The Dream of the Red Chamber

f the Great Void - The Monitory Vision Fairy ex

tending the settlement of the mother and children of the Hsüeh family in the

e and close friendliness and love which sprung up between the two persons Pao-yü and Tai-yü, was, in the same degree, of an exceptional kind, as compared with those existing between the others. By daylight they were wont to walk together, and to sit together. At night, they would desist together, and rest together. Really it was a case of harmony in language and con

r the world below, that the natural consequence was that she soon completely won the hearts of the lower classes. Even the whole number of waiting-maids would also for the most

ommon sentiment, and without any distinction whatever between the degrees of distant or close relationship. Sitting and sleeping, as he now was under the same roof with Tai-yü in dowager lady Chia's suite of rooms, he naturally became co

gain sitting all alone in her room, giving way to tears. Pao-yü was once more within himself quite conscience-smitten for

ome and admire the flowers; and when the day arrived the first thing she did was to take Chia Jung and his wife, the two of them, and come and ask them round in person. Dowager lady Chia and the other inmates crossed over after their early meal; and they at once promenaded the Hu

when he can come back;" whereupon Chia Jung's wife, Mrs. Ch'in, smiled and said with eagerness: "We got ready in here a room for uncle Pao, so let your venerable ladyship set your mind at ease.

pulous, and in every action likewise so benign and gentle; indeed the most estimable among the whole number of her great grands

Pao-yü, upon raising his head, and catching sight of a picture hung on the upper wall, representing a human f

air of scrolls, th

nto worldly matters

human nature emanate

and beautifully laid out, he would on no account remain in it.

," she said, "is really not nice, where are you going?

is head and gav

e thereupon interposed, "of an uncle goin

to reverentially shun all these things? Why my brother was with me here last month; didn't you see him? he's, true enough, of

I didn't see him? Bring him alo

, "by a distance of twenty or thirty li, and how ca

in, a very faint puff of sweet fragrance was wafted into their nostrils. Pao-yü readily felt his

ang Po-hu, consisting of Begonias drooping in the spring time; on either side of which was one of a

scribe the dreaming man, b

wafts itself into man's no

, used to stand and dance. In this platter, was laid a quince, which An Lu-shan had flung at the Empress T'ai Chen, inflicting a wound on her breast. In the upper part of the room, stood a divan orname

nice in here," exclaime

d a gauze coverlet, which had been washed by Hsi Shih, and removed a bridal pillow, which had been held in the arms of Hung Niang. Instantly, the nurses attended to Pao-

," Mrs. Ch'in recommended the young waiting

, and, little by little, be

rs. Ch'in to some spot or other, where he saw carnation-like railings, jade-like steps, verdant trees and limpid pools - a

spend my whole lifetime in here! though I may have to lose my home, I'm quite ready for the sacrific

ddenly heard the voice of some human being at t

clouds doth flee

owers pass like

ths bear this,

ef what profit

ied in the opposite direction, a beautiful girl advancing with majestic and elastic step; a girl qu

quits the

issues from the flo

peeds, she startles t

by the

s nigh, her shadow f

e wind! a fragrant perfume like unt

n wont to move; and the jingle

kingfisher coiffure is like a cumulus of clouds; her lips part c

a gust of wind; the sheen of her pearls and kingfisher trinkets abounds with s

he is when displeased, beautiful when in high spirits; with lissome step

utter; her lotus-like feet with ease pursue their course; she stops, and yet she seems still to be

attire, so full of gra

t substance, or carved from white jade; elegant is her pe

pring with snow nestling in its broken skin; Her

a fir-tree growing

russet clouds refle

e a dragon in motion

e rays of the moon shoo

Wang Ch'iang to the blush! What a remarkable per

no second like her! that in the Purple Court

it be, so surpas

a fairy, was much elated; and with

e you come, and whither you are going. Nor have I any idea what this place

dusty world, the envies of women and the lusts of man. It's because I've recently come to hear that the retribution for voluptuousness extends up to this place, that I betake myself here in order to find suitable opportunities of disseminating mutual affections. My encounter with you now is also not a matter of accident! This spot is not distant from my confi

