Xuē Dàohéng jí 薛道衡集
Collected Works of Xue Daoheng (Reconstructed) by 薛道衡 (撰)
About the work
A reconstructed collection (jíyìběn 輯佚本) of the surviving literary writings of Xuē Dàohéng 薛道衡 (540–609 CE), one of the most admired poets of the Sui dynasty, organized in two juǎn. Juǎn 1 contains poetry: the collection opens with 〈出塞二首和楊素〉 (Chū sài èr shǒu hé Yáng Sù, Two Frontier Poems in Harmony with Yang Su), vigorous military poetry cited from Wényuān yīnghuá 文苑英華 juǎn 197, Lèifǔ shī jí 樂府詩集 juǎn 21, and Shī jì 詩紀 juǎn 123. Juǎn 2 contains fù 賦 (rhapsodies) and prose, opening with the 〈宴喜賦〉 (Yàn xǐ fù, Rhapsody on the Banquet of Joy), a court rhapsody.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source. This text is an extra-catalog reconstruction not included in the Sìkù quánshū 四庫全書.
Abstract
Xuē Dàohéng 薛道衡 (540–609 CE), zì Xuánqīng 玄卿, was a native of Fènyīn 汾陰 in Hédōng 河東 (modern Wanrong, Shanxi), from the prestigious Hédōng Xuē 河東薛 clan. He served under the Northern Qi 北齊, the Northern Zhou 北周, and then the Sui dynasty, rising to high literary and official posts. His biography is in Suíshū 隋書 juǎn 57 and Běishǐ 北史 juǎn 36.
Xuē Dàohéng was acknowledged by contemporaries as the finest poet of the Sui dynasty. Emperor Wen 隋文帝 is said to have admired his verse highly. His two most celebrated poems are 〈昔昔鹽〉 (Xīxī yán, Salt [a ballad title]), a palace-longing poem in the lèifǔ tradition, and 〈人日思歸〉 (Rén rì sī guī, On the Seventh Day of the New Year, Longing to Return Home), a short pentasyllabic lyric of great emotional directness. The frontier ballads harmonizing with Yáng Sù 楊素 (d. 606) — the powerful Sui general who was also a poet — suggest close integration into the Sui court literary milieu. Xuē’s poetry bridges Northern Wei robustness with Southern elegance, anticipating the Tang synthesis.
Emperor Yang 隋煬帝 — himself an accomplished poet (see KR4b0086) — reportedly resented Xuē Dàohéng’s reputation as surpassing his own literary talent. In 609 CE, Xuē submitted a memorial that was judged impertinent, and Emperor Yang had him executed. He became a celebrated cautionary example of a talented man destroyed by royal jealousy. The CBDB record 18767 lists him with dates 0/0; the dates 540–609 follow Suíshū juǎn 57.
Zhāng Pǔ 張溥 compiled this reconstruction for the Hàn Wèi Liùcháo bǎisān jiā jí 漢魏六朝百三家集. Wilkinson’s Chinese History: A New Manual does not include a dedicated entry for Xuē Dàohéng.
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 Xue Daoheng.
Links
- Wikipedia: Xue Daoheng
- Suíshū 隋書 juǎn 57 (biography)
- Běishǐ 北史 juǎn 36 (biography)
- Wényuān yīnghuá 文苑英華 juǎn 197 (citations)
- Lèifǔ shī jí 樂府詩集 juǎn 21 (citations)