Colophon to the Collection of Exchanged Poems of King Yejong (睿宗唱和集)睿宗唱和集跋尾
夫天下之未至太平。則雖好文之主。有不得與學士詞臣吟詠風月。以遂優遊之樂矣。屬太平多暇。上不喜文章。則雖才如沈，宋，燕，許。安可預淸燕侍從。得爲雍容賡載之事耶。伏聞睿廟聰明天縱。制作如神。席太平之慶。乘化日之長。常與詞人逸士若郭璵等賦詩著詠。摐金振玉。動中韶鈞。流播於人間。多爲萬口諷頌。實太平盛事也。今所謂睿宗唱和集是已。行于世久矣。臣未得奉覽。始於某人家得而拜讀。想目覩當代之君臣慶會。嗟嘆不足。不覺涕之橫流也。弟恨不得生於其時。綴詞臣之尾。以鼓缶俚音。續天章之末耳。然今上尤好文。但朝夕致太平。則臣亦庶幾矣。又何恨不生於彼時哉。
When the world beneath Heaven has not come to great peace, then even a sovereign who loves letters cannot, together with his academicians and his officials of letters (詞臣), chant of wind and moon and so fulfil the pleasure of leisurely roaming. And when a time of peace with leisure to spare does come, if the sovereign does not love composition, then though men be as talented as Shen Quanqi, Song Zhiwen, Zhang Yue and Su Ting, how could they take part in the clear feasts and attend at his side and do the work of matching his verses in composed and easy style?
I have heard with bowed head that King Yejong's brightness of mind was granted him from Heaven, and that his composing was as of a spirit. Making the blessing of great peace his seat and riding on the length of days of a transformed age, he was always making and chanting poems together with poets and retired gentlemen (逸士) such as Gwak Yeo (郭璵). The sound of them, as of bronze struck and jade shaken, fell in with the measures of the Shao music (韶樂), and spread abroad in the world of men and was recited by ten thousand mouths; it was truly a glorious thing of great peace. What is now called the Collection of Exchanged Poems of King Yejong is this.
It has gone about in the world a long while, but your servant had not got to look upon it, and got it only now at the house of so-and-so and read it with a bow. It was as though I saw with my own eyes the blessed gathering of the sovereign and his ministers of that age, and admiration was not enough, and unawares I did not notice that my tears were running down. I regret only that I was not born in that time to attach myself to the tail of the officials of letters and, with the vulgar sound of a beaten crock, carry on the end of the royal writings. Yet our present sovereign loves letters still more; and if only he brings great peace to pass morning and evening, then your servant too may almost come to it. And why then should I regret that I was not born in that time?