Poem on a Riverside Pavilion

Poem on a Riverside Pavilion

Wang Duo

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Like many of his large scrolls of boisterous calligraphy, Wang Duo wrote this one while drinking with friends. Though the calligraphy is rough and bold, the poem describes a scene of sparse tranquility. The opening quatrain reads: At dusk, in a remote pavilion, I bring a ewer of wine to accompany the new year. River and the sky meet in the vast distance, A temple in the mist disappears into the void.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Poem on a Riverside PavilionPoem on a Riverside PavilionPoem on a Riverside PavilionPoem on a Riverside PavilionPoem on a Riverside Pavilion

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.