将军魏武之子孙，于今为庶为清门。
jiāng jūn wèi wǔ zhī zǐ sūn ， yú jīn wéi shù wéi qīng mén 。
英雄割据虽已矣，文采风流今尚存。
yīng xióng gē jù suī yǐ yǐ ， wén cǎi fēng liú jīn shàng cún 。
学书初学卫夫人，但恨无过王右军。
xué shū chū xué wèi fū rén ， dàn hèn wú guò wáng yòu jūn 。
丹青不知老将至，富贵于我如浮云。
dān qīng bù zhī lǎo jiāng zhì ， fù guì yú wǒ rú fú yún 。
开元之中常引见，承恩数上南薰殿。
kāi yuán zhī zhōng cháng yǐn jiàn ， chéng ēn shù shàng nán xūn diàn 。
凌烟功臣少颜色，将军下笔开生面。
líng yān gōng chén shǎo yán sè ， jiāng jūn xià bǐ kāi shēng miàn 。
良相头上进贤冠，猛将腰间大羽箭。
liáng xiāng tóu shàng jìn xián guān ， měng jiāng yāo jiān dà yǔ jiàn 。
褒公鄂公毛发动，英姿飒爽来酣战。
bǎo gōng è gōng máo fā dòng ， yīng zī sà shuǎng lái hān zhàn 。
先帝天马玉花骢，画工如山貌不同。
xiān dì tiān mǎ yù huā cōng ， huà gōng rú shān mào bù tóng 。
是日牵来赤墀下，迥立阊阖生长风。
shì rì qiān lái chì chí xià ， jiǒng lì chāng hé shēng cháng fēng 。
诏谓将军拂绢素，意匠惨澹经营中。
zhào wèi jiāng jūn fú juàn sù ， yì jiàng cǎn dàn jīng yíng zhōng 。
斯须九重真龙出，一洗万古凡马空。
sī xū jiǔ zhòng zhēn lóng chū ， yī xǐ wàn gǔ fán mǎ kōng 。
玉花却在御榻上，榻上庭前屹相向。
yù huā què zài yù tà shàng ， tà shàng tíng qián yì xiāng xiàng 。
至尊含笑催赐金，圉人太仆皆惆怅。
zhì zūn hán xiào cuī cì jīn ， yǔ rén tài pū jiē chóu chàng 。
弟子韩干早入室，亦能画马穷殊相。
dì zǐ hán gān zǎo rù shì ， yì néng huà mǎ qióng shū xiāng 。
干惟画肉不画骨，忍使骅骝气凋丧。
gān wéi huà ròu bù huà gǔ ， rěn shǐ huá liú qì diāo sāng 。
将军画善盖有神，必逢佳士亦写真。
jiāng jūn huà shàn gài yǒu shén ， bì féng jiā shì yì xiě zhēn 。
即今漂泊干戈际，屡貌寻常行路人。
jí jīn piāo bó gān gē jì ，lǚ mào xún cháng xíng lù rén 。
途穷反遭俗眼白，世上未有如公贫。
tú qióng fǎn zāo sú yǎn bái ， shì shàng wèi yǒu rú gōng pín 。
但看古来盛名下，终日坎壈缠其身。
dàn kàn gǔ lái shèng míng xià ， zhōng rì kǎn lǎn chán qí shēn 。
"Cao Ba" (曹霸) was a famous horse painter during the Tang Dynasty. However, after the An Shi Rebellion (安史), he fell on hard times and became a wanderer. In 764AD, during the reign of Emperor Daizong of Tang (宗广德), he met Du Fu in Chengdu (成都), who sympathized with his plight and wrote this poem "丹青引" for him.
Du Fu's "Danqing Yin" 《丹青引 enthusiastically introduces the painter in poetic form, describing and evaluating his paintings, combining poetry and painting with rich poetic imagery. This unique aesthetic significance of combining realistic painting and poetic commentary is a new contribution to the development of Tang poetry at that period of time.
将军魏武之子孙，于今为庶为清门。
英雄割据虽已矣，文采风流今尚存。
The poem starts with a poignant description of Cao Ba's impoverished and homeless state after the An-Shi Rebellion. The poet then proceeds to praise Cao Ba's ancestors, despite his current status as a commoner. Although Cao Cao's political achievements in the Central Plains have become historical events, his artistic talents in poetry are superb, with beautiful language, and lingering charm that still endures to this day.
The opening four lines use a structure of rhythm and dynamism , with vivid potrayals and grandeur spanning throughout the poem. The Qing dynasty poet, Wang Shizhen (王士禛), highly praised the poem, calling it "skillful in its opening (工于发端)".《渔洋诗话》
学书初学卫夫人，但恨无过王右军。
Cao Ba initially learned calligraphy from the wife of Wei Fang (卫夫人) in the Eastern Jin dynasty (东晋) and wrote well, but could not surpass Wang Xizhi (王羲之).
丹青不知老将至，富贵于我如浮云。
He immersed himself in the art of painting throughout his life, indifferent to his aging, he maintained his character and was indifferent to fame and fortune, considering them as ephemeral as clouds in the sky. Du Fu writing style is flexible, and calligraphy "学书" is a side topic in the poem. The real focus lies in his paintings "丹青", and can be seen clearly in the poem.
