嫿兮癸卯秋,余繪《牡丹亭》。夜讀杜麗娘,感其情深,生者可以死,死者可以生。天下女子有情,寧有如杜麗娘者乎?復能溟莫中求得其所夢者而生。如麗娘者,乃可謂有情人乎? 情深者唯此矣,情不知所夢為真,夢中之情,何必非真?余稍更而繪之。 自左而右,年少者居雲石中,為智慧尊者,滿身目晴者,為柳夢梅也,而貫穿其中之樹,為山為石為雲為木者,亦為大氣氳然,獨坐雲石樹洞中,為杜麗娘者也,鏡中為夢梅,大樹中鳥禪師靜觀人世,蝙蝠童子亦凝望畫卷。 原來姹紫媽紅開遍,似這般都付與斷井頹垣,良辰美景奈何天,賞事樂事誰家院。 人世間生死,皆為大夢耳,情不知所起,一往而情深,嗟夫,人世之事,非人事所可盡,自非通人,恒以理相隔耳,第雲理之所必無,安知情之所必有邪乎? 时微秋著,京兼冬寒。紫閬楹露,红轩槮云。烟黛斜而潭碧,银锭直而柳英。临閶街而凝神,扶断墙而唏嘘。倾帝子之钟鼓,得天人之乘息。松峦深洞,飞墙书丹。徇痕旧壁,岛汀云渚。帝都青墟,琚千古之盈顾;芳殿兰宫,罹荒草之蜿樽。持三端而谙六艺,解银钩而笔意明。 此畫為《琉璃夢記》结论之章。見壁則書,筆指都城之秋,驚千秋之意。 In the autumn of the Guimao year, I pained The Peony Pavilion. Reading the story about Du Liniang at night, I was moved...
In the autumn of the Guimao year, I pained The Peony Pavilion. Reading the story about Du Liniang at night, I was moved by her deep love that transcends life and death, the lover may die for love, and in love the dead may revive. All women are sentient, but are there any of them whose love can rival that of Du? Searching in the other world after she died and finally found the one she dreamed of and came back to life. People like Du Liniang, aren’t they passionate lovers?
This is the only kind of deep love, love is unconscious, unaware that dreams can be real, love that occurs in dreams, why is it not real? I will paint it with a little bit of change.
From left to right, the young man in the middle of the cloudy rocks, is the sage of wisdom. The one with eyes all over his body, is Liu Mengmei [Du Liniang’s lover]. The tree stretches throughout the scene, transforms into mountains, rocks, clouds, trees, as well as the overall atmosphere. The woman sitting alone in the tree hole of the cloudy rocks is Du Liniang, and the man in the mirror is Mengmei. The Zen master in the form of a bird hiding in the tree is observing the human world, and the bat boy is also looking at the scroll.
A riot of deep purple and bright red, what pity on the ruins they overspread! Why does Heaven give us brilliant day and dazzling sight? Whose house could boast of a sweeter delight?
Life and death in the human world, are all big dreams. Love once begun, will never end. The things in the human world, cannot be understood thoroughly by human beings. People without a comprehensive knowledge of the past and the present, tend to figure things out through reasoning. From a rational point of view, what happened to Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei must not exist, but who knows that from an emotional point of view it must exist?
It's barely autumn now, and Beijing is already experiencing the coldness of winter. The purple gate reveals the column in the front hall, the red veranda is hidden behind tall trees. The Yandai street is diagonal and the pond is blue, the Yinding bridge is straight and the willow leaves are exquisite. Standing on the street with a concentrated mind, leaning against the broken wall with a deep sigh. Listening to the sound of the imperial bells and drums, and acquiring the breath of the heaven. Deep caves hidden in the pine mountains, and calligraphic inscriptions in cinnabar red are on the walls. Tracing the marks on the ancient wall, the island is full of clouds. The ruins of Beijing, has been visited throughout the ages. The exquisite palaces, have suffered from wild weeds along the winding paths. Holding the three tips san duan [The term “san duan” or “three tips” refers to 1) the tip of the brush of the literati; 2) the tip of the sword of a warrior; and 3) the tip of the tongue of an elocutionist. ] and mastering the six arts liu yi [The term “liu yi” or “six arts” refers to rites, music, archery, equestrianism, calligraphy, and mathematics.], understanding the beauty and strength of calligraphy and the meaning of the brush is made clear.
This painting is the last section of the Dream of the Glazed Glass. Writing on the walls, the brush points to the autumn of the capital city, and its meaning remains startling for thousands of years to come.