Pause.] Tell me, Empress: Do you remember the legend of General Kǒng Jū? How she smothered her own child after she failed to avenge her? 萨屯 / SÀTǓN.
（漫不经心地）当然。失败就要承担后果。一个连自己孩子都保护不好的母亲，简直就是一头野兽。
(Casually.) Of course. Failure demands consequence. A mother who cannot protect her own is little more than a beast. 天母 / TIĀN MǓ. 我同意。
(Tiān Mǔ claps. Two attendants enter, half-dragging the body of Tiān Yòu, barely alive, with qi-binding talismans plastered to his face and chest. His limbs twitch grotesquely. Gasps ripple through the crowd.)
天母 / TIĀN MǓ.
（轻声）我的儿子，我唯一的儿子。灵魂和筋骨都被玷污了，而我们——我——却什么也没做。
(Softly.) My son, my only boy. Defiled in soul and sinew and we—I—did nothing.
（客人们继续吃饭。达朗犹豫了一下，咬了一口……然后干呕起来，筷子发出咔哒咔哒的声音。）
(The guests resume eating. Dà Láng hesitates, takes a bite … then gags, her chopsticks clattering.)
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG.
这味道——！
This taste—!
天母 / TIĀN MǓ.
（微笑）公主，您认得它吗？
(Smiling.) Do you recognize it, Princess?
（倒吸一口气。皇后僵住了，半嚼的饺子从她的嘴唇上滴落下来。）
(Gasps. The Empress freezes, a half-chewed dumpling dripping from her lips.)
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG.
（不是问题。）我的女儿们——
(Not a question.) My daughters—
天母 / TIĀN MǓ.
（平静地）母亲应该知道自己血液的味道。
(Calmly.) A mother should know the taste of her own blood. 萨屯 / SÀTǓN. （吐食物。）亵渎！这是……亵渎！
(Turning in alarm.) Hold on, we’ll get help! 天母 / TIĀN MǓ. 哦，是的，正义即将到来。
Oh yes, justice is coming. （一片混乱。群臣呕吐。可汗使者哀号。达朗尖叫起来，腹部膨胀、破裂，流出腐烂和焦黑的内脏。她在哀号中死去，尸体仍在咀嚼自己的舌头。天牧转身对着巴希拉吐口水。）
(Chaos erupts. Courtiers vomit. The Khagan’s envoy wails. Dà Láng screams as her belly swells, splits— spilling corruption and blackened viscera. She dies mid-wail, her corpse still chewing its own tongue. Tiān Mǔ turns and spits on Bǎ Xī Lā.)
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ
（干呕着，向后退去）不——不，这不是——！我才不——！
(Retching, scrambling back.) No—no, this isn’t—! I never—!
（巴希拉转身逃离了院子。他的十字架掉在地上，摔得粉碎。没有人阻止他。） (Bǎ Xī Lā turns and flees from the courtyard. His cross clatters to the ground—shattering. No one stops him.)
天母 / TIĀN MǓ.
（在他身后喊道）快跑，神父。你的末日已经把你抛弃在你的盛宴残渣里了！
(Calling after him.) Run, priest. Your apocalypse has abandoned you in the crumbs of your feast! （铁古向前迈步，拔出刀子跟随，但天牧举起了一只手。）
(Tiě Gū steps forward, drawing her blade to follow, but Tiān Mǔ raises a hand.) 天母 / TIĀN MǓ. 不，让他跑吧……现在。
(Tiān Mǔ walks to her son. Gently, she touches his brow. Then she tears the talismans free. Tiān Yòu’s corpse exhales—a sigh like a thousand dead crickets—then crumbles to dust. The wind carries him away.)
萨屯 / SÀTǓN.
（站起来，气得浑身发抖）你以为这样就能证明你正义？你不过是这腐败世界中另一团腐肉！
(Rises, trembling with rage.) You think this proves you are righteous? You are just another piece of rotten meat in this corrupt world!
(A beat of silence falls over the courtyard as Dà Láng’s corrupted corpse twitches one last time. Then, from beyond the walls: a cry of horns. The sound of hooves. War drums. Enter Tiě Yīng, bloodied but victorious, followed by a battalion of Mongol warriors and rogue border generals.)
铁英 / TIĚ YĪNG. 城门敞开。天命已然在此腐朽。我们不征服——我们只是扫荡。
The city gates lie open. The Mandate of Heaven has rotted here. We do not conquer—we scour. 萨屯 / SÀTǓN.
（挑衅地）你竟敢把外国狗带进我的宫里？
(Defiant.) You dare bring foreign dogs into my court? 铁英 / TIĚ YĪNG. 狗？也许吧。但我们还是会咬人。
Dogs? Perhaps. But we still bite. （萨顿咆哮着，猛扑过去——但一支蒙古长矛刺穿了她的喉咙。她在咯咯的笑声中死去，鲜血溅满了宴会桌。她的身体倒在达朗身边。）
(Sàtǔn snarls, lunging—but a Mongol spear pierces her throat. She dies gurgling laughter, her blood splattering the banquet table. Her body collapses beside Dà Láng.) 铁英 / TIĚ YĪNG. 暴君已死，唯有风暴残存。而风暴，从不请求许可。
The tyrant is dead and only the storm remains. And storms do not ask permission. （铁引望向巴希拉逃出的宫门。）
(Tiě Yīn looks toward the palace gates where Bǎ Xī Lā fled.) 天母 / TIĀN MǓ. 我还有一道菜要上。
I have one more course to serve. （天牧甩开围裙，拔出武器，用一只好手将残链绑在手腕上。）
(Tiān Mǔ tosses aside her apron and draws out her weapon. Her one good hand straps her stump-chain to her wrist.)
A single bell chimes. The stage is bare save for a platform, center, upon which rest two bundles, wrapped in white cloth tied with red ceremonial cord. The silence holds. Tiān Mǔ enters in white general’s robes, flanked by Tiě Gū and Tiě Yīng. She walks slowly, then kneels in front of Sàtǔn and the royal court.
天母 / TIĀN MǓ. “太平之年，臣执此剑，以彰武德。
战乱之时，臣以血饲之。帝国之下——唯忠而已。
今臣之忠义遭疑，剑锈心枯……
然若老朽一臂，可洗吾女之辱……
则不必多言。“
“In times of peace, I held this sword with honor. In war, I fed it blood. Under the empire, there is only loyalty. Now my loyalty is doubted, my sword is rusted and my heart is withered… But if my old arm can still wash away the shame of my daughter… then there is no need to say more.”
[She washes her hands in the basin. A pause. Then, unsheathing her blade, she steadies it with one hand on the ground. She wraps her left wrist with white silk, braces and swiftly cuts off her own hand. A sharp exhale. The hand falls into the basin. Blood swirls in water. She bows forward, kowtows, forehead touching the floor.]
天母 / TIĀN MǓ [cont.] “为帝国。为仁慈。为陛下。“
“For the Empire. For Mercy. For you, my Empress.”
[萨屯起身，神色慵懒。她踱至台前，审视包裹，忽莞尔一笑。 ]
[Sàtǔn stands, slow and unbothered. She approaches the dais, examining the bundles. Then, with the barest smile, she speaks.]
萨屯 / SÀTǓN. “一臂？将军，朕要的是忠心, 而非残羹。“
“Just one hand, General? I asked for loyalty, not leftovers.”
[She gestures, and an Attendant silently unties one of the cloth bundles. The audience sees nothing—only Tiān Mǔ’s face. Her expression freezes, then shatters.]
萨屯 / SÀTǓN [cont.]
“朕赐你双礼……合该感激才是。她们的头颅, 沉甸甸的，压着羞耻。朕已为尔…… 轻如鸿毛。“ “I have given you two gifts… you should be grateful. Their heads were heavy, weighed down with shame. I have made them… as light as a feather.”
[天母凝望包裹，面色骤僵，形同槁木。腕间滴血无声。铁鹰缓步上前。]
[Tiān Mǔ says nothing. She does not scream. She does not move. Her severed wrist drips blood onto the floor. Tiě Yīng steps forward slowly.]
铁影 / TIĚ YĪNG. “这就是帝国对待女儿的方式吗？“
“Is this how empire honors its daughters?”
[萨屯不答，含笑携众退场。铁鹰跪于天母身侧，视血刃与朱绳包裹。]
[Sàtǔn does not respond. She smiles, turns, and exits with the Court, leaving the bundles behind. Tiě Yīng kneels beside Tiān Mǔ, who still kneels, broken. She looks to the blood, the sword, the silent cloth-covered heads.]
“There is no place for me to stand here. Not in your majesty’s palace, not in the ancestral temple, not on the battlefield. What my mother taught me, I will always remember –– but it is definitely not… for this empire.”
[她拾起血刃，如抱婴孩，下。天母独跪，静默如渊。]
[She picks up the bloodied sword, cradles it like a child, and exits. Tiān Mǔ remains kneeling in silence.]
A private chamber in the inner palace. Shadowed silk screens. Incense drifts like ghosts. Outside: ritual gongs, muffled chanting—the execution of Tiě Xuè and Tiě Lián proceeds without interruption. Inside: stillness, sacred and wrong. Time bends. A hush. Bǎ Xī Lā kneels in meditation beside Dà Láng, who wears only thin silken robes, flushed and expectant. A bronze brazier flickers with violet flame. Scrolls unfurl like tongues. A bowl of cinnabar ink bleeds across the floor.
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ.
[轻语] “此处唯你我。星宿亦阖目——
似这九天十地……不敢窥伺。”
[Whispering] “It’s just you and me here. The stars are also closed ––
just like the nine heavens and ten earths… dare not peek.”
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG.
“苍天何曾容得……情人欢好？”
[褪去外袍，仰卧祭坛，闭目]
“快些，郎君。妾身……已难耐。”
“How can heaven allow… lovers to enjoy each other?” [Slips off her robes, lies on the altar with her eyes closed] “Hurry up, my love. I can’t wait anymore.”
[长寂。她睁眼。巴悉拉伫立如石，唇动无声，诵念畸变经文——喉音沉浊，似古庙残碑之语。]
[Long silence. She opens her eyes. Bǎ Xī Lā stands like stone, fully clothed, lips moving. The words are twisted scripture—glottal, guttural—spoken in a broken, holy tongue older than any temple.]
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ.
“此妇当为吾怒之器，备以毁殁。“
“She shall be for Me a vessel of wrath, prepared for destruction.”
[炉火骤燃。屏风影动，如逃如窜。]
[The brazier flares. Shadows crawl up the silk screens, as if fleeing.]
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ [续]
“首当净器。
其额题名：奥秘哉，大巴比伦，娼妓与地上可憎物之母。“
“First, we anoint the vessel.
And upon her forehead was a name written: Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth.”
[他捧起朱砂墨碗，以颤指绘经咒于大狼肌肤——腹、胸、腿。字迹隐泛幽光。]
[He lifts the bowl of cinnabar ink. With trembling fingers, he paints sutras in black and rust-red across Dà Láng’s skin—belly, breasts, thighs. They glow faintly.]
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ [续]
“吾言岂非如火，亦如击磐之锤？“
“Is not My word like fire, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”
[他将一柄浸透腐煞的玉刃掷入火中。刃嘶鸣，泣血，渗黑。大狼喘息渐促——如堕幻境。]
[He places a jade dagger, black with corruption, into the flame. It hisses. Screams. Bleeds blackness. Dà Láng’s breath quickens—entranced.]
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ.
[柔声，几近爱怜]
“产门已闭。
‘地开口，吞没妇人与其神裔。‘
今吾当启新门。“
[Softly, almost tender.] “The mouth of birth is closed. ‘The earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the woman and her seed.’ Now I will open a new gate.”
[Before she can move, the dagger plunges. The sound of flesh bursting apart. Blood hisses onto her breasts, her thighs, the altar stone. Her body arches in shock. No moans of ecstasy, only pain. Then his palm presses to her navel. A twisting, wet sound——like flesh folding back upon itself. Her belly splits, not by blade nor wound, but like a flower blooming into teeth. A gaping, glowing maw opens, wet, obscene, hungry. Dà Láng screams.]
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ [续]
“彼倾魂至死……与罪同列。“
“He poured out His soul unto death… and was numbered among the transgressors.”
[From his robe, Bǎ Xī Lā removes a burning heart—still pulsing, riddled with veins of silver qi. He pours it into her, into the maw. The chanting outside grows frantic. As the last of the qi is spent, the heart withers to ash. The glow dims. The vagina dentata closes like swirling sand in the desert.]
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ [续]
“人将称其为可憎之母。彼将再孕，产兽。”
“They will call her mother of abominations. She will conceive once more, and it shall be a beast.”
[大狼瘫倒——汗濡身颤，血污狼藉，目眦欲裂。]
[Dà Láng falls back—drenched in sweat, shaking, bleeding, terrified.]
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG.
[喘促]
“冷极——
不——灼如焚……此为何物？“
[Gasping] It’s cold— No—it burns … what is it?
[巴悉拉漠然掷袍掩其残躯。仪毕。他目中已无她。]
[Almost absently, Bǎ Xī Lā tosses her robes across her ruined body. The ceremony is over. His eyes are empty of her now.]
