Abstract: Pu Songling's mourning poems break through the limitations of ancient Chinese mourning poems that focus on describing the subject matter of mourning his wife, enriching and developing the subject matter and content of ancient mourning poems; in art, they have all styles and forms, and have Distinctive artistic features. Keywords: The subject matter, content and artistic characteristics of Pu Songling's mourning poems
Mourning poems have a long history in the history of ancient Chinese poetry. Mourning poems have appeared as early as the "Book of Songs", such as "Bei Feng? Green Clothes" and "Tang Feng? Ge Sheng". With the emergence of "Poems of Mourning" by Pan Yue, a literati in the Western Jin Dynasty, the development of mourning poems was greatly promoted. Since then, mourning poems have continued to emerge. But it is regrettable that the objects of mourning in ancient Chinese mourning poems are mainly concentrated on the deceased wife. The current academic research on ancient mourning poems seems to only focus on the poems mourning the wife. Some scholars even clearly pointed out: "The mourning poems specifically refer to mourning. Poems about the Dead Wife"①The author disagrees with this. The object of mourning poems should not only be the mourning object of the deceased wife, and the research on mourning poems should not only focus on the mourning poems for the wife. In the history of mourning poems in ancient China, there are many poets who broke through the limitations of mourning for wives. The poet Pu Songling of the Qing Dynasty is an outstanding representative among them.
Pu Songling, the author of "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio", is not only a great novelist, but also an outstanding poet. As long as we study Pu Songling's poems carefully, we will find that among his more than 2,000 extant poems, there are 87 mourning poems. They are not only numerous in number and rich in content, but also quite artistically original. They can be called A collection of ancient mourning poems.
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Pu Songling’s mourning poems are very rich in subject matter. The objects of condolence include not only his wife, mother, brothers, nephews, grandchildren and other relatives, but also friends, students and their relatives. Many contacts within. This is of extremely important value and significance for studying Pu Songling's family situation and interpersonal relationships, especially his thoughts, personality and emotions.
Among Pu Songling’s mourning poems, there are 26 poems in mourning for his relatives, including 12 poems in mourning for his wife, and six poems in mourning for his brother. There are three poems in memory of relatives and grandchildren, two poems in memory of cousins, and one poem each in memory of mother, nephew and nephew. Among the mourners who were not relatives, Pu Songling had the closest contact with Bi Gongquan and Bi Ji, and wrote the most elegy poems for them, each with eight poems; followed by Men Renhuan, with six poems; and Wang Yuyang again. , Gao Niandong, and Zhang Liyou's wife, Sun, each have four poems. Pu Songling also wrote more than two elegy poems for Zhang Wanchun, Song Kaisi, Liu Kongji, Zhong Xingpu, Sun Sifu, Bi Shengtong, Bi Zijing, Shen Yanji and others. In order to better commemorate the deceased and express his deep condolences, Pu Songling paid attention to descriptions from different angles in his mourning poems. They mainly include the following methods:
First, through Describe his violent reaction when he learned of the tragic death of the deceased to express his condolences. For example, in "Laying Huaiyang Dao", Pu Songling was surprised when he learned that Zhang Wanchun, a Huaiyang Taoist priest he admired, passed away, " The philosopher is gone, and he sits up in shock when he hears it in the middle of the night!" In Part 2 of "Remembering Song Kaisi", Pu Songling burst into tears because of the sudden death of his best friend Song Kaisi, "He went to the Red Mansion to drink, but who knew the bones were broken? The soul is cold with the plum blossoms outside the window, and the tears are falling on the dry bamboo rain. "In "Crying for Mother in the Fall", Pu Songling is heartbroken because he misses his deceased mother, Dong, "I doubt that my mother is here, but I don't believe that my mother is dead." Under the white clouds, the mourning curtain is held high. Turning around and remembering each other, the pain breaks my heart!" In "Injury to Liu Kongji", Pu Songling burst into tears after learning about the sudden death of his friend Liu Kongji, "Suddenly he heard the obituary. When the sound came, I sat down in shock and burst into tears! "But I feel that in the universe, there will be no light after your death." ("Remembering Liu Kong Collection") In the first chapter of "Crying Brother", Pu Songling died of illness due to his brother Pu Zhaozhuan. And with sobs and pain, he said, "On New Year's Eve, I talked for a long time, but I didn't know that looking back would change my life! It's like a dream, and I've been soaked in bitterness." In "Save Bi Gongquan", Pu Songling was deeply saddened by the death of his friend Bi Gongquan, "Words Talking about friendship for a day, looking back at the mountains and rivers for thousands of years. The soul can fill the sea with regrets, and the soil will bloom with sorrow. I shed tears before arriving in Donggao, and I dare not cross Xizhou now. "In "Dream King Like Water", After Pu Songling learned about the death of his friend Wang Rushui, he was extremely sad. "He came to the house to prepare a banquet, and went to Sheji River and Mountain! The sadness came from it, and he fell down and destroyed his lungs and liver!" In "Saving Zhu Ziqing", Pu Songling was surprised by the death of his friend Zhu Ziqing. He passed away suddenly, "How could a meal of millet turn into morning and dusk!... Unable to tie up the cud, the snowy tears filled the soul!" In "On the dark day of May, Mr. Yuyang dreamed in vain at night, but he didn't know that he had been visiting the guests for several days. "In the second part, Pu Songling was deeply shocked by the death of the famous scholar Wang Yuyang. "I was shocked when I first heard about the obituary, and it is hard to let go of the overwhelming regret!" Pu Songling is a strong-willed person who does not He sheds tears easily, but when his relatives or friends pass away, he is always extremely sad and sheds tears, which fully demonstrates the love and justice side of his character.
