Poem by Han Yu in running-standard script 行楷節錄韓愈《送李愿歸盤谷序》 (冊頁)

Object Details

• Artist

  Bada Shanren 八大山人 (朱耷) (1626-1705)

• Label

  This leaf, along with three other leaves, were originally part of the same album. All four contain poems by famous poets of the Tang dynasty (618-907). Three of the poems describe landscape paintings, which seems to have been the main attraction for Bada Shanren. This fourth leaf, which is dated in accordance with December 8, 1697, contains a poem that addresses another of Bada's favorite themes, that of retirement from the mundane world in search of solitude and reclusion. The poem originally appears as part of the Preface to Seeing Off Li Yuan on His Return to Winding Valley, by the famous mid-Tang poet Han Yu (768-824), which Bada wrote out on a number of occasions:

  Within the Winding lies your palace,

  Above the Winding is where you till.

  In the springs of Winding, one can wash and one can swim,

  On the slopes of Winding, who is there to contest your place?

  Hidden and deep, broad in its compass,

  Twisting and turning, running off and coming back,

  Ah, the joys of Winding, joys that never end!

  Tigers and leopards keep away, dragons and krakens skulk and hide;

  Ghosts and spirits keep and guard, and fend off any untoward harm.

  So drink and eat, long life and good health,

  Be lacking in nothing, in whatever you want;

  I shall grease my cart, and fodder my horse,

  And follow you to Winding, to spend my life in rambling.

  (Translation by Stephen D. Allee)

• Provenance

  To 1997

  Wang Fangyu (1913-1997), to 1997 [1]

  To 1998

  Shao F. Wang, New York and Short Hills, NJ, by descent, to 1998

  From 1998

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Shao F. Wang in 1998

  Notes:

  [1] According to Curatorial Note 3, Joseph Chang and Stephen D. Allee, May 7, 1998, and Joseph Chang and Stephen D. Allee, August 18, 1998, in the object record.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  In Pursuit of Heavenly Harmony: Paintings and Calligraphy by Bada Shanren (1626-1705) from the Bequest of Wang Fangyu and Sum Wai (April 26 to October 13, 2003)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Wang Fangyu (1913-1997)

  Shao F. Wang

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — funds provided by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Freer Gallery of Art

• Type

  Calligraphy

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1690s

• Name

  Wang, Fangyu, Wang, Shao F.

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Art, Chinese Art, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), Shao F. Wang collection

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Calligraphy (visual works)