Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden, Volume 5

Leaf 3

original: "相逢何事" (xiāng féng hé shì). This opening line sets a contemplative, perhaps accidental, tone for an encounter in the wilderness.

Straw coat蓑 (suō): A traditional raincoat made of woven grass or palm fibers. In literati painting, it is a potent symbol of the "fisherman-hermit" who lives simply and is indifferent to the weather or social status.

original: "擧國閒苔 / 岸岸開" (jǔ guó xián tái / àn àn kāi). The artist uses "idle moss" to suggest a place where human footsteps are rare, allowing nature to reclaim the land.

original: "陽南汊" (yáng nán chà). This likely refers to a specific local geography or a "Yang" river branch, common in the watery regions of Southern China.

Stone marker堠 (hòu): A mound or pillar placed along roads to mark distance or boundaries. Here, it stands as a lonely landmark in a deserted landscape.

original: "無雁寄書來" (wú yàn jì shū lái). In Chinese literary tradition, wild geese are messengers. To say there are no geese suggests a total and perhaps peaceful disconnection from the outside world and its news.

Ke Jiusi
Poetry and Painting
Ke Jiusi (1290–1343) was a renowned Yuan dynasty painter, calligrapher, and poet known for his paintings of bamboo and landscapes. The manual here provides a composition "in the style of" or attributed to his poetic sensibilities.