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The Morrison Collection | |
| Morrison Texts |
This is a short, single act play belonging to the Cantonese Opera (Yueju 粵劇) tradition, that would have been performed before the main play. It comprises a single fascicle of four pages, published by the Shengxing Tang 盛興堂 publishing house, which is bound with a number of other miscellaneous works into a volume labelled "Pamphlets" (SOAS callmark RM c.500.y.2). See Catalogue of the Morrison Collection of Chinese Books p.262 for details.
The play has a very simple plot concerning the bestowal of heavenly gifts on worthy personages, and as such would have been intended as an auspicious piece to be performed at birthday celebrations and other such festivities.
A Northern Drama (zaju 雜劇) play of this name, no longer extent but probably dating from the late Ming, is known. Short, auspicious plays on the same theme, and bearing the same or similar title (e.g. Da Cifu 大賜福), are found in the repertoires of many regional operatic forms (e.g. 京劇、川劇、滇劇、粵劇、漢劇、桂劇、秦腔、同州梆子、河北梆子).
The "Official of Heaven" 天官, is one of three Daoist divinities, known as the "three official divinities" 三官神, that bestow good fortune on mankind :
The origins of "three official divinities" lie in Daoist practise during the late Han dynasty, when sick people would pray to the "officials" of heaven, earth and water to alleviate their illness. Later these deities became associated with their respective festival dates, and were given their respective powers. Certainly by the Song dynasty the Official of Heaven was revered as a bestower of good fortune who come to earth on the Lantern Festival, as is evidenced by Wu Zimu 吳自牧, who notes : "The Festival of the First Eve on the 15th day of the first month is the birthday of the Official of Heaven who bestows good fortune" 正月十五日元夕節，乃上元天官賜福之辰 (See Mengliang Lu 夢粱錄).
One popular legend that explains the birth and life history of the three deities is summarised below :
Long long ago on Yuanzhou Island 元洲 in the middle of the Northern Sea 北海 there was a cave, and in that cave there was a fairy bone that had been left over from the creation of the Primordial God 元始天尊. After many years of exposure to the sky, the earth and the water, the bone took on human form.
One day a fisherman passed by, and mistaking the metamorphosed bone for an abandoned baby, took it home, and raised it as his own child. The boy, who the fisherman named Chen Chun 陳椿, grew up to be a strong and handsome young man.
When Chen Chun went fishing with his father, his visage appeared in the mirror of the third daughter of the Dragon King of the Northern Sea, and she fell in love with him. She eloped with Chen Chun, and soon became pregnant. When the Dragon King found out, he sent out his soldiers to bring the lovers before him for punishment. After his daughter had given birth to boy triplets, the eldest born on the 15th day of the first lunar month 正月十五, the middle one born on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month 七月十五, and the youngest born on the 15th day of the tenth lunar month 十月十五, the Dragon King imprisoned Chen Chun and his daughter under a great rock under the sea. The three boys were brought up by their aunts.
The three boys grew up to be headstrong and impulsive. One day the boys secretly left the Dragon palace, and flying on clouds travelled over the land of men. There they see many people prostrated before the Temple of the Dragon King, praying for rain to relieve the drought that had stricken the land. Taking pity on the people, the boys use their magical powers to summon the rain clouds and pour down rain upon the parched earth.
When the three boys return to the Dragon Palace the Dragon King angrily imprisons them with their parents as punishment for making rain without permission from Heaven. The magical powers of the boys grows day by day, and after three years they are strong enough to overturn the great stone that imprisons them, churning up the Northern Sea and destroying the Dragon Palace.
The Dragon King, scared for his life, flees to Heaven to ask for help from the Jade Emperor. When the Jade Emperor discovers that the three boys are the flesh and blood of the Primordial God, he decides that rather than fighting them the best solution would be to persuade them to accept positions with. The eldest son is made the Official of Heaven with responsibility for bestowing good fortune (上元一品天官賜福紫微大帝); the middle son is made the Official of the Earth with responsibility for pardoning sins (中元二品地官赦罪清虛大帝); and the youngest son is made the Official of the Waters with responsibility for alleviating hardships (下元三品水官解厄洞陰大帝). However, the Jade Emperor decrees that they must only carry out their official duties on one day a year, that of their respective birthdays; and for the rest of the year they should live with their parents on Yuanzhou Island.