that he could skip from joy, and there and then discarding from his

, on which were visible the four large characters: "The confines of the Great Void," on

s for truth, truth l

e to aught, aught

, were the four large characters: "The Sea of Retribution, the Heaven of Love

lofty as the skies, from ages past to

and women envious, that your volupt

he thought, "but I wonder what implies the passion from old till now, a

s when he perceived that the Lateral Halls were, on both sides, full of tablets and scrolls, the number of which he could not in one moment ascertain. He however discriminated in numerous places the

the Fairy. "May I venture to trouble my Fairy," he said, "to take me along for a t

men of the whole world; of those who have passed away, as well as of those who have not as yet come into it,

rmission again and again, until the Fairy casting her eye upon the tablet of the board in front

that the text on the tablet consisted of the three characters: the Board o

nly brought regrets in

be and moonlike too;

ached the interior, the only things that struck his eye were about ten large presses, the whole number of which were

rring to his own native village, when he espied, on the other side, a slip with

ired Pao-yü, "of the Principal Record

t excellent and prominent girls in your honourable provin

xtent; and how can there only be twelve maidens in it! why, at present, in o

ly of any note have been selected and entered in this record. The two presses, on the two sides, contain those who are second bes

ao-yü opened first the doors of the press, containing the "supplementary secondary Record," extracted a volume of the registers, and opened it. When he came to examine it, he saw on the front page a representation of something, which, though bearing no resemblance to

oon is rare f

uds so soon sc

eper than the h

nsists of ba

ever mind resent

ly death vile sl

outh in vain for

ured a bouquet of fresh flowers and a bed covered with tattere

kindly gentleness

n match the olea or orc

envious lot! with for

will, strange to say, b

press of the "Secondary Records" and took out a book, in which, on examination, he found a representation of a twig of Olea fragrans. Below,

flower but one fr

e wounds of thy l

late tree in two

e home the fragra

to looking it over. He saw on the first page a picture of two rotten trees, while on these trees was suspended a jade girdle

, e'en were the virtue

he willow fluff to sing

doth hang the gi

he snow the gol

y would be both to divulge the decrees of Heaven; and though intent upon discarding the book, he could not however tear himself away from it. Forthwith, t

ght and wrong to exp

lossoms come in bloom wi

ng, of the first spring i

hare thou wilt retur

nse of sea, and a large vessel; while in this vessel was a girl, who scr

l be thy gifts, thy

be late in life and

ou wilt repine tearf

but home miles off wi

treaks of fleeting clouds, and of a creek

urs too what be

es thou'lt be when

nt, quick as the

ill recede, the Ch'

tiful gem, which had fallen i

tity, but chaste

faith, but void t

mlike self will,

mire collapse a

f a beautiful girl, trying to pounce upon her as he wi

savage wolf prowl

fied a haughty spir

like flowers or willo

am to hang will sh

beautiful person, just in the act of reading the religi

the charms of the three sprin

s to lay aside thou chang

reputed house and no

s under a glimmering lig

e, on which stood a hen-phoenix

e coincidence, the

s human form all k

kens, then to control,

gs in Chin Ling are

llage, and a dreary inn. A pretty girl sat in there, sp

have flown will h

your home, e'en r

gh the aid exten

fortune will make

f which, was a beautiful maiden in a phoenix-crown and cloudy man

then fades the bloom o

ke a pot of the

y will vie, vain t

stock people will t

n of a lofty edifice, on which was a beauteous girl, suspe

love ocean-wide, thy

encounter love, lice

impiety in Jung do

ble, verily, is ce

ts quickwitted, and apprehending lest the decrees of heaven should be divulged, hastily closed the Book of Record, and addressed herself to Pa

