汤显祖（1550年9月24日—1616年7月29日），江西临川人，字义仍，号海若、若士、清远道人，中国明代戏曲家、文学家。祖籍临川县云山乡，后迁居汤家山（今抚州市）。汤显祖有多方面的成就，而以戏曲创作为最。其戏剧作品《还魂记》、《紫钗记》、《南柯记》和《邯郸记》合称”临川四梦”，其中《还魂记》（即《牡丹亭》）是他的代表作。这些剧作不但为中国人民所喜爱，而且已传播到英、日、德、俄等很多国家，被视为世界戏剧艺术的珍品。其专著《宜黄县戏神清源师庙记》也是中国戏曲史上论述戏剧表演的一篇重要文献，对导演学起了拓荒开路的作用。他还是一位杰出的诗人。诗作有《玉茗堂全集》四卷、《红泉逸草》一卷、《问棘邮草》二卷。
Tang Xianzu (September 24, 1550- July 29, 1616) was a Chinese playwright and literary figure from the Ming Dynasty, born in Linchuan, Jiangxi Province. His courtesy name was still “Yizheng” and his literary titles were “Hairuo”, “Ruoshi”, and “Qingyuan Daoren”. My ancestral home is Yunshan Township, Linchuan County, and I later moved to Tangjiashan (now Fuzhou City). Tang Xianzu has achieved various accomplishments, with opera creation being the most prominent. His theatrical works “The Resurrection”, “The Purple Hairpin”, “The Nanke”, and “The Handan” are collectively known as the “Four Dreams of Linchuan”, among which “The Resurrection” (i.e. “The Peony Pavilion”) is his representative work. These plays are not only loved by the Chinese people, but also spread to Britain, Japan, Germany, Russia and many other countries. They are regarded as the treasures of the world’s dramatic art. His monograph “Record of Qingyuan Master Temple of Yihuang County Opera God” is also an important document in the history of Chinese opera that discusses theatrical performance, playing a pioneering role in directing studies. He is still an outstanding poet. The poems include four volumes of “The Complete Works of Yumingtang”, one volume of “Red Spring Grass”, and two volumes of “Asking about the Thorn Post Grass”.
Tang Xianzu’s “Butterfly in Love with Flowers” is a poem from his representative work “The Peony Pavilion”, which deeply expresses the protagonist Du Liniang’s persistence and pursuit of love, as well as the melancholy and grief arising from love.
汤显祖·《蝶恋花》
忙处抛人闲处住，
百计思量，
无个为欢处。
白日消磨断肠句，
世间只有情难诉。
玉茗堂前朝复暮，
红烛迎人，
俊得江山助。
但愿相思莫相负，
牡丹亭上三生路。
To the Tune of Dielianhua
Tang Xianzu
All the men prefer remaining free;
Yet howe’er they try,
They are as worried as can be.
Among the sentimental tales I write,
Love is as mysterious as the sea.
I write the tale from morning till night,
With candles burning bright,
Enlightening me in the brightest ray.
When a beauty falls in love with a man,
The Peony Pavilion sees her ardent way.
（汪榕培 译）