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ.
[自语] “彼已成魔居，聚万秽灵，囚诸不洁憎鸟之笼。“
[朗声] “盘绕之暗。
汝已成终焉之杯。“
[To himself.] “She is become the habitation of devils, the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” [Aloud.] The coiled dark. You are now the chalice of ending.
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG.
[气若游丝]
“妾觉……其已动。此刻便动。“
[barely above a whisper] “I feel… it moving. Already.”
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ.
“待皇后啖女肉，
待尸月裂，
待五毒蔽天——
其将破汝而出。”
When the Empress eats the flesh of her daughters, when the corpse-moon cracks, when the heavens darken with five poisons— then it will crawl free.
[地底深处，古物蠢动。非肺所生之呻，无名之饥。]
[Far below, something ancient shifts in the roots of the earth. A moan not born of lungs. A hunger without name.]
[他走向殿门。外间法锣一声——铁炼命绝。他驻足，回望。]
[He walks to the door. Outside, a ritual gong sounds—Tiě Lián’s death. He pauses. Looks back once.]
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG.
[恍惚呢喃]
“妾身……将为彼之母。
吾儿。
吾儿。
吾儿。“
[dazed, whispering] “I … will be his mother. Our son. Our son. Our son.”
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ.
[低语]
“然。
亦为……首飨。“
[to himself] “Yes. And its first meal.”
֍
第三幕，第二场 [Act III, Scene II]
“天转其面，唯有鬼魂凝视。“
“Heaven turns its face, only ghosts stay to watch.”
Before crumbling gate of Tiān Mǔ’s residence. A cold wind blows. Dà Láng, Lán Dú and Hēi Dú enter, masked as the god and judges of the dead: Xuè Shà Xīng, Bái Wúcháng and Hēi Wúchāng. Their costumes reek of funeral incense and madness. They wear cracked opera masks. They pound on the door with ceremonial staffs –– one with a noose, the other with a bronze yang inscribed with the inscription of a lustful ghost. Dà Láng holds a black lantern dripping with putrid liquid. The air is filled with the smell of ash and moldy silk.
天母 / TIĀN MǓ.
[自高窗窥下。] “何人叩门？血煞星？本将不需神明,我即复仇！“ [铁链残腕铿然作响。]
[Peering down from an upper window.]
“Who dares knock? Xuè Shà Xīng? I need no goddess. I am vengeance!”
[Rattles her stump-chain.]
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG.
[覆面低语] “吾乃血煞星，踏血途而来。此二者，白无常与黑无常。“
[Veiled.]
“I am Xuè Shà Xīng, who walks the blood-red path. These are my judges: Bái and Hēi Wúchāng.”
天母 / TIĀN MǓ.
[眯眼] “倒也巧合。地府判官，竟生得像那蛇妇的孽种。“
[Squinting.]
“How convenient. The Judges of Hell, who just happen to look like the Viper’s whelps.”
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ.
[扮白无常] “谁斩鹿首于少女之坛？“
[As Bái Wúchāng.]
“Who beheaded the deer on the altar of girlhood?”
黑毒 / HĒI DÚ.
[扮黑无常] “谁碎珠门而听血之歌？“
[As Hēi Wúchāng.]
“Who cracked the pearl-gate and laughed as the blood sang?”
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG.
“谁以箫塞喉，却谓之合卺之乐？“
“Who silenced her with a flute and called it a wedding song?”
[Falling to her knees, sobbing a little too loudly.]
“Please! I beg you! Please … do not leave me here! Alone! Full of regrets! All my work undone!… Let me say goodbye to my Empress, her Consort, my sister, my Iron Mountain Blades …”
“Look at her, she’s pathetic. This isn’t as fun as I was hoping. Wouldn’t it be a whole lot more delicious to humiliate her in front of the whole Court? She might even piss herself in fright! Everyone will laugh at that.”
[To Tiān Mǔ.]
“Miserable soul! What would you give to say goodbye to your Empress one last time?”
“Wretched mortal! The Judges of Hell are in a rare and kind mood. I will prepare a banquet to celebrate your life, your bravery, your accomplishments. I will invite all the living and all the souls of your daughters who have gone to Hell before you.”
天母 / TIĀN MǓ.
[伏地叩谢] “谢天！谢地！谢你们！“ [呼喊] “姐姐——快出来听我赐福！“
[Groveling on the floor.]
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
[Calls.]
“Tiě Gū! Sister! Come out here and hear my blessing!”
[铁姑进来，一脸震惊。她像看疯子一样看着大郎、蓝毒和黑毒，却什么也没说。]
[Tiě Gū enters, visibly stunned. She stares at Dà Láng, Lán Dú, and Hēi Dú as if they’ve lost their minds, but says nothing.]
天母 / TIĀN MǓ.
[仍然跪着。] “看！看！我不用像个懦夫一样悲惨地死去了！谢谢你！“
[Still kneeling.] “Look! Look! I won’t have to die like some wretched coward! Thank you!” [大郎微笑着退场。一阵长长沉默，房间里的气氛变得阴冷阴森。天牧站起身，缓缓转身，面对双胞胎。]
[Dà Láng exits with a smile. A long silence settles; the air in the room turns cold and grim. Tiān Mǔ rises and slowly turns to face the Twins.]
[Tiān Mǔ punches Lán Dú, whose mask flies off. Tiě Gū smashes Hēi Dú’s mask, tearing it clean down the center. The Twins collapse—gasping, thrashing. Their hands are bound with funeral cord. Tiān Mǔ strings them up like butchered deer from blood-soaked bamboo. Their meridians are traced in cinnabar: a map of agony. ]
蓝毒/ LÁN DÚ.
“傻瓜！我们才是法官——“
“Fool! We are the Judges of –“
铁姑/ TIĚ GŪ.
“真的吗？“[吐口水。] “你们是白痴。“
“Really?” [Spits.] “You’re idiots.”
黑毒/ HĒI DÚ.
[惊慌。] “我们是公主的女儿！“
[Urgently.] “We’re the daughters of the Imperial Consort!”
天母 / TIĀN MǓ.
“你是生肉。”
“You’re raw meat.”
蓝毒/ LÁN DÚ. [惊慌失措,疯狂的盯着黑都。] “当我们出生时,助产士说——“
[Panicked and wide-eyed, staring at Hēi Dú wildly.] “When we were born, the midwife said—” 黑毒/ HĒI DÚ. “‘两条蛇，来自同一个蛋。‘”
“—’two snakes, from the same egg.'” 天母 / TIĀN MǓ. “不，这是我亲爱的儿子说的。你对他做的比杀了他还要糟糕。现在，他会审判你们俩。“
“No. That was what my beloved son said. What you did to him was worse than death. Now he will judge you both.”
[Tiān Yòu enters barefoot and silent. His eyes are clouded, his face marked with spirit-binding talismans. He carries a wide bronze basin etched with Zhou Dynasty execution rites. His nails are stained black, crusted with grave-dirt.] TIĀN YÒU.
[To the Twins.] “This was your mother’s brilliant plan? The daughters of the woman who hollowed out my womb? Who smiled as my family was butchered? You thought being born into silk and poison would save you? No. Let your fear now be your mother’s silence.” [她举起杀戮之刃。空气变得凝重。雷声低沉。她的眼睛反射着微弱的血光。] [She raises the killing blade. The air thickens. Thunder murmurs. Her eyes glow faintly with reflected bloodlight.] 天母 / TIĀN MǓ. “仇…仇…仇…“ “Revenge… Revenge… Revenge…” [田牧割断了两个女孩的喉咙。鲜血从她们的脖子喷涌而出，染红了水盆、墙壁和地板。‘复仇‘二字鲜血淋漓，如同伤口般跳动。舞台外，一群幽灵般的女人一遍又一遍地低声念叨着这个词。]
[Tiān Mǔ slices both throats. Blood arcs from their necks, painting the basin, the walls, the floor in living strokes. The character ‘仇‘ bleeds itself into being, pulsing like a wound. Somewhere offstage, a chorus of ghostly women whisper the word over and over.] 合唱/ CHORUS. “仇…仇…仇…“ “Revenge… Revenge… Revenge…” ֍
A private chamber in the inner palace. Shadowed silk screens. Incense drifts like ghosts. Outside: ritual gongs, muffled chanting—the execution of Tiě Xuè and Tiě Lián proceeds without interruption. Inside: stillness, sacred and wrong. Time bends. A hush. Bǎ Xī Lā kneels in meditation beside Dà Láng, who wears only thin silken robes, flushed and expectant. A bronze brazier flickers with violet flame. Scrolls unfurl like tongues. A bowl of cinnabar ink bleeds across the floor.
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ.
[轻语] “此处唯你我。星宿亦阖目——
似这九天十地……不敢窥伺。”
[Whispering] “It’s just you and me here. The stars are also closed ––
just like the nine heavens and ten earths… dare not peek.”
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG.
“苍天何曾容得……情人欢好？”
[褪去外袍，仰卧祭坛，闭目]
“快些，郎君。妾身……已难耐。”
“How can heaven allow… lovers to enjoy each other?” [Slips off her robes, lies on the altar with her eyes closed] “Hurry up, my love. I can’t wait anymore.”
[长寂。她睁眼。巴悉拉伫立如石，唇动无声，诵念畸变经文——喉音沉浊，似古庙残碑之语。]
[Long silence. She opens her eyes. Bǎ Xī Lā stands like stone, fully clothed, lips moving. The words are twisted scripture—glottal, guttural—spoken in a broken, holy tongue older than any temple.]
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ.
“此妇当为吾怒之器，备以毁殁。“
“She shall be for Me a vessel of wrath, prepared for destruction.”
[炉火骤燃。屏风影动，如逃如窜。]
[The brazier flares. Shadows crawl up the silk screens, as if fleeing.]
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ [续]
“首当净器。
其额题名：奥秘哉，大巴比伦，娼妓与地上可憎物之母。“
“First, we anoint the vessel.
And upon her forehead was a name written: Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth.”
[他捧起朱砂墨碗，以颤指绘经咒于大狼肌肤——腹、胸、腿。字迹隐泛幽光。]
[He lifts the bowl of cinnabar ink. With trembling fingers, he paints sutras in black and rust-red across Dà Láng’s skin—belly, breasts, thighs. They glow faintly.]
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ [续]
“吾言岂非如火，亦如击磐之锤？“
“Is not My word like fire, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”
[他将一柄浸透腐煞的玉刃掷入火中。刃嘶鸣，泣血，渗黑。大狼喘息渐促——如堕幻境。]
[He places a jade dagger, black with corruption, into the flame. It hisses. Screams. Bleeds blackness. Dà Láng’s breath quickens—entranced.]
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ.
[柔声，几近爱怜]
“产门已闭。
‘地开口，吞没妇人与其神裔。‘
今吾当启新门。“
[Softly, almost tender.] “The mouth of birth is closed. ‘The earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the woman and her seed.’ Now I will open a new gate.”
[Before she can move, the dagger plunges. The sound of flesh bursting apart. Blood hisses onto her breasts, her thighs, the altar stone. Her body arches in shock. No moans of ecstasy, only pain. Then his palm presses to her navel. A twisting, wet sound——like flesh folding back upon itself. Her belly splits, not by blade nor wound, but like a flower blooming into teeth. A gaping, glowing maw opens, wet, obscene, hungry. Dà Láng screams.]
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ [续]
“彼倾魂至死……与罪同列。“
“He poured out His soul unto death… and was numbered among the transgressors.”
[From his robe, Bǎ Xī Lā removes a burning heart—still pulsing, riddled with veins of silver qi. He pours it into her, into the maw. The chanting outside grows frantic. As the last of the qi is spent, the heart withers to ash. The glow dims. The vagina dentata closes like swirling sand in the desert.]
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ [续]
“人将称其为可憎之母。彼将再孕，产兽。”
“They will call her mother of abominations. She will conceive once more, and it shall be a beast.”
[大狼瘫倒——汗濡身颤，血污狼藉，目眦欲裂。]
[Dà Láng falls back—drenched in sweat, shaking, bleeding, terrified.]
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG.
[喘促]
“冷极——
不——灼如焚……此为何物？“
[Gasping] It’s cold— No—it burns … what is it?
[巴悉拉漠然掷袍掩其残躯。仪毕。他目中已无她。]
[Almost absently, Bǎ Xī Lā tosses her robes across her ruined body. The ceremony is over. His eyes are empty of her now.]
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ.
[自语] “彼已成魔居，聚万秽灵，囚诸不洁憎鸟之笼。“
[朗声] “盘绕之暗。
汝已成终焉之杯。“
[To himself.] “She is become the habitation of devils, the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” [Aloud.] The coiled dark. You are now the chalice of ending.
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG.
[气若游丝]
“妾觉……其已动。此刻便动。“
[barely above a whisper] “I feel… it moving. Already.”
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ.
“待皇后啖女肉，
待尸月裂，
待五毒蔽天——
其将破汝而出。”
When the Empress eats the flesh of her daughters, when the corpse-moon cracks, when the heavens darken with five poisons— then it will crawl free.
