論《唐詩別裁集》的“諸體兼善”說

A Study of the Theory of “Proficiency in All Poetic Forms” in Tangshi biecai ji

Abstract

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

沈德潛在《唐詩別裁集·凡例》曾提出：“唐人詩，無論大家名家，不能諸體兼善”的論點，並以杜甫絕句少唱歎之音，韋應物不善七言，劉禹錫不工古詩，韓愈不專近體作爲例證。以上論點並見於《別裁集》初刻本與重訂本，並未因《別裁集》的重訂而有所調整，堪稱是沈德潛一以貫之的詩學論點。

但在深入檢視《別裁集》的選詩内容後發現，初刻本中各種詩體都被選録的詩家高達10人，重訂本也有9人之多。可見唐代詩家若真如沈德潛所謂“無論大家名家，不能諸體兼善”，然則選本中高達十位詩家“諸體兼選”的現象，不免令人生疑。此外，結合卷前凡例與相關評語，可發現沈德潛對於唐代詩人王維的各體詩作，均未有負面評論，但若以王維爲《別裁集》中“諸體兼善”之代表，何以王維在《別裁集》的選詩總數低於杜甫、李白？再者，“諸體兼善”與杜甫的“集大成”的稱譽又有何不同？本文透過“諸體兼善”說，重新檢視這本在清代深具影響力的唐詩選本，除了釐清以上問題外，也期能對王維在“以李、杜爲宗”的《別裁集》所呈現的樣貌，以及沈德潛對王維詩歌的評價，進行全面性的考察與詮釋。

In the “General Rubrics” of his Tangshi biecai ji, Shen Deqian (1673-1969) states that “no Tang poet, even a prominent one, was proficient in all poetic (shi) forms.” To support this statement, Shen gives examples such as Du Fu (712-770), Wei Yingwu (737-792), Liu Yuxi (772-842), and Han Yu (768-824), who were respectively not good at writing quatrains, hepta- syllabic verse, ancient-style verse, and recent-style verse. This viewpoint is consistently found in the first print of this anthology and remained intact in the revised edition.

A careful examination of the anthology, however, reveals some ambivalence. In the first print, there are up to ten poets whose works in all poetic forms are anthologized; in the revised edition there are nine such cases. One cannot help but cast doubt on Shen’s view that “no Tang poet was proficient in all poetic forms.” Moreover, based on the “General Rubrics” and other remarks in his book, Shen makes no negative comments on Wang Wei’s compositions in all poetic forms. Then why did Shen anthologize fewer poems by Wang Wei than those by Du Fu and Li Bai (701-762)? In addition, what is the difference between “proficiency in all poetic forms” and “convergence of great perfection,” a common praise of Du Fu’s poetic achievement?

This paper focuses on the theory of “proficiency in all poetic forms” in its discussion of this influential anthology. In addition, it also conducts a comprehensive examination and commentary on the image of Wang Wei as presented in the anthology, which takes Li Bai and Du Fu as models.