韓愈・孟郊「城南聯句」初探

Abstract

The tradition of linked verse in China was revived by the Da-li 大曆 poets and got popular among Mid-Tang 中唐 Literati, of whom two groups were most notable. One was led by Bai Ju-yi 白居易 and Liu Yu-xi 劉禹錫, whose linked verse grew out of their friendship. The other was led by Han Yu and Meng Jiao. They competed each other in their poetic art and experimented with new expressions. In this article I offer a close reading of the first part of their representative work "Cheng-nan Lian-ju". They deal with fresh subject matters, and their description is unique in their determined avoidance of stale poetic diction. This new poetic style directly influenced Li He 李賀, especially in Chang-gu shi 昌谷詩. However, the two pieces are quite different. For example, while "Cheng-nan Lian-ju", though very concrete in its description, is not about any real place, in Chang-gu shi, Li He when evidently writing about the scenery of Chang-gu, his home country, created an imaginary world out of a real place.