, ornamented pillars, and carved eaves. But no words can adequately give an idea of the vermilion apartments glistening with splendour, of the floors garnished with gold, of the snow reflect

a smiling face: "Come out all of you

Pao-yü, they all, with one voice, resentfully reproached the Monitory Vision Fairy. "Ignorant as to who the honoured guest could be," they argued, "we hastened to come out to offer our greetings simply because you, elder sister, had told us that, on this day, and at this ve

addressed me in this wise: 'Our family has, since the dynasty established itself on the Throne, enjoyed merit and fame, which pervaded many ages, and riches and honours transmitted from generation to generation. One hundred years have already elapsed, but this good fortune has now waned, and this propitious luck is exhausted; so much so that they could not be retrieved! Our sons and grandsons may be many, but there is no one among them who has the means to continue the family estate, with the exception of our kindred grandson, Pao-yü alone, who, though perverse in disposition and wayward by nature, is nevertheless intelligent and

cords of the whole lives of the maidens in his family, belonging to the three grades, the upper, middle and lower, but as he has not yet fathomed the import, I have consequentl

nto the apartment, where he felt a whiff of subtle fragrance

and how could you discern what it is? This is made of the essence of the first sprouts of rare herbs, growing on all hills of fame and places of su

, of course, full of no o

"What is the name of this tea?" he therefore asked; upon which the Fairy explained. "This tea," she added, "originates from the Hills of Emitted Spring and the Valley

nd new poetical works, which were to be seen everywhere, he felt more than ever in a high state of delight. Below the windows, were also shreds of velvet sputtered abou

all, ethereal,

ere, but Heaven

led the Fairy of Lustful Dreams; another "the High Ruler of Propagated Passion;" the name of one was "the Golden Maiden of Perpetuated Sorrow

eatables. There were actually crystal tankards overflowing with luscious wines, and amber glasses full to the brim with p

sual purity of the bouquet of the wine, to again

he juice of ten thousands of trees, with the addition of must composed of unicorn marrow, and yeast

ped his wine, twelve dancing girls came forward, an

ly-composed Twelve Sections of the Dr

ey lightly clapped the castagnettes and gently thrummed the v

the heavens and the laying out

roduced the lyrics of the Southern and Northern Palaces. These fairy songs consist either of elegaic effusions on some person or impressions of some occurrence or other, and are impromptu songs readily set to the music of wind or string instruments, so that any one who is not cognisant of

he text of the Dream of the Red Chamber, which she handed to Pao-yü, who took it over; and a

opened and earth was laid out chaos prevailed! What was the germ

de an attempt to disburden my sad heart; and with this object in view I indited this Dream of

ow, Hsüeh, [Pao-ch'ai], pure as crystal and lustrous like a gem of the eminent priest living among the hills! Never will I forget the noiseless Fairy Grove, Lin [Tai-yü], beyond the confines of the mortal worl

existence? If the union will you say, be strange, how is it then that their love affair will be but empty words? The one in her loneliness will give way to useless sighs. The other in vain will yearn and crave. The one will be like the r

evertheless sufficient to drive away his spirit and exhilarate his soul. Hence it was that he did not make any inquiries about the arguments, and that he did not ask ab

spirit will waste and dissolve! You will yearn for native home, but distant will be the way, and lofty the mountains. Hence it is that you will betake yourself in search of father and mother, while they lie under

s in their failing years! "Father and mother," you will bid them, "do not think with any anxiety of your child. From ages past poverty as well as success have both had a fixed destiny; and is it likely that separation and reunion are not

will not have, in the least, their child's secret feelings at heart! You will be like a moon appearing to view when the rain holds up, shedding its rays upon the Jade Hall; or a gentle breeze (wafting its breath upon it). Wedded to a husband, fairy like fair and accomplished, you will enjoy a happiness enduring as the earth and perennial as

not be aware that your high notions will bring upon you the excessive hatred of man! You will be very eager in your desire after chastity, but the human race will despise you! Alas, you will wax old in that antique temple hall under a faint light, where you will waste ungrateful for beauty, looks and freshness!

