Ink Plum Blossoms
Beside my inkstone-washing pool stands a tree;
Each blossom opens with a pale trace of ink.
It does not ask people to praise its beautiful color;
It leaves only a pure fragrance filling heaven and earth.
Notes
Mòméi is a plum blossom painted in ink. The pool is associated with washing an inkstone. Pale ink marks take the place of bright color. “Pure fragrance” is imaginative for a painting and may also suggest the painter’s character. Qiánkūn means heaven and earth.
Meaning
The painted plum tree has blossoms marked in pale ink. Rather than seeking praise for bright color, it leaves an imagined pure fragrance throughout the world.
Appreciation
This poem accompanies an ink painting. Its blossoms have little color, yet the poet invites us to imagine their fragrance.
Read the full appreciationCollapse
The first lines name the tree and its pale ink, grounding the poem in the materials of painting and writing.
The final choice of fragrance over praise for color is often read as an expression of modesty and inner character.
Paint flowers in shades of ink and imagine how a painting can suggest a scent.
About the poet
Wang Mian (c. 1287–1359) was a Yuan poet and painter from the area of Zhuji, Zhejiang, known for paintings of plum blossoms.
Read about the poetCollapse
His plum paintings and poems often use the flower to express an ideal or personal aspiration.
Sources
Poem and reading reference: Shicile · Poet biography reference · poems-db
Translation and explanations by Poetry Buds; review ongoing.