Chapter 19 Poetic Perfection: How Long Will The Full Moon Appear
1698 Words
Looking at the two strange and beautiful poems above, people asked each other and discussed.
"Who are Dongpo Lay Buddhist and Mr. Zishou? How come we haven't heard of poetics who can compose such beautiful poems?"
"There are so many people you don't know! The Yugu Continent is so big that there are so many geniuses. Haha... I mean, I don't know, either!"
"Then you talk so much nonsense!"
"What a beautiful poem! Almost every line of Dongpo Lay Buddhist's How Long Will the Full Moon Appear is marvelous. The phrase 'so high and far are those crystalline pavilions, so cold and lonely are those jade halls' contains the feeling of life! 'The moon can be bright and dim, and it wax and wane by nature. People have sorrow and joy, and they gather and separate sometimes. Nothing has been perfect all the way. So I wish our lives safe and long, bathing in the same moonlight.' What sparkling phrases!"
"The first line of the second poem is also wonderful: 'Over the sea a bright moon rises, shining, lighting up you and me'. It depicts beautiful scenery and is infused with lovesickness as well as generosity. I like it!"
...
For a while, everybody talked and praised.
It was not until the handsome Zhuang Shujun stepped onto the stage that everyone became quiet.
"Good evening, everyone! A few days after the opening ceremony, I am here to meet you again. First, I wish all of you a happy Mid-Autumn Day!"
Then he bowed to the audience.
A shower of warm applause broke out at once.
The applause was mixed with cheers and hurrah.
Zhuang Shujun had become a very popular idol.
Zhuang Shujun stood up straight. Affected by the audience's mood, he said with passion,
"Thank you for your warm applause! I heard what you were talking about earlier. The most popular topic is the two classical poems. The comments on them were almost complimentary."
"I like these poems, too. In the afternoon, when this canvas was hung up, I read and taste these two poems again and again. The more times I read them, the more I like them, and the more I feel them exquisite and clinking."
"I believe you are all curious about who Dongpo Lay Buddhist and Mr. Zishou are. Actually, it's the first time I've seen these two names. It seems that we still have a lot of genius on the Yugu Continent that we don't know about!"
"There are more classic poems for us to learn in our textbook Lingyin College: A Poem Collection. Are you looking forward to that?"
Zhuang Shujun asked aloud.
"Yes, we are!"
The audience answered with one voice, echoing through the whole campus!
"Good! Hahaha... I hope that all the students who graduate from Lingyin College are special! Well, so much for this. Let's leave time for the performance. We have a lot of performances tonight." Zhuang Shujun said passionately.
Let's welcome the first performance, the song How Long Will The Full Moon Appear given by Miss Little Butterfly and Mo Chou!" Zhuang Shujun announced loudly.
"Great!"
The audience shouted in excitement.
"Good! Let's welcome Miss Little Butterfly and Mo Chou!" Zhuang Shujun bowed and went off the stage.
Thin and slender, Mu Qianmei wore a blue dress. She was a little more a maiden than a child.
Mo Chou dressed in white. She was a pretty and cute child.
The two little girls went onto the stage, hand in hand.
"Little Butterfly!"
"Little Butterfly!"
...
The audience excitedly shouted Mu Qianmei's nickname.
In the Beggar g**g and the college, everybody liked to amiably call Mu Qianmei Little Butterfly or Miss Butterfly.
They were impressed by her wonderful performance at the flag-raising ceremony.
So they were all very excited about the song she was going to sing.
Wearing a warm smile, Mu Qianmei took Mo Chou's hand, who was uncomfortable because of nervousness, stood on the stage, bowed to the audience below, and soothed Mo Chou in a low voice,
"Don't be nervous, sis. Just take it as a practice."
Watching Miss Butterfly gently smiling and politely bowing to them, the audience was more excited and their applause became intense.
They kept clapping their hands, yelling "Little Butterfly".
Mu Qianmei seated herself at her guqin and Mo Chou stood by her side. Mo Chou was a little nervous for it was her first performance on the stage.
Mu Qianmei gently touched the string, ready to play.
The audience stopped clapping hands and yelling at once.
After they quieted down, Mu Qianmei plucked at the strings, skilled and elegant. From under her soft fingers trickled the prelude to the song...
The tune was graceful, soothing, and sentimental.
The audience listened quietly and dared not breathe hard for fear of disturbing Little Butterfly's performance.
