Master of the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat, b. 1943

signed MASTER OF THE WATER, PINE AND STONE RETREAT, inscribed, dated 2015 and with four seals of the artist, 'The Water, Pine and Stone Retreat,' 'The mountain woodcutter who is not in the mountains' (2), 'The retired scholar who believes that all doctrines are equal'

Inscription:



Towering towering peak over peak,
White mists in mountain valleys.
I bow my head, watch the waterfall,
Raise my hands to blue sky in awe.
Stone bridge suspended above the falls,
Wind blown spray drifts down.
No longer can I see the world's dust,
From time to time cranes swoop by.



As the Han crumbled, Ge Xuan climbed into the mountains far from the capital and chanted.  His words echo still after nearly two millennia.  The Han is long gone, but the poem lingers on; better learn to use the brush and not the sword.



The Master of the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat ‘15.