Wen Zhengming's Cursive Calligraphy Poem Scroll Xu Qingteng's Cursive Calligraphy Poem Scroll

Author: Qi Lin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Wen Zhengming, born in 1470 and died in 1559. Originally named Bi, also known as Bi, later changed his name to Zhengzhong, styled Hengshan, and also styled Tingyunsheng. He was from Suzhou, Jiangsu. As a child, he was not particularly bright, but as he grew older, he showed exceptional talent. He studied literature under Wu Kuan, calligraphy under Li Yingzhen, and painting under Shen Zhou, all of whom he succeeded in. He was friends with Zhu Zhishan, Tang Yin, and Xu Zhenqing, and they were collectively known as the Four Wits of Wu. In the second year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, he was recruited to the capital as a tribute scholar and appointed as a (attendant artist) in the Hanlin Academy. Four years later, he returned home. Wen Zhengming's calligraphy and painting were equally renowned. His painting was part of the "Four Masters of the Ming Dynasty" alongside Shen Zhou, Tang Yin, and Qiu Ying. His calligraphy initially followed the styles of the Song and Yuan dynasties, later emulating the Jin and Tang. His small regular script was influenced by the "Two Wangs" (Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi), his clerical script by Zhong Yao, his cursive script by Huai Su, and his running script by Zhi Yong. In his later years, his brushwork became more aged, unrestrained yet elegant, forming a unique style. Wen Zhengming's "Cursive Script Poem," on paper, measures 36 cm in height and 446 cm in width, created in 1529. The original is now housed in the Tianjin Art Museum. Xu Qingteng's commentary on the poem:
Spring rain cuts the night into snow,
Long embankment slippery, sorrow deep.
Old generals in the army each write,
Twenty-four hooves come to trample iron.
Important guests walk on the lake, none left,
Standing on a high tower, asking where to stay.
The faces of Wu girls are frozen with rouge,
Saying they have set a table to entertain guests.
The fish in the lake are over a foot long,
Cooked as soup to go with wine, pitying the Wu girls.
Two or three sounds from the book corner in the south of the city,
Plum blossoms blown east to the southern bank.
The southern bank of the city, smoke like threads,
People and horses return to their owners.
Tomorrow by the lake, snow clear,
Still see green mountains piercing the sky high.
The night falls on the palace arm with red,
The jade courtyard grass is drunk by dragonflies.
The fragrance of flowers blows out the imperial wall,
No one knows Yang Fei is sleeping.
The silk gauze at the bottom of the robe,
A circle of red jade sinks into the autumn water.
The book still moves the world,
How much more when the emperor walked in the past.
Wanting to call a carriage but unable to rise,
Walks to the west of the screen to strike a parrot.
Asking if the sun is slanting at Huaqing Palace,
Where did the rain fly that once wrapped the vines.
(Note: "" is left as is, as per the instruction.)