Bai Juyi

Author: Chen Caizhi
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-10-01
Features: Chinese classical poetry emphasizes emotion, landscape, and the expression of friendship, family love, romantic love, nostalgia, and other complex and subtle personal feelings. This has formed another strong tradition in Chinese poetry. Under the influence of Confucianism, Chinese poetry has almost always been characterized by "emerging from emotion and stopping at propriety," with emotional expression being relatively unrestrained, restrained, and implicit, differing from Western poetic styles. At the same time, Chinese poets emphasize "implying the unspoken in words," skillfully conveying hidden meanings through various artistic techniques, giving readers endless room for reflection and imagination. The outstanding works of ancient poetry are often deeply moving, rich in imagery and musicality. Reciting these poems can bring multiple layers of artistic inspiration and aesthetic appreciation. Classical poetry is also adept at portraying the beauty of nature and the harmony between humans and nature. The ancients often said, "Poetry contains paintings, and paintings contain poetry." Each work in this series is accompanied by a contemporary Chinese painting created by an artist based on the poem's theme. By appreciating these poems and paintings, readers can gain a deeper understanding of the poetic and artistic essence in ancient Chinese works and savor their beauty.
In addition to the "poetic and artistic essence," this series presents each poet or lyricist in a separate volume to more clearly showcase their unique personalities and artistic styles. Each volume includes a short biography of the poet and an appreciation of their works. The appreciation of each work is divided into three chapters: introduction, line-by-line explanation, and critical analysis. The introduction provides the background of the creation; the line-by-line explanation translates the poetry into modern Chinese, line by line, with annotations on difficult words; the critical analysis summarizes the key points and offers comments on the work's characteristics.
Our intention is first to help readers overcome textual barriers in reading and then to understand the ideological content, artistic features, and writing techniques of the poetry. Ancient Chinese classics have elevated the Chinese language to a realm of utmost beauty and purity, enough to make every Chinese person feel proud. These works serve as a cultural bond connecting the thoughts and emotions of all descendants of the Yellow River. Whether at home or abroad, the appeal of excellent poetry resonates with readers universally. A person who loves traditional Chinese culture may continuously engage with and study the legacy of their ancestors. Over time, a part of this outstanding culture will accumulate in each person's mind, forming a beautiful artistic gallery that continually offers enlightenment, inspiration, and artistic enjoyment. We hope that the famous poems introduced in this series will become part of this gallery.
The eight poets introduced in this series each have many timeless masterpieces. Due to space constraints, each poet is only selected for two to thirty representative works.