Poems in the Emperor's Own Hand
The Song dynasty was a period of governance through literacy, a time when importance was laid upon emperors' learnedness in fine arts and letters, including poetry, prose, and calligraphy. For generation after generation during the Southern Song dynasty, nearly every member of the imperial household was a capable calligrapher, and some were virtuosos. The emperors were deeply familiar the poetry, ci lyrics, poetic essays, and songs of past literary giants. They not only transcribed excerpts of these writings as gifts for their ministers, but also brushed them calligraphically atop paintings. In so doing, the imperial clan actively guided the artistic merger of poetry and painting.
Poem in Seven Character Regulated Verse- Emperor Gaozong, Song dynasty
As the Song dynasty was a period of governance through literacy, great importance was laid upon emperors' learnedness in fine arts and literature, including calligraphy. Gaozong (1107-1187), the first Southern Song dynasty emperor, was born in Zhuojun as Zhao Gou; he had the style name Deji. The last two emperors of the Northern Song dynasty, Huizong and Qinzong, were captured by the rival Jin dynasty; at this time Zhao Gou, then a prince, ascended to the throne.
Waking Up Next to a Rustic Window- Anonymous, Song dynasty
In this painting, a gentle breeze skims over the water's surface, willow trees greeting the wind with swaying branches. Atop the skiff moored beside the shore, a white-clad fisherman who has just risen from slumber stretches his limbs while looking out into the endless watery expanse, filling the scene with languorous contentment. The painting itself is unsigned, but it bears a transcription of "The Fisherman's Ode," a lyric poem by the Southern Song dynasty's first emperor, Gaozong 1107-1187). The poem was transcribed by Xiaozong (1107-1194), the second Southern Song dynasty emperor.
The fisherman theme seen in paintings such as this one usually alludes to the idealized life of a "hermit fishmonger." In ancient China, emperors were the most respected figures in the nation, yet they often pined for the worry-free lives of fishermen. Paintings devoted to this theme intimate pursuit of a state of mind marked by simplicity, serenity, languidness, and contentment. Poetry was combined with painting to help convey these sentiments. History records that the Southern Tang dynasty's final ruler, Li Yu (937-978), made an inscription upon a painting entitled "A Fisherman on the River in Spring." Clearly, in inscribing "The Fisherman's Ode" upon this painting, emperor Xiaozong was continuing a long tradition.
A Spring Walk on a Mountain Path- Ma Yuan, Song dynasty
In the foreground, an elegant scholar wearing white robes and a headpiece of sheer black muslin slowly strolls along a path lined by flowers and willows. Near the lower left edge of the frame can be found a signature reading "Ma Yuan," the name of a court painter who was active during the reigns of Southern Song dynasty emperors Guangzong (r. 1190-1194) and Ningzong (r. 1194-1224). The poetry in the upper right corner reads "Wildflowers brushing my sleeves dance all by themselves, distant birds flee as I approach, not making a peep." The style of the calligraphy suggests that it was brushed by Ninzong, while the poetry is a single couplet taken from Northern Song dynasty scholar Song Xiang's (996-1066) poem which describes tranquil wildflowers in a natural setting; a scholar brushing past them sets the flowers into motion, and causes the black-naped orioles on the willow branches to abscond in flight. The painting's layout creates exquisite reciprocity between its elements. Its focus is centered on the foreground, with the middle distances depicted with mysterious obscurity, and the far distance comprised of a few peaks wispily brushed in the upper left. The scholar's gaze extends into the world's empty vastness, naturally coaxing viewers' eyes towards the poetic thoughts that inspired this work, which were written by the emperor's hand. Brush and ink were used in this work in an utterly sublime manner.