Although there was no microphone, when people were quiet, the sound of the guqin spread quite far in the college.
Even the audience in the back rows could hear the touching sound of the guqin.
Mo Chou soon intoxicated with the music and had become less nervous. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and waited to sing together with Mu Qianmei.
After the prelude, Mu Qianmei and Mo Chou opened their mouths in the same time,
"How long will the full moon appear? Holding a wine cup, I ask the sky. What year is it there?..."
The melody of the guqin was graceful and the singing was beautiful. There was a little sadness in the children's chorus. Their voice, full of sincere feelings, transmitted the artistic conception and connotation of this poem.
There was a full moon in the night, and stars twinkled by its side. The light made the stage dreamy.
Blown by the light autumn breeze, listening to fitting music, the audience's faces were full of inebriation.
It was the first time that people appreciated this kind of vocal and instrumental performance on the Yugu Continent.
They felt it fresh and enjoyed it very much, all of whom indulged in this performance.
Unconsciously, the song had stopped, and Mu Qianmei had also finished playing the last note, of which a wisp of aftersound was lingering above the square of Lingyin College. However, the audience was still lost in the atmosphere.
No one responded until Mu Qianmei took Mo Chou's hand and bowed.
"Great!"
Someone shouted. Then everyone came to their sense and there came a burst of thunderous applause and ecstatic cheers.
After Mu Qianmei and Mo Chou left, Zhuang Shujun walked onto the stage with brisk steps.
Moved by the heated atmosphere, Zhuang Shujun was a little excited. He waited until the applause and the shouting had died down before he spoke up loudly,
"Such a tune can be only heard from heaven, for it is hardly played on the earth. What do you think of the song?"
"Great!"
The audience answered in a deafening voice at the same time.
Then the other students began to perform. Some showed sword skills, some danced, some played the string instrument, some played the flute, some sang songs, and some recited poems. It turned out that there were many people with unique talents on the Yugu Continent!
Although their performance was not as wonderful and exciting as the opening performance, the audience gave them waves of warm applause.
Some performers were relaxed and confident, some were nervous, some were passionate, some were gentle, some were enthusiastic, and some were sentimental...
Their mood changed with the atmosphere, and it was the first time everyone had experienced something so spectacular and beautiful.
It was not until midnight that the party finally came to an end.
After the last performance was finished, Zhuang Shujun got onto the stage again and spoke in a tongue of cherishing,
"Over the sea a bright moon rises, shining, lighting up you and me. Our first Mid-Autumn Festival Gala of Lingyin College is coming to an end. I can see that everyone is reluctant to leave, however, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.' Although we are saying goodbye to today's gala, it has left us with so many good memories. Next year, on the same day, we will hold a grand Mid-Autumn Festival gala, and meet you here again!"
"Now, let's welcome our college's temporary choir to sing the last song for you - A Night To Remember. Let's bid farewell to today's Mid-Autumn Festival gala in the song! Dear friends, see you next year's mid-autumn night! Goodbye!"
Zhuang Shujun waved his hands to the audience to bade farewell.
At this time, Mu Qianmei and Mo Chou went onto the stage, leading a choir consisted of both teachers and students. Mu Qianmei sat at the guqin and began to play. In the accompaniment of the guqin, the choir started this graceful and melancholy - A Night To Remember.
"A night to remember, a night unforgettable, no matter where you are, my compatriots..."
The audience was supposed to leave in the music.
However, no one moved.
It was the first time they had heard such a song, so beautiful that no one was willing to leave!
People who liked to sing couldn't help singing to the melody.
The chorus ended at last. The audience gave long applause and then reluctantly trickled away after the choir bowed their thanks.
"What an unforgettable Mid-Autumn Day!"
"Yes! I didn't expect that Lingyin College has so many versatile talents!"
"Miss Butterfly is a nice guqin player, a good singer, and a pretty girl. She will be greater when she grows up!"
"A Night To Remember is really nice and easy to sing. I can sing it. The lyrics are good and the music is well written. I'd like to recognize its composer!"
...
People leaving the gala constantly talked about tonight's performance. Most of them were praising and exclaiming.
Many of the students stayed here. They went onto the stage and began to help clean up the mess.
People in Lingyin College enjoyed a lively and happy mid-autumn night, while in another place on the Yugu Continent, something that would change the power pattern of the continent was taking place.
- Writer
