Quatrain on a Spring Garden
This verse, written during Lizong's maturity in a charming cursive script for the "noble consort" who inspired it, makes clear that life was not without its pleasures for the aging emperor:
Last year I saw a branch scented with a red fragrance;
Faintly, I imagined red corollas with little makeup.
Today, in the palace garden, such colors abound.
Perhaps, without knowing it, I prayed to the god of spring.
(Wen C. Fong, trans., in Beyond Representation: Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, 8th–14th Century [New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art,1992], p. 242)
Last year I saw a branch scented with a red fragrance;
Faintly, I imagined red corollas with little makeup.
Today, in the palace garden, such colors abound.
Perhaps, without knowing it, I prayed to the god of spring.
(Wen C. Fong, trans., in Beyond Representation: Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, 8th–14th Century [New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art,1992], p. 242)
Artwork Details
- 南宋 理宗 趙昀 行書錄光宗趙惇題楊補之 《紅梅圖》 賜貴妃詩 團扇
- Title: Quatrain on a Spring Garden
- Artist: Emperor Lizong (Chinese, 1205–64, r. 1224–64)
- Period: Song dynasty (960–1279)
- Culture: China
- Medium: Fan mounted as an album leaf; ink on silk
- Dimensions: 11 x 9 1/2 in. (27.9 x 24.1 cm)
- Classification: Calligraphy
- Credit Line: Bequest of John M. Crawford Jr., 1988
- Object Number: 1989.363.21
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Emperor Gaozong
after 1162
Emperor Lizong
Emperor Lizong
ca. 1260–64
Emperor Lizong
Emperor Lizong
1261
Related Content
Publications
Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.
Free to download
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.