国初已来画鞍马，神妙独数江都王。
guó chū yǐ lái huà ān mǎ ， shén miào dú shù jiāng dū wáng 。
将军得名三十载，人间又见真乘黄。
jiāng jūn dé míng sān shí zài ， rén jiān yòu jiàn zhēn chéng huáng 。
曾貌先帝照夜白，龙池十日飞霹雳。
zēng mào xiān dì zhào yè bái ， lóng chí shí rì fēi pī lì 。
内府殷红玛瑙盘，婕妤传诏才人索。
nèi fǔ yīn hóng mǎ nǎo pán ， jié yú chuán zhào cái rén suǒ 。
盘赐将军拜舞归，轻纨细绮相追飞。
pán cì jiāng jūn bài wǔ guī ， qīng wán xì qǐ xiāng zhuī fēi 。
贵戚权门得笔迹，始觉屏障生光辉。
guì qī quán mén dé bǐ jì ， shǐ jué píng zhàng shēng guāng huī 。
昔日太宗拳毛騧，近时郭家狮子花。
xī rì tài zōng quán máo guā ， jìn shí guō jiā shī zǐ huā 。
今之新图有二马，复令识者久叹嗟。
jīn zhī xīn tú yǒu èr mǎ ， fù líng shí zhě jiǔ tàn jiē 。
此皆骑战一敌万，缟素漠漠开风沙。
cǐ jiē qí zhàn yī dí wàn ， gǎo sù mò mò kāi fēng shā 。
其余七匹亦殊绝，迥若寒空动烟雪。
qí yú qī pǐ yì shū jué ， jiǒng ruò hán kōng dòng yān xuě 。
霜蹄蹴踏长楸间，马官厮养森成列。
shuāng tí cù tà cháng qiū jiān ， mǎ guān sī yǎng sēn chéng liè 。
可怜九马争神骏，顾视清高气深稳。
kě lián jiǔ mǎ zhēng shén jùn ， gù shì qīng gāo qì shēn wěn 。
借问苦心爱者谁，后有韦讽前支遁。
jiè wèn kǔ xīn ài zhě shuí ， hòu yǒu wéi fěng qián zhī dùn 。
忆昔巡幸新丰宫，翠华拂天来向东。
yì xī xún xìng xīn fēng gōng ， cuì huá fú tiān lái xiàng dōng 。
腾骧磊落三万匹，皆与此图筋骨同。
téng xiāng lěi luò sān wàn pǐ ， jiē yǔ cǐ tú jīn gǔ tóng 。
自从献宝朝河宗，无复射蛟江水中。
zì cóng xiàn bǎo zhāo hé zōng ， wú fù shè jiāo jiāng shuǐ zhōng 。
君不见金粟堆前松柏里，龙媒去尽鸟呼风。
jūn bù jiàn jīn sù duī qián sōng bǎi lǐ ， lóng méi qù jìn niǎo hū fēng 。
The poem "On a Painting of a Horse" by Du Fu uses the painting as a representation of reality.
Du Fu moves from the painting of a horse to the painter's favored status, and again from the painting of a horse to the comparison of a real horse, and from a real horse to current events, ending with Emperor Xuan Zong`s (唐玄宗) travels and eventual ascent to heaven.
The poem's themes are constantly expanding, with occasional praises for the emperor. While discussing the real horse and current events, the poet also interjects with references to the painted horse, using the painting and the horse as the thread that ties the poem together.
The poem's chapters are intricately intertwined, with the first four parts praising Cao Ba`s exquisite painting skills, the eight parts in the second chapter recounting the honors and favors Cao received from the emperor for his painting, the ten parts in the third chapter describing the artistic magnificence of the Nine Horses painting (九马图), and the eight parts in the fourth chapter alluding to the "late emperor" (唐玄宗) mentioned in the second chapter, thereby creating a sense of contrast between the past and present.
The poem begins with a tone of loftiness, before surging and plunging in the middle, and ending with a sudden and subtle conclusion. The description of the swift horse is vivid, and the emotions conveyed touching. This poem is notable among other ancient and modern long poems about paintings.
国初已来画鞍马，神妙独数江都王。
将军得名三十载，人间又见真乘黄。
曾貌先帝照夜白，龙池十日飞霹雳。
The poet begins by portraying Caoba, juxtaposed with the king of Jiangdu, and highlights that after thirty years from his last painting, finally the world is able to witness his work again.
The poet avoids clichés and instead uses eight poetic parts to describe Caoba's artistic talent in painting the "照夜白 White Horse in the Night," providing a detailed account of his success and the emperor's favor that sets the scene for the painting of the Nine Horses. The final lines of the stanza, "曾貌先帝照夜白 His portrait of the Emperor's night-white steed, 龙池十日飞霹雳 Was so realistic, it startled the dragons pond for 10 days" where dragon`s pond is a metaphor for the inner chambers of the palace. Describing the painting's lifelike qualities and its ability to evoke awe.
内府殷红玛瑙盘，婕妤传诏才人索。
The following two parts, "Within the palace walls a red agate carving is placed, with the Emperor prompting his concubine to seek his trace (of the artist)," depict how the emperor valued his talent and commanded his concubine to seek him out and request the painting. The concubine and court ladies were presented with a "brilliant red agate carving," a precious gift that emphasized the emperor's appreciation for Caoba's work.
盘赐将军拜舞归，轻纨细绮相追飞。
The last four parts describe how Caoba's fame skyrocketed after receiving the emperor's favor and how people from all walks of life flocked to him to request paintings.
贵戚权门得笔迹，始觉屏障生光辉。
Even the wealthy and influential elites sought out Caoba's art. This section employs a rhyme to convey the increasing interest in Caoba's work. The shift in the poetics and rhyme reflects the poem's evolving narrative and intention.
