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Liu Chi-sun (fl. 1070) was born in the Sung capital of Kaifeng, but he spent most of his career as a minor official in the provinces. He wrote this poem in Kiangsi province while serving as inspector of the government winery in the town of Poyang on the eastern shore of Poyang Lake. Officials seldom took their families with them to their provincial posts, and the swallows, which represent marital harmony, remind Liu of his wife. Finding no sympathy at work, Liu decided to take the day off and left this memento for his fellow officials. Mushroom Mountain (Chihshan) was just north of town and represents the call of reverie, in which he finds solace from his sense of separation. One day not long after Liu wrote this, Wang An-shih (1021–1086) was serving as judicial commissioner for the same region and saw this poem on a screen in the office while checking for irregularities at the winery. He was so taken by the poem, he left without making an inspection. As a result, Liu enjoyed a brief moment of fame in literary circles, and though he was too honest to capitalize on it, he became deputy director of the Crafts Institute and later prefect of Hsihsien in Shansi province. When he died, the only property he left was a collection of thirty thousand books and several hundred paintings.

Written on a Screen

LIU CHI-SUN

Twittering swallows gossip in the rafters

why do they disturb my daydream reverie

the clerk beside me shrugs when I ask

I grab my staff and jug and head for Mushroom Mountain