Classical Beauty (Vol. 1 & 2 with 2 CDs) / Series on Beauty and Quality Education

Author: Bai Hu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-10-01
Features: 120 classic poems, 120 masterpieces of painting, and 20 immortal melodies, carefully compiled to provide the best version for young people who love classical art! Classical Beauty integrates classical poems, paintings, and music from China and the world. Poems contain paintings, paintings suggest music, learning, appreciation, and leisure blend seamlessly, combining reading, viewing, and listening. It is a multimedia reading product for young people that offers both collectible and practical value, playing a very positive role in enhancing their aesthetic ability, artistic cultivation, and broadening their knowledge. This book integrates classical poems, paintings, and music from China and the world, blending poetry, painting, and music, creating a harmonious fusion of learning, appreciation, and leisure. It is a multimedia reading product. The book is divided into two volumes: Classical Beauty – Appreciation of Traditional Chinese Poetry, Painting, and Music and Classical Beauty – Appreciation of World Classical Poetry, Painting, and Music. The first volume selects 10 representative works from traditional Chinese classical music, including guqin, pipa, erhu, and ensemble pieces. From the vast collection of Chinese classical paintings, it selects 60 painters and their works, all of whom are representative figures of their respective eras and are considered masterpieces. In addition, the book selects 60 classical Chinese poems, accompanied by simple and accessible commentaries, to help young people grasp and understand the essence of classical Chinese poetry in the fast-paced modern life with the least amount of time. The second volume also collects 60 foreign poems, mostly short poems due to space constraints. It selects 60 masterpieces of Western painting art, either famous works by renowned artists or famous representative works of renowned schools. The book provides in-depth appreciation of artists' most influential or typical works that embody a particular school of painting, from their cultural background, specific artistic expressions, and technical contributions to art history. In the music section, the book introduces 10 foreign musicians and their works, such as Bach's Air on the G String and Johann Strauss's The Blue Danube Waltz. Excerpt: Spring River Flower Moon Night (Tang Dynasty) Zhang Ruoxu
The spring river's tide connects with the sea,
The bright moon over the sea rises with the tide.
The moonlight ripples for thousands of miles,
Where spring is born, there is moonlight bright.
The river flows windingly around fragrant meadows,
Moonlight shines on flower forests like scattered snow.
In the air, frost flows without notice,
On the shore, white sand is invisible.
The river and sky are one color, free of dust,
The bright moon hangs alone in the clear sky.
Who first saw the moon by the river's edge?
When did the river's moon first shine on man?
Life passes on from generation to generation, endless,
The river's moon is the same year after year.
I don't know who the moon shines on,
But I see the Yangtze River sending a flowing stream.
A piece of white cloud drifts away leisurely,
On the green bamboo forest, sorrow overflows.
Who is rowing a boat tonight?
Where does the moon tower reflect longing?
The moon roams above the tower, pitying,
Should it shine on the of the separated.
The silk curtain cannot be rolled away,
The washing stonebrush sweeps it back again.
At this moment, they look at each other but cannot hear,
Wishing to follow the moonlight to shine on you.
Swans fly long distances without reaching the light,
Fish and dragons dive, creating patterns in the water.
Last night, I dreamed of falling flowers in the quiet pond,
Pitying that spring is half over and I cannot return home.
The river flows with spring, nearly ending,
The moon in the river falls again to the west.
The slanting moon sinks into the sea fog,
The stone cliffs and Xiangyang stretch endlessly.
I don't know how many return with the moon,
The falling moon fills the river with emotion.
Zhang Ruoxu (c. 660–c. 720) was from Yangzhou (now Yangzhou, Jiangsu). He was known as one of the "Four Scholars of Wu" alongside He Zhizhang, Zhang Xu, and Bao Rong. Little is known about his life. Many of his poems have been lost, leaving only two surviving works: Reply to a Wife's Dream of Return and Spring River Flower Moon Night.
Through the magnificent depiction of the scenery of spring river and moon night, the poem fully praises the wonder and beauty of nature, naturally blending poetic emotion and philosophy to create a harmonious and beautiful realm where emotion, scenery, and philosophy are inseparably intertwined. The first 16 lines form one level. The poet uses delicate brushwork to create a mythical and wonderful atmosphere, making the spring river and moon night appear particularly elegant and tranquil. Then, he indulges in deep contemplation, posing the question, "Who first saw the moon by the river? When did the river's moon first shine on man?" to explore the unsolvable sorrow of the universe and life, but more importantly, he expresses his pursuit and love for a beautiful life. The last 20 lines form another level. In this part, the poet shifts from natural scenery to the human world, focusing on the longing and separation of lovers. On one hand, he vividly portrays the wife's deep longing and sorrow for the moon, her desire to see her lover, and her heartache, while on the other hand, he fully reveals the traveler's heavy homesickness and suffering of being alone and unable to return, leaving readers moved and enchanted.
The entire poem revolves around the moon, whose rise and fall pulse with the poet's heartbeat, like a lifeline the entire poem. Moonlight weaves together the river, the beach, the sky, the plains, the green bamboo, the flower forests, the flying frost, the white clouds, the towers, the mirrors, the washing stones, the boats, the swans, the dragons, and the sleepless longing wives and wandering travelers, forming a complete poetic image and an organic whole, giving the poem a captivating artistic charm.
Spring River Flower Moon Night has captivated countless readers for over a thousand years. Mr. Wen Yiduo highly praised this poem, calling it "the poem of poems, the peak of peaks." Zhang Ruoxu, who left only two poems in his lifetime, became a renowned figure solely because of this poem, which "swept across the literary world, becoming a master."