[地底深处，古物蠢动。非肺所生之呻，无名之饥。]
[Far below, something ancient shifts in the roots of the earth. A moan not born of lungs. A hunger without name.]
[他走向殿门。外间法锣一声——铁炼命绝。他驻足，回望。]
[He walks to the door. Outside, a ritual gong sounds—Tiě Lián’s death. He pauses. Looks back once.]
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG.
[恍惚呢喃]
“妾身……将为彼之母。
吾儿。
吾儿。
吾儿。“
[dazed, whispering] “I … will be his mother. Our son. Our son. Our son.”
巴悉拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ.
[低语]
“然。
亦为……首飨。“
[to himself] “Yes. And its first meal.”
֍
Note.
In the image I am including here, Bǎ Xī Lā paints the word “永世沉沦” on the wall, which I am choosing to translate as, “Eternal damnation.”
A single bell chimes. The stage is bare save for a platform, center, upon which rest two bundles, wrapped in white cloth tied with red ceremonial cord. The silence holds. Tiān Mǔ enters in white general’s robes, flanked by Tiě Gū and Tiě Yīng. She walks slowly, then kneels in front of Sàtǔn and the royal court.
天母 / TIĀN MǓ. “太平之年，臣执此剑，以彰武德。
战乱之时，臣以血饲之。帝国之下——唯忠而已。
今臣之忠义遭疑，剑锈心枯……
然若老朽一臂，可洗吾女之辱……
则不必多言。“
“In times of peace, I held this sword with honor. In war, I fed it blood. Under the empire, there is only loyalty. Now my loyalty is doubted, my sword is rusted and my heart is withered… But if my old arm can still wash away the shame of my daughter… then there is no need to say more.”
[She washes her hands in the basin. A pause. Then, unsheathing her blade, she steadies it with one hand on the ground. She wraps her left wrist with white silk, braces and swiftly cuts off her own hand. A sharp exhale. The hand falls into the basin. Blood swirls in water. She bows forward, kowtows, forehead touching the floor.]
天母 / TIĀN MǓ [cont.] “为帝国。为仁慈。为陛下。“
“For the Empire. For Mercy. For you, my Empress.”
[萨屯起身，神色慵懒。她踱至台前，审视包裹，忽莞尔一笑。 ]
[Sàtǔn stands, slow and unbothered. She approaches the dais, examining the bundles. Then, with the barest smile, she speaks.]
萨屯 / SÀTǓN. “一臂？将军，朕要的是忠心, 而非残羹。“
“Just one hand, General? I asked for loyalty, not leftovers.”
[She gestures, and an Attendant silently unties one of the cloth bundles. The audience sees nothing—only Tiān Mǔ’s face. Her expression freezes, then shatters.]
萨屯 / SÀTǓN[cont.]
“朕赐你双礼……合该感激才是。她们的头颅, 沉甸甸的，压着羞耻。朕已为尔…… 轻如鸿毛。“ “I have given you two gifts… you should be grateful. Their heads were heavy, weighed down with shame. I have made them… as light as a feather.”
[天母凝望包裹，面色骤僵，形同槁木。腕间滴血无声。铁鹰缓步上前。]
[Tiān Mǔ says nothing. She does not scream. She does not move. Her severed wrist drips blood onto the floor. Tiě Yīng steps forward slowly.]
铁影 / TIĚ YĪNG. “这就是帝国对待女儿的方式吗？“
“Is this how empire honors its daughters?”
[萨屯不答，含笑携众退场。铁鹰跪于天母身侧，视血刃与朱绳包裹。]
[Sàtǔn does not respond. She smiles, turns, and exits with the Court, leaving the bundles behind. Tiě Yīng kneels beside Tiān Mǔ, who still kneels, broken. She looks to the blood, the sword, the silent cloth-covered heads.]
“There is no place for me to stand here. Not in your majesty’s palace, not in the ancestral temple, not on the battlefield. What my mother taught me, I will always remember –– but it is definitely not… for this empire.”
[她拾起血刃，如抱婴孩，下。天母独跪，静默如渊。]
[She picks up the bloodied sword, cradles it like a child, and exits. Tiān Mǔ remains kneeling in silence.]
发烧梦 / FEVER DREAM. 「天如焦帛，血肉未忘所吞之誓。」 The sky like scorched silk; the flesh has not forgotten the vows it was forced to swallow.
第二幕，第一场 / Act 2, Scene 1
[沙漠边缘，枯树下。] [Edge of the desert, under a dead tree.]
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ “昨日身陷桎梏……今日？” “Yesterday, in chains … Today?” [她将手按向地面；大地发出痛苦的哀鸣。] [She lays a hand against the ground; it cries in anguish.]
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ [cont.] “哈。连沙砾都畏惧我的触碰。” “Hah. Even the sand recoils from my touch.”
黑都 / HĒI DÚ. “如今我们被抛弃了，母亲却在宫里舔着萨顿的靴子。” “Now we are abandoned, and Mother licks Sàtǔn’s boots in the Palace.”
[巴希拉从阴影中现身。] [Bǎ Xī Lā rises from out of the shadows.]
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ. “迷途的小蛇，你们和我一样饥肠辘辘吧？想尝尝神明的血肉么？” “Lost little snakes, are you as hungry as I am? Do you want to taste the flesh and blood of the gods?”
[巴希拉作势要拥抱蓝毒。她后退一步。] [Bǎ Xī Lā moves as if to embrace Lán Dú. She steps back.]
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ. “吻我，就是自取灭亡。” “To kiss me is to destroy yourself.”
黑都 / HĒI DÚ. “你向一个无人得见的神明祈祷，但这救不了你。我们的贪欲……足以招致灭顶之灾。” “You pray to a god no one can see, but it cannot save you. Our greed … is enough to bring disaster.”
[巴希拉猛地拽过黑都，粗暴地吻住她。他的脸并未因她的毒液而溃烂……毫无异状。] [Bǎ Xī Lā suddenly grabs Hēi Dú and roughly kisses her. Instead of his face melting from her poison … nothing happens.]
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ. “怎么可能？那绝非武学！那是……” “How is that possible? That’s no martial art! That’s …”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ. “邪术？’那兽被赐予一张口，用以吐出狂言与亵渎之语。'” “Deviltry? ‘And the beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies.'”
黑都 / HĒI DÚ. “你为何跟踪我们？有何企图？” “Why are you following us? What do you want?”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ. “小丫头，你的毒液连耶和华都要避让，而我，早已凌驾于耶和华之上。” “Little girl, even Yahweh would shun your venom—but I have already surpassed Yahweh.”
黑都 / HĒI DÚ. “‘耶和华？'” “‘Yahweh’?”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ. “异族语言的异族词汇。我的舌头尝过你，滋味……妙不可言。” “A foreign word from a foreign tongue. My tongue has tasted you, and the flavor … divine.”
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ. “你究竟想要什么？” “What exactly do you want?”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ. “《五毒女经》有云：’凡以腹匍匐者，皆为不洁。’我只要你们最珍视之物。” “The Five Poisons Scripture says: ‘All that crawl on their bellies are an abomination.’ I want only what you hold most dear.”
黑都 / HĒI DÚ. “我们的贞洁岂容你玷污！” “We won’t let you defile our chastity!”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ. “‘处女之身’？真古怪。不，小蛇们，我渴望的是你们丹田里盘绕的……你们毒液般的黑色莲花。” “‘Chastity’? Quaint. No, little snakes, I desire the black lotus curled in your Dāntián … your venomous core.”
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ. “我不明白。” “I don’t understand.”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ. “当然。你、你母亲、宫里那群蠢货……无人知晓末日为何物，更不知它如何降临。” “Of course you don’t. You, your mother, those fools in the Palace … none of you know what the end of days means, let alone how it arrives.”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ. “唯有不信者才觉得晦涩。你们渴望不可得之物。只要忠于这份渴望，自会得偿所愿。” “Only the faithless find it obscure. You hunger for what cannot be had. Stay loyal to that hunger—and it shall be fed.”
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ. “‘有奖励吗？'” “‘Rewarded’?”
黑都 / HĒI DÚ. “你岂知我们心中所想？” “How do you know what lies in our hearts?”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ. “呵！我岂会不知？明日，我们尊贵的新皇后将携众人出宫透气。沙漠中有片绿洲时隐时现，人称诅咒之地……却有鹿群冒险饮水。” “Hah! How could I not know? Tomorrow, our noble new empress will lead the court beyond the palace walls. There’s an oasis in the desert, a cursed place that comes and goes … yet the deer still dare drink from it.”
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ. “然后呢？” “Then what?”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ. “不仅仅是欲望。不仅仅是荣耀。你所追求的是……” “Not just desire. Not just glory. What you seek is …”
黑都 / HĒI DÚ. “复仇。” “Revenge.”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ. “为你妹妹。为你母亲。明日，那群蝇营狗苟之徒将散落在诅咒之水畔，浑然不觉……任人宰割。” “For your sister. For your mother. Tomorrow, those petty parasites will be spread along the banks of cursed waters, oblivious … ripe for slaughter.”
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ. [恍然] “便于我们……设伏。” [Suddenly] “It’ll make it easy for us … to set an ambush.”
黑都 / HĒI DÚ. “……如果我们自己去打猎的话！” “… if we do a little hunting of our own!”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ. “正是。” “Exactly.”
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ. “巴希拉，妙极！初来时还以为你不过是母亲的玩物……没想到竟是五毒宗高人。” “Bǎ Xī Lā, brilliant! When I arrived, I thought you were just Mother’s pet … but you’re a true master of the Five Poisons Sect.”
黑都 / HĒI DÚ. “姐姐，回宫！明日必有好戏。” “Sister, let’s return to the Palace! Tomorrow, the real show begins.”
[双胞胎离去，她们的残影如热浪中的蜃楼，缓缓消散。] [The twins depart. Their afterimages shimmer like heat mirages and slowly vanish.]
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ “快滚吧，小蜈蚣。你们五毒教终将覆灭。纵是耶和华也会骇然背过脸去。’……见有一匹灰色马，骑在马上的，名为死亡，阴府紧随其后。'” “Run along, little centipedes. Your Five Poisons Sect will be destroyed. Even Yahweh would turn his face in horror. ‘And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.'”
֍
童笑浮荒泉，蛊梦沿风绽。
地心封旧咒，尸花向火眠。
The child’s laughter floats above desolate springs, where cursed dreams bloom along the wind.
The earth’s heart seals an old curse and corpse-flowers sleep toward the flame.
֍
[第二幕，第二场][Act 2, Scene 2]
“无童之地传童笑，大地屏息忘自生。“
“When children laugh where none should be, the earth forgets to breathe.“
[努尔绿洲，塔克拉玛干沙漠某处][Nur Oasis, somewhere in the Taklimakan Desert]
天母 / TIĀN MǓ “……此地的风水已绝。我戎马半生，从未感受过这般死寂。连龙脉都凝滞不行。“ “…The feng shui of this place is dead. I have been a soldier half my life, and never have I felt such dead silence. Even the dragon veins are stagnant.”
[铁血检查水池。] [Tiě Xuè inspects the pool.]
铁血 / TIĚ XUÈ “绿洲将枯，无花果树亦干渴哀鸣。“ “The oasis is dying, and the fig trees cry out in thirst.”
[铁影见一只蝎子从无花果树上窜下，自蜇而亡，死状痛苦。] [Tiě Yīng sees a scorpion scurry down from a fig tree and sting itself, dying in agony.]
铁影 / TIĚ YĪNG “连蝎子都宁可自戕，也不愿困死于此。“ “Even the scorpion kills itself rather than be trapped here.”
[一具鹿尸侧卧水边，似中毒而亡。秃鹫盘旋其上。] [A deer carcass lies on its side near the water, as if poisoned. Vultures circle above.]
铁血 / TIĚ XUÈ “食腐的秃鹫盘旋不落，尽管…“ “The carrion birds circle, yet do not land, even though…”
[铁血踢向鹿尸，尸身骤然翻涌出饥饿的蛆虫。] [Tiě Xuè kicks the deer; the carcass erupts with ravenous maggots.]
天母 / TIĀN MǓ “唯有死神，方对这盛宴趋之若鹜。“ “Only the god of death is drawn to such a feast.”
[天母、铁影、铁血、铁炼下。蝉鸣骤止。远处忽闻孩童笑声…然方圆数里，杳无人迹。蓝毒与黑毒自阴影中现身。] [Tiān Mǔ, Tiě Yīng, Tiě Xuè, and Tiě Lián exit. The cicadas fall silent. In the distance, a child’s laughter echoes… but for miles around, there is no one. From the shadows step Lán Dú and Hēi Dú.]
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ. “姐姐，让他们逐鹿去吧。“ “Sister, let them chase deer if they wish.”
黑毒 / HĒI DÚ. “猎人也终成猎物。瞧！“ “Even hunters become prey. Look!”
[白丝与天佑自水池对侧上，浑然不觉周遭异样。二人未察双胞胎，旋即离去。] [Bái Sī and Tiān Yòu enter from the opposite side of the pool, oblivious to the strange aura. They do not see the Twins and quickly leave.]
