Letter from Su Shi in Response to Biancai’s Poem

TAIWAN; Northern Song dynasty

This work, comprised of 188 characters in 20 lines, was written by Su Shi at the age of 55. Chan Master Biancai was an eminent monk of the Song dynasty (960–1279) who involved himself with many literati and scholars of his time. In a response to a poem that Master Biancai wrote to him, Su scripted this letter consisting of a verse which reads, “Temporarily living in this world with fear of losing fame; compared with Tao, I am ashamed; the Master is far superior to Yuangong.” The exchange is an artistic expression of the close friendship between the two individuals.
Su Shi, also known as Su Dongpo or Zizhan, was a talented writer and calligrapher of the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127). His poetry often advocated Chan and Buddhist practice. This note was written during Su’s later years, and compared with his earlier works, the calligraphy is plain and simple. Despite the large script, there is no interference between the lines, demonstrating Su’s control over the arrangement of the composition. The strokes are full, yet plain with bold and forceful endings, as demonstrated in this work.