賈誼の賦について

Abstract

Chia I 賈誼 (199-168 B. C.), famous as a statesman of the Han, is also an inportant figure as a composer of fu 賦. Only three fu of his have been handed down in complete form, but these are sufficient to show his prominence as a man of letters. First is the Han yün 早雲 which, by employing a skilful allegory of clouds in drought, gives expression to the irritation and distress of those frustrated scholars, including Chia I himself, who worked in vain in the government service. It contains expressions similar to those found in Chia Shan's 賈山 Chih yen 至言 and is an objective description of the actual situation of the literati. Second is the "Mourning the Death of Ch'ü Yüan" 弔屈原 which, while expressing a heartfelt sympathy for Ch'ü Yüan's fate, shows the difference between Chia I and Ch'ü Yüan, which seems to derive from their different views of destiny. Ch'ü Yüan struggled from start to finish to carve out his own fortune, whereas Chia I regarded it as utterly useless to strive against fate, a contrast which may perhaps reflect a change in the times. Last is the "Fu Bird" 服鳥, stating a Taoistic outlook on life which sees man's true happiness not in political society but in the attitude of transcendental isolation. When this work is compared to Chia I's many political statements, which reflect Confucian thought, one will be surprised to find a wide gulf. This is because, in Chia I's mind, the effectiveness of Confucianism in the political field and that of Taoism in private life were both accepted as two distinct truths. This view, which became quite popular in latter periods, takes its origin from this work.