Chēnjiāng bǎiyǒng 郴江百詠
One Hundred Songs of Chēn-jiāng by 阮閱 (撰)
About the work
Chēnjiāng bǎiyǒng 郴江百詠 in 1 juǎn is a thematic poetry-cycle by Ruǎn Yuè 阮閱, composed during his three-year tenure as Prefect of Chēnzhōu 郴州 (Húnán) and dated by his own preface to Xuānhé jiǎchén 宣和甲辰 (1124), 2nd month Zhōnghé day. The 100 poems each treat a distinctive site, vista, temple, or geographic feature of the Chēn region, with the explicit project of filling-in poetic coverage of locations underrepresented in prior Tang poetic record (Dù Fǔ, Hán Yù, Liǔ Zōngyuán, Shěn Quánqí, Dài Shūlún). The collection is significant as one of the most concentrated specimens of jiáyǒng (place-poetry-cycle) form from the late Northern Sòng. The Sìkù recension is missing 8 of the 100 poems; two poems from Yuánzhōu (added under Ruǎn’s later Prefecture there) are appended from the Bào Zhībùzú zhāi edition.
Tiyao
Chēnjiāng bǎiyǒng in 1 juǎn, by Ruǎn Yuè of the Sòng. Yuè, zì Hóngxiū, of Shūchéng. Jiànyán beginning, office to Zhī Yuánzhōu. What he composed of Shīhuà zǒngguī — separately recorded. Further has Sōngjú jí — today lost-and-not-transmitted.
This Chēnjiāng bǎiyǒng is composed during Xuānhé while Zhī Chēnzhōu. His poetry has-much zōng (Chán-school) discussion — surely the Sòng-period style was thus. While Yuè had-always paid-attention-to yínyǒng (chanting), much-knowing yípiān (lost-pieces) — hence still does-not-fall-into suānfǔ (sour-pedantic) language. For example, Dōngshān shī says: “Lízhàng mángxié guò shuǐdōng; hóngqún jìmò jiǔ zūn kōng. Jùnrén jiàn wǒ yīng xiāngxiào; bùsì Shāngōng yǔ Xiègōng”. Further Qiánmíngsì shī says: “Zhísōng qūjí dū xiūdào; Tíngxià shānchá wèishèn hóng?” Often there is sīzhì (thoughtful interest).
Further like Yùquán one piece: “gǔlái shībìng zhī duōshǎo; shìwèn cónglái liáo-de wú?” Although-marked-with-aspect, but as one for-himself the shīhuà one-volume composer — this also is shī zhōng yǒu rén (poetry with person within), different-from those mǎshǒu zhī luò (horse-head-of-noose) [i.e. mere itinerary records].
This version comes from Lì È’s family. The bǎiyǒng still lacks 8. Examining the Chēnzhōu zhì, also does-not-record. Wú Zhīzhèn’s Sòng shī chāo selection and Cáo Tíngdòng’s Sòng shī cún selection both did-not-include. Preserving-it also can supplement the various selections’ lacunae.
Only — under each title — without zìzhù běnshì (notes on the underlying-affair). Without comparing-with the tújīng (gazetteer-and-illustrations), one reads-and-is-completely-unable-to-know what is meant. Or perhaps copyists omitted-them. The Yuánzhōu fǔzhì records his Xuānfēng dàoshàng shī one piece, Tí Chūnbōtíng shī one piece. The Bàoshì Zhībùzúzhāi version recorded these at the end of this collection — to supplement the Sōngjú jí’s loss. Now also follow the Bào-version, recording-and-preserving-them. Respectfully collated, Qiánlóng 46 (1781), 5th month.
Abstract
The Chēnjiāng bǎiyǒng is a precisely-dated thematic poetry-cycle (preface Xuānhé jiǎchén = 1124) and is the most concentrated extant specimen of late-Northern-Sòng bǎiyǒng (hundred-songs) place-poetry. Ruǎn Yuè’s preface explicitly positions the cycle as supplementing the inadequate poetic coverage of the Chēn region in earlier Tang sources. The Tang predecessors named — Dù Fǔ (Jì Nièlìng rù Chēnzhōu), Hán Yù (Chēnjiāng), Liǔ Zōngyuán (Dēng Běilóu), Shěn Quánqī (WàngXiānshān), Dài Shūlún (Guò Chēnzhōu) — give the project a clear genealogy.
The collection survived through Lì È 厲鶚’s family copy. The Sìkù recension is missing 8 of the original 100 poems; the Sìkù editors append two further poems on Yuánzhōu (from Ruǎn’s later prefecture there) drawn from the Bào Zhībùzú zhāi edition.
The Sìkù editors note an important loss: the original under-title annotations identifying the underlying place-and-affair (běnshì 本事) have been lost. Reading the cycle now requires recourse to the Chēnzhōu gazetteer for site-identification.
CBDB id 33284 has no lifedates; Ruǎn’s known active period is Xuānhé (1124) to Jiànyán (1127–30).
Translations and research
- Ruǎn Yuè’s own preface (1124) — preserved at head of WYG.
- Chēn-zhōu zhì — for site-identifications (now necessary for reading the cycle).
- Yuán-zhōu fǔ-zhì — preserves the appended Yuán-zhōu poems.
- No dedicated Western-language study located.
Other points of interest
- Read alongside Ruǎn’s Shīhuà zǒngguī (KR4h series) for the full Ruǎn corpus. The Shīhuà zǒngguī preserves substantial Sòng poetic-criticism material.