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ. “是皇后那妹妹！“ “The Empress’s little sister!”
黑毒 / HĒI DÚ. “还有那个迂腐的小诗人…“ “And that foolish little poet…”
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ. “…写那首歪诗的家伙。“ “…the one who wrote that crooked poem.”
黑毒 / HĒI DÚ. “‘双蛇交缠‘……我记得是这句。“ “‘Two snakes entwined’… I remember the line.”
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ. “如果我们用猩红色书写，听起来会不会更美丽？“ “Would it not be more beautiful, written in scarlet?”
黑毒 / HĒI DÚ. “题在他胸口如何？“ “Perhaps carved into his chest?”
[二人身影融入热浪。绿洲骤归死寂, 忽而无花果树泣泪。浓稠琥珀泪珠顺树皮滚落，在根部汇成诡谲形状。阴影中，童声再度响起，此番却成歌谣： [The Twins melt into the heat shimmer. The oasis is still once more, until the fig trees begin to weep. Thick amber tears roll down their bark and pool at the roots, forming strange shapes. From the shadows, the child’s voice returns, this time in rhyme:
童声 / CHILD’S VOICE. “金木水火土… 五行倒逆， 尸骨绽花。“ “Metal, wood, water, fire, earth… The Five Elements invert, Corpses bloom like flowers.”
֍
[第二幕，第三场] [Act 2, Scene 3]
“她跪如祭台，他灌她以诅咒、烈火与深渊之种。“
“She knelt like an altar; he filled her with curse, flame and the seed of the abyss.“
[绿洲之心，一棵根系焦黑、枝干虬结的无花果树下。]
[The Oasis’s Heart, a gnarled fig tree with blackened roots.]
巴希拉登场，手握一颗燃烧的人心，其中充盈着窃来的真气。他低语时，心脏搏动，血管中黑金光芒流转。
Bǎ Xī Lā enters, holding a burning human heart he has been filling with stolen qi. It pulses as he talks to it, veins glowing black and gold.
“Pestilence! I fashioned you piece by piece—with visions, prophecies, and curses. Thirty pieces of silver? A Judas-like bargain for a cup of blasphemous spirit.”
[一声异响。心脏骤冷，倏然生出蟹足般的附肢，钻入他的衣袍。]
[A noise. The heart cools. It sprout crab-like legs and scurries into his robes.]
巴希拉/ BǍ XĪ LĀ [cont.]
“啊，第十一灾, 蝗虫之母亲临。 “
“Ah, here comes the Eleventh Plague, the Mother of Locusts herself.”
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG.
[大狼上。] “爱人！终得独处。我对你的爱，如风将阴影缝入大地之肤，永不可解。“
[Entering.] “Lover! At last we are alone. My love for you is like the wind stitching shadows into the earth’s skin, it can never be undone.”
巴希拉/ BǍ XĪ LĀ.
“好诗。我的爱人……渴求何物？“
“Pretty poetry … What does my love desire?”
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG.
“将那蠢妇天母驱至我面前，听她子嗣的哀哭……“
“To drive that fool Tiān Mǔ before me and hear the lamentation of her children …”
[大狼的手滑向他胸膛。]
[Dá Láng’s hand slides down his chest.]
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG [cont.]
“但首先，请让我把你的祈祷吞进喉咙……直到欲呕。“
“But first let me swallow your prayers down my throat … until I gag.”
“The Crimson Luan Star guides your lust … but the madness of Leviathan flows in my blood. Today the Jade Empire will shatter for the Lord loves a Broken Vessel.”
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG.
“哦？“
“Oh?”
巴希拉/ BǍ XĪ LĀ.
[递信。] “将此信呈予你的皇后。莫问。“
[Hands her a letter.] “Give this to your Empress. Ask nothing.”
[二人接吻时，大狼血脉骤染漆黑。她狂喜战栗，巴希拉微笑如尸，目光死寂。大狼踉跄退场，神魂俱醉。]
[As they kiss Dà Láng’s veins briefly turn black. She is in rapture. Bǎ Xī Lā smiles like a corpse, his eyes dead. Dà Láng stagger away, intoxicated.]
“Ask for nothing, Dà Láng, for Yahweh has already decreed your end. ‘Broken vessel’ indeed. From your womb alone my son will burst … and ‘He shall break them with a rod of iron’.” [Exits.]
֍
[第二幕，第四场] [Act 2, Scene 4]
[被诅咒的绿洲另一隅。]
[Another corner of the cursed Oasis.]
白丝与天佑上。此处的绿洲死寂——连风都凝滞。大狼自阴影中浮现，手中已无信笺。
Bái Sī and Tiān Yòu enter. The Oasis here is too quiet—even the wind has died. Dà Láng melts out of the shadows. She no longer carries the letter.
白丝/ BÁI SĪ.
[惊退] “玉门妃……为何独行？你的狼群何在？“
[Startled.] “Consort of the Jade Gate… why are you walking alone? Where are your wolves?”
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG.
“我独行无狼，而命运……悬于发丝。“
“I run with no wolves but my fate hangs from a hair’s breadth.”
[黑毒与蓝毒现形——非自树间，而是从绿洲池水的倒影中渗出。]
[Hēi Dú and Lán Dú emerge—not from the trees, but from reflections in the oasis pool.]
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ.
“母亲，您燃如烈火。这些飞蛾……是否扑得太近了？“
“Mother, you burn like fire … Did these moths flutter too close?”
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG.
“飞蛾？确实。这些恼人的小翅膀……该如何处置？“
“Moths? Yes, it is so … What do we do with irritating little wings?”
黑毒 / HĒI DÚ.
“碾碎便是。” [刺向白丝]
“We crush them.” [She stabs Bái Sī.]
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ.
“此乃孝道。” [同刺白丝]
“Our filial duty.” [She also stabs Bái Sī.]
[白丝任脉如琵琶弦骤断，末音哽于喉间。她呕出尘土，气绝身亡。远处，萨屯的猎号声隐约可闻。]
[Bái Sī’s Ren meridian snaps like a lute string, the last note chokes in her throat. She vomits dust and dies. In the distance Sà Tǔn’s hunting horn sounds.]
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG.
“命运发丝，已成谶语。够了。“
“A hair’s breadth of fate was prophetic. Enough.”
[指向蜷缩的天佑。]
[Indicating the cowering Tiān Yòu.]
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG [cont.]
“扔去鸦雀不食之地。” [下。]
“Dump them both where even crows won’t peck.” [Exits.]
[黑毒与蓝毒拖走天佑与白丝尸身。]
[Hēi Dú and Lán Dú drag Tiān Yòu and the body of Bái Sī away.]
֍
[第二幕，第五场] [Act II, Scene V]
道如腐果裂，众徒以人之残息哺养深渊。
“The Tao split open like rotten fruit, and from its guts they fed the pit with men’s torn breath.” [绿洲另一隅——天启之渊。] [Another part of the Oasis – Abyss of Revelation.] 此坑非寻常洞穴，乃大地溃烂之创。空中蝇群嗡鸣，蓝黑肥躯振翅，声如丧钟哀歌。坑缘沙地染同心圆痕，层层淤黑，似地面自渗污血。 The pit isn’t just a hole—it’s a festering wound in the earth. The air hums with flies, their bodies fat and blue-black, their drone like a funeral dirge. The sand around the rim is stained in concentric rings—darker with each layer, as if the ground itself bleeds inward. 黑毒与蓝毒将白丝尸身掷入其中，复推天佑抵于无花果树。蓝毒挥刃刺穿其掌，将其钉于树干。Hēi Dú and Lán Dú dump Bái Sī’s body into the pit. They shove Tiān Yòu against a fig tree. Lán Dú drives her blade through his palm, pinning him to the trunk. 蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ. [以指甲描画其发黑血管。] “让我们以猩红墨汁……重谱你的诗篇。” [Tracing the blackening veins with her nail.] “Let’s rewrite your poetry… in scarlet ink.” [黑毒上前，钩剑泛着腐煞黑光。她精准刻下『逆』字于其胸。腐毒与其真气相触，字符处青烟嘶嘶。] Hēi Dú steps forward, her hook-sword glowing dully with Black Rot. With surgical precision, she carves the character “逆” (Rebel) into his chest. Smoke hisses where the necrotic poison touches his qi. 天佑 / TIĀN YÒU. [弓背痉挛。] “呃—!” [Back arching.] “Ai—!” [天佑惨叫惊起栖鸦，黑羽纷飞如风暴。其唇上黑筋盘曲，扭曲成诡笑。] Tiān Yòu’s scream startles the nesting crows. They explode into flight, black feathers whipping like a storm. His lips, veined with black, curl into something grotesque. 黑毒 / HĒI DÚ. [模仿昔日对其姊妹所施之仪。] “道生一， 一生二， 二生三， 三生……尸骸。” [Mimicking the ritual once performed on their sister.] “The Tao begets One, One begets Two, Two begets Three, Three begets… corpses.” [她的手指敲击——大杵，杵中，命门。] Her fingers strike—Dàzhùi, Jǐzhōng, Mìngmén. [每个穴位都破裂了。银色的气从天佑身上喷涌而出。] Each pressure point cracks. Silver qi erupts from Tiān Yòu’s body. 黑毒 / HĒI DÚ [cont.] [以拔罐术吸取逸散真气。] “多刺耳的乐音啊…” [雾气凝成『仇恨』二字，复从其指间流散。] “…配你这丑角，倒也相宜。” [Cupping the escaping qi.] “Such ugly music…” [The mist shapes into the characters for ‘hatred’ (仇恨), then dissolves between her fingers.] “…for such an ugly boy.” [天佑昏死，手掌仍钉于树。黑血沿树纹淤积，汇成不可辨之咒纹。] Tiān Yòu collapses unconscious, his hand still pinned to the tree. Black blood pools in the bark’s grooves, forming illegible curse-script. 蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ. [踢其瘫躯。] “滚回家吧，小诗人。若有人问起谁将你’去势’……便以沉默代我等作答。” [Kicking his limp form.] “Run home, little poet. If anyone asks who castrated you… let silence speak for us.” [黑毒与蓝毒狞笑退场，独留天佑瘫于巨坑之畔。鸦群归来，默然盘旋，在其顶上结成黑冕。] Laughing, Hēi Dú and Lán Dú exit, leaving Tiān Yòu crumpled beside the yawning pit. The crows return—circling silently above, forming a cursed black crown over his head. ֍
[第二幕，第六场] [Act 2, Scene 6]
“鲜血沿饥渴深渊滴落，古神舔唇欲动。“
“Where blood weeps down the hungry pit, the old gods lick their lips.” [铁血与铁炼仍在狩猎，自空地另一端上。二人骤停，紧盯天启之渊，却未见天佑瘫倒树后。二人趋近渊缘，俯身窥视。蝇群嗡鸣。] Still part of the hunt, Tiě Xuè and Tiě Lián enter from the opposite side of the clearing. They stop and stare at the sinkhole. They fail to see the motionless body of Tiān Yòu, crumpled behind the tree. They approach the edge and cautiously peer down into it. The air buzzes with flies. 铁血 / TIĚ XUÈ. [眯眼] “我看见……阴影蠕动。如蛆虫自渊底攀爬。[干呕] 这腐臭——！“ [Squinting.] “I see… shadows writhing. Like maggots crawling up from the bottom. [Retches.] The stench—!” [蝇群骤然散开，二女骇然失色。] Suddenly the cloud of flies parts. Both women recoil in horror. 铁炼 / TIĚ LIÁN. “狼母在上！是白丝！她双目尽失……蝇群正在她口中产卵！“ “Wolf Mother! It’s Bái Sī! Her eyes … gone! The flies, laying eggs in her mouth!” [铁血和铁炼惊恐地对视着。突然，铁血注意到了弟弟的尸体。] Tiě Xuè and Tiě Lián stare at each other, sick with horror. Suddenly Tiě Xuè sees her brother’s lifeless body. 铁血 / TIĚ XUÈ. “不不不不不不！小弟弟！“ “No, no, no, no, no! Little brother!” [未及反应，萨屯与达朗率皇后亲卫冲入空地。] Before they can react, Sàtǔn and Dà Láng rush in with the Empress’s Guards. 萨屯 / SÀTǓN. [凝视深渊] “不，这不可能……白丝岂会……“ [Staring into the abyss.] “No… this can’t be… Bái Sī would never…”大狼 / DÀ LÁNG. “‘地狱之渊，地狱之行‘——信中所言，分毫不差。“ “‘A hellish hole for a hellish deed’—exactly as the letter warned.”铁血 / TIĚ XUÈ. “陛下，我们未曾——！方至此处——！“ “Your Majesty, we didn’t—! We only just arrived—!”大狼 / DÀ LÁNG. “‘恶兽当自深渊崛起‘……此信亦早有预警！“ “‘The beast shall rise from the pit’… That was in the warning, too!”萨屯 / SÀTǓN. [仍陷震骇] “吾姐素恨沙漠……曾说风声如鬼魅咀嚼骨渣。她……“ [Still reeling.] “My sister hated the desert… said the wind there sounded like ghosts chewing bone shards. She…” [如初见般瞪视铁血二人。] She turns to Tiě Xuè and Tiě Lián as if seeing them for the first time.萨屯 / SÀTǓN [cont.] “尔等！天母之女！满口谎言！“ “You! Daughters of Tiān Mǔ! You speak nothing but lies!” [天母与铁影上，浑然未觉渊边异状。] Tiān Mǔ and Tiě Yīng enter, unaware of what has transpired by the pit. 天母 / TIĀN MǓ. “皇后陛下，闻号角声便速至。此绿洲每每移目即变……狩猎如何？可擒得猎物？“ “My Empress, I came at once upon hearing the horn. This oasis shifts each time I look away… How goes the hunt? Have you trapped the prey?”大狼 / DÀ LÁNG. “‘绿洲变幻‘？荒唐！老妪妄言，孰能信之！“ “‘The oasis shifts’? Nonsense! Mad talk from an old crone—who would believe it?”萨屯 / SÀTǓN. [暴怒] “天母！汝竟敢现身于此！？“ [Exploding in fury.] “Tiān Mǔ! You dare show your face here!?”大狼 / DÀ LÁNG. “待她与[冷笑]’铁刃‘残杀白丝之后……“ “After she and her [sneering] ‘Iron Blades’ butchered Bái Sī…”天母 / TIĀN MǓ. [惊颤] “‘谋杀‘？“ [Shaken.] “Murdered…?”大狼 / DÀ LÁNG. “……偏等我们抵达，才故作悠哉现身，与信中所预言如出一辙。“ “…And now she waits to appear calm and composed—exactly as the letter foretold.”萨屯 / SÀTǓN. “亲卫！此乃叛国弑君之罪！朕早知不该信尔等！“ “Guards! This is treason—regicide! I knew we should never have trusted you!”天母 / TIĀN MǓ. “白丝夫人……已遭不测？“ “Madam Bái Sī… is truly gone?”大狼 / DÀ LÁNG. “装傻！你再看看……” [指着天佑] “……为了制造一个完美的不在场证明，她竟然折磨自己的儿子！“ “Feigning ignorance now, are you? Look again… [Points to Tiān Yòu.] …To craft her perfect alibi, she tortured her own son!” [萨屯、天母、铁影俱震，望向天佑残躯。一时寂然。天母踉跄上前，双臂虚悬，面如槁木。] Sàtǔn, Tiān Mǔ, and Tiě Yīng all stare in stunned silence at Tiān Yòu’s broken body. Tiān Mǔ staggers forward, arms trembling in the air, her face ashen and hollow. 萨屯 / SÀTǓN. [怒极] “将这老狐孽种捆了！朕要亲创酷刑——天命昭昭，必令其痛彻神魂！“ [Furious beyond reason.] “Bind these vixen whelps! I’ll invent tortures myself—by Heaven’s Mandate, they’ll suffer in soul and flesh!” [亲卫拖铁血二人下。天母抱起天佑，失语退场。余众随下。] The Empress’s Guards drag Tiě Xuè and Tiě Lián off. Tiān Mǔ gathers Tiān Yòu in her arms, speechless, and exits. The others follow. [静场良久。五目蟾蜍上，体沾墓灰，喉间第五目——一道竖隙——搏动不止。其鸣三声同现：临终牧师的祷词 新娘喉间的窒泣 利齿碾骨的脆响蟾蜍转目，锁定深渊。长舌突伸——节节畸长——舔舐渊缘白丝凝血，战栗欢愉。] A long silence. Then the Five-Eyed Toad enters, its skin dusted with tomb-ash. Its fifth eye— a vertical slit on its throat—pulses. It croaks, and three sounds emerge at once: — A priest’s final prayer — A bride’s strangled gasp — The crunch of bone between teeth The toad’s eyes swivel, fixing on the sinkhole. Its tongue lashes out—jointed, grotesquely long—and tastes the blood Bái Sī left behind. It quivers in ecstasy.
