Seven Syllable Verse

Su Shi (Dongpo) of the Northern Song period said, "In my calligraphic method, if knowledge is superficial, experience is limited, and learning insufficient, one cannot delve into its subtleties; thus, my attainment of mind (knowledge), eye (experience), and hand (method) is complete." At the same time, Huang Tingjian said of Su Dongpo and his calligraphy, "His brushwork is smooth and flowing, of surpassing grace, and his literary talents are known to all; (his) loyalty and righteousness shine like the sun and moon; in calligraphy, he is second to none in this dynastic period." The work is executed in running script, in the style of Su Dongpo, but the brushwork is constrained and sluggish in many places. For example, the turning hooked strokes of 鳥?niao?("bird") and 歲?sui?("year"), and the final strokes of 稀?xi?("sparse") and 歸?gui?("return") are a far cry from Dongpo's temperate and refined work. Nevertheless, the characters are tightly structured, the ink is dark and rich, and characters in the first line—未wei?("not yet") and? 況 kuang?("moreover")—are closer to Dongpo's style. Inscription: "If one does not lessen one's errors, how can one tell right from wrong? The yellow bird's (troupial) song has nearly reached its end, and those who sing with it are fewer and fewer; year after year, seeing the others' children grow into adulthood; better the cuckoo return to whence it came than to end its song." Inscription/seal: "Taiyue." Third seal: "Your servant, Zhuang Song. Yiruo, also called Tai-yue, sobriquet Songling. Only when the will is firm can one carry on for long."