Lin Bu in his later life lived in reclusion on Solitary Hill (Gushan, 孤山) at West Lake in Hangzhou. Indifferent to worldly gain and fond of antiquity, he took pleasure in planting plum trees and raising cranes, so much that people would refer to the former as his wife and the latter as his children. Emperor Renzong (1010–1063) later bestowed upon him the posthumous name of “Master Hejing (和靖先生).” Lin Bu’s literary works and letters became much appreciated at the time, with Su Shi (1037–1101) considering his calligraphy similar to that of Li Jianzhong (945–1013) which is pure and lean. Critiques through the ages have also compared Lin Bu’s pure and strong calligraphy to his famous line on plum blossoms (“Hidden fragrance, scattered shadows”, 暗香疏影), his characters delicate yet resilient. Surviving examples of Lin’s calligraphy are quite few, the brushwork in these two letters sharp and powerful with angular turns of the brush fully exposing its tip. The wide and relaxed line spacing further reveals an untrammeled expansiveness that bears dramatic expressiveness.

釋文：

逋奉白。秋涼體履清適。大師去後。曾得信未。院中諸事如常否。今送到少許菱角。容易容易。謹此馳致不宣。逋小簡上。廿二日。瑫兄座主。暫請一人引此僕去章八郎家。

逋奉簡三君。數日前曾勞下訪。屬以多故。未果致謝。感愧感愧。牓名必已見了。彼珍重者。果為兩手所揞矣。呵呵。如因暇時許相過否。馳此不宣。從表林逋頓首。四月十七日。所託買物錢二索。省是前人留下。尚恐未足。餘俟面致。多感多感。