Secondly, he expresses his condolences by recalling the life scenes of the deceased and his intimate relationship. For example, he wrote in "Crying Mother at the Fall of the Morning": "My mother asked me to sit down, He and his wife were all around him, and they were all enjoying themselves together for a drink, saying, "The year of Gengchen is like a famine, and I gave birth to you in this room." On the couch, the moon is slanting across the south chamber. When I return home, the rooster begins to crow at dawn. When did I remember that my children had already left?
"Pu Songling fondly recalled his mother's voice and smile when she celebrated her birthday during her lifetime, and her condolences filled the lines. In "The Collection of Injury to Liu Kong", Pu Songling recalled how his old friend Liu Kongji drank and talked with him during his lifetime. Scenario: "I am an old friend with a beard, and my loyalty is so great. Thousands of miles of lotus curtain, even the bed is more than a year old. The prime minister will have a cup of wine, and he can drink ten pots of alcohol. "In the third chapter of "Crying Brother", Pu Songling recalled the New Year's Eve conversation between his brother Pu Zhaozhuan and himself: "In the past, when I went home, I undressed to see my brother;... The New Year's Eve conversation continued, and the lights were dimmed. For coal. "In "Remembering My Nephew Katydus", Pu Songling recalled the close interaction with his nephew Pu Songling from childhood to old age: "A Xian was honest and playful with others. There are no hazel stems on the outside or inside, and it is still as old as yesterday. When I was old, I came to my hall and felt comfortable in the room. The tired bird flies back in time, planning to make an appointment with Xiangshan. We go fishing together with walking sticks and shoes, and drink a cup of wine and tea. "In Part 7 of "Mourning", Pu Songling recalled the scene when his wife Liu forced her sick body to take care of the housework during her lifetime: "Last night, I was on the verge of death, moaning and lying in bed." Don't do things as planned, open your eyes and respect discipline. "In "Crying Zhao Jinshi", Pu Songling recalled the close interaction between Zhao Jinshi and himself during his lifetime: "Jin Shi is my good friend, and he belongs to Weiyang in love. Every time I pass by the West Road, I drink wine with joy. Have a heart-to-heart talk or sit down together, or stay in bed while writing a paper. Jun Shijin speaks bluntly, and picks up the short and the long. It's not the fault, it's the expectation. "Although the deceased have passed away, their voices, smiles, speech and behavior have always lingered in Pu Songling's heart, becoming a precious memory that will last forever.
Third, by praising the conduct and talents of the deceased and reputation to express his condolences. For example, in "Laying Huaiyang Road", Pu Songling narrates the deeds of Huaiyang Taoist Zhang Wanchun who benefited the local area during his lifetime and are still praised by the people. "It has affected millions of households in Huaiyang." , Litigation still exists," and called him a "good man" and a "philosopher." In "Collection of Injury to Liu Kong", Pu Songling praised Liu Kongji for his extraordinary knowledge and wisdom during his lifetime, "What a brilliant person! Weiwei praises Gaomou. "In "Zhong Shengyu showed in the "Xian Fu Gong Biography", that is, he asked for poems, so he wrote this poem," Pu Songling praised Zhong Xingpu, who had served as the deputy envoy of Shandong University, for his excellent knowledge and official reputation during his lifetime, and he enjoyed a good reputation in society. Extremely high reputation, "Shandou Wenshang has high official performance, and the Qi family has always admired Qingcao. "The talents and names compete with Japan for glory, and the string songs of the six counties have long history." "In "Rescuing Bi Gongquan", Pu Songling praised Bi Gongquan for "his talent and reputation are unparalleled", "the banished immortal has already conquered the world", and "the discussion is not popular". In "Crying for Bi Gongquan", Pu Songling praised Bi Gongquan. During his lifetime, Bi Jiyou was conscientious, diligent, and good at reading. "Everything requires work, and it is true that if you want to buy books, you don't need money." "Measurement can eliminate the world's affairs, ambition will read all the world's books." In "In Memory of Mr. Dong Gao", Pu Songling praised Gao Niandong for his quick thinking, straightforward manner and high reputation during his lifetime. "The article is not easy to write, and the words are true in words." "In "Dream King Ru Shui", Pu Songling praised Wang Ru Shui for his broad-mindedness and indifference to fame and wealth, "A hundred years of morality and justice are deep, but how small is the scope of the mind! If you come and wait for the floating clouds, you can buy gold. "In "Ai Ziyan", Pu Songling praised his nephew Gao Ziyan, who unfortunately died early, for his diligence, quick thinking, good character and knowledge during his lifetime, "a noble character and a good character... He can still write long stories even when he is moaning and reading. "In "Poetry of Yuan Taijun's Suffering Festival", Pu Songling praised the virtue of Yuan's wife who took great pains to take care of her elderly mother-in-law, young orphans and elderly neighbor women who lived alone during the war. Suppressive and colorless. ... The sweet and ice tillers caress the orphans, but I still analyze the chaff and dregs to feed my neighbor's grandma. "In Part One of "Hearing the Obituary of Shen Yanji on June 3rd", Pu Songling praised Shen Yanji for his "loyalty, articles and good deeds" during his lifetime. Although Pu Songling's words of praise for these deceased people are inevitably exaggerated. The flattering elements are not all fabricated out of thin air, but have a strong basis in reality. There is no doubt that his deep condolences for the deceased are reflected in it.