Lu Xun Complete Works/en/shexi
Village Opera
社戏 von/by/par Lu Xun (鲁迅)
Village Opera
In the twenty years counting backwards, I had seen Chinese opera only twice. In the first ten years not at all. Both times fell in the latter ten years, but each time I left without seeing anything of note.
The first time was in the first year of the Republic in Beijing. A friend said: 'Beijing opera is the finest.' So we rushed to a theater garden. We squeezed in, but: 'Taken!' We were led to a torture-instrument-like bench. I fled.
The second time -- during the Hubei flood relief. I waited from nine to midnight for Jiaotian -- in vain. At midnight I squeezed out. Yet the night air was wonderfully fresh. That was my farewell to Chinese opera.
A few days ago I found a Japanese book: watched from a distance in the open, Chinese opera has its charm. I remembered my experience at age eleven in Pingqiao Village -- a riverside paradise with fewer than thirty households. There were many playmates. We dug earthworms for shrimp. What I most awaited was the opera at Zhaozhuang. But that year no boat could be found. It was over.
We all jumped ashore. Afa said: 'Let us steal ours! Ours are bigger.' Everyone picked in Afa's field, then Old Sixth's. We shelled and cooked the beans on the boat. 'All back! I guaranteed it!' cried Shuangxi. My mother stood on the bridge -- somewhat annoyed but she invited everyone for rice.
Next day: 'Shuangxi, you stole my beans!' Old Sixth came in his boat. 'Yes, we were entertaining a guest.' He saw me: 'Brother Xun, was the opera good?' -- 'Good.' -- 'The beans?' -- 'Very good.' He stuck up his thumb: 'Someone from the town knows quality!'
That evening his beans were on the table. But they didn't taste as good as those from that night.
Truly, to this day I have never eaten beans as good as those -- nor seen opera as good.
(October 1922.)
[Repetition of the middle portion of the Village Opera from section 1.]
[Repetition of the ending of the Village Opera from section 2.]