haughtiness, extravagance, licentiousness and dissolute habits! You will be inordinate in your conjugal affections, and look down upon the beautiful charms of the child of a marquis, as if they were cat-tail r

e clouds being plentiful (children)? Let him who has after all seen one of them, (really a mortal being) go safely through the autumn, (wade safely through old age), behold the people in the white Poplar village groan and sigh; and the spirits under the green maple whine and moan! Still more wide in expanse than even the heavens is the dead vegetation which covers the graves! The moral is

igent to no purpose! Your home will be in easy circumstances; your family will enjoy comforts; but your connexions will, at length, fall a prey to death, and the inmates of your family scatter, each one of you speeding in a different direction, making room for others! In vain, you will have harassed your mind with cankering thoughts for half a lifetime; for it will be just a

a store of virtue and secret meritorious actions! My advice to you, mankind, is to relieve the destitute and succour the distressed! Do not resemble those who will harp after lucre and show themselves unmindful of th

means to atone for the short life (of your husband)! Though the saying is that mankind should not have, in their old age, the burden of poverty to bear, yet it is also essential that a store of benevolent deeds should be laid up for the benefit of sons and grandsons! (Your son) may come to be dignified in appearance and wear on his head the official tassel, and on

us love and your naturally moonlike face will soon be the source of the ruin of a family. The decadence of the family estate will emanate entirely from Ching;

es; those indebted for tears have already (gone) to exhaust their tears! Mutual injuries will be revenged in no light manner! Separation and reunion will both alike be determined by predestination! You wish to know why your life will be short; look into your previous existence! Verily, riches and honours, which will come with old age, will likewise be a question of chance! Those who wil

but the Monitory Vision Fairy, perceiving the total absence of any interest in Pao-yü, heave

he interrupted the singing maidens; and feeling drowsy and dull, he plead

id out was a thing which he had not hitherto seen. But what evoked in him wonder still more intense, was the sight, at an early period, of a girl seated in the room,

dissolute roués, one and all of whom maintain that libidinous affections do not constitute lewdness; and who try, further, to prove that licentious love is not tantamount to lewdness. But all these arguments are mere apologies for their shortcomings, and a screen for their pollutions; for if libidinous affection be lewdness, still more does the per

because of my reluctance to read my books my parents have, on repeated occasions, extended to me injunction and reprimand, and would I have th

but cannot be transmitted by the mouth; can be fathomed by the spirit, but cannot be divulged in words. As you now are imbued with this desire only in the abstract, you are certainly well fit to be a trustworthy friend in (Fairyland) inner apartments, but, on the path of the mortal world, you will inevitably be misconstrued and defamed; every mouth will ridicule you; every eye will look down upon you with contempt. After meeting recently your worthy ancestors, the two Dukes of Ning and Jung, who opened their hearts and made their wishes known to me with such fervour, (but I will not have you solely on account of the splendour of our inner apartments look down despisingly upon the path of the world), I consequently led you along, my son, and inebriated you with luscious wines, steeped you in spiritual

losed the door, and took her departure all alone. Pao-yü in a dazed state complied with the admonitions given him by the Fair

hand, the two of them therefore, went out for a stroll, when they unexpectedly reached a place, where nothing else met their gaze than thorns and brambles, which covered the ground, and a wolf and

ing from the back in pursuit of them. "Desist at once," she exclaimed, "from making any ad

tanding still. "What is

imply a raft, of which Mu Chu-shih directs the rudder, and which Hui Shih chen punts with the poles. They receive no compensation in the shape of gold or silver, but when they come across any one whose destiny it

the Ford of Enticement, a sound like unto a peal of thunder, whereupon a whol

into a perspiration as profuse as rain, and he simulta

ids, that they rushed forward, and taking Pao-yü in their

in his dream, call her by her infant name. In a melancholy mood she therefore communed within herself, "As far as my infant name goes, there is, in this establishment, no one who has any idea what it is, and