昔日太宗拳毛騧，近时郭家狮子花。
今之新图有二马，复令识者久叹嗟。
此皆骑战一敌万，缟素漠漠开风沙。
The poet describes Cao Ba's "Nine Horses" painting with multiple layers and perspectives, vividly portraying the nine horses in an intricate and lively manner. The first six parts describe two horses, one being the warhorse Quanmaogua (拳毛騧) ridden by Emperor Taizong of Tang (唐太宗) during his conquest of Liu Heita (刘黑闼), and the other being the Guo Family`s shizi Hua (郭家狮子花), also known as Jiu Huaqiu (九花虬), a horse bestowed upon Guo Ziyi (郭子仪) by Emperor Tang Daizong (唐代宗).
Both horses are warhorses that have proven themselves in battle, and the poet praises them by saying, " These are all warhorses who face ten thousand enemies, their white and black hairs flying in the wind and sand." (此皆骑战一敌万, 缟素漠漠开风沙)
Upon opening the scroll, one can see these two horses galloping in the vast and windy battlefield, and Du Fu praises the artists portrayal of the horses.
其余七匹亦殊绝，迥若寒空动烟雪。
霜蹄蹴踏长楸间，马官厮养森成列。
The next four parts describe the other seven horses, highlighting their unique appearance, galloping and in the stable. The poet uses the phrase "迥若寒空动烟雪" to describe the horses' appearance, with their coats being red, white, or red and white, resembling the flying colors of clouds and snow. The phrase "霜蹄蹴踏长楸间" depicts some horses running on the long poplar road, trampling on the snow. The phrase "马官厮养森成列" describes some horses being arranged in rows in the stable, carefully taken care of by the stableman.
可怜九马争神骏，顾视清高气深稳。
借问苦心爱者谁，后有韦讽前支遁。
Du Fu then gives an overall evaluation of the "Nine Horses" painting, saying "the nine horses are vying for the position of divine steed, their noble and dignified appearance is awe-inspiring." The horses are divine and majestic, with their heads held high, their spirits soaring, and their demeanor steady, making them endearing to people."
后有韦讽前支遁
The poet highlights the comparison of Wei Fang to the earlier artist Zhi Dun in the last line, both the most prominent artists for horse paintings in the Tang Dynasty and how Wei Fang`s sudden rise to fame with his 9 horses painting.
The tonation used is also of interest, with the first six lines using a flat tone (平声麻韵) which are the first 2 inflections in the chinese language, the middle four lines uses an oblique tone (仄声屑韵), and the last four lines use the last 2 tonations of the chinese language (仄声韵), with the tones alternately used to change the rhyme and convey the poet's intentions.
忆昔巡幸新丰宫，
The last portion of the poem consists of eight parts, all of which have flat and rising tones, with the exception of one word which has a falling tone (通押). The rhythmic scheme is uniform throughout. The first four parts describe the grandeur of Emperor Xuanzong's (玄宗) visit to Li Mountain (骊山). Xinfeng Palace (新丰宫), also known as Huaqing Palace on Li Mountain (骊山华清宫), was located in the Tang Dynasty's Zhaoying County (昭应县) of Jingzhao (京兆).
翠华拂天来向东。
When Emperor Xuanzong visited Li Mountain, he was carried in a green carriage with elegant adornments. The banners and flags were so numerous that they seemed to touch the sky.
腾骧磊落三万匹，皆与此图筋骨同。
30 thousand horses followed him. Each horse was arranged by colour, with the different horse teams alternating colors, creating a magnificent spectacle that looked like a beautiful tapestry.
"All the horses in this painting share the same sinews and bones" refers to the fact that the real horses and those depicted in the painting were all excellent horses. Fully capturing the essence of the "Nine Horses" painting.
自从献宝朝河宗，
The latter four parts describe Emperor Xuanzong's state of decline after being buried in the mausoleum. The Emperor was portrayed as having declined, starting from the line "Since he offered treasures to the River Ancestor Court." (自从献宝朝河宗) This line metaphorically compares the Emperor's death to that of King Mu of Zhou's (周穆王) ascent to heaven.
River Ancestor (河宗) refers to the River Deity (河伯), who presented King Mu with a treasure when he went west on an expedition, leading the king to heaven. (From the Biography of Mu Tianzi) 《穆天子传/周王遊行 》
无复射蛟江水中。
The line "No longer will anyone shoot a water dragon in the river" indicates that Emperor Xuanzong had passed away, and no one else would come to the river to shoot a water dragon.The story of Emperor Wu of Han (汉武帝) is alluded to here (“元封五年 (111BC)，武帝自浔阳浮江，亲射蛟江中，获之。”) as recorded in the "Annals of Emperor Wu" in the Book of Han. 《汉书·武帝纪》
君不见金粟堆前松柏里，龙媒去尽鸟呼风。
The last two lines describe the scenery in front of Emperor Xuanzong's tomb. Dragon messenger (龙媒) and steeds (骏马) are phrases borrowed from the "Rites and Music" section of the Book of Han 《汉书·礼乐志》, which reads, "When a celestial horse comes, it is the messenger of the dragon." (“天马来，龙之媒。")
In the pine and cypress forest in front of Emperor Xuanzong's tomb, the splendid horses had all gone, leaving only birds chirping in the pine breeze.
Emperor Xuanzong loved horse paintings and favored Cao Ba. When he visited Xinfeng Palace, tens of thousands of horses followed him, but once he passed away, they all dispersed. The pines and cypresses expressed their sorrow, and the rhythm of the poem is prolonged, expressing both the rise and fall of the Emperor.