发烧梦 / FEVER DREAM 「天如焦帛，血肉未忘所吞之誓。」 The sky like scorched silk; the flesh has not forgotten the vows it was forced to swallow.
第二幕，第一场 / Act 2, Scene 1
[沙漠边缘，枯树下。] [Edge of the desert, under a dead tree.]
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ “昨日身陷桎梏……今日？” “Yesterday, in chains … Today?” [她将手按向地面；大地发出痛苦的哀鸣。] [She lays a hand against the ground; it cries in anguish.]
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ (cont.) “哈。连沙砾都畏惧我的触碰。” “Hah. Even the sand recoils from my touch.”
黑都 / HĒI DÚ “如今我们被抛弃了，母亲却在宫里舔着萨顿的靴子。” “Now we are abandoned, and Mother licks Sàtǔn’s boots in the Palace.”
[巴希拉从阴影中现身。] [Bǎ Xī Lā rises from out of the shadows.]
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ “迷途的小蛇，你们和我一样饥肠辘辘吧？想尝尝神明的血肉么？” “Lost little snakes, are you as hungry as I am? Do you want to taste the flesh and blood of the gods?”
[巴希拉作势要拥抱蓝毒。她后退一步。] [Bǎ Xī Lā moves as if to embrace Lán Dú. She steps back.]
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ “吻我，就是自取灭亡。” “To kiss me is to destroy yourself.”
黑都 / HĒI DÚ “你向一个无人得见的神明祈祷，但这救不了你。我们的贪欲……足以招致灭顶之灾。” “You pray to a god no one can see, but it cannot save you. Our greed … is enough to bring disaster.”
[巴希拉猛地拽过黑都，粗暴地吻住她。他的脸并未因她的毒液而溃烂……毫无异状。] [Bǎ Xī Lā suddenly grabs Hēi Dú and roughly kisses her. Instead of his face melting from her poison … nothing happens.]
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ “怎么可能？那绝非武学！那是……” “How is that possible? That’s no martial art! That’s …”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ “邪术？’那兽被赐予一张口，用以吐出狂言与亵渎之语。'” “Deviltry? ‘And the beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies.'”
黑都 / HĒI DÚ “你为何跟踪我们？有何企图？” “Why are you following us? What do you want?”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ “小丫头，你的毒液连耶和华都要避让，而我，早已凌驾于耶和华之上。” “Little girl, even Yahweh would shun your venom—but I have already surpassed Yahweh.”
黑都 / HĒI DÚ “‘耶和华？'” “‘Yahweh’?”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ “异族语言的异族词汇。我的舌头尝过你，滋味……妙不可言。” “A foreign word from a foreign tongue. My tongue has tasted you, and the flavor … divine.”
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ “你究竟想要什么？” “What exactly do you want?”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ “《五毒女经》有云：’凡以腹匍匐者，皆为不洁。’我只要你们最珍视之物。” “The Five Poisons Scripture says: ‘All that crawl on their bellies are an abomination.’ I want only what you hold most dear.”
黑都 / HĒI DÚ “我们的贞洁岂容你玷污！” “We won’t let you defile our chastity!”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ “‘处女之身’？真古怪。不，小蛇们，我渴望的是你们丹田里盘绕的……你们毒液般的黑色莲花。” “‘Chastity’? Quaint. No, little snakes, I desire the black lotus curled in your Dāntián … your venomous core.”
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ “我不明白。” “I don’t understand.”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ “当然。你、你母亲、宫里那群蠢货……无人知晓末日为何物，更不知它如何降临。” “Of course you don’t. You, your mother, those fools in the Palace … none of you know what the end of days means, let alone how it arrives.”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ “唯有不信者才觉得晦涩。你们渴望不可得之物。只要忠于这份渴望，自会得偿所愿。” “Only the faithless find it obscure. You hunger for what cannot be had. Stay loyal to that hunger—and it shall be fed.”
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ “‘有奖励吗？'” “‘Rewarded’?”
黑都 / HĒI DÚ “你岂知我们心中所想？” “How do you know what lies in our hearts?”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ “呵！我岂会不知？明日，我们尊贵的新皇后将携众人出宫透气。沙漠中有片绿洲时隐时现，人称诅咒之地……却有鹿群冒险饮水。” “Hah! How could I not know? Tomorrow, our noble new empress will lead the court beyond the palace walls. There’s an oasis in the desert, a cursed place that comes and goes … yet the deer still dare drink from it.”
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ “然后呢？” “Then what?”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ “不仅仅是欲望。不仅仅是荣耀。你所追求的是……” “Not just desire. Not just glory. What you seek is …”
黑都 / HĒI DÚ “复仇。” “Revenge.”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ “为你妹妹。为你母亲。明日，那群蝇营狗苟之徒将散落在诅咒之水畔，浑然不觉……任人宰割。” “For your sister. For your mother. Tomorrow, those petty parasites will be spread along the banks of cursed waters, oblivious … ripe for slaughter.”
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ [恍然] “便于我们……设伏。” [Suddenly] “It’ll make it easy for us … to set an ambush.”
黑都 / HĒI DÚ “……如果我们自己去打猎的话！” “… if we do a little hunting of our own!”
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ “正是。” “Exactly.”
蓝毒 / LÁN DÚ “巴希拉，妙极！初来时还以为你不过是母亲的玩物……没想到竟是五毒宗高人。” “Bǎ Xī Lā, brilliant! When I arrived, I thought you were just Mother’s pet … but you’re a true master of the Five Poisons Sect.”
黑都 / HĒI DÚ “姐姐，回宫！明日必有好戏。” “Sister, let’s return to the Palace! Tomorrow, the real show begins.”
[双胞胎离去，她们的残影如热浪中的蜃楼，缓缓消散。] [The twins depart. Their afterimages shimmer like heat mirages and slowly vanish.]
巴希拉 / BǍ XĪ LĀ “快滚吧，小蜈蚣。你们五毒教终将覆灭。纵是耶和华也会骇然背过脸去。’……见有一匹灰色马，骑在马上的，名为死亡，阴府紧随其后。'” “Run along, little centipedes. Your Five Poisons Sect will be destroyed. Even Yahweh would turn his face in horror. ‘And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.'”
LǏGUĀN, YÙSHǏ and JINYIWEI. [Imperial Court Officials.]
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《血菩萨。》第一幕·第一场 “Blood Bodhisattva.” Act I 一 Scene I
《铁碎骨，羽没血，双姝启神不可封之伤。》 [Iron grinds bone, feathers drown in blood, two sisters open the wound no god can close.]
[玉门国·千剑宫外。] [Yumen Kingdom · Outside the Thousand Swords Palace。]
[战鼓裂云，幕启时，白思与萨囤对峙宫阶之上。铁牛、天鹤两派弟子于阶下血战。宫门处，礼官肃立，御史执笔，锦衣卫刀出半鞘，静若石雕。] [War drums tear at the clouds as the curtain rises, Bái Sī and Sàtūn stand frozen on the palace steps. Below, their Iron Ox and Heavenly Crane disciples wage war. At the gates, Lǐguān stand rigid, Yùshǐ clutch ink-brushes and Jinyiwei guards rest hands on half-drawn blades, silent as carved sentinels.]
萨囤 / SÀTŪN.
[斩马刀啸空而过，尘暴如龙卷起。]
[Her Zhanmadaoscreams through air, whipping up a dust-whirlwind.]
“铁牛门下！“
“Sons and daughters of the Iron Ox!”
“朕即凤诏，天命在刃！“
“I am the Phoenix’s living edict, the Mandate burns in my steel!”
“和我一起站起来，铸就历史的栋梁！“
“Stand with me and be forged into history’s pillars!”
“叛龙者 …“
“Betray me …”
[刀光一闪，宫灯齐灭。]
[A blade-flash—every palace lantern gutters out.]
萨囤 / SÀTŪN [cont.]
“… 九族诛尽，宫门悬颅！“
“… And I’ll hang your bloodline’s skulls from the palace gates!”
白思 / BÁI SĪ.
[双针剑作鹤翼式，冷笑。]
[Needle-swords flash into crane-wing stance, her sneer colder than moonlight.]
“天命？” [冷笑。]
“The Mandate?” [Laugh like cracking ice.]
“弑亲之血，也配称凤？“
“Can a kinslayer’s hands still clutch the Phoenix’s crown?”
“天鹤展翅！“
“Heavenly Crane spreads its wings!”
[她的双剑如振翅之羽轻颤——鹤之优雅中藏蝎之毒。她的门人齐声高鸣，宛如绢帛被利刃撕裂的尖啸。 ]
[Her blades shiver like pinions mid-strike—the crane’s grace laced with scorpion’s venom. Her faction echoes with choral crane-cries, a sound like silk tearing on sword-edges.]
白思 / BÁI SĪ [cont.]
“重器非在冠冕，而在德行。“
“True power lies not in crowns, but in virtue.”
“尔自比狂风？不过瘈狗吠日！“
“You call yourself a storm? A rabid dog barking at heaven!”
[她的战士们的呐喊声响彻云霄——铁牛队伍摇摇晃晃，阵型散乱。]
[Her warriors’ cries pierce the air—the Iron Ox ranks stagger, their formation fraying.]
铁姑 / TIĚ GŪ.
