Golden Copper Inkstone Toad, Lets Water Drops Slowly Fall
金 铜 蟾 蜍 砚 滴 铭
舍 月 窟，伏 棐 几
为 我 用，贮 清 泚。
端 溪 石，澄 心 纸
陈 玄 氏，毛 锥 子。
微 我 润 泽 乌 用 汝
同 列 无 哔 听 驱 使。
Jin Tong Chan Chu Yan Di Ming
She yue ku, fu fei ji
Wei wo yong, zhu qing ci.
Duan xi shi, deng xin zhi
Chen xuan shi, mao zhui zi
Wei wo run ze wu yong ru
Tong lie wu bi ting qu shi.
Golden Copper Inkstone Toad, Lets Water Drops Slowly Fall
Abandon the moon craters
Several of the toads help me to grind my ink
They hold clear water that drips onto the ink when needed.
Water source from a stream flowing over special rocks
Sheets of clear heart-mind paper
Finest animal hair brush.
An ink of my name and creation
Without this inkstone toad, the whole operation stops
This arrangement demands the obedience of this special animal.
Notes:
[Wonderful description of Li’s writing and painting operation. With an inkstone to grind the ink, and a special apparatus that drips water onto it to create the writing and painting ink for him. In Chinese mythology there is a toad that lives on the moon. He has a mortar and pestle to grind Chinese herbal medicine.]