Product Description

"It is one of the very first art books which helped artists develop the aptitude for seeing the inner essence of various natural phenomena."" could fit neatly into any number of contemporary-sounding categories: hybrid text, art book, lyric essay, etc. It is a book that relies on interdependence of image and text, of history and the present, of evocation and concrete image.""Red Pine introduces Western readers to both the text itself and the traditions it has inherited.""All lovers of Asian poetry, mysterious history, divine drawing, and plum blossoms will enjoy this book. Thank you once again, Red Pine, for deep translation."Michael McClureThrough a series of brief four-lined poems and illustrations, Sung Po-jen aims at training artistic perception: how to truly a plum blossom. First published in AD 1238, is considered the world's earliest-known printed art books. This bilingual edition contains the one hundred woodblock prints from the 1238 edition, calligraphic Chinese poems, and Red Pine's graceful translations and illuminating commentaries.Red Pine's commentary: "The Chinese liken the north wind that blows down from Siberia in winter to a roaring tiger. China is home to both the Siberian and the South China tigers. While both are on the verge of extinction, the small South China tiger still appears as far north as the Chungnan Mountains, where hermits have shown me their tracks." was a Chinese poet of the thirteenth century. (a.k.a. Bill Porter) is one of the world's foremost translators of Chinese poetry and religious texts. His published translations include , , and . He lives near Seattle, Washington.