The spirit of Pao Yu wanders about in the Phantom Realm of the Great
Void. The Fairy of Fearful Awakening vainly interprets for him in
songs the Dream of the Red Chamber.
VERY SOON BLACK JADE HAD BECOME THE AVOWED FAVORITE OF THE
Princess Ancestress, and was put before the other grandchildren in
every respect, just like Pao Yu. These two had become as closely at‐
tached to each other as glue and lacquer and were now an inseparable
pair. In the daytime they sat side by side and went about hand in hand ;
in the evening they stood taking a long and affectionate leave of one
another and slept wall to wall.
Now this new cousin had suddenly come to the house. Although not
much older than the other cousins, Precious Clasp was so polished in
her manners and of such charming appearance that according to the
general verdict even Black Jade was not her equal. Besides, she knew
how to win the hearts of all, even the servants, by her friendly, com‐
passionate ways, whereas Black Jade was a solitary individual and went
around with her head in the air. With secret annoyance in her heart,
Black Jade felt herself displaced in the general popularity by her new
cousin, and her annoyance turned to resentment when she perceived
that even Pao Yu was not untouched by her charm.
Pao Yu was still too x immature to discriminate tactfully between an
old privileged friendship and a new acquaintance; for him one cousin
was the same as another. In short, Black Jade felt offended whenever
he said a friendly word too much to Precious Clasp, and this led to
many scenes of jealousy in the course of which she would rush weeping
to her room, and in the end forgive the faithless one again and again
when he would come running after her with bowed head and apologize
to her with youthful impetuosity.
One day at the time of the plum blossoms Prince and Princess Chen
had invited the near‐by relatives to visit them in the Ningkuo palace.
After the company had walked about for a while in the Garden of As‐
sembled Perfumes, which was shimmering in the full splendor of bios‐
somtime, they all sat down at one great table to the usual family feast,
about which there is nothing special to say.
At the end of the meal Pao Yu felt sleepy and expressed the wish to
lie down for a while. Mistress Yung, the beautiful young daughter‐in‐
law of Prince Chen, undertook to conduct him herself to a room which
she thought seemed suitable for a midday nap. It was a small, beauti‐
fully and comfortably furnished guestroom, but two mottoes which
decorated one of the walls caused the boy obvious discomfort. For
when he read:
For knowledge of nature and the world
Do not neglect the sciences.
For knowledge of the human heart
Devote yourself to the study of history
he turned petulantly back and said: "Let us get out quickly!" His
beautiful companion thereupon laughingly offered to give him her own
bedroom.
"But, Mistress, the uncle cannot well sleep in the niece's bed; that
would be contrary to all good form," objected a chamberwoman, who
was in attendance.
"Ah, why be so prudish? The uncle is after all still a boy," replied
the young woman, laughing, and leading Pao Yu, who in kinship was in
fact her uncle but in age could well be her nephew, into her bedroom.
As he entered he was met by a wave of delightful perfume which intoxi‐
cated his senses and melted his bones.
"Oh, it smells nice here!" he remarked with pleasure, and his pleas‐
ure increased when he saw a painting by Master T'ang Pei Hu repre‐
senting someone sleeping beneath begonia branches in early spring,
and read the following words written to the right and left of it:
Gentle coolness surrounds the dreamer early spring!
The breezes which caress him fragrant as wine!
In silent admiration Pao Yu let his eyes wander round the splendid
furnishings of the room. Here on the dressing table was a bronze mirror
which would have done honor to the mirror palace of the Empress Wu
of the T'ang dynasty. There was a magnificent flat golden dish on which
the celebrated dancer "Flying Swallow ' might once have danced be‐
fore her Imperial lord. That splendid jewel‐studded couch on a raised
dais would have been worthy to adorn the bedroom of Princess Shou
Yang iii the Han Chang palace. The strings of pearls which hung
around the couch might have been fastened there by the hand of
Princess Tung Chang.
"What a beautiful room!" cried Pao Yu, enraptured.
"Yes, isn't it? Even spirits and genii could feel happy here," re‐
marked his niece, smiling.
Saying this, she threw off the blossom‐white bedcover with her own
hand, and arranged the soft pillow embroidered with mandarin ducks,
which the "Red Maiden'* might once have clasped to her bosom as she
yearned for her lover. The swarm of waiting maids and chamberwomen
helped Pao Yu to undress and put him to bed on the couch; and then
they all withdrew noiselessly. Pearl and three other chambermaids had
to keep watch outside the bedroom door.
