Five-character Poem in Cursive Script

Born in the Shangyu county in Zhejiang province, Ni Yuanlu (1593-1644) was a political figure and Chinese calligrapher in the late Ming Period. His style name was 'Yu Ru' and his pseudonyms were 'Hong Bao' and 'Yuan Ke'. Having passed the imperial examination in 1621, he was admitted into the elite Hanlin Academy in preparation for working at the court. However, his would-be promising career was thwarted by the fierce political rivalry between officials and eunuchs during the Tianqi era (1620-1627). After the Chongzhen Emperor (1627-1644) inherited the throne, Ni, appreciated for his integrity and loyalty, was promoted repeatedly and became Financial Secretary, his most senior post, in 1643. Yet the empire, which had been tottering towards dismemberment, finally collapsed when Beijing was captured by rebels in 1644. Ni committed suicide by hanging himself, a potent Confucian manifestation of noble character that made his works of calligraphy highly appreciated. The five-character poem on the hanging scroll is recorded in Ni's book "Writings by Ni Yuanlu", in which the third sentence has three characters different from that on the scroll.