Calligraphy of His Own Poetry
Lo Chia-Luen
Description
Subject Matter:
The text of this work is:
殷雷初转雨飘斜，雷逐余寒雨茁芽。
为恼这番冬令久，一庭春怒在桃花。
山茶前席后窗蕉，独拥书城护锦袍。
何事词人感离索，红云夜压烛花高。
重庆小龙坎半亩园诗
沅长弟，
镇庭妹，
俪正
家伦书旧作多回忆也
The text could be tentatively interpreted as:
The chilly drizzle begins as thunder rumbles,
Thunder expels the lingering cold, the rain nurtures buds.
Annoyed by this prolonged wintry ordeal,
Spring's wrath in the courtyard erupts among the peach blossoms.
Camellias in the front, banana leaves behind,
Alone, embracing the city of books, and guarding a brocade robe.
Why does the poet feel a grief of parting?
Crimson clouds press down at night, candle snuffs grow tall.
Lo Chia-lun (1897-1969), born into a learned family, developed a profound appreciation for the rich cultural heritage of Chinese civilization from an early age. His intellectual journey took off when he was admitted to Peking University’s Department of Foreign Literatures in 1917. There he led a student journal discussing current affairs. In May 1919, Lo led the influential May Fourth Movement, protesting the Treaty of Versailles that demanded China to cede eastern Shandong to Japan. His talent was recognized by the leading thinkers of the time such as Cai Yuanpei 蔡元培 (1868-1940) and Hu Shi 胡適 (1891-1962).
After graduation, Lo Chia-lun studied abroad between 1920-1926, first in Princeton University and Columbia University (where he studied with the renowned philosopher John Dewey), and later in Berlin and Paris. In 1926 Lo returned to China and served as the President of Tsinghua University between 1928-1930, and later the President of National Central University during WWII, as well as the Provost for National Chengchi University in Taiwan after 1949.
Physical Description:
Hanging scroll with multicolored tie and foxing.
This work is written in running script and read from right to left, top to bottom. The right three lines and the top nine characters of the fourth line (counting from the right-hand side) compose the main part of the work, which is Lo Chia-Luen’s self-penned poem. The left two lines illustrate that this work is for Yuanchang and Zhenting, the couple.
One seal reads Lo Chia-luen.
Usage Rights:
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.