[持碧玉令，九节鞭缠腰。满场肃杀。] [Enters with the Jade Scepter, her 9-section whip coiled around her hips. The air thickens, sharp as a guillotine’s edge.]
“骨肉相残之座，未雪先倾。“ “The throne built on sister-blood collapses, before winter’s first snow can hide its sins.”
“今奉碎玉令，迎天母将军班师 …” “By the Broken Jade Seal, I declare General Tiān Mǔ regent …”
“五毒教之役，当终今日。“ “Her war against the Five Poisons Sect ends now.”
“散！“ “Disperse!”
“… 否则御史以刻石指铭罪，鬼神同泣！“ “… Or the Yùshǐ’s Stone-Carving Finger will engrave your crimes so deep, even gods and ghosts will wail!”
[御史的一击落地——指尖击碎了大理石地板，裂开了蜘蛛网，如同下了判决书一般。]
[The Yùshǐ’s strike lands—fingertips shatter the marble floor, cracks spider-webbing like a verdict.]
萨囤 / SÀTŪN.
[见玉阶旁书生所留的砚台，冷笑。]
[Spots an inkstone left by a fleeing scholar, her lips curl.]
[脚踢翻，墨泼阶如血。]
[Her boot flips it, black ink gushes down the steps like a slit throat.]
“刻啊！“
“Carve this!”
“让后世记得 …”
“Let history remember …”
[锦衣卫刀光映墨，凤鸣凄厉。]
[Jinyiwei blades gleam with reflected ink, their phoenix-cry a funeral dirge.]
[白思的鹤簪坠地，羽尖沾墨。]
[Bái Sī’s crane-hairpin clatters, its feather-tip staining black.]
萨囤 / SÀTŪN [cont.]
“… 铁牛将军之妹执印却不敢执刃！“
“… the Iron General’s sister clutches seals, but flees from steel!”
铁姑 / TIĚ GŪ.
[举令，寒声。]
[Raising the Jade Order, her voice colder than a tomb’s breath.]
“刻石遗臭，万古流秽。“
“Let stone etch your reek, let ten thousand generations gag on your name.”
[玉阶震颤，如畏其言。]
[The jade steps tremble, as if fearing her decree.]
铁姑 / TIĚ GŪ [cont.]
“母皇遗诏刻于玉，非书于血。“
“The Empress’ will was carved in jade, not scribbled in traitors’ blood.”
[锦衣卫刀锋低鸣，似凤泣先帝。]
[Jinyiwei blades hum, a phoenix weeping for the dead sovereign.]
白思 / BÁI SĪ.
[凝视没羽，墨渍如泪，轻叹后扬声道。] [Gazes at the drowned feather, ink seeping like tears, then her voice lifts, clear and cold.]
“血缘始，血缘终。” “By blood it began, by blood it ends.”
[向铁姑鞠躬，腰如竹折而不断。] [She bows to Tiě Gū, back bent like bamboo, unbroken.]
白思 / BÁI SĪ [cont.]
“我臣服 …” “I yield …”
“非顺汝刃，乃顺天佑。” “Not to your blade, but to Heaven’s decree.”
[白袍众退如雪崩，寂然无声。] [Her disciples retreat like an avalanche in reverse, soundless, deliberate.]
白思 / BÁI SĪ [cont.]
“愿鹤唳引慈母之手。” “May the crane’s cry guide my Mother’s hand.”
[此言如刃，悬于天下咽喉之上。 ] [The words hang, a knife at the world’s throat.]
白思 / BÁI SĪ [cont.]
“雪退散…” “The snow withdraws…”
[… 然寒入骨，千年不化。] “…but frost lingers in the bones and will not thaw for a thousand years.”
萨囤 / SÀTŪN.
[斩马刀寒光隐现，似判决半出鞘。她目光灼烈，胜过大漠热风。 ]
[Her Zhanmadaogleams, a verdict half-unsheathed. Her gaze burns hotter than the desert wind.]
“名铸剑出，不悔不归。”
“My name is forged in steel, my blade thirsts without remorse.”
[铁牛派虽退，手不离刀。]
[The Iron Ox faction withdraws, but every finger still curls around cold steel.]
萨囤 / SÀTŪN [cont.]
“让玉门断壁 …”
“Let the ruins of the Jade Gate …”
[刀锋划地，裂石如骨碎。]
[Her saber splits the earth, stone shatters like a spine.]
萨囤 / SÀTŪN [cont.]
“…由此断定，谁之血脉承载真凤天命！ “
“… decide whose veins bear the Phoenix’s truth!”
[众人退却之际，守卫扬起玉尘，五行阵于空中隐现旋转，倏然破散，恍若凤凰涅槃重生。 ]
[As factions retreat, guards raise jade-ash, the Wuxing symbols form then dissolve like a phoenix’s rebirth from the ash.]
[幕落，唯余 —]
[The curtains close on –]
萨囤之刀 [Sàtūn’s blade]
插于玉阶[Embedded in jade steps]
白思之羽 [Bái Sī’s feather]
飘向冷月 [Drifting toward the icy moon]
铁姑的鞭 [Tiě Gū’s whip]
缠着半截断诏 [Coiled around a torn edict]
上书： [which reads:]
“朕死之年…”
“The year I die…”
“…血菩萨现。“
“…the Blood Bodhisattva comes.”
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[第一幕，第二场] ACT I · SCENE II.
[剑冢森森，魂灯荧荧] [A forest of grave-swords; ghost-lanterns flicker blue.]
[祖剑堂 · 地宫] [Ancestral Sword Hall · Underground Crypt.]
[War drums fade; funeral bells toll low. A cavern glows with yin-blue lanterns. From the ceiling hang a hundred swords, hilt-down, each a grave-marker. Twenty empty stone plinths await Tiān Mǔ’s fallen daughters. Incense coils like serpents around blades still slick with death.]
[铁链声响。铁链与铁翎押阵，铁山刀卫捧灵位与佩剑次入，后随铁英、铁血。天母戎装未卸，甲上犹带草原尘沙。大狼与其女[灰毒、蓝毒、黑毒]棘链缚身。末入巴悉拉，景教十字暗芒浮动。] [Chains rattle. Tiě Lián and Tiě Líng march at the front, followed by Iron Mountain Blades bearing spirit tablets and sheathed swords. Tiě Yīng and Tiě Xuè come next. Then Tiān Mǔ, her armor still caked in steppe dust. Behind her, Dà Láng and her daughters (Huī Dú, Lán Dú, Hēi Dú) shuffle forward, bound in barbed chains. Last enters Bǎ Xī Lā, his Nestorian cross glinting like a hidden blade.]
[众人迫大狼一族跪于五眼蟾蜍铜魂炉前。] [The prisoners are forced to kneel before a bronze soul-brazier shaped like a Five-Eyed Toad.]
天母 / TIĀN MǓ.
[举碎玉令，诵咒如刃。] [Raising her broken Jade Seal, chanting like a whetstone on steel.]
“玄女兵主——“ “Xuánnǚ, Dark Mother of War—”
“开黄泉之扉。“ “Open the Yellow Springs’ gate.”
[抚剑墙，声裂金石。] [Her gauntlet scrapes the sword-walls; her voice splits metal and stone.]
天母 / TIĀN MǓ [cont.]
“吾女今与鬼同行。“ “My daughters walk with ghosts now.”
“以刃镇幽冥。“ “Let their swords guard the underworld’s edge.”
[铁山刀卫置灵位于石台，朱砂名讳如血。无棺椁，以剑代尸。] [The Iron Mountain Blades place spirit tablets upon the plinths, names written in blood-red cinnabar. No coffins. No corpses. Only swords to stand in their stead.]
天母 / TIĀN MǓ [续] [抚空台，甲缝渗沙。] [Her armored fingers brush an empty plinth, steppe-dust sifting from the joints.]
“祖剑冢啊…“ “O sacred crypt …”
“汝怀吾欢，亦纳吾悲。“ “You who cradle my joy and grief alike.”
“为何贪噬无厌？“ “Why must you gorge so ravenously?”
铁英 / TIĚ YĪNG.
[执刃穿魂幡，幡动如濒死之息。] [A dagger-pierced soul-banner trembles in her grip like a death rattle.]
“母亲，赐一囚破丹田。“ “Mother, grant us a prisoner to shatter.”
“以炁饲亡魂。“ “Let her qi feed the dead.”
“化其息为香。“ “Let her breath become their incense.”
天母 / TIĀN MǓ.
[戟指灰毒，甲上反光如狼瞳。] [Her gauntlet points to Huī Dú, armor-scratches glint like wolf-eyes.]
“取可汗长女。“ “Then take the DaKhagan’s eldest.”
“草原狼种，正合燃薪。“ “a steppe-wolf’s whelp, fit kindling.”
灰毒 / HUĪ DÚ. [颤声，气将断未断。] [Her voice trembles, breath not yet broken.] “吾非薪。“ “I am not kindling.”
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG. [锁链暴起，棘刺入肉。] [Chains rattle as manacles bite into flesh.] “这也配称‘道’？“ “You call this the Tao?” “这不是道。“ “This is no Tao.” “是屠宰场！“ “It is the abattoir!” [唾血] [Spits blood.] “玉皇必降天罚——“ “The Jade Empress will curse your—”
天母 / TIĀN MǓ
[抬手如闸，声寒于铁。] [A raised hand silences like decapitation.]
“天道不悯豺狼。“ “The Tao has no mercy for wolves.”
“汝女之息，当饲吾殇。“ “Your daughter’s breath will feed my dead.”
铁英 / TIĚ YĪNG.
[并指为鹤喙，点向灰毒后腰。] [Fingers coiled like a crane’s beak, pressing to Huī Dú’s spine.]
“脊中。“ [Jǐzhōng.] [玉裂之声，肌骨僵锁。] [A crack like splitting jade, her body locks rigid.]
铁英 / TIĚ YĪNG [cont.]
“大椎。“ [Dàzhùi.] [折骨脆响，银炁自七窍喷涌，旋入魂炉。] [A final snap, silver qi bursts from her seven apertures, swirling into the brazier.]
[炁凝‘仇’字，瞬散。铁山刀卫置灰毒于碑前，形存神灭，永跪为鬼奴。] [The qi forms the character 仇 《vengeance》before dissolving. Huī Dú’s hollowed body is propped before the plinths; a living ghost forced to kneel eternally.]
天佑 / TIĀN YÒU.
[三叩入殿，额抵冷石。] [Entering with three kowtows, forehead pressed to stone.]
“母亲…“ “Mother…”
[捧纸马，声颤。] [Clutching paper effigies, voice trembling.]
天佑 / TIĀN YÒU [cont.]
“儿带冥驹，助姊远行。“ “I bring paper horses for their journey.”
[天佑一边吟诵诗歌，一边焚烧人像。]
[Tiān Yòu begins burning the effigies while reciting poetry.]
天佑 / TIĀN YÒU [cont.]
“双蛇缠…“ [Two snakes entwined …] [纸灰突燃碧火。]
[The ashes flare emerald.]
天佑 / TIĀN YÒU [cont.]
“无首尾 …” [Neither head nor tail …] [焚纸，灰烬化鹤形——白思之徽。] [The ashes twist into a crane—Bái Sī’s crest.]
天佑 / TIĀN YÒU [cont.]
“唯饥无宴。” [Only hunger. Never feast.] [魂炉中五眼骤睁。]
[The Toad-brazier’s eyes snap open.]
[天佑退后，诗成谶言。] [Tiān Yòu staggers back, the poem now a curse spoken out loud.]
天母 / TIĀN MǓ.
[捧子面，甲锈沾颊。] [Cupping his face, her gauntlet leaves dried blood like tear-stains.]
“吾儿…“ “My son…”
“男儿总被讥弱。“ “The world calls boys weak.”
“然你乃吾德所铸之身。“ “But you are my virtue made flesh.”
[低语切齿。] [A whisper like grinding steel.]
天母 / TIĀN MǓ [cont.]
“活得比我久。“ “Outlive me.”
[按剑柄，刃吟如泣。] [Her palm on a sword-hilt, the blade hums a mourner’s tune.]
天母 / TIĀN MǓ [cont.]
“安息吧，吾刃。“ “Rest, my blades.”
“未斩之恨，生者必断。“ “The living will cut what you could not.”
[所有人都退场。]
[Everyone exits.]
[门阖。终余：灰毒游丝之息，与万剑饥鸣。] [The doors seal. All that remains: Huī Dú’s shallow breath … and the starving chorus of ten thousand blades.]
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[第一幕，第三场] ACT I · SCENE III.
[宫阙深似海，血誓染阶红]
[Palaces deeper than oceans; blood-oaths stain the steps.]
[玉门国 · 皇极殿。]
[Yumen Kingdom · Imperial Throne Hall.]
[天母携女将入殿，新袍未掩战尘；铁姑率御史、锦衣卫盛装迎驾。萨囤与白思随后，影如刀割。]
[Tiān Mǔ and her daughters enter in clean robes still smelling of battlefield ash. Tiě Gū leads the Yùshǐ and Jinyiwei in court regalia. Sàtūn and Bái Sī follow, their shadows sharp as unsheathed blades.]
铁姑 / TIĚ GŪ.
