論《赭白馬賦》

On “Rhapsody on the Russet-and-white Horse”

Abstract

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.

蕭統於《文選序》宣稱此書乃“集其清（菁）英”的選集，能入《選》的作品應有其長處。至於長處究竟何在，選編者依循中國文論的傳統，並不明言，而是寄望讀者反覆翫味而自得之。筆者擇取顔延之《赭白馬賦》爲鑽研究對象。第一節説明此馬的顔色、來歷等之後，第二節即藉由此賦涉及的三個主要項目，與其他涉及同樣項目的賦作對照；第三節更以它與六朝前後時期某些現存的其他賦馬之作比較，彰示這篇《赭白馬賦》的特異之處，從而揭露：顔氏乃以此駿馬自喻，表達他仕途上的不得志。最後，先放在《文選·賦庚·鳥獸》這子目中，進而結合顔氏其他幾篇入《選》之作，立即可發現：縱使撇開顔氏的文學成就，單以他建構的六朝士人類型而言，顔氏也有不容忽視的貢獻。

Xiao Tong (501 -531) says in his “Preface” to the Selections of Refined Literature that the book is an anthology of the best prose and verse by writers of the period from the late Zhou (770-256 B.C.E.) through the Liang (502-557) dynasties. However, Xiao makes no explicit statement about what great qualities the literary pieces represent and expects the readers to find out themselves. This paper studies one of the selected pieces, the “Rhapsody on the Russet-and-white Horse” by Yan Yanzhi (384 - 456). I compare it with other rhapsodies that involve the same main subjects as Yan’s work — eulogy on the supreme ruler, celebrating things/objects and hunting, as well as other surviving rhapsodies on horses completed at the time around the Six Dynasties (220 - 589). The comparison reveals the distinctive features of Yan’s work and shows that Yan, through describing the marvelous horse as a metaphor for himself, channels frustrations derived from his political career. Lastly, by putting this “Rhapsody on Russet-and-white Horse” under the sub-category of “Rhapsodies on Birds and Animals” and together with Yan’s other works anthologized in the Wenxuan, I show that, leaving aside his literary achievements, Yan’s contributions to the making of the Six Dynasties’ educated elite cannot be ignored.