Colophon to Han Shi Tie (寒食詩帖) by Huang Tingjian (黃庭堅)
東坡此詩似李太白，猶恐太白有未到處。
Dōng Pō cǐ shī shì Lǐ Tài Bái, yóu kǒng Tài Bái yǒu wèi dào chù.
東坡這首詩似李太白(的瀟灑)，還恐怕李太白都未必及他。
This poem of Dōng Pō is like the poems of Lǐ Bái, perhaps Lǐ Bái might not be as good as Dōng Pō.
此書兼顏魯公、楊少師、李西台筆意。
Cǐ shū jiān Yán Lǔgōng, Yáng Shǎoshī, Lǐ Xītái bǐ yì.
他的書法兼有顏魯公(颜真卿)、楊少師(楊凝式) 和李西台(李建中)的筆意。
The calligraphy has the style of Yán Lǔgōng (Yán Zhēnqīng), Yáng Shǎoshī (Yáng Níngshì) and Lǐ Xītái (Lǐ Jiànzhōng).
試使東坡復為之，未必及此。
Shì shǐ Dōng Pō fù wéi zhī, wèi bì jí cǐ.
如果東坡再寫一遍，都未必寫得這麽好。
If Dōng Pō rewrites this piece again, the new piece may not be as good as this.
它日東坡或見此書，應笑我於無佛處稱尊也。
Tā rì Dōng Pō huò jiàn cǐ shū, yīng xiào wǒ yú wú Fú chù chēng zūn yě.
以後如果蘇東坡見到我這樣寫，他會笑我在佛不在的地方稱我自已為尊者。(作者說自已不配對東坡的墨寶作出評論。)
If in the future, Dōng Pō sees what I have written, he will laugh at me saying I call myself the supreme one in the absence of Buddha. (Huang meant that he was not worthy to make comments on Dōng Pō ’s work.)
Han Shi Tie (寒食詩帖)
Su Shi composed the two poems of Han Shi (寒食詩) in 1082 when he was 46 years old. Some scholars think that Su put these two poems in writing after one or two years. The masterpiece passed through various collectors. In 1100, Zhāng Hào (張浩) of Shǔ Zhōu (蜀州) showed this masterpiece to Huang Tingjian (黃庭堅) in Méi Zhōu, Sìchuān (四川眉州) when Huang was 55 years old. Huang was overjoyed and highly emotional when he saw this masterpiece and he wrote a colophon for it. At that time Su was in exile to Hǎinán (海南島). This scroll containing the two most revered work of Su and Huang has been greatly treasured. It is now kept in the National Palace Museum, Taipei (國立故宮博物院).
Huang Tingjian (黃庭堅) (1045–1105), also known as Lǔ Zhí (魯直), Shān Gǔ (山谷) and Fú Wēng (涪翁). He was a native of Hóng Zhōu Fēn Níng (洪州分寧) (now Jiangxi Xiushui County 江西修水縣). Huang was a Chinese calligrapher, poet, scholar and government official of the Song Dynasty. He was one of the Four Calligrapher Masters of the Song Dynasty (宋四大家).
Huang Tingjian passed his imperial Chin-shih examination (登進士第) in 1067 and was granted some posts in the government. At the time, there were two major parties, a “reform” party lead by Wang Anshi (王安石) and a “conservative” party, which included prominent officials such as Sima Guang (司馬光), Ouyang Xiu (歐陽修) and Su Shi (蘇軾). As Emperor Shenzong (神宗) increasingly favoured Wang Anshi’s New Policies, as they were known, their opponents suffered politically. This included exile for Su Shi, beginning in 1080 to Hangzhou. Huang Tingjian was falsely accused of conspiracy. After 1086, Wang Anshi’s party was out of favour, and Wang Anshi himself was forced into retirement. Huang and other exiles were recalled from their places of banishment.
However, Su Shi and Huang Tingjian were repeatedly caught up in the political in-fighting in the Imperial Court and had to endure several cycles of exile and pardon.
Su died in 1101 and Huang died in 1105 in Yí zhōu (宜州)(now Guǎngxī Province廣西).
Appreciation of the elegance of some words
The three great calligraphers mentioned in the colophon
Yan Zhenqing (顏真卿) (709–785) also known as Duke of Lu (魯公). Yan Zhenqing’s ancestors came from Linyi (臨沂) in Shandong (山東). Yan was a leading Chinese calligrapher and a loyal governor of the Tang Dynasty. Yan Zhenqing is popularly held as the only calligrapher who paralleled Wang Xizhi, the Calligraphy Sage (書聖). He specialized in regular script(楷書) and cursive script(草書). In 752, he wrote one of his best-known pieces, Duobao Pagoda Stele (多寶塔碑). Magu Shan Xiantan Ji (麻姑山仙墰記) and Yan Qingli Stele (顏勤禮碑) are also very famous. His writings especially his regular scripts have widely been used as models for learning calligraphy for the last 1500 years.
