Galleries and Translations > Models of Masterpieces > Modelling and English Translation of Sun Guoting's "A Narrative on Calligraphy" 孫過庭 《書譜》之臨習與英譯
Modelling and English Translation of Sun Guoting's "A Narrative on Calligraphy"
(Part V)
by Kwan Sheung Vincent POON (潘君尚)
Nov. 15, 2017
Published on www.vincentpoon.com, Toronto
A. Modelling (by KS Vincent POON)
A model of Sun Guoting's "A Narrative on Calligraphy" (Part I)
臨孫過庭《書譜》 (第一部份)
35 X 137cm (11)
Click to Enlarge. In reserve, not available in Shop.
B. Historical Information
Please see Part I
Readers are strongly encouraged to read the blue numerical footnotes below to gain a better understanding of the original Chinese text and to review some major errors in the translations made by others.
English Translation
Original Chinese Text
As for Zhong Yao the Wizard of the standard script as well as Zhang Zhi the Sage of the cursive script, they are both excellent illustrations of calligraphers who specialized in one particular script to the extent that their artistries became exceptionally superior and distinctively unrivaled.
94. 至如鍾繇
(隸)奇，張芝草聖，此乃專精一體，以致絕倫。
(隸)奇，張芝草聖，此乃專精一體，以致絕倫。
Although Boying (Zhang Zhi) was not a top master in writing the standard script, his dots and strokes [in writing the standard script, 70] were wild and unrestrained. Yuanchang (Zhong Yao) was not a great champion in penning the cursive script, yet his concerted brush turns and movements [in writing the cursive script, 71] were free and liberated.
95. 伯英不真，而點畫狼藉；元常不草，使轉從橫。
As such, after them, those who are unable to write both scripts well and do not reach a competent level of artistry have nothing to do with specializing in one particular script. (72)
96. 自茲已降，不能兼善者，有所不逮，非專精也。
FOR LINES 97-121,
PLEASE PURCHASE THE REVISED AND ENHANCED EDITION WITH FOOTNOTES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY:
97. 雖篆、
(隸)、草、章，工用多變，濟成厥美，各有攸宜。
(隸)、草、章，工用多變，濟成厥美，各有攸宜。
98. 篆尚婉而通，
(隸)欲精而密，草貴流而暢，章務檢而便。
(隸)欲精而密，草貴流而暢，章務檢而便。
99. 然後凜之以風神，溫之以妍潤，
100. 鼓之以枯勁，和之以閑雅。
101. 故可達其情性，形其哀樂。
102. 驗燥濕之殊節，千古依然；
103. 體老壯之異時，百齡俄頃。
104. 嗟乎! 不入其門，詎窺其奧者也!?
105.又一時而書，有乖有合。合則流媚 ，乖則彫疎。
106.略言其由，各有其五：
107.神怡務閑，一合也；感惠徇知，二合也；
108.時和氣潤，三合也；紙墨相發，四合也；偶然欲書，五合也。
109.心遽體留，一乖也；意違勢屈，二乖也；
110.風燥日炎，三乖也；紙墨不稱，四乖也；情怠手闌，五乖也。
111.乖合之際，優劣互差。
112.得時不如得器，得器不如得志。
113.若五乖同萃，思遏手蒙；
114.五合交臻，神融筆暢。
115.暢無不適，蒙無所從。
116.當仁者得意忘言，罕陳其要；
117.企學者希風敘妙，雖述猶疎。
118.徒立其工，未敷厥旨。
119.不揆庸昧，輒効所明。
120.庶欲弘既往之風規，導將來之器識。
121.除繁去濫，覩迹明心者焉。
FOR FURTHER TRANSLATION, FOOTNOTES, AND
ELABORATIONS
PLEASE SEE :
A Narrative on Calligraphy by Sun Guoting Revised and Enchanced Edition 英譯書譜 增訂版Translated by KS Vincent POON and Kwok Kin POON (Mar. 2019)
ISBN 978-1-989485-10-1
A Narrative on Calligraphy (Shu Pu, 書譜) was written in 687AD by the renowned Tang dynasty calligrapher Sun Guoting (孫過庭) of the seventh century and is regarded to be one of the most important narratives in examining the traditional art of Chinese calligraphy. Yet, there is currently no satisfactory English translation of it. This book provides readers an accurate, annotated, line-by-line, consistent and comprehensive English translation of A Narrative on Calligraphy. Furthermore, various major and fundamental mistakes found in the two previous English translations by Chang & Frankel and De Laurentis are detailed and discussed.
This book is the revised and enhanced version of the previous book and delivers an even more precise translation with 20 titled thematic paragraphs that is based on Dr. Kwok Kin POON’s The Vernacular Chinese Translation of Sun Guoting’s A Narrative on Calligraphy (孫過庭書譜白話對譯. Toronto: The SenSeis, Feb. 2019).
WorldCat/Library: [WorldCat] [Oxford U] [U of T] [Harvard U] [Columbia U] [HKU] [CUHK] [Kyoto U] [National Taiwan U]
END OF PART V (Nov. 15, 2017)