Shěn Yuē jí 沈約集
Collected Works of Shen Yue (Reconstructed) by 沈約 (撰)
About the work
A reconstructed collection (jíyìběn 輯佚本) of the literary and official writings of Shěn Yuē 沈約 (441–513 CE), the preeminent Liang dynasty man of letters, historian, and prosodist. Organized in nine juǎn, the first juǎn contains the 〈梁雅樂歌〉 十一首 (Eleven Liang Elegant Music Hymns): 〈皇雅〉, 〈滌雅〉, 〈牷雅〉, 〈諴雅〉, 〈獻雅〉, 〈禋雅〉, and related court ceremonial pieces for the Southern and Northern Suburban Sacrifice (Nán jiāo 南郊, Běi jiāo 北郊) and the Bright Hall (Míng táng 明堂), cited from Suíshū Yīnyuèzhì 隋書音樂志, Lèifǔ shījí 樂府詩集 juǎn 3, Guǎng wénxuǎn 廣文選 juǎn 11, and Shī jì 詩紀 juǎn 95. Subsequent juǎn contain Shěn Yuē’s poetry (cited as 沈約詩 or 一作沈約 in Wényuān yīnghuá 文苑英華, Lèifǔ shījí, Chūxué jì 初學記), prose memorials, ritual debate documents, and imperially commissioned pieces. Multiple citations explicitly name 沈約: “一作沈約”, “入沈約詩” (Báitiě 白帖 juǎn 30), “以為沈約作” (Chūxué jì juǎn 20), and a substantial memorial cited from Liángshū Shěn Yuē zhuàn 梁書沈約傳. This jíyìběn was compiled by Zhāng Pǔ 張溥 (1602–1641) for his Hàn Wèi Liùcháo bǎisān jiā jí 漢魏六朝百三家集 and is not included in the Sìkù quánshū 四庫全書.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source. This text is an extra-catalog reconstruction not included in the Sìkù quánshū 四庫全書.
Abstract
Shěn Yuē 沈約 (441–513 CE; zì Xiūwén 休文) was one of the most influential literary figures of the Southern Dynasties, serving as Shàngshū líng 尚書令 and Tàizǐ shǎoshī 太子少師 under the Liang Emperor Wu. Born in Wúxīng 吳興 (modern Zhejiang), he is celebrated above all as the theorist who articulated the rules of the “Four Tones and Eight Defects” (sì shēng bā bìng 四聲八病) that laid the prosodic foundations of regulated verse (lǜshī 律詩). He is also the author of the Sòng shū 宋書, the official history of the Liu Song dynasty. His biography is in Liángshū 梁書 juǎn 13 and Nán shǐ 南史 juǎn 57.
The 〈梁雅樂歌〉 preserved in the first juǎn of this jíyìběn are the official Liang ritual hymns composed for the imperial suburban sacrifices and the Five Emperors’ Bright Hall rites. These hymns were reformed early in the Tiān jiàn 天監 reign (502–519 CE) of Emperor Wu, and Shěn Yuē led the scholarly effort to reconstruct Liang ceremonial music, as evidenced by his comprehensive memorial to the throne on music and liturgy cited from Suíshū Yīnyuèzhì. The surviving jíyìběn also contains a ritual debate memorial on ancestral temple practices (from Sòngshū Lǐzhì), recommendation memorials for the recluse Shěn Línshì 沈驎士, and substantial poetic fragments cited from the major leishu encyclopaedias and Wényuān yīnghuá.
The Liang imperial ritual music was performed within the elaborate ceremonial structure of Emperor Wu’s court and is the primary documented source for the continuation of court music (yǎ yuè 雅樂) in the Southern Dynasties.
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 Shen Yue.
- Mather, Richard B. “The Controversy over Conformity and Naturalness during the Six Dynasties.” History of Religions 9.2/3 (1969): 160–180.
- Cutter, Robert Joe. “Boudoir in the Distance: Juan Ji’s ‘Yonghuai’ Poetry.” T’oung Pao 73.4/5 (1987). (Context of the prosodic reform background.)
Links
- Wikipedia: Shen Yue