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小篆 王維 漢江臨眺

楚塞三湘接，荊門九派通。
江流天地外，山色有無中。
郡邑浮前浦，波瀾動遠空。
襄陽好風日，留醉與山翁。

Small Seal Script (xiaozhuan)

A View from the Han River

WANG Wei (699-759 AD) 

Fort Chu sits where the three rivers meet,

around Mt. Jingmen nine tributaries compete;

the Grand River surges, transcending heaven and earth,

colors on the hills appear and fade as time goes forth.

Towns and burghs emerge on banks yonder,

waves and tides thunder reaching far into the distance;

enchanting is the scenery of Xiangyang on a day so fine,

the right time to stay and get drunk with my old chum.

29.3 inches x 69.8 inches

※        ※        ※

小篆：秦始皇(260-210 BC)統一六國後，厲行書同文，由宰相李斯(280-208 BC)主政，為中國首次有系統地將文字標準化。因為是以秦國(770-206 BC)使用的書體為基礎，因此小篆又被稱為「秦篆」。小篆的筆劃較細，在字形上呈長方形，結構左右對稱，給人挺拔秀麗的感覺。

The Small Seal Script: Following the unification of China and the establishment of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), Qin Shi Huang (260-210 BC) decreed to unify the system of writing. Prime Minister LI Si (280-208 BC) thus implemented the Small Seal Script to be the official script used throughout the whole Empire. The Small Seal Script was also known as “Qinzhuan,” because it was modeled after the Large Seal Script from the earlier Kingdom of Qin (770-206 BC). Compared to the Large Seal Script, the Small Seal Script is easier to write and appears more symmetrical, with long, even strokes in an oblong shape.

王維(699-759 AD)，生於蒲州，詩人兼畫家，多才多藝，善於描寫山水景物和田園風光，成了山水田園詩派的傑出代表。佛教思想的介入，成為王維晚期作品避世的主導思想，人稱「詩佛」。蘇軾(1037-1101 AD)曾說：王維的「詩中有畫，畫中有詩」。

WANG Wei (699-759 AD), born in Puzhou (now Yuncheng, Sanxi Province), achieved eminence as a poet and a painter. He is especially known for his compositions in the shan shui (mountain and stream) poetry genre. A devout Zen Buddhist in his old age, WANG was posthumously known as the “Poet Buddha.” SU Shi (1037-1101 AD) once commented: “The quality of WANG Wei’s poems can be summed up as that the poems hold paintings within them. Moreover, in observing his paintings, you can see that, within the painting, there is poetry.” 

白話譯文

漢水流經楚塞，又接連折入三湘；荊門山處匯合九條水源。

浩瀚江水彷彿流到天地之外；朦朧山色遠在虛無飄渺中。

沿江的郡邑恰似浮在水面之上；水天相接的邊際，波濤激盪滾動。

襄陽的風景，著實令人陶醉讚嘆；我願留在此地，陪伴常醉的山翁。