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Calligraphy of Du Fu's Song of the Eight Drunken Immortals
Calligraphy of Du Fu's Song of the Eight Drunken Immortals

Calligraphy of Du Fu's Song of the Eight Drunken Immortals

Artist (Japanese, 1836 - 1888)
Place of OriginJapan
Date1887
CultureJapanese
MaterialsInk on paper
DimensionsH. 68 in x W. 22 in Each panel of six
Credit LineThe Avery Brundage Collection
Object numberB65D48
DepartmentJapanese Art
ClassificationsPainting
On View
Not on view
More Information

山岡鉄舟書 押絵貼屏風　六曲一双のうち　紙本墨書　明治20（1887）年筆

Yamaoka Tesshu was a well-known member of the samurai class who helped facilitate the Meiji Restoration (1868)—the transfer of political authority from the Edo shogun to the Meiji emperor. Founder of the No Sword school (Muto ryu), Tesshu was known for his superior swordsmanship. He was also a prolific calligrapher. On this screen, the left-hand one of a pair, he brushed the second half of a well-known Chinese poem in a bold cursive script. Chinese poetry was popular in Japan's warrior class. The calligraphy here can be contrasted with the Japanese style favored by the aristocracy for transcribing Japanese poetry.


Transcription and Translation

of “Song of the Eight Drunken

Immortals”

By Du Fu (712–770)

杜甫の七言古詩

「飲中八仙歌」（壺齋散人注）

　　

知章騎馬似乘船

眼花落井水底眠　

汝陽三斗始朝天

道逢曲車口流涎

恨不移封向酒泉　　

左相日興費万錢　　

飲如長鯨吸百川

銜杯樂聖稱避賢

宗之瀟洒美少年

舉觴白眼望青天

皎如玉樹臨風前

蘇晉長齋繍佛前

（醉中往往愛逃禪）

杜甫の七言古詩「飲中八仙歌」（壺齋散人注）

　　

[…蘇晉長齋繍佛前]

醉中往往愛逃禪

李白一斗詩百篇　　

長安市上酒家眠

天子呼來不上船

自稱臣是酒中仙

張旭三杯草聖傳

脱帽露頂王公前

揮毫落紙如云煙

焦遂五斗方卓然

高談雄辨驚四筵

[. . . Admiring the Buddha embroidered on a cloth,

Su Jin has vowed to abstain,]

But he has lots of lapses whenever he gets drunk!

*

Li Bai will write you a hundred poems if you pour

him a gallon.

He’ll fall asleep in a wine shop in the midst of a busy

market.

When he was asked to board the emperor’s new barge.

Instead he declared that he was a sage of wine.

*

Slip three cups to calligrapher Zhang Xu,

And even in front of dignitaries he will tear off his cap

And use his brush and paper to draw a group of clouds.

When you give Jiao Sui (who usually stutters) a minimum

five gallons,

He orates with eloquence, surprising all those around him.

Adapted from Du Fu, Du Fu: A Life in Poetry, translated by David

Young. (New York: Knopf, 2008): 30–31. The bracketed line that

begins this translation actually appears on the right-hand screen of

the pair (which contains the beginning of the poem) and is included

here for sense.