李白 ＜懷古＞詩 譯解(2)

Abstract

This paper reviewed Li Bai’s poems of huaigu (recalling antiquity) through the study of his six poems of huaigu. In the poems, Li Bai expressed his emotion through historic events, figures and remains and the poems show the typical features of poems of huaigu as follows. First, When Li Bai was touched by a historic place, he wrote poems of huaigu for readers to remind of historical events or figures related to the place. For example, as shown in the titles of his six poems, the places such as Lu Jiang (廬江) and Wu Xia (巫峽) must have reminded Li Bai of Mi Heng (禰衡), Song Yu (宋玉) and Xie Tiao (謝朓) and motivated the poet to write the poems. Second, in his poems of huaigu, Li Bai expressed his emotions in terms of moan and satire on the shifts and changes of fame and life. In this regard, “Wang Yingwuzhou bei Mi Heng (望鸚鵡洲悲禰衡)” is evaluated as a work showing Li Bai’s true color through the description of the incomparable relaxation. Likewise, “Xiegong ting (謝公亭)” is appraised as a poem with excellent imagination and craftsmanship because the poet made the present and the past into one moment while singing pride as a successor of Xie Tiao. Thirdly, various historic events and allusions (典故) were borrowed in his lines singing historical figures and events, but Li Bai expressed them euphemistically. Although “Ji Nanling ti Wusongshan (紀南陵題五松山)”, a poem lamenting the chaos of the time through historic events and allusions (典故), is criticized for the overlaps of events and allusions (典故), this should be considered poems of huaigu. To sum, Li Bai used historic figures and events in his poems of huaigu and associated them with reality of his time. In the poems, Li Bai also expressed his emotion freely and manly. Among his works, lastly, “Ye Bo Niuzhu Huaigu (夜泊牛渚懷古)” and “Yue ye Jinling Huaigu ＜月夜金陵懷古＞” are known as the best poems of huaigu.