Yán Yánzhī jí 顏延之集
Collected Works of Yan Yanzhi (Reconstructed) by 顏延之 (撰)
About the work
A reconstructed collection (jíyìběn 輯佚本) of the literary writings of Yán Yánzhī 顏延之 (384–456 CE), Liú Sòng 劉宋 official and one of the foremost poets of his era. Organized in three juǎn, the fragments are cited across the Wénxuǎn 文選, Sòngshū biography (Sòngshū juǎn 73, where his texts appear with his first-person signature “顏延之白”), Hóng míng jí 弘明集 juǎn 4 and 13, and encyclopaedic lèishū. The collection includes court ritual hymns (〈宋南郊登歌三首〉, preserved in Sòngshū Yuèzhì and Wénxuǎn juǎn 27), philosophical discourse on Buddhism and fate (letters to Hé Chéngtiān 何承天), and occasional verse.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source. This text is an extra-catalog reconstruction not included in the Sìkù quánshū 四庫全書.
Abstract
Yán Yánzhī 顏延之 (384–456 CE; zì Yánnián 延年; CBDB: see 顏延之 for details) was a Liú Sòng 劉宋 official and poet from Línlíng 琅琊 Línyì 臨沂. He served in a series of court literary posts and had a tempestuous relationship with Liú Yù 劉裕 (Emperor Wu of Song). He was a close friend of Táo Yuānmíng 陶淵明 (Tao Qian) and wrote an influential elegy for him. See 顏延之 for full biography.
As a poet, Yan Yanzhi was ranked alongside Xiè Língyùn 謝靈運 as the leading poets of the Liú Sòng. Zhōng Róng’s 鍾嶸 Shīpǐn 詩品 placed him in the upper grade, and Liú Xiè 劉勰 in the Wénxīn diāolóng 文心雕龍 discussed his style at length. His poetry is characterized by dense literary allusion and elaborate diction. The 〈宋南郊登歌三首〉 are formal court hymns composed for the Southern Suburban sacrifice (nán jiāo 南郊). The Suíshū Jīngjízhì records a Yán Yánzhī jí in thirty juǎn. Zhāng Pǔ 張溥 included a Yán Yánnián jí 顏延年集 in the Hàn Wèi Liùcháo bǎisān jiā jí 漢魏六朝百三家集.
Translations and research
- Marney, John. Liang Chien-wen Ti. Boston: Twayne, 1976. (For the early Liu Song literary context.)
- Knechtges, David R., and Taiping Chang, eds. Ancient and Early Medieval Chinese Literature: A Reference Guide. Leiden: Brill, 2010–2014. Entry on Yan Yanzhi.
Links
- Wikipedia: Yan Yanzhi