"Take good care that the cats do not start fighting under the window
and disturb your master's rest!" Mistress Yung impressed upon them
thoughtfully.
Hardly had Pao Yu shut his eyes than he felt himself carried away
into a land of dreams. His beautiful niece seemed to hover in front of
him and lead him to a fairy palace with walls of jasper and pillars and
balustrades of ruby, surrounded by the rustling of treetops and the mur‐
mur of silver brooks.
"It's good to be here," he sighed happily in his dream. "I much pre‐
fer being here to being at home, where I am always watched and always
expecting blame and scoldings from Father and Mother." His guide
had disappeared in the meantime. He listened. From somewhere or
other beautiful celestial singing like a woman's voice resounded in his
ears. Immediately afterwards he saw a most lovely fairy appearing
from behind a hill and gently floating towards him. Pao Yu raised his
hands to his breast in greeting and said to her, bowing: "Sister fairy, I
have lost my way. Would you be so kind as to direct me, and tell me
who you are?"
The fairy replied: "I am the Fairy of Fearful Awakening. I live not
far from here, in the Phantom Realm of the Great Void, in the Sphere
of Banished Suffering, behind the Drenching Sea of Trouble, on the
Heights of Liberated Spring, in the Grottoes of Everlasting Perfumes. I
judge the Play of Wind and Clouds between human beings and settle
the unbalanced debts of love between unhappy maidens and languish‐
ing youths. It is not chance but destiny which leads me to you today. I
shall lead you to my kingdom and entertain you in my palace with a
bowl of celestial tea plucked by myself and a goblet of magic wine
which I have brewed. My maids shall entertain you with their magic
dances and sing to you the twelve new spirit songs from 'The Dream of
the Red Chamber.' Will you follow me?"
"I will," agreed Pao Yu joyfully and followed the fairy. It was not
long until the fairy led him through a high stone arch, over which he
read the inscription : Phantom Realm of the Great Void. On the pillars
to the right and left was written :
When seeming is taken for being, being becomes seeming,
Where nothing is taken for something, something becomes nothing.
Very shortly they passed through a palace gateway, over which was
written in big letters: Sea of Lover's Grief and Heaven of the Passions,
while to right and left stood written:
Passions without end, old and new,
Swell broad as the earth, wide as the sky.
Too late, amorous youth, languishing maid, is your repentance,
Ah, to atone for the guilt of wind‐ and moon‐play costs pain !
That's true, thought Pao Yu to himself, in his innocence. If only I
knew what is meant by "passions old and new" and by "to atone for the
guilt of wind‐ and moon‐play." I must certainly find out through per‐
sonal experience.
In making this resolution he had unconsciously invited the wicked
demons of sensual agitation to come into his body and take up their
abode between his heart and his diaphragm.
After passing through another gateway, they came to a row of
apartments, on the closed doors of which he read strange inscriptions
such as Department of Love's Folly, Department of Jealousy, Depart‐
ment of Morning Tears, Department of Night Sighs, Department of
Spring Grief, Department of Autumn Suffering.
Pao Yu asked if he might view the different chambers. The fairy
shook her head. In the apartments, she said, there were registers of the
memorable destinies of numerous women and girls, of whom some had
already lived and others were yet to live. To a human being like himself,
with his profane eyes and his body of dust, it was not to be granted to
glance into the future. "Follow me," she said. "I have something far
more beautiful to show you than these tiresome registers."
Pao Yu followed the fairy farther into the interior of the palace, un‐
til they came to a glittering hall. His eyes were quite dazzled by the
splendors which appeared before him here: walls of jasper, floors of
gold mosaic, glistening panes of glass, purple curtains in front of red
doors, luminous colored pillars, artistically carved roof beams, and all (
around gardens full of spirit plants, and marvellous flowers, and rare
perfumes. While Pao Yu was still sunk in amazed contemplation, he
heard the fairy call in to the hall: "Come out and greet your worthy
guest!" Immediately four elves appeared at the entrance. They wore
light feather garments, lotus leaves hung from their shoulders as sleeves,
their stride was a dance, their walk was a glide, a gentle radiance like
autumn moonlight enveloped them. When they noticed Pao Yu, a look
of disappointment crossed their flower faces, and they said reproach‐
fully to the fairy: "We thought you were bringing Purple Pearl, for
whom we have waited so long, to visit us. Why do you bring this dirty
creature here instead, and allow him to soil and profane by his presence
this dwelling of pure maidens?"
