Goddess of Luo River,

1852 (stone); late 19th to first half of 20th century (rubbing)

Goddess of Luo River

1852 (stone); late 19th to first half of 20th century (rubbing)

Cheng Shouling 程壽齡 , painter, calligrapher

Hanging scroll; ink rubbing on paper

image: 97.4 x 30.6 cm. (38 3/8 x 12 1/16 in.) 118.7 x 35 cm. (46 3/4 x 13 3/4 in.)

Gift of George Rowley

y1958-256

Asia, China

Top： [need better image; check the following against the actual rubbing] 洛神賦 餘從京域，言歸東藩，背伊闕 ，越轘轅，經通谷，陵景山。日既西傾，車殆馬煩。爾乃稅駕乎蘅皋，秣駟乎芝田，容與乎陽林，流眄乎洛川。於是精移神駭，忽焉思散。俯則未察，仰以殊觀。睹一麗人，於巖之畔。乃援御者而告之曰：“爾有覿於彼者乎？彼何人斯，若此之豔也！”御者對曰：“臣聞河洛之神，名曰宓妃。然則君王所見，無乃是乎？其狀若何，臣願聞之。” 餘告之曰：其形也，翩若驚鴻，婉若游龍，榮曜秋菊，華茂春鬆。髣髴兮若輕雲之蔽月，飄颻兮若流風之迴雪。遠而望之，皎若太陽升朝霞。迫而察之，灼若芙蕖出淥波。穠纖得衷，修短合度。肩若削成，腰如約素。延頸秀項，皓質呈露，芳澤無加，鉛華弗御。雲髻峨峨，修眉聯娟，丹脣外朗，皓齒內鮮。明眸善睞，靨輔承權，瓌姿豔逸，儀靜體閒。柔情綽態，媚於語言。奇服曠世，骨象應圖。披羅衣之璀粲兮，珥瑤碧之華琚。戴金翠之首飾，綴明珠以耀軀。踐遠遊之文履，曳霧綃之輕裾。微幽蘭之芳藹兮，步踟躕于山隅。於是忽焉縱體，以遨以嬉。左倚採旄，右蔭桂旗。攘皓腕於神滸兮，採湍瀨之玄芝。 餘情悅其淑美兮，心振盪而不怡。無良媒以接歡兮，託微波而通辭。願誠素之先達兮，解玉佩以要之。嗟佳人之信修，羌習禮而明詩。抗瓊珶以和予兮，指潛淵而爲期。執眷眷之款實兮，懼斯靈之我欺。感交甫之棄言兮，悵猶豫而狐疑。收和顏而靜志兮，申禮防以自持。 於是洛靈感焉，徙倚彷徨。神光離合，乍陰乍陽。竦輕軀以鶴立，若將飛而未翔。踐椒塗之郁烈，步蘅薄而流芳。超長吟以永慕兮，聲哀厲而彌長。 爾乃衆靈雜遝，命儔嘯侶。或戲清流，或翔神渚。或採明珠，或拾翠羽。從南湘之二妃，攜漢濱之遊女。嘆匏瓜之無匹兮，詠牽牛之獨處。揚輕袿之猗靡兮，翳修袖以延佇。體迅飛鳧，飄忽若神。凌波微步，羅襪生塵。動無常則，若危若安。進止難期，若往若還。轉眄流精，光潤玉顏。含辭未吐，氣若幽蘭。華容婀娜，令我忘餐。 於是屏翳收風，川后靜波。馮夷鳴鼓，女媧清歌。騰文魚以警乘，鳴玉鸞以偕逝。六龍儼其齊首，載雲車之容裔。鯨鯢踊而夾轂，水禽翔而爲衛。於是越北沚，過南岡，紆素領，回清陽，動朱脣以徐言，陳交接之大綱。恨人神之道殊兮，怨盛年之莫當。抗羅袂以掩涕兮，淚流襟之浪浪。悼良會之永絕兮，哀一逝而異鄉。無微情以效愛兮，獻江南之明璫。雖潛處於太陰，長寄心於君王。忽不悟其所舍，悵神宵而蔽光。 於是背下陵高，足往神留。遺情想像，顧望懷愁。冀靈體之復形，御輕舟而上溯。浮長川而忘返，思綿綿而增慕。夜耿耿而不寐，沾繁霜而至曙。命僕伕而就駕，吾將歸乎東路。攬騑轡以抗策，悵盤桓而不能去。 漱泉程壽齡畫并書 The Goddess of the Luo trans. by Burton Watson In the third year of the Huang-chu era, I attended court at the capital and then crossed the Luo River to begin my journey home Men in olden times used to say that the goddess of the river is named Fufei. Inspired by the example of Song Yu, who described a goddess to the king of Chu, I eventually composed a rhapsody which read: Leaving the capital To return to my fief in the east, Yi Barrier at my back, Up over Huanyuan, Passing through Tong Valley, Crossing Mount Jing; The sun had already dipped in the west, The carriage unsteady, the horses fatigued, And so I halted my rig in the spikenard marshes, Grazed my team of four at Lichen Fields, Idling a while by Willow Wood, Letting my eyes wander over the Luo Then my mood seemed to change, my spirit grew restless; Suddenly my thoughts had scattered I looked down, hardly noticing what was there, Looked up to see a different sight, To spy a lovely lady by the slopes of the riverbank. I took hold of the coachman's arm and asked, “Can you see her? Who could she be—a woman so beautiful!” The coachman replied, “I have heard of the goddess of the River Luo, whose name is Fufei. What you see, my prince—is it not she? But what does she look like? I beg you to tell me!” And I answered: Her body soars lightly like a startled swan, Gracefully, like a dragon in flight, In splendor brighter than the autumn chrysanthemum, In bloom more flourishing than the pine in spring; Dim as the moon mantled in filmy clouds, Restless as snow whirled by the driving wind Gaze far off from a distance: She sparkles like the sun rising from morning mists; Press closer to examine: She flames like the lotus flower topping the green wave She strikes a balance between plump and frail; The tall and short of her are justly proportioned, With shoulders shaped as if by carving, Waist narrow as though bound with white cords; At her slim throat and curving neck The pale flesh lies open to view, No scented ointments overlaying it, No coat of leaden powder applied. Cloud-bank coiffure rising steeply, Long eyebrows delicately arched, Red lips that shed their light abroad, White teeth gleaming within, Bright eyes skilled at glances, A dimple to round off the base of the cheek— Her rare form wonderfully enchanting, Her manner quiet, her pose demure. Gentle-hearted, broad of mind, She entrances with every word she speaks; Her robes are of a strangeness seldom seen, Her face and figure live up to her paintings. Wrapped in the soft rustle of silken garments, She decks herself with flowery earrings of jasper and jade, Gold and kingfisher hairpins adorning her head, Strings of bright pearls to make her body shine She treads in figured slippers fashioned for distant wandering, Airy trains of mistlike gauze in tow, Dimmed by the odorous haze of unseen orchids, Pacing uncertainly beside the corner of the hill. Then suddenly she puts on a freer air, Ready for rambling, for pleasant diversion. To the left planting her colored pennants, To the right spreading the shade of cassia flags, She dips pale wrists into the holy river's brink, Plucks dark iris from the rippling shallows My fancy is charmed by her modest beauty, But my