Lǐ Délín jí 李德林集
Collected Works of Li Delin (Reconstructed) by 李德林 (撰)
About the work
A reconstructed collection (jíyìběn 輯佚本) of the literary writings of Lǐ Délín 李德林 (531–591 CE), Sui dynasty official and writer. Organized in three juǎn, the collection opens with the poem 〈相逢狹路間〉 (Meeting on a Narrow Path; cited from Lèifǔ shījí 樂府詩集 juǎn 34 and Shī jì 詩紀 juǎn 121), followed by the imperial-tour poems 〈從駕巡遊〉 and 〈從駕還京〉 (accompanying the emperor on circuit; cited from Chūxué jì 初學記 juǎn 13, Wényuān yīnghuá 文苑英華 juǎn 170, and Shī jì juǎn 121 and 129), and further poems including 〈夏日〉, 〈入山〉, and 〈詠松樹〉 — the last attributed explicitly to “李德林詩” by Wànhuāgǔ 萬花谷 juǎn 38. The collection confirms Lǐ Délín’s authorship through direct attribution in Wànhuāgǔ. 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
Lǐ Délín 李德林 (531–591 CE; zì Gōngfǔ 公輔; CBDB id 175331, death year confirmed as ca. 591 by Tackett) was a Northern Qi and Sui official and literary figure from Bólíng 博陵 Ānpíng 安平 (modern Hebei). He served in the Northern Qi administration as a literary secretary, composing numerous important documents, and after the Sui unification became one of Emperor Wen’s most trusted drafters, serving eventually as Nèishǐ líng 內史令 (Director of the Imperial Secretariat). Wilkinson (Chinese History: A New Manual, §49.2) cites him as the original compiler of the Běi Qíshū 北齊書 (History of the Northern Qi): “Li Delin (the father of Li Baiyao) had prepared the first draft on which his son compiled the Qishu.” His biography is in Suíshū 隋書 juǎn 42 and Běishǐ 北史 juǎn 72. See 李德林 for full biography.
As a poet, Lǐ Délín composed in the court genres expected of a high official: tour poems accompanying the emperor on imperial progresses (cóng jià shī 從駕詩), nature poems, and occasional verse. The 〈從駕巡遊〉 and 〈從駕還京〉 belong to the established genre of imperial-procession verse that would flourish further in the early Tang. His son Lǐ Bǎiyào 李百藥 (565–648 CE) completed the Běi Qíshū and is himself a significant early Tang poet.
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 Li Delin.
- Klein, Esther. “Li Delin.” In Knechtges and Chang, eds., Ancient and Early Medieval Chinese Literature: A Reference Guide. Leiden: Brill, 2010–2014.
Links
- Wikipedia: Li Delin