Xiè Zhuāng jí 謝莊集
Collected Works of Xie Zhuang (Reconstructed) by 謝莊 (撰)
About the work
A reconstructed collection (jíyìběn 輯佚本) of the literary writings of Xiè Zhuāng 謝莊 (421–466 CE), Liú Sòng 劉宋 literary official and poet. Organized in two juǎn, the fragments are documented through multiple first-person signatures (“謝莊白”) and the extensive citation of his Sòngshū 宋書 biography (juǎn 85, cited eight times in the file). The collection opens with the 〈宋明堂歌九首〉 (Nine Songs for the Liang [Song] Bright Hall), composed at imperial command for the Míngtáng 明堂 ritual sacrifice and preserved in Sòngshū Yuèzhì 宋書樂志 and Yuèfǔ shījí 樂府詩集 juǎn 2. His celebrated fù 〈月賦〉 (Rhapsody on the Moon) is also among the surviving texts.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source. This text is an extra-catalog reconstruction not included in the Sìkù quánshū 四庫全書.
Abstract
Xiè Zhuāng 謝莊 (421–466 CE; zì Xīyù 希逸; CBDB id 468185; posthumous title Xuān Wáng 宣王) was a Liú Sòng literary official from Chéngjùn 陳郡 Yángxià 陽夏, a scion of the great Chéngjùn Xiè clan. He served as Zhōngshū lìng 中書令 and other high court positions under three Song emperors. His biography is in Sòngshū juǎn 85 and Nán shǐ juǎn 20.
Xie Zhuang was commanded by Emperor Xiàowǔ 孝武帝 of Song to compose the 〈宋明堂歌〉 for the newly constructed Míngtáng ritual hall — one of the most prestigious literary commissions of the era. His 〈月賦〉 (Wénxuǎn juǎn 13) is his most celebrated non-ritual work, a richly evocative fù on moonlight that became a touchstone of the genre. The Suíshū Jīngjízhì lists a Xiè Zhuāng jí in nine juǎn. Zhāng Pǔ 張溥 included a Xiè Xīyù jí 謝希逸集 in the Hàn Wèi Liùcháo bǎisān jiā jí 漢魏六朝百三家集.
Translations and research
- Knechtges, David R. Wen Xuan, or Selections of Refined Literature. Vol. 3. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996.
- Knechtges, David R., and Taiping Chang, eds. Ancient and Early Medieval Chinese Literature: A Reference Guide. Leiden: Brill, 2010–2014. Entry on Xie Zhuang.
Links
- Wikipedia: Xie Zhuang