By Xu Shilin

In my hometown, locals often plant mulberry trees in their gardens. A story in a traditional Chinese opera, Departure in the Mulberry Garden, took place here—a tale that moves the audience to tears.

In the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420), the Jin Empire was invaded by King Shi Le’s troops of Later Zhao, one of the Sixteen Kingdoms in Northern China, and commoners fled from their homes. Mr. Deng Bodao escaped from the city of Taiyuan with his son Deng Yuan, his sister-in-law Ms. Jin, and his nephew Deng Fang.

When they unfortunately encountered enemy soldiers, Deng Bodao and the two little boys managed to flee, but they could not find Ms. Jin. As an aged man, Bodao was not able to take care of both boys, and had to make a choice. His son was too small to understand his father and asked, “How could you think of abandoning your own blood?” His nephew cried, “What a tragic fate it is for a father-less boy!” Some audience can’t help but weep when they hear the lyrics of this opera.

Thinking of his brother who passed away with this only one boy left, Deng Bodao made an unexpected decision—he took his son to a mulberry garden and told the boy to climb a tree to pick some edible leaves. When the son was near the tree, the father tied him up with his belt. Bodao tore off a piece of his clothing and wrote on it a plea for help with his own blood. He then put the letter on his wailing son before running to Tongguan, carrying his nephew on his back.

After the departure of the father, the undisciplined Zhao soldiers came to rob the refugees. However, the tied-up son had already passed out and nobody found him. Later when the soldiers left, a woman awoke among the corpses, and it turned out that she was Ms. Jin. Jin found Bodao’s son as well as the letter. The grateful woman untied the boy and brought him to Tongguan, where both of the families were reunited.

The climax of the opera is the part when Deng Bodao is writing the blood letter. The heart-broken father’s aria is thought to be the most touching lyric.

“As a father I have to leave my son behind,

Abandoning my blood for the greater right.

I burst into tears; my heart is more broken

When I bite my finger for blood to write.”

Among the last generation of opera actors who acted the part of Deng Bodao, Yu Shuyan was thought to be the best. You can still hear the recording of Yu’s aria, enjoying his clear and loud voice, and feeling through it the restrained sadness of a father. Although the father’s decision may not be the best or not even understandable in the modern eyes, such art representing humanity in dilemma can still be moving nowadays.

(From Shejiancaomu, Shanghai Joint Publishing Press. Translation: Wang Xiaoke. Illustration: Jia Lin )

桑园寄子

文/许石林

老家的桑树都种在桑园，戏曲《桑园寄子》非常动人，故事就发生在桑园。

东晋时，后赵石勒进犯，民众流离逃难。太原府邓伯道员外携弟媳金氏、儿子邓元、侄儿邓方离家逃亡。途中被乱兵冲散，金氏失踪。邓伯道年迈，无力背负两个孩子赶路。孩子小，不懂事，儿子埋怨父亲：爱侄儿不爱亲生。侄儿悲伤：有爹的孩子有人背，没爹的孩子很可怜。戏唱到这儿，有的观众已经潸然泪下。

情急之下，邓伯道做出一个惊人的举动：将儿子邓元诓骗到桑园，让他上树摘桑叶充饥。趁他不备，解下衣带，将他捆绑在树上，又扯下衣襟一块，咬破手指尖，血书来历原因，留在他身上，以冀有人能救他。

在邓元的哀号声中，邓伯道背负侄儿邓方逃往潼关。邓伯道逃走后，乱兵纷至，沿途砍杀抢劫逃难的百姓，没有发现被绑在桑园树上哭昏过去的邓元。而被乱兵踢翻的人中，竟然有先前失散的金氏。金氏醒来，发现旁边桑园树上被捆绑的邓元，万分感伤，解救下来，赶往潼关。一家人在潼关又团圆。

戏的最高潮是邓伯道写血书，最精彩的唱段自然是此时唱的那一段“二黄散板”，苍凉凄楚，十分感人：“此时间顾不得父子恩爱，眼见得亲骨肉两下分开。急忙忙扯下了衣襟一块，咬指尖腹内痛珠泪满腮。”前代艺人的录音，这段唱腔尤以余叔岩的为佳。

余派的这一段，声音干净、高亢、抒情，在克制中掩饰不住悲怆之情，直钻人的内心，闻之喉哽眼湿，令人百听不厌。

（摘自《舌尖草木》生活·读书·新知三联书店 图/贾林）