During the rebellion of An Lushan (安祿山), Yan Zhenqing’s cousin Yan Gaoqing (顏杲卿) served as magistrate of Changshan (常山) in Hebei (河北). When rebel forces invaded the area, the Tang army did not come to the rescue, resulting in the fall of the town and the killing of Yan Gaoqing and his son, Yan Jiming (顏季明). It was under these circumstances that Yan Zhenqing at the age of 49 wrote “Draft of a Requiem to My Nephew” (祭姪文稿). Yan was a man of loyalty and integrity all his life, and this spirit is revealed in his calligraphy. During the revolt of Li Xilie (李西烈), Yan was instructed to bring an imperial communique to the rebels. However, he was detained and executed in 785.
(釋文) 維乾元元年。歲次戊戌。九月庚午朔。三日壬申。第十三叔銀青光祿（大）夫使持節蒲州諸軍事。蒲州刺史。上輕車都尉。丹陽縣開國侯真卿。以清酌庶羞。祭於亡姪贈贊善大夫季明之靈曰。惟爾挺生。夙標幼德。宗廟瑚璉。階庭蘭玉。每慰人心。方期戩穀。何圖逆賊開釁。稱兵犯順。爾父竭誠。常山作郡。餘時受命。亦在平原。仁兄愛我。俾爾傳言。爾既歸止。爰開土門。土門既開。兇威大蹙。賊臣不救。孤城圍逼。父陷子死。巢傾卵覆。天不悔禍。誰為荼毒。念爾遘殘。百身何贖。嗚乎哀哉。吾承天澤。移牧河關。泉明比者。再陷常山。攜爾首櫬。及茲同還。。撫念摧切。震悼心顏。方俟遠日。卜爾幽宅。魂而有知。無嗟久客。嗚呼哀哉。尚饗。
Yang Ningshi (楊凝式) (873－954）also known as Jǐng Dù (景度) and Xū Bái (虛白) was a great calligrapher in the Five Dynasties (五代). He passed the imperial examination (登進士第) in 905 and was given various posts in the government such as Tài Zǐ Shǎo Shī (太子少師). He was revered as Yáng Shǎo Shī (楊少師). His major works include Jiǔ Huā Tiē (韭花帖), Xià Rè Tiē (夏熱帖).
(釋文) 晝寢乍興，輖饑正甚。忽蒙簡翰，猥賜盤飧。當一葉報秋之初，乃韭花逞味之始。助其肥羜，實謂珍羞。充腹之餘，銘肌載切。謹修狀陳謝，伏惟鑒察。謹狀。七月十一日狀。
Lǐ Jiànzhōng (李建中) (945 – 1013) also known as Dé Zhōng (得中), Yán Fū Mín Bó (岩夫民伯) was a native of Jīng Zhào (京兆), now Shǎn Xī (陕西). He was a great calligrapher of Northern Song. His posts in the government include Tai Cháng Bó Shì (太常博士) and Xī Jīng Liú Sī Yù Shǐ Tái (西京留司御史台), hence he was called Lǐ Xītái (李西台). Only a few of his works survived, Tǔ mǔ tiē (土母帖) is one of them.
(釋文) 所示要土母。今得一小籠子。封全諮送。不知可用否。是新安缺門所出者。復未知何所用。望批示。春冬衣曆頭。賢郎未拾到。其宅地基尹家者。根本未分明。難商量耳。見別訪尋穩便者。若有成見宅子又如何。細希示及。（押字）。諮。孫號西行少車。今有舊車。如到彼不用。可貨卻也。
Lanting Xue (Preface to the Orchid Pavilion) (蘭亭序) is revered as the first best work in running script ever written.
Draft of a Requiem to My Nephew (祭姪文稿) is revered as the second best work in running script ever written.
Han Shi Tie (寒食帖) is revered as the third best work in running script ever written.
Jiǔ Huā Tiē (韭花帖) is revered as the fifth best work in running script ever written.
Poem of the Hall of Pines and Wind (松風閣詩) is revered as the ninth best work in running script ever written.C
Tǔ mǔ tiē (土母帖) is revered as the tenth best work in running script ever written.
Further readings / viewing :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvwwswqOgWs 20130722《殷瑗小聚》中國美術史–宋代書法家:黃庭堅) (Excellent presentation on this masterpiece from the beginning to 10:24)
http://www.fansart.com/article_1558/huangzhouhanshitie (黄州寒食帖》高清大图)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Zhenqing
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%A5%AD%E5%A7%AA%E6%96%87%E7%A8%BF (祭姪文稿)
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%A5%8%E5%87%9D%E5%BC%8F (楊凝式)
http://baike.baidu.com/subview/43778/7827478.htm
http://www.baike.com/wiki/%E3%80%8A%E9%9F%AD%E8%8A%B1%E5%B8%96%E3%80%8B (韭花帖)
http://tech2.npm.gov.tw/sung/html/graphic/c_t1_2_a01.htm (土母帖)
Ouyang Z and Wen C.F. (2008) Chinese Calligraphy, Yale University Press, ISBN 978-0-300-12107-0
Patrick Siu Chinese Calligraphy & Landscape Painting 蕭燿漢談書畫 