The Flight From The Capital and The Death of Precious Consort Yang

Abstract

T'ang StudIes 3 (1985) THEFLIGHTFROM THECAPITAL AND THEDEATH OF PRECIOUS CONSORT YANG Paul W. Kroll University of Colorado, Boulder Every student of the T'ang--indeed almost every student of any period of traditional China--knows in general outline the unfortunate story of Li Lung-chi' s f' f[ .!. (pht. Hsiian ..::. ~ Tsung J!.., j]z , r. 712-56) furtive and hasty flight from the capital city of Ch' ang-an -tz. ~ in July of 756, and his forced execution en route of his beloved lady, Precious Consort Yang (Yang kuei-f~ 7}~ -t .}(.j ). The full tale of these events, narrated in moving, and sometimes pathetic, detail, is recounted in Szu-ma Kuang' s ~ .. ,~..:fLJ (1019-1086) Tzu-chih ;~ .... ;., \~ ~!1:.t t' ung-chien J!. '/'Cf ~ ~1rl. • Surprisingly, however, a complete English translation of that memorable account has never been published. Most of our histories summarize it in a sentence or two; and even the most specialized and prestigious English-language portrayal of that era spares only a paragraph to review the incidents.1 Unsettling as it is to contemplate, it may well be that the majority of students derive their most detailed impression of these events from Po Chii-i' s \;J /J; ~ (772-846) romantic poem, "The Song of Everlasting Remorse" (Ch' ang hen ko ic +~~ ), in the pleasant but inadequate translation of Witter Bynner.2 The rendering below aims to supply this deficiency. I hope it may be of some use both to scholars in the field and to students who have not the ability to read the original text 1The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 3: Sui and T' ang China, Part I, ed. D. Twitchett (Cambridge, 1979), 460. 2As reprinted in the widely used textbook Anthology of Chinese Literature from Early Times to the Fourteenth Century, ed. C. Birch (NewYork, 1965), 266-69. 25 T'an11Studies 3 (1985) THE FLIGHT FROMTHE CAPITAL AND THE DEATHOF PRECIOUS CONSORTYANG Paul w. Kroll University of Colorado, Boulder Every student of the T'ang--indeed almost every student of any period of traditional China--knows in general outline the unfortunate story of Li Lung-chi Is 歪醛某 (pht, Hsiian Tsung£ ~,_.1;, 、~, r. 712-56) furtive and hasty flight from the capital city of Ch'ang-an 表宅 in July of 756, and his forced execution 主卫竽。f his beloved lady, Precious Consort Yang (Yang 早早丑科遺蚪） . The full tale of these events, narrated in moving, and sometimes pathetic, detail, is recounted in Szu-ma Kuang s 多 7 島汜 (1019一1086) 罕 、 h t un~-chien 曰－ L 、 7 .,., ✓ 'Cf srn ------ 釒拮. Surprisingly, however, a complete English translation of that memorable account has never been published. Most of our histories summarize it in a sentence or two; and even the most specialized and prestigious English一language portrayal of that era spares only a paragraph to review the incidents .1 Unsettling as it is to contemplate, it may well be that the majority of students derive their most detailed impression of these events from Po Chii-i's Sf 忿易 (772一846) romantic poem, "The Song of Everlasting Remorse" (Ch'an~hen ko 友 4良瘁）， in the pleasant but inadequate translation of Witter Bynner.2 The rendering below aims to supply this deficiency, I hope it may be of some use both to scholars in the field and to students who have not the ability to read the original text 1The Cambrid e His tor of China Vol. 3: Sui and T'an China1 Part I, ed. D. Twitchett (Cambridge, 1979), 460. 2As reprinted in the widely used textbook Antholoiy of Chinese Literature from Earl Times to the Fourteenth Centur, ed. C. Birch (New York, 1965), 266-69. 25 contained in the Tzu-chih t'ung-chien. In addition to the actual narrative, it also includes the k' ao-i ;g ~ sections, or "Examination of Differences, ,,3 of Szu-ma Ku~ng, as well as the extensive and often extremely informative notes of the thirteenth-century commentator Hu San-hsing i)~ ::;: ~ (12301302 ).4 Some readers may, however, wish to content themselves by perusing only, or first of all, the main text by itself, so as to take in uninterruptedly the compelling course of the narrative . The account of the events...