Divine Messengers

「瑞鶴圖」序（趙佶）

政和壬辰上元之次夕 忽有祥雲拂鬱低映端門 衆皆仰而視之 䖺有群鶴飛鳴於空中 仍有二鶴對止於鴟尾之端 頗甚閑適 餘皆翺翔 如應奏節 往來都民無不稽首瞻望 歎異久之 經時不散 迤邐㱕飛西北隅散 感兹祥瑞 故作詩以纪其實

清暁觗稜拂彩霓
仙禽告瑞忽來儀
飄飄元是三山侶
兩兩還呈千歲姿
似擬碧鸞捿寶閣
豈同赤鴈集天池
徘徊嘹唳當丹闕
故使憧憧庶俗知

御製御書并書

On the day after the Lantern Festival of year 1112, auspicious clouds suddenly gathered above the capital city, and shone on the entrance to the imperial residence below. They drew the attention of everybody, who looked up in the sky with amazement. A flock of cranes flew and sang in the sky, and two of them landed on the two ornamental tiles set on both ends of the ridgepole that topped the palace gate. They appeared very relaxed and comfortable, and the rest of the cranes kept on flying in the sky as if participating in a rhythmic dance. All the people travelling on the streets below looked up at them, and they gave out such long cries as if telling us about their stories. For a long time they gathered above the palace gate, and then headed towards the northwest. I sensed the auspiciousness they brought, and created the following poem to commemorate them:

When the dawn broke, the palace rooftop was touched by a rainbow. Heavenly birds suddenly appeared in the sky sending out a divine and auspicious message. As the companions of the three mountains, they floated leisurely in the sky. Two of them even exhibited very dignified postures. They appeared like the mythical companion bird of the Western Goddess resting on a heavenly pavilion, and also like the mythical red geese gathered upon a heavenly lake. Lingering in the sky above the red palace gate, they gave out loud and prolonged cries, and made their message known to the ordinary people wandering on the streets.

Painted and written by the Emperor