Vintage Japanese Calligraphy Scroll Spring Dawn Meng Haoran Poem Kakemono

The Poem
春眠不覺曉，處處聞啼鳥。夜來風雨聲，花落知多少 ("Chūn mián bù jué xiǎo, chùchù wén tí niǎo. Yè lái fēngyǔ shēng, huā luò zhī duōshǎo.") — "Sleeping through spring, I did not notice the dawn; everywhere I hear the cries of birds. Through the night came the sound of wind and rain — how many blossoms have fallen, I wonder?" Composed by the Tang-dynasty poet Meng Haoran (孟浩然, 689–740), this short quatrain is one of the most widely memorized and beloved poems in the Chinese literary canon, treasured for its effortless simplicity: a half-asleep moment of drowsy contentment gently shadowed by a quiet, wistful awareness of time and beauty slipping away unseen.

The Brushwork
Written in flowing script blending kanji with cursive kana, the calligraphy carries a soft, unhurried rhythm that mirrors the poem's own drowsy, half-waking mood — brushstrokes that seem to drift rather than assert, fitting for a poem about birdsong heard through sleep and blossoms falling unseen in the night.

Artist
Signed 節子書 ("Setsuko sho," "respectfully brushed by Setsuko"), with a square red seal beneath the signature confirming the calligrapher's name.

Condition & Presentation
Brushed in sumi ink on paper, mounted in warm brown silk borders with cream-and-gold accents.