黄鹂鸣春Orioles Singing in Spring

A small painting on card. An old branch, dotted with moss, leans in from the right, and a few magnolia flowers open at its tips, outlined in pale ink and touched with pale yellow and rouge, white and soft. At the bottom of the sheet a second cluster of white magnolias crowds together, layer upon layer, fresh and plain. Between them a pair of orioles perch on the branch, bright yellow with black wings and black eye-stripes: one turns to look down, the other opens its beak to sing, both painted in a light, free manner. Much of the card is left bare, which keeps the picture open and bright.

The four characters at the lower right are read for now as “Orioles Singing in Spring”: the magnolia flowers before its leaves in early spring, and the oriole’s song announces the season.

此为卡纸小品。一枝老干自右侧斜出，枝上苔点斑驳，玉兰数朵开于枝头，花瓣以淡墨双钩，略施淡黄与胭脂，洁白温润；画幅下部又簇生白玉兰一丛，层层叠叠，素雅清新。枝间黄鹂一双，羽色明黄，黑翅黑眉，一只侧首下望，一只张喙欲鸣，以小写意笔法写出，神态灵动。画面留白较多，疏朗明快，春意盎然。

右下题四字，暂读作“黄鹂鸣春”。玉兰早春先花后叶，黄鹂鸣啭报春，合写春光初至之喜。