Chinese calligraphy question

I've bought a couple pieces of Chinese calligraphy in recent years and have been wondering what the characters on them mean/represent. Can someone here fluent in Chinese or just knowledgeable about Chinese calligraphy give me a decent translation of each? (Sorry about the frame glass glare in the first picture.) Thanks! http://tinyurl.com/38movo http://tinyurl.com/2nvc66
posted to Ask Metafilter by aught at 8:36 AM on January 29, 2007 (10 comments)