Four Couplets in Regular Script (诗稿楷书四联)

Inscription

A set of four scrolls. Scroll 1, inscribed on the lines of Cultivating Strength: Closing the door, we meet in a small world of earth and sky; when the wind grows sharp and dust clamors, one knows the flowing years. To nourish my heart, there are moments of rest; the jade water-clock flies on, and in the end all things shift. With dark ink I would write until the vast sea runs dry; the scholar’s hard-won strength wins but a slant of blue-eyed favor. Lingering in chant, my thoughts rest in the waters of the ninth heaven; in the western sun, my body weary, I go down to the mulberry fields. Soon I hear, bright and clear beneath the eastern pavilion, the wind stirs, and returning birds call to one another. Still I worry the new dog will bark at the north gate; do not buy cloudy wine facing the south veranda. Scroll 2, inscribed on Sakyamuni seated in snow: The Honored Sakyamuni who came from the West faces the wall and contemplates this karmic occasion; the fruits of practice should answer to Tusita Heaven. How could an outsider guess the message within? With no-mind, sitting steady, one bears still more. Fanzhi turns his socks inside out; Maya gave birth to Siddhartha. No matter—burn incense and worship whom you will: there is no Buddha in heaven, and in the human world emptiness and form are not there either. Yisi year, Nan Cun. Scroll 3, Beginning of Summer, guimao year: After walking all the myriad mountains, I reward myself with one quick burst of joy; the taste of the world is sweeter than the partridge’s call. Just as I would rest, the flies roar; no leisure even to lie on brushwood, while thought soaks deeper and deeper. Pure tones have long vanished from my ears; the Daoist canon knows no music. My hidden feelings hold mountains and seas; I do not see the sun and moon soaring over the capital. Flying catkins still clamor, and the heart’s affairs tip out; half a life in wind and dust is like a routed army. The boat hidden in the ravine cannot suffice for the years; having counted all the Wu hooks, my spirit is about to stop. How can a well-frog be worth answering? The five-colored picture is but empty form; dog and horse—one should know peace. Nan Cun. Scroll 4, Winter Heart: Words of Self-Reproach, renyin year: Heaven’s intent is truly good in itself; the human heart is crooked and cannot get through. The morning wind rustles past my ear; in the dusk, the moon enters the pines. When times change, is this but a little play? Taking up the mirror, would I consent to be composed? My sallow face and youthful bloom grow old; the taste, though bland, grows richer still. To gain power—how could that be my wish? Stepping back, wind and clouds follow. A lofty, rugged spirit through a thousand autumns—a scholar at Little Dai Peak. The ancients wrote regular script with great neatness and labor; I cannot endure such meticulousness. I let the brush run freely. The method remains that of regular script, but the spirit comes close to running-cursive. Let those who understand smile. Recorded by Nan Cun.

四轴一套。其一，题耕力句：闭门相见小地天，风急尘嚣知流年。将养我心有时歇，玉漏飞扬终相迁。玄墨欲写沧海尽，书生耕力青眼偏。萦吟思息九天水，西阳身倦下桑田。旋闻莹莹东亭下，风动归鸟啼相连。尚愁新犬吠北门，莫沽浊酒向南轩。其二，题坐雪释迦尊者句：西来释迦尊，面壁观此缘，行果应兜率。个中消息岂客猜，无心稳坐更担待。梵志翻着袜，摩耶生悉达。不碍烧谁礼拜，天上无佛陀。人间空色亦不在。乙巳，南邨。其三，立夏，癸卯：万山行尽酬一快，世味甘于鹧鸪鸣。乃欲休，苍蝇吼，卧薪不睱意浸浸，清音久绝耳，道藏不知音，幽怀涵山海，不见京华日月凌，飞絮犹嚣心事倾，风尘半生似败军。壑舟未足供岁月，数尽吴钩气欲停。井蛙岂足对，五色图空相，犬马应知宁。南邨。其四，冬心自谴词，壬寅：天意真自好，人心曲不通，晨飒风过耳，昏冥月入松，易时见小戏？揽镜肯从容，苍颜韵华老，滋味淡更浓，得势岂我意，退步风云从，千秋峥嵘意，书生小岱峰。古人作楷多工整，余不耐其工，放笔行之，法为楷法，意近行草矣，识者一笑。南邨识。

Seal

Each scroll bears the seal of Nancun.

Condition

Excellent

Authenticity & Origin

Acquired directly from the artist, with a gallery-issued certificate of authenticity.Learn More