开元之中常引见，承恩数上南薰殿。
The following eight lines focuses on Cao Ba's achievements in portrait painting. During the Kaiyuan era (开元), Cao Ba was summoned to meet Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (唐玄宗) several times and had the privilege of entering the South Xuan Hall (南薰殿) numerous times.
凌烟功臣少颜色，将军下笔开生面。
He was ordered to repaint the portraits of eminent figures inthe Lingyan Pavilion (凌烟阁) that had faded over time. With his vivid brushwork, he brought them to life;
良相头上进贤冠，猛将腰间大羽箭。
with the civil officials wearing the court headdress and the military officials wearing long bows and arrows.
褒公鄂公毛发动，英姿飒爽来酣战。
The hair of Duke Bao (褒国公段志玄) and Duke E (鄂国公尉迟敬德) in the portraits seemed to move as if they were about to enter the battlefield. Cao Ba's portrait paintings were outstanding, depicting both form and spirit, with life and dynamism, showcasing his artistic skills.
先帝天马玉花骢，画工如山貌不同。
Du Fu then describes the process of painting the Jade Flower Stallion (玉花骢), where the depiction of the horse is the main focus, while the portraits earlier serve as a backdrop.
是日牵来赤墀下，迥立阊阖生长风。
Many artists have attempted to paint Emperor Xuanzong's prized horse, but none have achieved a truly realistic likeness. One day, the Jade Flower Stallion was brought to the red steps of the Chang'an palace (阊阖宫), where it stood proudly.
诏谓将军拂绢素，意匠惨澹经营中。
Xuanzong immediately ordered Cao Ba to begin painting the horse on the spot using a white silk as the canvas. Prior to painting, Cao Ba pondered and then deftly wielded his brush, creating a masterpiece in no time at all.
斯须九重真龙出，一洗万古凡马空。
The horse he painted was majestic and divine, resembling a flying dragon soaring out of the palace gate, making all other ordinary horses pale in comparison. The poet first uses the term "生长风 growing wind" to describe the majesty of the horse, to complement its painted depiction, and then uses the mediocre horses painted by other artists to accentuate the brilliance of the horse (真龙) painted by Cao Ba.
The subsequent eight lines further describe the artistic allure of the painted horse.
玉花却在御榻上，榻上庭前屹相向。
The Jade Flower stallion is resting on the couch, facing off against the painted stallion at the courtyard. Du Fu captures the lifelike and vivid portrayal of the painted horse in this stanza through this comparison.
至尊含笑催赐金，圉人太仆皆惆怅。
Emperor Xuanzong was delighted with the majestic and noble look of the painting horse and urged his attendants to quickly reward the painter with gold.
Officials in charge of the court's horses and horse breeders were all amazed and lost for words. Du Fu uses the different reactions of Xuanzong (玄宗), Tai Pu (太仆), and Yu Ren (圉人) to render Cao Ba's painting.
弟子韩干早入室，亦能画马穷殊相。
干惟画肉不画骨，忍使骅骝气凋丧。
He then contrasted it with his disciple, Han Gan, (韩干) who is also known for his horse paintings and how only Cao Ba captured the essence of the horse in the painting and not just the likeness.
将军画善盖有神，必逢佳士亦写真。
In the last eight sentences, he uses a bleak tone to describe Cao Ba's current impoverished situation after he had fallen from grace. The sentence "将军画善盖有神" summarizes Cao Ba's exquisite painting skills and his reluctant to easily paint portraits for others.
即今漂泊干戈际，屡貌寻常行路人。
However, during the chaotic times of war, the master of horse painting, Cao Ba, was forced to make a living by selling his paintings and even painted portraits of ordinary passersby.
途穷反遭俗眼白，世上未有如公贫。
Driven to poverty and without recourse, Cao Ba faced the contempt of the common people. The artist's bitter plight is similar to that of Du Fu's hardships.
但看古来盛名下，终日坎壈缠其身。
Du Fu feels a resonance with the fate of Cao Ba lamenting that throughout history, many artists with great fame and achievements often fall on hard times and struggle to achieve their goals.
This last sentence comforts both Cao Ba and the poet that their names will last through time, while also expressing a deep-seated resentment towards the cold reality of feudal society.
This poem is intricately structured with clear roles and contrast between subject and object. Examples include studying calligraphy (学书) against painting (学画), and former glory (昔日之盛) against present decline (今日之衰).
The former are the objects, represented by green leaves (绿叶), and the latter are the subjects, represented by red flowers (红花). The green leaves support the red flowers (绿叶扶红花), highlighting and contrasting to make them more prominent and vivid.
The first four lines describe Cao Ba's background, with two layers of ups and downs, full of twists and turns. The line "至尊含笑催赐金 The sovereign smiles and gives gold rewards" pushes the entire poem towards a climax, followed by a sharp drop and a contrast with the final line "途穷反遭俗眼白 The path is blocked, and the vulgar eyes turn white,".
The poem's beginning "于今为庶为清门 Nowadays, he is a commoner and belongs to the Qingmen" and its ending "世上未有如公贫 There has never been such a poor person in the world" are connected, forming a tone of grief and a bleak atmosphere. The three middle paragraphs describe Cao Ba's success in painting people and horses, echoing the first line "文采风流今尚存 Today, his literary talent and elegance are still alive."