A Zen Priest Called Mü Ch'i Came To Hangchow,
Where He Rebuilt A Ruined Monastery.
By Rapid Swirls Of Ink
He Attempted, w/ Undeniable Success,
To Capture The Moments Of Exaltation
And Set Down The Fleeting Visions Which He Obtained
From The Frenzy Of Wine, The Stupor Of Tea,
Or The Vacancy Of Inanition.
Ch'en Jung, About The Same Time,
Was Noted For The Simplicity Of His Life And
The Competence w/ Which He Fulfilled His Duties As A Magistrate...
Finally, He Was Admired For His Habits Of A Confirmed Drunkard.
"He Made Clouds By Splashing Ink On His Pictures.
For Mists He Spat Out Water. When Wrought Up By Wine
He Uttered A Great Shout And, Seizing His Hat,
Used It As A Brush, Roughly Smearing His Drawing;
After Which He Finished His Work w/ A Proper Brush."
One Of The First Painters Of The Sect, Wang Hsin,
Would Perform When He Was Drunk Real Tours De Force,
Going So Far As To Plunge His Head Into A Bucket Of Ink
And Flop It Over A Piece Of Silk On Which There Appeared,
As If By Magic, Lakes, Trees, Enchanted Mountains.
But None Seems To Have Carried The Emancipation Further
Than Ying Yü-chien, Who Would Take A Cat-like Pleasure
In Spattering And Lacerating The Sheet.