Rhapsody on Withered Trees (Kushu fu) in Semi-Cursive and Standard Script (Translation)
行楷節臨枯樹賦四屏 清/近现代 曹廣楨 紙本 (Primary Title)
Cao Guangzhen 曹廣楨, Chinese, 1864 - 1945 (Artist)
Withered Trees is an ancient text written
by Yu Xin (513—581 AD), a court official of the
Southern Dynasties who was exiled in the remote North. In the
narrative, Yu expressed his sentimental philosophy about life and war through
an allegorical description of a tree’s life cycle. In this set of scrolls,
court official Cao Guangzhen transcribed a section of Yu’s prose that conveyed the
author’s sorrow, resentment, and strength.
Qing dynasty (1644-1911) or Modern period (1912-present)
曹廣楨 Cao Guangzhen
廣楨 Guangzhen, 蔚叟學書 Weisou xueshu
Full text (1-4 scrolls from right to left) 至如白鹿貞松，青牛文梓；根抵盤魄，山崖表里。桂何事而銷亡，桐何為而半死？昔之三河徙植，九畹移根；開花建始之殿，落實睢陽之園。聲含嶰谷，曲抱《雲門》；將雛集鳳，比翼巢鴛。臨風亭而唳鶴，對月峽而吟猿。乃有拳曲擁腫，盤坳反覆；熊彪顧盼，魚龍起伏；節豎山連，文橫水蹙。匠石驚視，公輸眩目。雕鐫始就，剞劂仍加；平鱗鏟甲，落角摧牙；重重碎錦，片片真花；紛披草樹，散亂煙霞。若夫松子、古度、平仲、君遷，森梢百頃，搓枿千年。秦則大夫受職，漢則將軍坐焉。莫不苔埋菌壓，鳥剝蟲穿；或低垂於霜露，或撼頓於風煙。東海有白木之廟，西河有枯桑之社，北陸以楊葉為關，南陵以梅根作冶。
Scroll 1: 至如白鹿貞松，青牛文梓；根抵盤魄，山崖表里。桂何事而銷亡，桐何為而半死？昔之三河徙植，九畹移根；開花建始之殿，落實睢陽之園。聲含嶰谷，曲抱
Scroll 2: 《雲門》； 將雛集鳳，比翼巢鴛。臨風亭而唳鶴，對月峽而吟猿。乃有拳曲擁腫，盤坳反覆；熊彪顧盼，魚龍起伏；節豎山連，文橫水蹙。匠石驚視，公輸眩目。雕鐫始就，
Scroll 3: 剞劂仍加；平鱗鏟甲，落角摧牙；重重碎錦，片片真花；紛披草樹，散亂煙霞。若夫松子、古度、平仲、君遷，森梢百頃，搓枿千年。秦則大夫受職，漢則將軍坐焉。莫不苔
Scroll 4: 埋菌壓，鳥剝蟲穿；或低垂於霜露，或撼頓於風煙。東海有白木之廟，西河有枯桑之社，北陸以楊葉為關，南陵以梅根作冶。
Arthur and Margaret Glasgow Endowment and partial gift of Y.T. Bay 裴元俊 Collection
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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