Verse in Cursive Script

The early Ming calligrapher Chieh Chin passed his first degree civil service exam (hsueh shih) but eventually withdrew from official service and lived for a while as a monk. His robust and energetic calligraphy was highly prized. The exceptionally fluid characters, dragged-ink strokes, and well-modulated brushwork of this scroll reveal an incredible control of brush and ink and an individualistic spirit that was highly admired by calligraphers and literati of the late Ming period. His twenty-eight character verse reads: The mountain's rocky girth has endured a thousand years, / A day has never passed without dragons and oceans, / Beneath heaven a verdant earth awaits benevolence, / Not knowing if clouds will settle here. Chieh Chin