In another version of this legend, during the Tang dynasty a seeker of immortality called Chen Zichen 陳子春 who is gathering herbs on the edge of the Eastern Sea, encounters the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, who marries his three daughters top him. Each of the daugters give birth to a son, and when they grow up they become the three officials of heaven, earth and water.
正生上唱：太極陰陽五希萬像相生陽，倫理綱常，圣眷君恩降。
詩白：
兩眼開闢五行分，先圣存亡立大勳。
只是慈祥因福祉，祖孫父子受皇恩。
白：吾乃上元一品賜福天官是也。成太清之義氣，造萬里之宗祠，五福所需，皆為賢良之嗣兆，三多之慶，亦非天地所有，為善立之考祥，向善則即至以福。雖受朝廷恩爵、上帝之洪休，天神合德為善，必昌也。吾奉上帝勅旨，巡視萬國九州，賜福有功，有德之家傅與他們、護從【他】們。
卒白：圣寿。
正生白：有請，諸位福神。
卒白：領法旨，諸位福神有請。
老生上白：福一德厚配恩深。
末上白：祿享千鍾品為尊。
凈上白：財源國宝萬金燦。
正旦上白：喜自天來吉耀臨。
眾白：天官在上，吾等稽首。
正生白：諸位福神少礼。
眾白：天官相兆，有何台旨。
正生白：吾奉上帝勅旨，巡視萬國九州，賜福有功，有德之家傅與尔等。
眾白：吾等已至。
老生白：為善必昌。
末白：有功者爵。
凈白：財源茂盛。
正旦白：善自天來。
眾白：若論福祿財喜，吾等所賜，今奉玉旨，敢不領遵。
老生白：吾乃祖一伯，福迎祥喜。吉慶天長地久，享尽人間無窮之福庇也。
末白：吾乃保祿位爵從高百祿司，合家九族，榮封之爵祿也。
唱：俺將那福祿並尊爵位，安然綿綿稽首降，為君的社稷山河壯，為臣的書中見喜，將恩波漾。雖則是降慈祥，多只為人君後代將恩和暢選曾容，便是共天長。
凈白：吾乃福德財神，當今財源滿足，積玉堆金，却掌太平盛世也。
旦白：吾乃天喜星，家有天官之喜，映子之喜。喜事重重，荷莫龍恩見喜也。
唱：只見那錦綉金銀。一莫相萬里調，數目總成难量。為國家可通商選昇平。喜非常，萬年欢喜氣降貞祥。
丑同小生上唱：容容的長庚会，滔滔的福祿祥，天官賜福在瑤堦上，諸門喜氣增華壯。
丑白：吾乃南極老人是也。
小生白：吾乃月德張仙是也。星君稽首，張仙少礼，聞知天官降臨賜福。吾等前去走走。請。
唱：看云平高，向在空中，駕起天心，福寿况慈祥，只多是積善之家□餘央。
白：天官在上，吾等稽首。
正生白：二仙少礼，正要相請，却好邂後相逢。
丑、小生白：非是天官不召，吾等自至，聞知天官降臨賜福。有功有德之家，五福之中，以寿為先，三多之慶有子乃足，特第前來，完却只粧圣事。
丑上，生白：妙呀，尔等勅賜調元替化享貨福祿榮華。又有松柏之林，真乃盛世、快樂之至也。同上聚仙台白鶴童兒下瑤堦相邀眾仙到此來。長寿星君蓮台坐，手捧蟠桃享萬載。
唱：參參的長生会，滔滔的福祿祥，天開寿延增祥，光衣冠齊拜。在瑤台上想□□福祿多，况且皇家地久與天長把心懷廉懷成欢暢。
正生白：慶賀已別□歸仙府。
眾白：吾等相送。
【尾声】唱：
精致餘寿拜□□
□■時千邦万戶，以翱翔。
倘行舟勅賜□子□。
真个是呈鸞跨鶴，以翱翔。
下。
末上登塲：
一剪梅開映小桃，
鳳凰台上憶多姣。
洞仙歌曲声声慢，
虞美人行步步姣。
紅納袄，皂羅袍，
醉扶归去月兒高。
謁金門下朝天子，
深感皇恩賀圣朝。
交過排塲。
Not Yet Available.