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Shen Du (1414)
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Shen Du (沈度, 1357-1434) was a calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty. He was from today’s Shanghai.  Emperor Yongle (明成祖朱棣) enjoyed his calligraphy so much that he entrusted him with transcription of the most important official documents. Here we have many copies of his poem on giraffes with accompanying paintings.

Taken from: When China ruled the Seas.
                   Duyvendak; T'oung Pao 1938
Also called Shen Tu (5)

He was a famous calligrapher of the Ming dynasty who painted the giraffe given to the Chinese Emperor.
The painting was discovered by Duyvendak. By now many copies are known.

First line from the right: 瑞應麒麟颂并序 (the title) Auspicious Omen Qi-lin (1) ode and preface.

Second line from the right: 钦惟 (qin wei) Translation: Admire only.

The third line from the right reads: 皇帝陛下嗣承

Translation: Emperor your majesty succeeds to (This is the beginning of the poem by Shen Du)

The pictures of the Giraffe of the Philadelphia Museum of Art: given by John T. Dorrance.

This picture is thought to be the original made by Shen Du; (the painting as well as the inscription are from him)
He depicts this giraffe complete with the fish scales of the Qilin the Chinese mythical animal.

 

The following poem by Shen Du is found on the copy found by Duyvendak. 

(1) ch'i-lin; Qi-lin: or Kirin; giraffe

(2) Emperor T'ai-tsu's: (1328-1398) who founded the Ming dynasty.

(3) Tsou-yu: (vegetarian tiger)

(4) Phoenix of Ch'i: the name of the mountain where the descendants of Hou Chi, the ancestor of the Chou dynasty, lived.

(5) Shen Tu: Name of the writer.

(6) Shih-chiang-hsueh-shih: title of the official meaning Reader of the Academy or Classical Lecturers,

(7) Feng-hsun-ta-fu: an official rank.

(8) the Han-lin-yuan: or Imperial Academy, China's highest academic institution (in Beijing).

(9) Three Luminaries: they are the sun, the moon and the stars.

(10) An ear is the grain-bearing tip part of the stem of a cereal plant, such as wheat or maize (corn).

(11) “Sweet dew” (ganlu is a highly symbolic object in Chinese culture. The Liji (Records of Rites) states: If a monarch acts in accord with and not against (the laws of nature), heaven will send down sweet dew.

(12) year chia-wu: the Chinese did not count in periods of 100 years but in periods of 60 years. Then it starts over. Every year has its own name; so every 60 year that name is repeated. They do not start in (0 AD) but the 45th cycle starts in (4 AD).

The cyclical year chia-wu is the 31 sign. So it will start in 4+30 = 34 AD and will come back every 60 years: 34-94-154-214-274 etc. They do not mention the amount of cycles that have past. Instead they add the name of the Emperor in that year and how many years he had already reigned.

This system of dating is found in: Oriental ceramic art by William Thompson Walters p54-55.

https://archive.org/details/ost-art-orientalceramica00walt/page/n73/mode/2up

(13) Yung-lo: : The Yongle Emperor — personal name Zhu Di, or Chu Ti— was the third Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 1424.

(14) As the Yellow River had always been muddy, a clear River came to be regarded as the token for a wise ruler and a peaceful society. The idiom “calm sea and clear Yellow River” became another way of expressing a time of peace and prosperity. Such accounts as “clear Yellow River” at a certain place or on a certain date can be found from time to time in the official history of various dynasties.

Other descriptions were only auspicious signs fabricated by the rulers to deceive themselves.  

(15) the 12th year of the Yung-lo period starting in 1403 + 12 = 1414-1415