Rhymes of Ridicule For the Landscape Painting of Wang Zai
戏 题 王 宰 画 山 水 图 歌
十 日 画 一 水
五 日 画 一 石。
能 事 不 受 相 迫 促
王 宰 始 肯 留 真 迹。
壮 哉 昆 仑 方 壶 图
挂 君 高 堂 之 素 壁。
巴 陵 洞 庭 日 本 东
赤 岸 水 与 银 河 通。
中 有 云 气 随 飞 龙
舟 人 渔 子 入 浦 溆。
山 水 尽 亚 洪 涛 风
尤 工 远 势 古 莫 比。
咫 尺 应 须 论 万 里。
焉 得 并 州 快 剪 刀。
剪 取 吴 松 半 江 水。
Xi Ti Wang Zai Hua Shan Shui Tu Ge
Shi ri hua yi shui
Wu ri hua yi shi.
Neng shi xia shou xiang po cu
Wang zai shi ken liu zhen ji.
Zhuang zai kun lun fang hu tu
Gua jun gao tang zhi su bi.
Ba ling dong ting ri ben dong
Chi an shui yu yin he tong
Zhong you yun qi sui fei long
Zhou ren yu zi ru pu xu
Shan shui jin ya hong tao feng
You gong yuan shi gu mo ci.
Zhi chi ying xu lun wan li.
Yan dei bing zhou kuai jian dao
Jian qu wu song ban jiang shui.
Rhymes of Ridicule For the Landscape Painting of Wang Zai
In ten days he paints only one river
In five days he paints only one rock.
He is capable, yet he will not be rushed or compelled to paint faster
Without stress or pressure, Wang Zai can paint well.
Wow! Magnificent painting of the immortals around the Kunlun mountains
It was hung in his large living room, by itself on a white wall.
It has the sun rising from the east over Baling and Dongting Lake
Bright riverbanks and water are silver.
In the middle, air filled with flying dragons following the clouds
Small boat and a fisherman entering the mouth of the river.
All mountains and rivers vast with big waves and wind
From ancient times, no one can match his remarkable, detailed painting,
technique with it’s massive, earthly, and heavenly power.
In just a few feet he paints a landscape that measures thousands of miles
What I need are blades and scissors from Bingzhou
If only I could cut and take a half of his river to remind me of Wu Song.
Notes:
Kunlun Mountains: A very long mountain range at the northern edge of the Tibetan plateau
Baling: In modern day province of Hunan
Dongting Lake: Located in northeast province of Hunan. A large flood basin for the Changjiang (Yangzi River)
Bingzhou: Prefecture-level city in the province of Shandong
Wu Song: The modern day city of Nanjing