Chinese Monastery Stamp or Seal Depicting Poem

Welcome a neat grid of tiny characters fills this seal face like a well-kept ledger.

This monastery stamp or seal depicting a poem is from China, and dates to the early 20th century. It is soapstone. Chinese seals are carved in reverse so that the impression reads correctly, and the characters are often cut in an archaic script chosen for its look. Seen head on, a rectangular seal face is divided into rows and columns of small square characters in reddish ink. The grey-white surface is flecked with darker veins, and the edges look slightly worn and uneven. It is 2.75 inches wide, 1.25 deep and 3.13 high.

Everything in its box, and every box in a row.