Xiāo Yì jí 蕭繹集
Collected Works of Xiao Yi (Emperor Yuan of Liang) (Reconstructed) by 蕭繹 (撰)
About the work
A reconstructed collection (jíyìběn 輯佚本) of the literary writings of Xiāo Yì 蕭繹 (508–554 CE), Liáng 梁 dynasty Emperor Yuán 元帝, scholar, painter, and writer who ruled the rump state from Jiānglíng 江陵 (552–554 CE). Organized in four juǎn, the fragments are documented through citations in Nán shǐ 南史 Yuán dì běnjì 元帝本紀 and Liángshū Yuán dì jì 梁書元帝紀, and multiple attribution notes including “《萬花谷》後三十七作梁元帝詩”, “《合璧事類別集》三十一作梁元帝詩”, and “《文鏡秘府‧天湘東王詩》引” (where 湘東王 was his pre-imperial title). The collection cites works spanning his career from Prince of Hunan (Xiāng Dōng Wáng 湘東王) through his imperial reign, including poems and official documents. Also present are citations from multi-dynasty histories (Nán shǐ, Chén shū 陳書, Zhōushū 周書), reflecting the dispersal of his correspondents and subordinates after the fall of Jiangling in 554 CE.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source. This text is an extra-catalog reconstruction not included in the Sìkù quánshū 四庫全書.
Abstract
Xiāo Yì 蕭繹 (508–554 CE; zì Shìchéng 世誠; temple name Yuán dì 元帝; title Xiāng Dōng Wáng 湘東王; CBDB id 33252, b. 508 d. 554) was the seventh son of Liáng Wǔdì 梁武帝 and the last effective ruler of the Liang dynasty. He defeated and killed the rebel Hóu Jǐng 侯景 in 551, then proclaimed himself emperor and ruled from Jiangling until the city was captured by Western Wei forces in 554 CE. He was executed by his captors shortly thereafter. See 蕭繹 for full biography.
Xiao Yi was a remarkable polymath: he wrote prolifically on literature, painting theory (his Shān hú gōu 珊瑚鉤 collection), history (the lost Jìngyè shū 荊業書), and general culture. His Jīn lóu zi 金樓子 (The Gilt-Tower Master), a miscellany in six juǎn, survives in abridged form and provides biographical and intellectual context for his reign. He was also a painter, particularly of Buddhist themes and horse paintings. His literary works include poems in the Palace Style tradition and court occasional verse. The Suíshū Jīngjízhì records his literary collection in fifty-seven juǎn. Zhāng Pǔ 張溥 included a Liáng Yuán dì jí 梁元帝集 in the Hàn Wèi Liùcháo bǎisān jiā jí 漢魏六朝百三家集.
Translations and research
- Knechtges, David R., and Taiping Chang, eds. Ancient and Early Medieval Chinese Literature: A Reference Guide. Leiden: Brill, 2010–2014. Entry on Xiao Yi.
Links
- Wikipedia: Emperor Yuan of Liang