"Love Through a Poem,"  a scene from "The Jade Pin"

Synopsis of “Love Through a Poem:”

 “Love Through a Poem” is the highlight scene from “The Jade Pin,” a Kunqu play by Gao Lian (1573-1641), a major poet/playwright of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The play tells a riveting tale of romance, replete with fortunes and pitfalls, separations and reunions, joys and tears.

 In “The Jade Pin,” young scholar Pan Bizheng visits his aunt, the abbess of a nunnery. He falls in love with Chen Miaochang, a young nun-to-be who fled to the nunnery after she had lost her parents during the civil war. (Not known to either of the two young protagonists is that when they were still infants their parents arranged their future marriage to each other.) In her feeble attempt to resist the temptation of worldly romantic feelings, Chen feigned indifference to and annoyance at Pan’s amorous overtures.

 The scene, “Love Through a Poem,” begins with Pan taking a stroll near Chen’s quarters. Seeing that her door is ajar, Pan walks inside and finds Chen dozed off in her room. He notices a poem composed by her. He sneaks the poem from under her elbow and reads it. To his great elation, the poem reveals her secret tender feelings for him. When Chen wakes up, she acts offended by his presence, and threatens to tell his aunt on his bold behavior. With her love poem in his possession, however, Pan behaves even more outrageously by confessing openly his love for her. When she realizes that he has already perused her poem, she can but resign to admitting to him her true emotions concerning him. The scene ends with the two making pledges of love to each other. Our two young lovers will wed and live happily ever after.

Prepared by Ben Wang for the Kunqu Society