I want to share with you another piece of my artwork. In this artwork, I treat calligraphy and painting with equal importance. The calligraphy text (written in “Running Script”) is an ancient poem by Du Shaoling. He called his composition “In Praises of Bamboo at Yan Zheng Gong’s Mansion.” (Note: Zheng Gong is the official title bestowed upon Yan Wu by the Emperor for winning a battle against invading tribes).
The picture shows three bamboo plants with leaves turning upwards and green as jade. The poem in Chinese consists of 8 stanzas of 5 words each. The translated full text of the poem is as follows:
The young green bamboo is still half-covered by its outer shell, while the new shoots have just grown over the top of the wall.
When bamboo cast shadows on the books, it creates an impression that there is a dimming of the light.
When such shadows move to pass the wine bottles, the bottles appear to be cooled down.
The bamboo is thoroughly cleaned after washing by a light rain
When the wind blows, they even emit a light fragrance.
If the bamboos are not cut or trimmed, perhaps they could even reach the height of the clouds!
The author of the poem Du Fu (712-770) from the Tang Dynasty, who had the nickname “Shaoling Wild Old Man” or Du Shaoling, was a talented and well-loved poet with exquisite poetic skills. He was highly respected in Chinese classical poetry and had a far-reaching influence on Chinese poetry. The world has honored him as “The Saint of Poetry.” More than 1,400 of his poems have been preserved in the Collection of Tang Dynasty Poems.
The background of this “Ode to Bamboo”:
The poem was written when Du Fu was invited to a family dinner at the home of his good friend “Yan Wu.” Yan Wu had always been very good to Du Fu. Although he was a martial art practitioner and served in the military, he could also write poems. But only six of his poems have been preserved in Tang Dynasty Poetry Collection. Yan had a bold personality and did not know much about literature. The Emperor promoted him as a high-ranking official after defeating the Tibetans who attempted to invade Tang Dynasty’s territory. Du Fu had sought refuge with him to avoid the chaos of the battle.
Tan It Koon
Before retirement, Dr Tan It Koon was, among many appointments, Head of Clinical Biochemistry at SGH’s Dept of Pathology. He was the Deputy Chairman of the National Theatre Trust and Chairman for Grants and Scholarships of the Spore Cultural Foundation. He received the National Day Awards, PBM, and PPA, for his contribution to cultural and community development and excellence in Public Administration.
