Xia Yuan Ji
Back to Table of Contents 7
To next page
Xia Yuan-ji 夏原吉: Kylin fu 麒麟賦(Ode to
the Unicorn) (1416)
-------------------------------------------
Xia Yuanji (Chinese: 夏原吉; 1366–1430) was a government minister. He was born in Xiangyin County, Hunan Province. Xia opposed both Zheng He's overseas voyages and the Yongle Emperor's campaigns against the Mongols. After the advice of Xia Yuanji, the Hongxi Emperor ordered the cessation of the Ming treasure voyages on 7 September 1424, the day of his accession to the throne. The poems here deal with the arrival of giraffes and zebras.
Taken from: 欽定古今圖書集成/博物彙編/禽蟲典/第056卷
In the autumn of the twelfth year of Yongle (1), Bang-ge-la-guo (2) came to offer a unicorn. This autumn, Ma-lin-guo (Malindi) presented a unicorn which in its shape and color resembles the old descriptions, It is no different from those offered before. When the minister hears about the unicorn, ……….., and there are saints in China. ……………..
Note: this poem survives in the Gujin Tushu Jicheng (古今圖書集成) written from 1700 to 1725.
《麒麟賦》
明·夏原吉
永樂十二年秋，榜葛剌國來朝，獻麒麟。今年秋，麻林國復以麒麟來獻，其形色與古之傳記所載，及前所獻者無異。臣聞麒麟，瑞物也，中國有聖人則至。昔軒轅時來游於囿，成康之世見於郊藪，是後未之聞也。今兩歲之間，而茲瑞載至，則盛德之隆，天眷之至，實前古之未有也。宜播之《聲詩》，以傳示無極。臣忝職地官，屢睹盛美，不揆蕪陋，謹拜手稽首而獻賦曰：
「惟我皇之明聖兮，膺天命而御極，環六合以為家，統 四裔而混一」，化洽殊方，仁覆萬物，和氣所鍾，禎祥疊 出，而仁瑞之獸所以復獻於今日也。爾其滄海之濱， 瑞氣勃鬱，元枵降精，二儀合德，榮光燭天，輝耀赫奕， 山嶽為之炫映，江海為之滋液，百獸為之奔衛，萬靈 為之拱翼，而麒麟於是生焉。豐骨神異，靈毳瑩潔，霞 明龍首，雲擁鳳臆。星眸眩兮焜耀，龜文燦兮煜熠。牛 尾拂兮生風，麇身動兮散雪。蹴馬蹄兮香塵接腕，聳 肉角兮玉山貫額。步無躑躅，必中規而蹈矩；聲無哮 闞，自協商而應律。固不犯乎陷阱，亦豈傷乎生物。是 以不奮而威，不猛而烈。虎豹見之遯藏，犀兕遇之辟 易。封狶巨狿，雖悍戾而誰羨；麏麚豺「貉，顧旁午其何 益？」彼漢廷之《角端》，徒自誇其美；而渥窪之神駿，焉能 與之匹？茲實聖世之奇瑞，匪有資於人力。此所以海 隅島夷，不敢自逸，乃梯山而航海，於以獻於中國。於 是離遐陬，道滄溟，越重譯，望帝京。侑之以方物，達之 以至誠。匪惟效職於王會，蓋將昭德於聖明。於是時 也，天門洞開，袞龍在御；瑞物既呈，祥煙斯布。散精彩 於彤墀，濯儀文於甘露。或昂首而欲馳，或跪起而欲 舞。重瞳載顧，百辟歡欣，曰「惟此獸，希有之珍。昔在軒 轅，曾一來馴；暨周成康，郊藪是臻。歷千載而及茲，乃 有感於皇仁；越期歲而再至，實前古所未聞。是宜播 之《聲詩》，勒之金石。著盛治之無窮，延休徵於莫極。顧微臣」之譾譾，睹盛美而愉懌。爰稽首而獻賦，頌聖德 於萬一
From a more recent Japanese book.
|
Xia Yuanji’s: Shengde ruiying shi (聖德瑞應詩) (1419) (Poem to Saintly Virtue and Auspicious Responses) Taken from: Ming China: Courts and Contacts 1400-1450 Edited by Craig Clunas https://www.kanripo.org/text/KR4e0093/002
(He records in the preface to the poem:) Hormuz (3) and other foreign states sent envoys with offerings of qilin (4), lions, heavenly horses, leopards, elephants, ostriches, zebras, antelopes, oryxes and parrots with five-coloured feathers. Also Jiaozhi (5) offered white crows, mountain phoenixes, a three-tailed turtle and other creatures. 海外忽魯謨斯等國，遣使來進麒麟、獅子、天馬、文豹、紫象、駝. 雞、福祿、靈羊、長角馬哈獸、五色鸚鵡等，又交趾進白烏、山. 鳳、三尾龜等物。 |
|
The poem itself mentions the qilin (4) 麒麟 and zebra fu-lu 福禄
聖主膺乾運，垂衣馭八區。道隆堯舜比，功茂禹湯俱。
蕩蕩三邊肅，熙熙兆姓娱。普天歌至治，率土發靈儲。
爰有諸蕃國，能忘萬里途。隨槎超瀚漫，獻瑞效勤渠。
渺渺來中夏，惓惓覲帝居。麒麟呈玉陛，獅子貢金鋪。
紫象靈山種，驊驑渥水駒。駝雞同鸑鷟，文豹擬騶虞。
福禄身紆錦，靈羊尾載車。霜姿狷更異，長角獸尤殊。
綵檻竒音鳥，雕籠雪色烏。玄龜三尾曵，山鳳五花敷。
日上龍墀麗，風囘鳳閣迂。禮官躬典設，蕃使肅奔趨。
仙掌開丹扆，祥烟散紫衢。重瞳欣一顧，百辟震三呼。
兹豈尋常致，端由治化孚。既將昭帝德，尤足壯神都。
炎漢何能擬，姬周莫並驅。拜瞻嗟慶幸, 稱讚媿荒疎。
惟願皇風洽，仍祈化日舒。鴻圖千載固，聖壽萬年餘。
The first page of the poem; In red: Giraffe and zebra.
(1) Yongle; Youngle: The Yongle Emperor — personal name Zhu Di, or Chu Ti— was the third Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 1424.
(2) Bang-ge-la-guo : Bengal; present-day Bangladesh.
(3) Hormuz is a city on the island of Hormuz off the coast of Iran; important in former times as trade center.
(4) Qilin: or Kirin ; giraffe
(5) Jiaozhi: Giao Chi (Vietnamese), was a historical region corresponding to present-day Northern Vietnam.
