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Liu Dingzhi 劉定之: Kirin Fu麒麟賦(d1469)

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Taken from: https://www.kanripo.org/text/KR4h0139/137

He mentions in the beginning of the poem that in the 12th year of Youngle (1) Bang-ge-la (2) country offered a Qilin (giraffe) as tribute and that in the fall of the year Ma-lin (3) country offered one.

(1) Youngle: 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: Bengal; present day Bangladesh.

(3) Ma-lin: Malindi in Kenya.

[137-3a]

 

麒麟賦          /劉定之
聖天子膺洪圖守神器繼累聖而大業光奉兩宫而
孝備夫然故道不愛於天寶不愛於地但見炎荒雪嶠
效竒踵來日本月氐貢琛尾至而猶未足表太和符至
治也爰有竒祥實乃四靈之首間生曠代在夫英里之
陲馬足象乾而動直牛尾法坤以静垂文周于身不耀
[137-3b]
而其章自炳肉生於角不觸而厥性孔慈音含舜韶之
吕步中禹度之矩規爾乃隨逐使旌經年始至於
縣祗陳貢牘涓日用進於彤墀軒昻馴習回轉委蛇聞
俞而欲效率舞之態仰睟表而宛生瞻依之思仁
振兮允合王化靈昭昭也式際昌期於是羣臣欣躍稽
首陳辭以為吾皇道符軒后故昔在郊而今復見於域
中績邁成康故彼遊藪而此則達於闕下况魯甸之覆
何足並驅而漢畤之逢豈堪方駕於以見百王之盛莫
[137-4a]
比萬世之祚無疆請告郊社彰鉅美書墳典垂休光聖
天子穆然深思謂禎祥之至必本乎至誠休徵之臻在
建乎皇極願因天眷謹天德而勿務乎文以或怠其實
然後羣臣恐懼踧踖共承明詔各䖍厥職復相與歎
麟之出也猶前古而曽聞吾皇之徳也誠自古而罕及

Liu Dingzhi 劉定之  The first page of Kirin Fu 麒麟賦