heart, uneasy, stirs with distress: Without a skilled go-between to join us in bliss, I must trust these little waves to bear my message Desiring that my sincerity first of all be known, I undo a girdle-jade to offer as pledge. Ah, the pure trust of that lovely lady, Trained in ritual, acquainted with the Songs; She holds up a garnet stone to match my gift, Pointing down into the depths to show where we should meet. Clinging to a lover's passionate faith, Yet I fear that this spirit may deceive me; Warned by tales of how Jiaofu was abandoned, I pause, uncertain and despairing; Then, stilling such thoughts, I turn a gentler face toward her, Signaling that for my part I abide by the rules of ritual The spirit of the Luo, moved by my action, Paces to and fro uncertainly, The holy light deserting her, then reappearing, Now darkening, now shining again; She lifts her light body in the posture of a crane, As though about to fly but not yet taking wing. She walks the heady perfume of pepper-scented roads, Strides through clumps of spikenard, scattering their fragrance. Wailing distractedly, a sign of endless longing, Her voice, sharp with sorrow, growing more prolonged. Then a swarm of milling spirits appears, Calling companions, whistling to their mates, Some sporting in the clear current, Some hovering over sacred isles, Some searching for bright pearls, Some collecting kingfisher plumes. The goddess attends the two queens of Xiang in the south, Joins hands with Wandering Girl from the banks of the Han, Sighs that the Gourd Star has no spouse, Laments that the Herdboy must live alone. Lifting the rare fabric of her thin jacket, She makes a shield of her long sleeve, pausing in hesitation, Body nimbler than a winging duck, Swift, as befits the spirit she is; Traversing the waves in tiny steps, Her gauze slippers seem to stir a dust Her movements have no constant pattern, Now unsteady, now sedate; Hard to predict are her starts and hesitations, Now advancing, now turning back. Her roving glance flashes fire; A radiant warmth shines from her jadelike face Her words, held back, remain unvoiced, Her breath scented as though with hidden orchids; Her fair face all loveliness— She makes me forget my hunger! Then the god Bingyi calls in his winds, The River Lord stills the waves, While Pingyi beats a drum, And Nu Wa offers simple songs Speckled fish are sent aloft to clear the way for her carriage, Jade bells are jangled for accompaniment; Six dragon-steeds, solemn, pulling neck to neck, She rides the swift passage of her cloudy chariot. Whales dance at the hubs on either side, Water birds flying in front to be her guard. And when she has gone beyond the northern sandbars, When she has crossed the southern ridges, She bends her white neck, Clear eyes cast down, Moves her red lips, Speaking slowly; Discussing the great principles that govern friendship, She complains that men and gods must follow separate ways, Voices anger that we cannot fulfill the hopes of youth, Holding up her gauze sleeve to hide her weeping, Torrents of teardrops drowning her lapels She laments that our happy meeting must end forever, Grieves that, once separated, we go to different lands  “No way to express my unworthy love,  I give you this bright earring from south of the Yangtze.  Though I dwell in the Great Shadow down under the waters,  My heart will forever belong to you, my prince!” Then suddenly I could not tell where she had gone; To my sorrow the spirit vanished in darkness, veiling her light. With this I turned my back on the lowland, climbed the height; My feet went forward but my soul remained behind Thoughts taken up with the memory of her image, I turned to look back, a heart full of despair. Hoping that the spirit form might show itself again, I embarked in a small boat to journey upstream, Drifting over the long river, forgetting to return, Wrapped in endless remembrances that made my longing greater Night found me fretful, unable to sleep; Heavy frosts soaked me until the break of day I ordered the groom to ready the carriage, Thinking to return to my eastern road, But though I seized the reins and lifted up my whip, I stayed lost in hesitation and could not break away. https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/goddess-luo Left, bottom: [need better image] 。。。任子[1852]八月。。。

Standing in a long dress with flowing ribbons is Luo Shen 洛神, the goddess or nymph of the Luo River in central China. At the top of the rubbing is inscribed the rhapsody, or prose-poem (fu 賦), written in 222 by the poet and prince Cao Zhi 曹植 (192-232), in which he describes his romantic encounter with the river deity.

Chinese

Qing

rubbings

figures (representations), religious art, women, rivers