Huai Su 千字文

 

My latest calligraphy practice 

A portion of Tang Buddhist calligrapher, Huai Su, from his 千字文, Qian Zi Wen, Thousand Character Essay. I’ll get around to translating it, at some stage. Right now just to say I really do like writing with brush pen on rice paper. And copying the masters, which is always the way it’s been done. 

ADDED: Qian Zi Wen Chinese Text. Translation is mine:

[知過] 必改，得能莫忘  [Zhīguò] bì gǎi, dé néng mò wàng. Knowing it, change and don't forget it

罔談彼短，靡恃己長 Wǎng tán bǐ duǎn, mí shì jǐ zhǎng. Don't talk about the bads and benefits

信使可覆，器欲難量   Xìnshǐ kě fù, qì yù nán liàng.  The message is strong but hard to measure

墨悲絲染，詩讚羔羊  Mò bēi sī rǎn, shī zàn gāoyáng.  Sorrow in ink and silk, poetry praises the lamb

景行維賢，克念作聖   Jǐng xíng wéi xián, kè niàn zuò shèng.  Acting virtuous is a sacred act

德建名立，形端表正  Dé jiàn míng lì, xíng duān biǎo zhèng.  Morality built righteousness

空谷傳聲，虛堂習聽  Kōnggǔ chuán shēng, xū táng xí tīng Empty valleys magnify sound, Xi (Jinping!) listens in the empty hall (actually more like: “which the empty hall magnifies”. Xi’s character also means “to study, or amplify”)

禍因惡積，福緣善慶   Huò yīn è jī, fú yuán shàn qìng. [I give up, too much woo]

尺璧非寶，寸陰是競  Chǐ bì fēi bǎo, cùnyīn shì jìng

資父事... [君]  Zī fù shì... [Jūn]

I gave up the translating after a bit, as the text is a kind of poetry primer which kids in the 6th Century were required to read out loud. and basically rather boring. 

The Buddhist monk Huai Su, also used this "Thousand Character Essay" as a practice for his calligraphy. And it's just that not much of his calligraphy survived, this being one of them, and that's why we still have and treasure it. 

The text itself is a lot of 6th century wooo, which I can't be bothered to translate any more, as it doesn't really "speak" to us today. [If it does, then I'll let it...]