[捧碎玉玺，单膝触地。]
[Kneeling with the broken Jade Seal.]
“天母吾姊——“
“Tiān Mǔ, my sister—”
“万民乞您登极。“
“The people beg you to take the throne.”
[拥抱时指甲陷其肩甲]
[Her fingers dig into Tiān Mǔ’s pauldrons during their embrace.]
天母 / TIĀN MǓ.
[推玺如避毒。]
[Pushing the seal away like poisoned wine.]
“民心若水，载舟覆舟。“
“The people’s hearts are water, they buoy empires or drown them.”
“老身只识马背，不解庙蛇之毒。“
“I am a creature of the saddle, not court-serpents’ venom.”
[抚腰间断剑。]
[Touching her broken sword’s hilt.]
“六百三十九女埋骨边关…“
“Six hundred thirty-nine daughters buried on the frontier…”
“赐我荣杖，非九鼎之重。“
“Grant me an honor-staff, not the weight of the Nine Tripods.”
萨囤 / SÀTŪN.
[突然拔剑抵天母喉。]
[A blade flashes to Tiān Mǔ’s throat.]
“姊妹们！“
“Sisters!”
“为吾正名 …”
“Justify my name …”
“剑不出鞘，萨囤不休！“
“Sheathe no swords until I am crowned!”
天母 / TIĀN MǓ.
[无视颈间刃。]
[Ignoring the blade.]
“礼官、御史、锦衣卫。“
“Lǐguān, Yùshǐ, Jinyiwei.”
“尔等可愿托命于天母？“
“Will you entrust your wills to me?”
[举起染血军旗。]
[Raising a bloodstained banner.]
“请立萨囤为帝——“
“Name Sàtūn Empress—”
“愿其德照玉门，如日临土。“
“May her virtue light the realm as the sun lights the land.”
[Tiě Líng pivots between them—the blade plunges into her chest.]
铁翎/TIĚ LÍNG.
[双手握剑刃，步步前趋。]
[Gripping the blade, stepping forward.]
“母亲…” [咳血]
“Mother…” [Coughs blood]
[剑柄抵至胸前，金属摩擦骨声刺耳。]
[The hilt grinds against her sternum—bone screeches on steel.]
“…这一剑若为军令…“
“…If this strike is your command…”
[猛然将剑横向心脏。]
[Wrenches the blade sideways toward her heart.]
“…该刺准些！“
“…then strike true!”
[天母瞳孔骤缩，手颤如遭雷击。]
[Tiān Mǔ’s hands tremble, lightning-struck.]
萨囤 / SÀTŪN.
[突然揽大狼入怀。] [Abruptly pulling Dà Láng into her arms.]
“朕改主意了。“ “I’ve changed my mind.”
[高声。] [To the court.]
“五毒可汗大狼——“ “Dà Láng of the Five Poisons—”
“才配为朕君侍！“ “Is fit to be my Consort!”
[低声对大狼。] [Whispering to Dà Láng.]
“做朕的刀，朕许你复仇。“ “Be my blade, and I’ll grant your vengeance.”
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG.
[跪吻萨囤靴。] [Kissing Sàtūn’s boot.]
“臣妾愿为陛下爪牙。“ “This humble servant will be Your Majesty’s fangs.”
[瞥向天母，眼藏毒光。] [A venomous glance at Tiān Mǔ.]
[除田牧外，其余人员退场。]
[Everyone except Tiān Mǔ exits.]
天母 / TIĀN MǓ.
[独留殿中，捶地泣血。] [Alone, pounding the floor in rage.]
“此朝无规，唯存野心！“ “This dynasty has no rules, only hunger!”
֍
[第一幕，第四场] ACT I · SCENE IV.
“玉门碎，朕为疆。” “The Gate is Shattered, I am the Frontier.” 同夜，剑静室。 [Same night · The Sword-Quiet Room.]
宫殿下方是一座寂静的石室。一排排尊贵的刀剑直立在漆架上。上方，祈祷卷轴如同褪色的皮肤般悬挂。一盏灯笼静静地停放在靠近中心的位置，没有亮起。 A silent stone chamber beneath the palace. Rows of honored blades rest upright in lacquered racks. Above, prayer-scrolls hang like faded skin. A single lantern sits unlit near the center. [场景开始，铁鹰点亮了灯笼。玉焰熊熊燃烧，在房间里投下怪异的阴影。铁凌的尸体躺在凸起的石台上，周围环绕着二十块未完成的剑坯。灯光将一切都笼罩在一种病态的绿色之中。] [As the scene begins, Tiě Yīng lights the lantern. The jade flame flares to life, casting monstrous shadows across the room. Tiě Líng’s body lies upon a raised stone plinth, surrounded by twenty unfinished sword blanks. The light bathes all in a sickly green hue.] 铁鹰/ TIĚ YĪNG.
[拉开裹尸布，露出伤口。] [Pulls back the shroud, revealing the wound.] “她应得英雄之葬。“ “She earned a hero’s rest.” 天母 / TIĀN MǓ.
[仍然握着从女儿身上拔出的剑。] [Still holding the sword pulled from her daughter’s body.] “叛徒只配喂剑炉。 “
“Traitor are only fit to be fed to the sword furnace.” [达朗默默地划开自己的手掌。她的鲜血滴落在剑坯上。每一滴都发出回响，在石头上发出尖锐的撞击声——][Dà Láng silently slices her palm open. Her blood falls onto one of the sword blanks. Each drop echoes, sharp against stone—]
[—and beneath that rhythm, almost imperceptibly, a second sound stirs: a low, guttural, a wet-throated rattle, like the memory of a toad’s breath buried in a well.]
[其他人没有反应。声音消失了。]
[The others do not react. The sound vanishes.]
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG. [低语。]
[Whispers.] “此血，是誓言。“ “This blood… is a vow.” “用我血淬的刀…” “A blade quenched in my blood…” “…能杀神。” “…Can kill gods.” [萨顿突然吻住她，咬着她的嘴唇。鲜血染红了两人的嘴唇。然后她转向其他人。] [Sàtūn pulls her into a sudden kiss, biting her lip. Blood touches both mouths. Then she turns to the others.] 萨囤 / SÀTŪN. “朕宣布——“ “I declare—” “明晨猎场完婚——神为证，血为誓。“ “At dawn, we wed in the hunt—blood-bound, with the gods as witness.” [其他人开始退场。灯笼噼啪作响，阴影伸展交错。唯有天佑一言不发。他跪在基座旁，将手指浸入妹妹的鲜血，在冰冷的石头上画出两条蛇。] [The others begin to exit. The shadows stretch and tangle as the lantern sputters. Only Tiān Yòu remains, silent. He kneels by the plinth, dips his fingers into his sister’s blood, and draws twin serpents on the cold stone.] 天佑 / TIĀN YÒU. “雙蛇纏…” “Two snakes entwined …” [血蛇荡漾，滑进地板的裂缝中。] [The blood-snakes ripple, slither into the cracks of the floor.]
[灯笼闪烁…摇晃…熄灭——只剩下一颗发光的玉色余烬。] [The lantern flickers… falters… dies—except one glowing jade ember.] [余烬闪烁一次。然后熄灭。] [The ember pulses once—like a heartbeat. Then dies.] [黑暗。] [Darkness.] ֍
This is the second scene of my wuxia retelling of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus. In the source material Titus returns home after years of war, bring with him all the bodies of his fallen soldiers (he refers to them as his, “sons;” some folks have taken this literally, which would mean Titus had somehow fathered hundreds and hundreds of boys in his free time, since the crypt is nearly full after decades at war). With him in chains is the defeated Goth Queen, Tamora, along with her three sons (Demetrius, Chiron and Alarbus), as well as Tamora’s lover, Aaron the Moor (and yes, Aaron is a highly problematic character … which is a polite way of saying racist as fuck). In order to appease the dead, Titus has Alarbus butchered as a sacrifice. We are also introduced to Lavinia, Titus’ daughter.
Because this version is wuxia and has most of the genders flipped, instead of slicing and dicing Hēi Dú, General Tiān Mǔ orders her oldest daughter, Tiě Yīng, to shatter Hēi Dú’s meridians, leaving her as a living corpse entombed with the glorious dead.
ACT I · SCENE II.
[剑冢森森，魂灯荧荧] [A forest of grave-swords; ghost-lanterns flicker blue.]
[祖剑堂 · 地宫] [Ancestral Sword Hall · Underground Crypt.]
[War drums fade into funeral gongs. A cavern lit by yin-blue lanterns, its walls studded with hundreds of upright swords, each a warrior’s grave-marker. Twenty empty stone plinths await Tiān Mǔ’s fallen soldiers. Incense coils like serpents around blade-cooling flesh.]
[铁链声响。铁链与铁翎押阵，铁山刀卫捧灵位与佩剑次入，后随铁英、铁血。天母戎装未卸，甲上犹带草原尘沙。大狼与其女[灰毒、蓝毒、黑毒]棘链缚身。末入巴悉拉，景教十字暗芒浮动。] [Chains clank. Tiě Lián and Tiě Líng lead the procession, followed by Iron Mountain Blades bearing spirit tablets and sheathed swords. Tiě Yīng and Tiě Xuè enter next, then Tiān Mǔ, her armor still crusted with steppe dirt. Behind them, Dà Láng and her daughters (Huī Dú, Lán Dú and Hēi Dú)shuffle in manacles. Last comes Bǎ Xī Lā, his Nestorian cross glinting like a hidden knife.]
[众人迫大狼一族跪于五眼蟾蜍铜魂炉前。] [The prisoners are forced to kneel before a bronze soul-brazier shaped like a five-eyed toad.]
天母 / TIĀN MǓ.
[举碎玉令，诵咒如刃。] [Raising her broken Jade Seal, chanting like a whetstone on steel.]
“玄女兵主——“ “Xuánnǚ, Dark Mother of War—”
“开黄泉之扉。“ “Open the Yellow Springs’ gate.”
[抚剑墙，声裂金石。] [Her palm scrapes along blade-embedded walls, voice splitting metal and stone.]
天母 / TIĀN MǓ [cont.]
“吾女今与鬼同行。“ “My daughters walk with ghosts now.”
“以刃镇幽冥。“ “Let their swords guard the underworld’s edge.”
[铁山刀卫置灵位于石台，朱砂名讳如血。无棺椁，以剑代尸。] [The Iron Mountain Blades place spirit tablets upon the plinths, each name inscribed in cinnabar. No coffins; the dead are honored as ancestral swords, not corpses.]
天母 / TIĀN MǓ [续] [抚空台，甲缝渗沙。] [Her armored fingers brush an empty plinth, steppe-dust sifting from the joints.]
“祖剑冢啊…“ “O sacred crypt …”
“汝怀吾欢，亦纳吾悲。“ “You who cradle my joy and grief alike.”
“为何贪噬无厌？“ “Why must you feast so ravenously?”
铁英 / TIĚ YĪNG.
[执刃穿魂幡，幡动如濒死之息。] [A dagger-pierced soul-banner trembles in her grip like a death rattle.]
“母亲，赐一囚破丹田。“ “Mother, grant us a prisoner to shatter.”
“以炁饲亡魂。“ “Let her qi feed the dead.”
“化其息为香。“ “Let her breath become their incense.”
天母 / TIĀN MǓ.
[戟指灰毒，甲上反光如狼瞳。] [Her gauntlet points to Huī Dú, armor-scratches glint like wolf-eyes.]
“取可汗长女。“ “Then take the Khagan’s eldest.”
“草原狼种，正合燃薪。“ “a steppe-wolf’s whelp, fit kindling.”
大狼 / DÀ LÁNG.
[锁链暴起，棘刺入肉。] [Chains rattle as manacles bite deeper into flesh.]
“这也配称‘道’？“ “You call this Taoism?!”
“分明是屠场！“ “This is butchery!”
[唾血] [Spits blood.]
“玉皇必降天罚——“ “The Jade Empress will curse your—”
天母 / TIĀN MǓ
[抬手如闸，声寒于铁。] [A raised hand silences like decapitation.]
“天道不悯豺狼。“ “The Tao has no mercy for wolves.”
“汝女之息，当饲吾殇。“ “Your daughter’s breath will feed my dead.”
铁英 / TIĚ YĪNG.
[并指为鹤喙，点向灰毒后腰。] [Fingers coiled like a crane’s beak, pressing to Huī Dú’s spine.]
[玉裂之声，肌骨僵锁。] [A crack like splitting jade, her body locks rigid.]
铁英 / TIĚ YĪNG [cont.]
“大椎。” [Dàzhùi.]
[折骨脆响，银炁自七窍喷涌，旋入魂炉。] [A final snap, silver qi erupts from her pores, swirling into the brazier.]
[炁凝‘仇’字，瞬散。铁山刀卫置灰毒于碑前，形存神灭，永跪为鬼奴。] [The qi forms the character 仇 《vengeance》 before dissolving. Huī Dú’s hollowed body is propped before the plinths; a living ghost forced to kneel eternally.]
天佑 / TIĀN YÒU.
[三叩入殿，额抵冷石。] [Entering with three kowtows, forehead pressed to stone.]