Pao Yu heard this with shame, and he would have liked to run away
at once. He was well aware of the fact that they were right, and that
in the presence of these pure beings he really seemed an insufferably
dirty person. But the fairy took him kindly by the hand and said to
the elves with a smile: "You do not know the why and the wherefore
of my action. I really wanted to go to the Yungkuo palace today, as I
had promised you, to fetch your sister, Purple Pearl. But as I was pass‐
ing by the Ningkuo palace on my way there, I met the ghosts of the
two ancestors of the Yungkuo and Ningkuo palaces. They implored
me to take charge of their descendant Pao Yu. After a hundred years
of fame and splendor their families are threatened with ruin, and
among their many great‐grandchildren Pao Yu is the only one who
is capable of perpetuating the race in honor. It is true that he is of a
somewhat peculiar and frivolous disposition, but his intellect and
talents justify the greatest hopes. All he lacks is the right guidance.
Therefore, they earnestly asked me to warn him of the dangers of fool‐
ishly trifling with love and following the instincts without restraint, to
guard him against pitfalls and allurements and direct him on the right
path. They would be grateful to me forever if I do this.
"Moved with pity, I have brought him here in order to have him
learn and realize the folly of earthly sensual indulgence. Perhaps it will
be possible to awaken him, so that he will take my warnings to heart
for his future life, and so become proof against dangers."
When she had finished speaking she led Pao Yu into the hall. In‐
side, a wave of indescribably sweet perfume, such as he had never
smelled before, assailed his nostrils. When he asked what the perfume
came from, the fairy informed him, smiling: "In your world of dust this
aromatic mixture is quite unknown. It is distilled from the manifold
juices of precious young plants and rare trees which grow on holy
mountains. It is called the Marrow of Gathered Perfumes."
They sat down at the table and drank a most wonderful tea, such as
Pao Yu had never before tasted.
"What is the name of this kind of tea?" he asked.
"A thousand red drops in one mouthful," replied the fairy. "The
shrub grows near the Grottoes of Everlasting Perfumes on the Heights
of Liberated Spring, and its leaves are boiled in the morning dew of
magic flowers and plants."
"It is a wonderful tea!" said Pao Yu approvingly, nodding his head.
He looked around the room once more. His glance fell on jewel‐studded
lutes, precious tripods, incense vessels, old paintings, new mottoes on
the walls. Nothing required for the equipment of a comfortable living
room was lacking. There were even velvet dusters hanging under the
windows to wipe away the dust from time to time. Then he asked the
names of the elves. The fairy introduced them: Elf of Amorous Dreams,
Great Mistress of Passion, Golden Maiden of Sorrowful Longing,
Bodhisattva of Avenged Lovers' Rancor.
Meantime young maidservants had laid the table. They now carried
in a sumptuous meal and filled amber goblets with a choice golden wine
from crystal jugs.
"What is this wonderful wine?" asked Pao Yu.
"It is prepared from the pollen of a hundred flowers, the juices of a
thousand plants, the marrow of unicorns, and the milk of the phoenix,
and it is called A Thousand Delights in One Goblet."
Pao Yu did not weary of drinking the wine freely and praising it
fervently. Meantime twelve dancing maidens had appeared and taken
up positions in front of the table.
"To what text shall we dance?" they asked the fairy.
"To the twelve new spirit songs from 'The Dream of the Red
Chamber'!" the fairy ordered.
The dancers bowed obediently and began to sing and dance to the
gentle music of their twelve‐stringed silver lutes and the measure of
their sandalwood castanets. In order that he might understand it bet‐
ter, the fairy ordered a servant to hand her guest the written text of the
twelve songs, and now he sat and tried to understand the meaning of
the performance, listening to the music while his eyes followed the text.
Yet his efforts were in vain. True,' he could not escape the effect of the
music, but what the text, with its many cryptic sayings and hidden
allusions, might mean remained a complete mystery to him. But the
melody was so exquisite and charming and so superbly performed as
to bewitch the mind and intoxicate the senses, and he asked no trouble‐
some questions in the intervals, but only listened to the music while
just reading the text mechanically.
At last the girls had finished the long performance of the twelve
ings. Actually, they were about to continue with a last refrain, but
the fairy, who had noticed the sleepy indifference of her guest, signed
to them to go away.
"It was all in vain," she sighed. "The fool has remained un‐
awakened."
