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Subject:Help with inscriptions
Posted By: John Rohrer Tue, Feb 18, 2020 IP: 2601:443:c102:2a10:7

Supposedly a work from Li Shan and Zheng Xie. The story of their friendship is a wonderful tale of these wild times in Hangshou. Depicted is an orchid in a pot depicting the many stages of its life. Any help with a translation of their inscriptions would be appreciated.





Subject:Re: Help with inscriptions
Posted By: I.Nagy Tue, Feb 18, 2020

Starting seal,
興化人 - Xinghua-ren - Man from Xinghua County,

Inscriptions in my rough translation
微風揺紫葉
輕霧拂朱房
池塘所以緑
待我泛紅光

Breeze shakes the purple leaves
Light fog whisks gently the red tassels (of my gown)
The water in the pond is green and
waiting for me to turn red

為复堂先生畫作 - Painted by Master *Futang
題詩板橋鄭燮 - Poem inscribed by Zheng Xie
Upper seal,
燮印 - Seal of Xie
Lower seal,
克柔 - *Kerou - Pseudonym

Colophon,
乾隆十六年小春月 - in the Small Spring Month of the 16th Year of Qianlong Reign (1751)
复堂懊道人李觶 - Futang Ao-daoren LiZhi
Upper seal,
觶 - Zhi

*Kerou is one of the pseudonyms of Zheng Xie

*Futang and Ao-daoren are the pseudonyms of Li Shan
a.k.a. Li Zhi

With regards,
I.Nagy

Subject:Re: Help with inscriptions
Posted By: I.Nagy Tue, Feb 18, 2020

The poem on the scroll is from Shen Yue's (沈約)441-513 "Ode to the lotus" (詠芙蓉).

With regards,
I.Nagy

Subject:Re: Help with inscriptions
Posted By: John Rohrer Tue, Feb 18, 2020

Thank you very much I.Nagy. I appreciate all that you do for this forum.

Subject:Re: Help with inscriptions
Posted By: John Rohrer Wed, Feb 19, 2020

Need to make a correction to my post. I meant to say "lotus" not "orchid. Zheng Xie and Li Shan were friends in Yangzhou not Hongzhou.

Subject:Re: Help with inscriptions
Posted By: I.Nagy Wed, Feb 19, 2020

Dear John,
Just to make the things clear,
The word "furong 芙蓉" in Chinese does have two meanings,
1, Hibiscus (Cotton rose)
2, In old days it often referred to lotus flower

Modern Chinese the words "Hehua 荷花" and "Lianhua 蓮花" are used for lotus

I feel my translation (2nd line) of poem needs a bit of amendment.

...
Light fog whisks gently my red buds
....
(that is to say the red buds of lotus)

With regards,
I.Nagy


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