Poem 72-42
Date20th century
Label TextIn this elegant print Maki uses stylized white seal script on a black ground to transcribe a poem by 9th-century Tang poet Du Fu. A translation of the poem is cited below. The content of the poem, however, is far less significant than its visual properties, which create a striking balance between orderly formality and energetic playfulness.
Spring Prospect
The nation shattered, mountains and river remain,
city in spring, grass and trees burgeoning.
Feeling the times, blossoms draw tears,
hating separation, birds alarm the heart.
Beacon fires three months in succession,
a letter from home worth ten thousand in gold.
White hairs, fewer for the scratching,
soon too few to hold a hairpin up.
(Translation by Burton Watson)
Object number98.53.125
Credit LineGift of Frances and Thomas Blakemore
MediumScreenprint with embossing
log in
