Poem on Lake Taiye,

undated

In this work, Wen Zhengming has written the characters with firm, determined brushstrokes in the semicursive, or running script. Both the poem’s calligraphic style and its literary form pay homage to the Song dynasty poet–artist Huang Tingjian (1045–1105), whose Scroll for Zhang Datong is also shown in this gallery.

Wen wrote this poem in the spring of 1525, during a visit he made with friends to view Lake Taiye in the imperial Western Garden in Beijing. The verses evoke the magical aura of the lake and refer to Daoist paradises where immortals dwell.

The water’s expanse, the vast pond merging with heaven;
Ten li of lotus, a smooth embroidered cloud.
I have heard that Yuefu caused the yellow crane to sing
And seen the Qiufeng move a stone whale to swim. The curved jade rainbow descends across the blue sky;
The silver mountains rise from the world through the mist.
Following those places where the phoenix chariot passed,
The wild geese wheel round the air, never startled.

Translated by Ling-yün Shih Liu