Drunken fisherman by a reed bank

Tang Yin Chinese

Not on view

The fisherman, symbol of the scholar in retirement, is drunk and fast asleep under the awning of his boat, oblivious to the cares of the world. Tang Yin expands upon the meaning of his painting in the accompanying poem:

Punting pole stuck in the reeds, he ties up his skiff;
Late at night, the moon climbs to the top of the pole.
The old fisherman is dead drunk, call him, he won't wake up,
In the morning he rises, frost-prints on the shadow of his raincoat.

(Jonathan Chaves, trans., "Some Relationships Between Poetry and Painting in China," Renditions, vol. 6 [1976], p. 90)

Drunken fisherman by a reed bank, Tang Yin (Chinese, 1470–1524), Hanging scroll; ink on paper, China

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.