了不起的中国戏剧：柳毅传书（英）

　　绘本改编自粤剧《柳毅传书》。秀才柳毅赴京应试，途经泾河畔，见一牧羊女悲啼，询知为洞庭龙女三娘，遣嫁泾河小龙，遭受虐待，乃仗义为三娘传送家书，入海会见洞庭龙王。钱塘君惊悉侄女被囚，赶奔泾河，大闹龙宫，救回龙女。三娘得救后，深感柳毅传书之义，请乃叔钱塘君作伐求配。柳毅为避施恩图报之嫌，拒婚而归。多年后柳毅与一卢姓女子结为连理，并生下一子。满月酒席上妻子头戴当年柳毅与龙女的信物，柳毅询问之下发现原来妻子就是龙女化做的凡人。二人感情日笃，洞庭一带也在龙王的关照下风调雨顺。书后配有相应的剧种知识介绍。书中插图从人物造型到环境布局，从亭台楼阁到一草一木，都细腻传神，充满了古朴优雅的意蕴，使读者仿佛身临“戏”境，具有极强的艺术感染力。The picture book is adapted from the Cantonese Opera The Princess's Messenger. Liu Yi， a scholar， goes to Beijing to take the imperial exams. Passing by the Jinghe River， he sees a shepherd girl weeping， who turns out to be the third daughter of the Dragon King of Dongting River. She tells Liu Yi that after married the Dragon Prince of Jinghe River， she is tortured by her husband and his family. Hearing this， Liu Yi cannot hold his indignation and offers to send letter for the Dragon Princess to her family. When Liu Yi is in the Dragon Palace of Dongting River， Dongting Dragon King's younger brother， Qiantang Dragon King also learns the news. He is shocked to find that his niece is imprisoned. He rushes to the Jinghe River， turns the Jinghe Dragon Palace upside down， and rescues his niece. After being rescued， the Dragon Princess is moved by Liu Yi's righteousness of sending the letter， and asked her uncle， the Qiantang Dragon King， to marry her to Liu Yi. Mistaking the Dragon Princess's affections as her repaying his kindness， Liu Yi refuses to marry and returns home. Years later， Liu Yi marries a woman and they have a son. When the boy is one month old， the couple have a feast and invite everyone. On the banquet， the wife is wearing the keepsake that the Dragon Princess gave Liu Yi many years ago. Liu Yi asks and finds that his wife is exactly the Dragon Princess， who has disguised as an ordinary woman and marries him. The relationship between the two becomes even closer， and the area of Dongting River is always blessed by the Dongting Dragon King. At the end of the book are knowledges of Beijing Opera. The illustrations in the book， both charaters and scenery and all other details， are delicate， expressive， simple and elegant. With strong artistic appeal， the book makes readers feel as if they themselves are in the play.

　　尚仲贤，元代戏曲作家。真定 （ 今河北正定县 ） 人。生卒年、字号不详。曾任江浙行省官吏。《录鬼簿》列为“前辈已死名公才人”。著有杂剧 11 种，今存《柳毅传书》《濯足气英布》《单鞭夺槊》3 种。Shang Zhongxian is a Chinese playwright in the Yuan Dynasty. He was a native of present-day Zhengding County of Hebei Province and used to serve as a government official of Zhejiang Province. The dates of his birth and death and his courtesy name are unknown. He was listed in the category of "renowned and talented men of the elder generation who passed away and left opera pieces that are still wildly spread" in A Register of the Dead. He wrote at least 11 plays， but only three of them are extant， namely The Princes's Messenger， Gaozu of Han Slights Ying Bu and Yuchi Gong Thrice Takes Away the Lance.