Wú Jūn jí 吳均集
Collected Works of Wu Jun (Reconstructed) by 吳均 (撰)
About the work
A reconstructed collection (jíyìběn 輯佚本) of the literary writings of Wú Jūn 吳均 (469–520 CE), Liang dynasty poet, prose writer, and historian. Organized in two juǎn, the collection contains a varied body of work. The first juǎn opens with martial yuèfǔ 樂府 imitations (〈戰城南〉, 〈雉子班〉, 〈入關〉, 〈梅花落〉, 〈城上烏〉, 〈從軍行〉, 〈胡無人行〉, and others) cited from Shī jì 詩紀 juǎn 81, Lèifǔ shījí 樂府詩集, Wényuān yīnghuá 文苑英華, and Yìwén lèijù 藝文類聚; landscape poems (〈山中雜詩三首〉 including the celebrated “山際見來煙，竹中窺落日 / 鳥向簷上飛，雲從牕裏出”, cited from Lèijù juǎn 36); and miscellaneous poems cited from Shī jì juǎn 82. The second juǎn contains his celebrated landscape rhapsodies, prose letters, and documentary pieces: the famous 〈與施從事書〉, 〈與朱元思書〉, and 〈與顧章書〉 (all cited from Yìwén lèijù juǎn 7–8), 〈吳城賦〉, 〈八公山賦〉, and 〈檄江神責周穆王璧〉. The collection is confirmed by internal citations: 〈詠慈姥磯石上松〉 is identified as “吳均詩” in Wànhuāgǔ hòu 萬花谷後 juǎn 38. The note at line 49 citing “梁元帝《賦得涉江采芙蓉詩》” in several sources (also attributed to 詩紀 81) reflects transmission ambiguities common to this period. 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
Wú Jūn 吳均 (469–520 CE; zì Shūlǎo 叔痒) was a Liang dynasty writer, historian, and poet from Wúxīng 吳興 (modern Zhejiang). He served as a literary secretary (jìshì 記室) and rose to minor official positions, but is best known for his literary works. His biography is in Liángshū 梁書 juǎn 49 and Nán shǐ 南史 juǎn 72.
Wú Jūn is celebrated primarily for three short epistolary fù that describe the mountain scenery of his native Zhejiang with vivid, precise imagery: the 〈與施從事書〉, 〈與朱元思書〉, and 〈與顧章書〉, all preserved in Yìwén lèijù juǎn 7–8. The 〈與朱元思書〉 — describing the 100 li of scenery from Fùyáng 富陽 to Tónglú 桐廬 — is among the most anthologized short prose pieces in the Chinese literary tradition: “風煙俱淨，天山共色，從流飄蕩，任意東西” (Wind and mist both clear, sky and mountains one color; drifting with the current, going east and west as one wills). His 〈山中雜詩〉 are equally celebrated as miniatures of natural observation.
As a military yuèfǔ poet, Wú Jūn wrote vigorous martial verses that stand somewhat apart from the palace style dominant at the Liang court. His historical writings include the Qí Chūn qiū 齊春秋 (Annals of Qi) and the Xù Qí Xié jì 續齊諧記 (Continuation of the Qi Harmonious Record, a collection of anomaly tales).
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 Wu Jun.
- Strassberg, Richard E., trans. Inscribed Landscapes: Travel Writing from Imperial China. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994. (Translation of 〈與朱元思書〉.)
- Tian, Xiaofei. Beacon Fire and Shooting Star: The Literary Culture of the Liang (502–557). Cambridge: Harvard University Asia Center, 2007.
Links
- Wikipedia: Wu Jun