喜鹊登梅Magpies on the Plum

A square sheet. An old plum tree juts out from the lower right, its trunk written with the side of the brush in dark and pale ink, rugged and mottled, dotted with ink for moss. New twigs spring upward in fine strokes of dark ink, studded with red blossom dabbed in vermilion without outline and stamens flicked in ink, now dense, now sparse, full of energy. On a branch a pair of magpies, black-backed and white-bellied with long trailing tails, keep company: one rests quietly with its head lowered, the other lifts its head and opens its beak as if bringing good news.

The title at the centre left reads “Magpies on the Plum”: the magpie announces joy, and mei, plum, sounds like mei, eyebrows, “joy up to the brows”, a wish for happy events and good luck.

此为斗方。老梅一株自右下横出，主干以浓淡墨侧锋写出，苍劲斑驳，墨点为苔；新枝向上挺发，以浓墨细笔写成，红梅点点，以朱红没骨点出花瓣，墨笔勾蕊，疏密有致，朝气蓬勃。枝上喜鹊一双，墨背白腹，长尾垂落，一只低首静栖，一只昂首张喙，似在报喜，以简练的笔墨写出，生动传神。

左中题“喜鹊登梅”。喜鹊报喜，梅谐“眉”，合为“喜上眉梢”，寓喜事临门、好运连连。