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.'”
LǏGUĀN, YÙSHǏ and JINYIWEI. [Imperial Court Officials.]
֍
《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.”
֍
[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.]
֍
[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.] ֍
Poetry translation is never an exact science. Taking a concept, rich with metaphors, from one language and somehow then discovering a similar meaning in another has challenges. How does one find that original essence – the core of what the poet was trying to say – in an alien tongue? I have always found translation to be a synthesis of everything that has been done before my attempt and then a smoothing out of all the rough bits into something that sings to me. If there was a philosophy to this it’d go: be illiterate in all languages, just resonate with the soul of what is being said. I suppose that is the difference between professionals and amateurs. I will always be an amateur. To misquote the Japanese haiku poet Issa: “there will always be farmers/ laboring in the fields/ I don’t feel guilty.”
Today I turn my attention to the Chinese radical feminist, revolutionary and martyr, Ch’iu Chin (better known through modern translation as Qiu Jin). If you’ve never heard her name before just know this: she was a lesbian poet who tried to overthrow the Qing dynasty in 1907 and then was executed, beheaded. One day someone will translate all her poetry, essays and speeches into English and that will be a blessing. Just now I am only looking at her last words, her death poem. They’re simple, they look like this:
秋风秋雨愁煞人
Technology fails us. According to Google Translate we get, “Autumn autumn rain sad people.” which are at least English words strung together in some sort of order. And yet they fail to capture any meaning of these words. First let me reprint the best translation that I’ve found:
Autumn rain, autumn wind/ I die of sorrow.
[from the documentary, Autumn Gem]
Now let me tell you why this is so good. Ch’iu Chin’s name literally translates into, “Autumn Gem,” and the ‘autumn’ is the metaphor that works in this poem. By the time of her capture she was burned out, depressed and had realized that her revolutionary goals would never happen. She let herself be captured and executed so that she could become one of the Chinese heroines of myth who rose up to fight for women during times of oppression.
As one says, there are no bad translations, just different interpretations. I point out these simply because they were faithful to the words on the page but the translators did not seem to know why the words were written:
O Autumn Winds chilly, O Autumn Rains chilly, (Why you are spilling) Frank C Yue
For whom does the autumn rain and wind lament? Sjcma
All of which, out of context, still works. Getting executed would make one gloomy. Then there is the fact that Ch’iu Chin became a symbol for the 1911 Revolution and her words were used to express the woes of other people, and thus we get the royal ‘we’
Autumn wind and rain have brought overwhelming grief to many Albert Chan
Again, this is all just a matter of interpretation of what comes before. Like I said, I can’t read Chinese, I can just guesstimate from the works of others. If I’m wrong … then I’m wrong and this was just a curious post won’t mean anything. Still, I love the poetry of Qiu Jin and if I can be part of helping her find an English audience then my day is good. Two translations that I think are kind of marvelous:
Autumn wind and autumn rain often bring forth unbearable sorrow Alan Cykok
Don’t tell me women are not the stuff of heroes,
I alone rode over the East Sea’s winds for ten thousand leagues.
My poetic thoughts ever expand, like a sail between ocean and heaven.
I dreamed of your three islands, all gems, all dazzling with moonlight.
I grieve to think of the bronze camels, guardians of China, lost in thorns.
Ashamed, I have done nothing; not one victory to my name.
I simply make my war horse sweat. Grieving over my native land
hurts my heart. So tell me; how can I spend these days here?
A guest enjoying your spring winds?
memories of my ghost sista 