Xú Líng jí 徐陵集
Collected Works of Xu Ling (Reconstructed) by 徐陵 (撰)
About the work
A reconstructed collection (jíyìběn 輯佚本) of the literary writings of Xú Líng 徐陵 (507–583 CE), the foremost literary official of the Chén 陳 dynasty and compiler of the Yùtái xīnyǒng 玉臺新詠 anthology. Organized in three juǎn, the fragments carry multiple first-person signatures — “孤子徐陵頓首” (mourning-letter closing, lines 6076 and 6591) and citations in the Chén shū Xú Líng zhuàn 陳書徐陵傳 (lines 6058 and 7991). The collection is cited at Shī jì 詩紀 juǎn 100 and documented through citations from the Chén shū Wǔ dì jì 陳書武帝紀 (the Chen founding emperor’s annals) and the biographies of contemporaries including Xiāo Yuānmíng 蕭淵明 (who signs “蕭淵明頓首頓首”) and Wáng Sēngbiàn 王僧辯 (whose letters appear as received correspondence). The opening 〈鴛鴦賦〉 (Rhapsody on Mandarin Ducks) is a celebrated boudoir fù characteristic of the Palace Style.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source. This text is an extra-catalog reconstruction not included in the Sìkù quánshū 四庫全書.
Abstract
Xú Líng 徐陵 (507–583 CE; zì Xiàomù 孝穆; CBDB id 577867) was the preeminent literary official and stylist of the Chén 陳 dynasty, serving as Zhōngshū lìng 中書令 (Imperial Secretariat Director) and Tàizǐ shàobǎo 太子少保. Born in Dōnghǎi 東海 Tán 郯 (modern Jiangsu), he established his reputation under the Liang dynasty and continued to flourish under the Chen. He spent time as a hostage in the Northern Zhou court (ca. 555–558 CE), an experience reflected in some of his writings. His biography is in Chén shū juǎn 26 and Nán shǐ juǎn 62. See 徐陵 for full biography.
Xu Ling compiled the Yùtái xīnyǒng 玉臺新詠 (New Songs from the Jade Terrace), a ten-juǎn anthology of love poetry from the Han through early Liang period, which is the primary transmission vessel for much late Six Dynasties lyric verse. His own literary output includes Palace Style verse and elaborate parallel-prose documents (piànwén 駢文). The 〈鴛鴦賦〉 and other fù reflect the sensory aesthetic of the Palace Style. After the Liang fell, Xu Ling’s writings often express nostalgia for the lost Liang literary culture. His collected works were listed in the Suíshū Jīngjízhì in thirty juǎn. Zhāng Pǔ 張溥 included a Xú Xiàomù jí 徐孝穆集 in the Hàn Wèi Liùcháo bǎisān jiā jí 漢魏六朝百三家集.
Translations and research
- Rouzer, Paul. Articulated Ladies: Gender and the Male Community in Early Chinese Texts. Cambridge: Harvard University Asia Center, 2001. (Discussion of the Yutai xinyong and its Palace Style tradition.)
- Knechtges, David R., and Taiping Chang, eds. Ancient and Early Medieval Chinese Literature: A Reference Guide. Leiden: Brill, 2010–2014. Entry on Xu Ling.
Links
- Wikipedia: Xu Ling