“母亲…“ “Mother…”
[捧纸马，声颤。] [Clutching paper effigies, voice trembling.]
天佑 / TIĀN YÒU [cont.]
“儿带冥驹，助姊远行。“ “I bring paper horses for their journey.”
[天佑一边吟诵诗歌，一边焚烧人像。]
[Tiān Yòu begins burning the effigies while reciting poetry.]
天佑 / TIĀN YÒU [cont.]
“双蛇缠…” [Two snakes entwined …]
[纸灰突燃碧火。]
[The ashes flare emerald.]
天佑 / TIĀN YÒU [cont.]
“无首尾 …” [Neither head nor tail …]
[焚纸，灰烬化鹤形——白思之徽。] [The ashes twist into a crane—Bái Sī’s crest.]
天佑 / TIĀN YÒU [cont.]
“唯饥无宴。” [Only hunger without feast.]
[魂炉中五眼骤睁。]
[The toad-brazier’s eyes snap open.]
[天佑退后，诗成谶言。] [Tiān Yòu staggers back, the poem now a curse spoken out loud.]
天母 / TIĀN MǓ.
[捧子面，甲锈沾颊。] [Cupping his face, her gauntlet leaves dried blood like tear-stains.]
“吾儿…“ “My son…”
“男儿总被讥弱。“ “The world calls boys weak.”
“然你乃吾德所铸之身。“ “But you are my virtue made flesh.”
[低语切齿。] [A whisper like grinding steel.]
天母 / TIĀN MǓ [cont.]
“活得比我久。“ “Outlive me.”
[按剑柄，刃吟如泣。] [Her palm on a sword-hilt, the blade hums a mourner’s tune.]
天母 / TIĀN MǓ [cont.]
“安息吧，吾刃。“ “Rest, my blades.”
“未斩之恨，生者必断。“ “The living will cut what you could not.”
[所有人都退场。]
[Everyone exits.]
[门阖。终余：灰毒游丝之息，与万剑饥鸣。] [The doors seal. Last sounds: Huī Dú’s shallow breath in the dark and the swords’ hungry humming.]
֍
Notes.
Unlike Aaron the Moor, whose presence in the play is never really explained (except for being Tamora’s baby daddy) Bǎ Xī Lā (the name he adopted since arriving in China), is in fact European, a Nestorian Christian missionary, with a demonic apatite for destruction (thank you, Guns and Roses). Other terms that need to be explained are:
Tiān Mǔ refers to her soldiers as, Iron Mountain Blades (for no other reason than I thought it sounded interesting). In traditional Chinese medicine, meridians are invisible pathways in the body through which vital energy circulates. This energy is called Qi (气) an energy field … created by all living things; it surrounds us and penetrates us and binds the galaxy together. If that sounds a bit Star Wars-ish now you know where Lucas stole his idea from, you’re welcome. Paper horses (纸马) were burned to transport the souls of the deceased to the afterlife.
The only part that gave me pause was trying to come up with a description of how meridians would be cut or severed, since in the wuxia kung fu movies I’ve seen someone declares that they’re using, “the Quivering Palm” (or something) and a glowing CGI cloud then leaves the body. Personally, I am very fond of the description used in Airplane! (1980):
“It starts with a slight fever and dryness of the throat. When the virus penetrates the red blood cells, the victim becomes dizzy, begins to experience an itchy rash, then the poison goes to work on the central nervous system, severe muscle spasms followed by the inevitable drooling. At this point, the entire digestive system collapses accompanied by uncontrollable flatulence until, finally, the poor bastard is reduced to a quivering wasted piece of jelly.”
… but I suppose there are better descriptions out there, somewhere.
It’s not a poem, per se, but let me share the first scene in my wuxia retelling of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus. For those unfamiliar with the term, wuxia is a Chinese genre of literature that features martial arts, valiance, action and often elements of the supernatural. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), for example, is wuxia.
As for the source material, Titus Andronicus starts off with two brothers, Saturninus and Bassianus, along with their followers, competing to see who will rule Rome. Right before a riot begins Titus’ brother, Marcus, arrives and announces that Titus, an ancient but highly respected general, is returning from war and will choose which brother will be made emperor. For my retelling all the genders are reversed. Bái Sī [白丝, White Silk] and Sàtǔn [萨吞, Steel-Swallower] are sisters. Tiě Gū [铁姑, Iron Aunt] is the sister to General Tiān Mǔ [天母, Heavenly Mother].
My skills at translating Chinese have much to be desired, so any errors here are entirely my own.
《血菩萨。》第一幕·第一场 “Blood Bodhisattva.” Act I 一 Scene I
《血染玉阶，凤泣残阳。》 [Blood stains the jade steps, a phoenix weeps for the dying sun.]
[玉门国·千剑宫外。] [Yumen Kingdom · Outside the Thousand Swords Palace。]
[战鼓裂云，幕启时，白思与萨囤对峙宫阶之上。铁牛、天鹤两派弟子于阶下血战。宫门处，礼官肃立，御史执笔，锦衣卫刀出半鞘，静若石雕。] [War drums tear at the clouds as the curtain rises, Bái Sī and Sàtūn stand frozen on the palace steps. Below, their Iron Ox and Heavenly Crane disciples wage war. At the gates, Lǐguān stand rigid, Yùshǐ clutch ink-brushes and Jinyiwei guards rest hands on half-drawn blades, silent as carved sentinels.]
萨囤 / SÀTŪN.
[斩马刀啸空而过，尘暴如龙卷起。]
[Her Zhanmadao screams through air, whipping up a dust-whirlwind.]
“铁牛门下！”
“Sons and daughters of the Iron Ox!”
“朕即凤诏，天命在刃！”
“I am the Phoenix’s living edict, the Mandate burns in my steel!”
“和我一起站起来，铸就历史的栋梁！”
“Stand with me and be forged into history’s pillars!”
“叛龙者 …”
“Betray me …”
[刀光一闪，宫灯齐灭。]
[A blade-flash—every palace lantern gutters out.]
萨囤 / SÀTŪN [cont.]
“… 九族诛尽，宫门悬颅！”
“… and I’ll hang your bloodline’s skulls from the palace gates!”
白思 / BÁI SĪ.
[双针剑作鹤翼式，冷笑。]
[Needle-swords flash into crane-wing stance, her sneer colder than moonlight.]
“天命？” [冷笑。]
“The Mandate?” [Laugh like cracking ice.]
“弑亲之血，也配称凤？”
“Can a kinslayer’s hands still clutch the Phoenix’s crown?”
[Her blades shiver like pinions at mid-strike—the crane’s grace laced with scorpion’s venom. Her faction echoes with choral crane-cries, a sound like silk tearing on sword-edges.]
白思 / BÁI SĪ [cont.]
“重器非在冠冕，而在德行。”
“True power lies not in crowns, but in virtue.”
“尔自比狂风？不过瘈狗吠日！”
“You call yourself a storm? A rabid dog barking at heaven!”
[她的战士们的呐喊声响彻云霄——铁牛队伍摇摇晃晃，阵型散乱。]
[Her warriors’ cries pierce the air—the Iron Ox ranks stagger, their formation fraying.]
铁姑 / TIĚ GŪ.
[持碧玉令，九节鞭缠腰。满场肃杀。] [Enters with the Jade Scepter, her 9-section whip coiled around her hips. The air thickens, sharp as a guillotine’s edge.]
“骨肉相残之座，未雪先倾。” “The throne built on sister-blood collapses before winter’s first snow can hide its sins.”
“今奉碎玉令，迎天母将军班师 …” “By the Broken Jade Seal, I declare General Tiān Mǔ regent …”
“五毒教之役，当终今日。” “Her war against the Five Poisons Sect ends now.”
“散！” “Disperse!”
“… 否则御史以刻石指铭罪，鬼神同泣！” “… or the Yùshǐ’s Stone-Carving Finger will engrave your crimes so deep, even gods and ghosts will wail!”
[御史的一击落地——指尖击碎了大理石地板，裂开了蜘蛛网，如同下了判决书一般。]
[The Yùshǐ’s strike lands—fingertips shatter the marble floor, cracks spider-webbing like a verdict.]
萨囤 / SÀTŪN.
[见玉阶旁书生所留的砚台，冷笑。]
[Spots an inkstone left by a fleeing scholar, her lips curl.]
[脚踢翻，墨泼阶如血。]
[Her boot flips it, black ink gushes down the steps like a slit throat.]
“刻啊！”
“Carve this!”
“让后世记得 …”
“Let history remember …”
[锦衣卫刀光映墨，凤鸣凄厉。]
[Jinyiwei blades gleam with reflected ink, their phoenix-cry a funeral dirge.]
[白思的鹤簪坠地，羽尖沾墨。]
[Bái Sī’s crane-hairpin clatters to the floor, its feather-tip staining black.]
萨囤 / SÀTŪN [cont.]
“… 铁牛将军之妹执印却不敢执刃！”
“… the Iron General’s sister clutches seals, but flees from steel!”
铁姑 / TIĚ GŪ.
[举令，寒声。]
[Raising the Jade Order, her voice colder than a tomb’s breath.]
“刻石遗臭，万古流秽。”
“Let stone etch your reek, let ten thousand generations gag on your name.”
[玉阶震颤，如畏其言。]
[The jade steps tremble, as if fearing her decree.]
铁姑 / TIĚ GŪ [cont.]
“母皇遗诏刻于玉，非书于血。”
“The Empress’ will was carved in jade, not scribbled in traitors’ blood.”
[锦衣卫刀锋低鸣，似凤泣先帝。]
[Jinyiwei blades hum, a phoenix weeping for the dead sovereign.]
白思 / BÁI SĪ.
[凝视没羽，墨渍如泪，轻叹后扬声道。] [Gazes at the drowned feather, ink seeping like tears, then her voice lifts, clear and cold.]
“血缘始，血缘终。” “By blood it began, by blood it ends.”
[向铁姑鞠躬，腰如竹折而不断。] [She bows to Tiě Gū, back bent like bamboo, unbroken.]
白思 / BÁI SĪ [cont.]
“我臣服 …” “I yield …”
“… 非顺汝刃，乃顺天佑。” “… not to your blade, but to Heaven’s decree.”
[白袍众退如雪崩，寂然无声。] [Her disciples retreat like an avalanche in reverse, soundless, deliberate.]
白思 / BÁI SĪ [cont.]
“愿鹤唳引慈母之手。” “May the crane’s cry guide my Mother’s hand.”
[最后一句如刃悬喉。] [The words hang—a knife at the world’s throat.]
白思 / BÁI SĪ [cont.]
“雪退散…” “The snow withdraws…”
[… 然寒入骨，千年不化。] “…but frost lingers in the bones and will not thaw for a thousand years.”
萨囤 / SÀTŪN.
[握刀下令，目光灼灼。]
[Her Zhanmadao gleams, a verdict half-unsheathed. Her gaze burns hotter than the desert wind.]
“名铸剑出，不悔不归。”
“My name is forged in steel, my blade thirsts without remorse.”
[铁牛派虽退，手不离刀。]
[The Iron Ox faction withdraws, but every finger still curls around cold steel.]
萨囤 / SÀTŪN [cont.]
“让玉门断壁 …”
“Let the ruins of the Jade Gate …”
[刀锋划地，裂石如骨碎。]
[Her saber splits the earth, stone shatters like a spine.]
萨囤 / SÀTŪN [cont.]
“… 判谁凤血承天！”
“… decide whose veins bear the Phoenix’s truth!”
[众人退时，守卫扬玉尘，五行阵成而即散，如凤涅磐。]
[As factions retreat, guards raise jade-ash, the Wuxing symbols form then dissolves like a phoenix’s rebirth from the ash.]
[幕落时，唯余：]
[The curtains close on:]
萨囤的刀 [Sàtūn’s blade]
插在玉阶 [embedded in jade steps]
白思的羽 [Bái Sī’s feather]
飘向冷月 [drifting toward the icy moon]
铁姑的鞭 [Tiě Gū’s whip]
缠着半截断诏 [coiled around a torn edict]
上书： [which reads:]
“朕死之年…”
“The year I die…”
“…血菩萨现。”
“…the Blood Bodhisattva comes.”
֍
Notes:
Wuxia (pronounced: “woo-syah”) is known for its melodrama and camp, breathtaking swordplay and high-flying martial arts (literally, the actors defy gravity via Wire Fu, as seen in The Matrix). Here are some terms that I need to explain:
Lǐguān, Yùshǐ and Jinyiwei are different sorts of Imperial court officials. Wuxing, often translated as the Five Phases (see diagram below), is a conceptual scheme used in many Chinese fields of study to explain a wide array of phenomena, such as characterizing the interactions and relationships within various sciences, medicines, politics and religions. Whereas an Emperor was compared to a dragon, an Empress (especially Wu Zetian) was compared to a phoenix. A Zhanmadaoor “Horse-chopping blade” was a large sword popular during the Song dynasty. Being ignorant in many things I chose to set the play in a mythical ancient China, to avoid that whole “historically accurate” razzamatazz.
memories of my ghost sista 