金末の士風と元曲

Abstract

Sun Kai-ti (孫楷第) proved when writing Yüan-ch'ü-chia k'ao-lüeh (元曲家考略) that many scholar-officials were included among the authors of Yüan-ch'ü (元曲) in the thirteenth century. Generally speaking, the Mongol regime inflicted a severe shock on the established pattern of life of the scholar-official and this very shock led them to write Yüan-ch'ü (元曲). The spirit of the scholar-official of the last Chin (金) dynasty had a great effect on the following generation. Some of those in this following generation were the authors of Yüan-ch'ü (元曲) and were recognized as literati among the common people. It seems that Yüan-ch'ü (元曲) was popular in Tung-p'ing (東平) in the middle of the thirteenth century. To prove this statement I'd like to give some examples. Yen Chung-chi (嚴忠濟) who had Tung-p'ing (東平) under his control at that time was the author of San-ch'ü (散曲), and was a patron of several actresses. Moreover, Tung-p'ing (東平) produced not only him but many of the authors of Yüan-ch'ü (元曲). And it was in this Tung-p'ing (東平) that the people of the governing classes inherited the spirit of the last Chin (金) dynasty. Actually many scholar-officials from the Chin (金) dynasty were protected and well treated in Tung-p'ing (東平). Some of them wrote San-ch'ü (散曲). Some of these protected scholar-officials in Tung-p'ing (東平) became patrons of actresses, possessed a spirit of humor and joviality, and stood aloof from mundane affairs. All these trends are in common with the characteristics of Yüan-ch'ü (元曲). Needless to say, the scholar-officials of the last Chin (金) dynasty also possessed the same spirit. Thus, they wanted to gain release from the uncertain times. Furthermore, some of the literature of the last Chin (金) dynasty is similar to the later Yüan-ch'ü (元曲) in its thought and point of view. All these points show the mutual relationship between Yüan-ch'ü (元曲) and the society of the last Chin (金) dynasty.