賈誼の「鵬鳥の賦」の立場

Abstract

In 173 B.C., the statesman Chia I submitted to Emperor Wen his "Policy for Peace and Order" (chih-an-ts'e 治安策), a realistic and comprehensive proposal for dealing with the problems of the empire, based upon a careful and objective calculation of the advantages to be gained from various measures. The political philosophy underlying this proposal was the result of his own acute observations of the temper of the people in the society of early Han times, and took full cognizance of the power and aspirations of the people. Two other factors which influenced the formulation of his philosophy, however, need to be considered: the fact that he was a native of Lo-yang, a city traditionally noted for the calculating, business-minded temper of its citizens, and the fact that he studied as a young man under Wu Kung, a provincial administrator of outstanding political ability. Chia I's "Policy for Peace and Order" was the product of the experiences he underwent and the ideas which occupied him during his period of exile in Ch'ang-sha. For this reason his "Fu on the Owl", written in 174 and expressing his outlook on life at that time, is important in understanding his political philosophy, and a knowledge of that philosophy is likewise necessary to appreciate the thought of the poem.