Torpor
Guanting Li
Details
- Artist
- Guanting Li
- Title
- Torpor
- Year
- 2022
- Medium
- colour ink on rice paper
- Size
- 175 x 94 cm
Provenance
the artist
Exhibited
Guanting Li : Harmonies, Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, 12 April - 31 May
Further Information
脚著谢公屐，身登青云梯。
半壁见海日，空中闻天鸡。
千岩万转路不定，迷花倚石忽已暝。
熊咆龙吟殷岩泉，栗深林兮惊层巅。
云青青兮欲雨，水澹澹兮生烟。
惟觉时之枕席，失向来之烟霞。
别君去兮何时还？且放白鹿青崖间，须行即骑访名山。
English Translation of text in the painting:
Wearing Xie Gong’s wooden clogs,
I climb the stairway(Qingyun Ladder) to the clouds.
Halfway up, I see the sun rise from the sea,
And in the sky, hear the cry of heavenly roosters.
Through twisting cliffs and countless peaks, the path winds endlessly,
Lost in flowers, leaning on rocks — suddenly, dusk has fallen.
Bears roar and dragons cry, shaking the mountain springs,
The forest grows dark and deep, startling the towering heights.
The clouds grow blue-green — as though rain is near,
Waters shimmer lightly, as mist begins to rise.
I wake to find myself upon my pillow,
All the fairyland wonders now vanished like a dream.
When shall I part from you and return again?
Let me release my white deer among the green cliffs —
And when the time comes, I shall ride forth in search of sacred mountains.
Background :
出自李白《梦游天姥吟留别》，是其最著名的浪漫主义长诗之一，充满奇幻色彩与潇洒豪情。表达了诗人李白追寻理想、神游天地、欲弃世而远行的志向和幻想。
This passage is from “Departing for the Immortal Realm of Mount Tianmu — A Dream Journey” by Li Bai, one of his most celebrated romantic long poems.
The work is rich with fantastical imagery and unrestrained heroic spirit.
It reflects the poet’s longing for freedom, his dreamlike journey through celestial realms, and his yearning to escape the mundane world in pursuit of higher ideals.
*谢公屐 (Xie Gong’s Clogs)
“谢公屐”是东晋诗人谢灵运所穿的木屐。他热爱登山游览，特制前后可卸的木屐以适应山路。这种木屐后来成为中国文人逸士的象征，代表对自然的热爱、超然脱俗的生活情怀。
“Xie Gong’s clogs” refer to the wooden sandals worn by Xie Lingyun, a celebrated Eastern Jin poet known for his love of mountain travel.
His specially designed hiking clogs became symbolic of the refined and reclusive scholar, embodying elegance, freedom, and a profound connection with nature.
* 青云梯（Qingyun Ladder）
“青云”意指高空、云霄，“青云梯”即登向高处的梯子。在古诗文中常喻指飞黄腾达、志向高远，或追求精神超脱的道路。
A metaphorical “ladder to the clouds,” symbolizing ambition, elevation in rank, or the pursuit of transcendence. Commonly used in classical Chinese poetry to represent lofty ideals or journeys beyond the mundane.