Pao Yu was glad that the fairy stopped the performance, and he him‐
self hurriedly called out to the girls not to sing any more. He felt ex‐
hausted and sleepy from the meal and the abundance of wine, and asked
if he might lie down for a while.
The fairy gave orders to clear away, and had Pao Yu led into one
of the women's chambers. He thought he had never in his life seen such
luxurious furnishings as he saw here. But a still greater surprise awaited
him. He found in the room a young girl who resembled his cousin
Precious Clasp in form and beauty but in expression and demeanor was
the image of his cousin Black Jade. While he was still feeling quite
dazed, he heard the fairy say: "Ah, how many green‐windowed inner
chambers in the houses of the rich and aristocratic of this world of dust
are misused by frivolous youth for sinful amorous play! The reason
that I take such a kindly interest in you is that you are the most in‐
veterate amorous profligate of all time."
Pao Yu stammered, abashed: "Sister fairy, you are mistaken. It may
be that I am lazy at lessons and have brought on myself deserved
parental rebuke. But I am not aware that I am an amorous profligate.
After all, I am still too young and I do not know what it is to be
profligate in love."
"There are two kinds of amorous profligates, the carnal apd the
intellectual ones. The first strives only for physical possession; he is in‐
satiable in his sensual desires, and regrets he cannot have all the beau‐
tiful women and girls under heaven as prey for his lusts. You do m be‐
long to that category, but to the second. Your dissolute desire s ;eks
the intellectual company of girls, therefore you would have been t uite
a suitable mate for the women's apartments of our spirit kingd >m;
whereas in the world of dust you will not be understood; there you will
become an object of mockery and contempt. Touched by the plead ngs
of your two ancestors, I have led you into my kingdom, welcomed you
with magic tea and fairy wine, and tried to awaken you with spirit
songs. Now I present to you my younger sister, Ko Ching, so that she
may share your couch tonight. The hour for your union is favorable.
The joys of this bridal couch in our Phantom Realm will enable you to
form an estimate of the delights of the bridal chamber in your world
of dust. From today on wake up and change your former ways! Direct
your mind to the wise teachings of the Masters Confucius and Mencius
and resolutely tread the path of common sense."
When she had finished speaking she confided to him some further in‐
timate information regarding the practice of the "Play of Cloud and
Rain." Then she shut him into the chamber. Still quite confused and
stupefied, Pao Yu followed her instructions and carried out with Ko
Ching that time‐honored practice of which an exhaustive description
would no doubt be superfluous.
The two found so much delight in each other and had so many
caressing and affectionate words to say to one another that they did
not want to part the next morning. Hand in hand, they walked out of
the palace and got lost wandering about. They were so engrossed in
each other that they did not notice the road at all. Suddenly they found
themselves in a wilderness of thorn bushes and thick brushwood and
saw that wolves and tigers were their travelling companions. Then the
road suddenly came to an end. They were standing on the bank of a
dark rushing stream, over which no bridge led. While they were still
hesitating as to where they should flee from the wild beasts which were
pursuing them, they heard the warning voice of the fairy behind them,
crying: "Stop! Do not go farther! Turn back!"
"Where are we?" asked Pao Yu.
"At the Witches' River," cried the fairy. "It is a thousand fathoms
deep and runs a thousand li in zigzag windings. No boat and no boat‐
man can find the way through this labyrinthine stream. Only the old
ferryman Mu Ku Chi would be able to take you across in his raft. But
he does not do this for gold or silver; he does it only if Destiny com‐
mands him. If he does not help you, then you are lost, and all my
trouble will have been in vain. . . ." She had not finished speaking
when a sound like a peal of thunder came from the Witches' River, and
a swarm of night demons and river devils rose up from the river with
a roaring sound and came fluttering up to Pao Yu shrieking terribly,
to seize him and drag him into the depths of the river. Cold sweat
dripped from his body like rain, and in his terror he cried out: "Ko
Ching, save me!"
Thereupon he woke up from his dream. The maid Pearl was sitting
on the bed with the three other maids, and she clasped him tenderly
to her with comforting words: "Do not be afraid, Pao Yu! We are
here!''
Pao Yu had cried out so ioudly in his dream that his cry was heard
outside by liis niece, the beautiful Mistress Yung. "No one in the whole
house knows my childhood name," she said to herself surprised. "How
is it that he called me by my childhood name in his dream?"
She was not able to explain it, but she did not dare to ask the
dreamer.