Lúchuān guīlái jí 蘆川歸來集
Lú-chuān (Reed-Stream) Returning Collection by 張元幹 (撰)
About the work
Lúchuān guīlái jí 蘆川歸來集 in 10 juǎn is the literary collection of Zhāng Yuángàn 張元幹 (1091–1170 approx.), Sòng official, cí-master, and Yuányòu-circle late-Northern-Sòng survivor whose 1138 Hè xīnláng 賀新郎 farewell-poem to Hú Quán 胡銓 胡銓 is one of the canonical cí-pieces of Sòng dynasty literary history. The title takes Zhāng’s hào Lúchuān lǎoyǐn 蘆川老隱 (Reed-Stream Aged Recluse). The recension was originally cut by Zhāng’s grandson Zhāng Qīnchén 張欽臣 in Jiādìng jǐmǎo (1219) — the famous two Hè xīnláng manuscripts having been obtained by Qīnchén from Hú Quán’s son. The Sìkù editors enriched the 1219 imprint with material drawn from the Yǒnglè dàdiǎn, fixing the count at 10 juǎn (the original 1219 imprint contained only five-character regulated verse 1 juǎn + seven-character regulated verse 1 juǎn; the gǔtǐ and quatrains were missing; the Sìkù editors recovered these). A 1-juǎn Yōuyán zūnzǔ lù (genealogical work) was kept as appendix.
Tiyao
Lúchuān guīlái jí in 10 juǎn, by Zhāng Yuángàn of the Sòng. [Zhāng] Yuángàn, zì Zhòngzōng, self-styled Zhēnyǐn shānrén, also called Lúchuān lǎoyǐn. Zhōu Bìdà colophons his sending-Hú-Quán cí — calls-him Chánglè’s Zhāng Yuángàn, Suīyáng’s Wáng Jùnmíng’s. While [Wáng] Jùnmíng’s colophon to the Yōuyán zūnzǔ lù calls-him Yǒngfú’s Zhāng Zhòngzōng. Both are Sòng-people’s words; mò xiáng shú shì (none can determine which is correct).
Wáng Míngqīng’s Huīzhú lù records his composing cí to send-off Hú Quán; for this offended; punished as chúmíng (struck-from-the-rolls). Examining the juǎn-end his grandson [Zhāng] Qīnchén’s bá-language calls: “obtained the Hè xīnláng cí two pieces’ true-trace from [Hú] Quán’s son”. His statement is reliable.
But [Hú] Quán was demoted in Shàoxīng wùwǔ (1138). And the collection’s Shàng Zhāng chéngxiàng shī says: “zuìfàng bǐngwǔ mò; guīlái xīnhài chū” (banished at the end of bǐngwǔ 1126; returned at the beginning of xīnhài 1131). Further self-colophons Jì zǔmǔ Liú shì wén — saying: Xuānhé yuánnián (1119) 8th month huòyuán (received-grace) office-affair, passed-by the tomb. So in Huīzōng’s reign, he was already-officed; in Qīnzōng’s reign, already-demoted; only unclear what office he-was.
[Zhāng] Yuángàn — by-the-time he could-know Sū Shì — saw the composed SūHuángmén tiē bá; further accompanied Chén Guàn — rather long; saw the composed Liǎotáng wénjí xù. His poetry-society’s same-singing-companions: Hóng Chú, Hóng Yǎn, Sū Jiān, Sū Xiáng, Pān Chún, Lǚ Běnzhōng, Wāng Zǎo, Xiàng Zǐyīn — seen-in the composed Sū Yǎngzhí shītiē bá. While Jiāng Duānyǒu, Wáng Zhì, etc. people all have zèngdá (presented-and-replied) compositions. Liú Ānshì, Yóu Zuò, Yáng Shí, Lǐ Gāng, Zhū Sōng — these people all wrote-colophons-on the Yōuyán zūnzǔ lù. Hence his learning honoured Yuányòu and rejected Xīníng; poetry-and-prose also all have yuānyuán (pedigree).
His collection today has a manuscript-version — calling-it Jiādìng jǐmǎo (1219) his grandson [Zhāng] Qīnchén cut. But the colophon says the Sòng Chén shìláng shī preface tells of “guàguān”-year of just-41”. The manuscript-version lacks-this piece. Further Zēng Lí’s Tǐngzhāi shīhuà records [Zhāng] Yuángàn’s Tí Xiāoxiāng tú shī; the manuscript-version also lacks-this piece. Examining Hú Zǐ’s Tiáoxī yúyǐn cónghuà — calling once-recorded [Zhāng] Yuángàn’s poetry one juǎn — and [Zhāng] Yuángàn himself did-not-remember. So at-the-time already-not self-collected. Suspect what [Zhāng] Qīnchén recorded had losses.
But the manuscript-version has only five-character regulated 1 juǎn, seven-character regulated 1 juǎn — and lacks ancient-style and quatrains — knowing not the complete-book. Further the colophon-of-Mǐ Yuánhuī’s Pùbùzhóu, colophon of Sū Yǎngzhí juéjù — placed-after the colophon of Jiāngtiān mùyǔ tú, colophon of Jiāng Guàndào gǔsōng juéjù — instead included in the tíbá category — also like later-persons inserting-rearranging — not the original-version.
And examining what is recorded in the Yǒnglè dàdiǎn: the lost various-pieces lírán jùzài (clearly all-present). Today gathered-and-collected into zhì (volumes); with the manuscript-version mutually collated; deleting their duplicates; supplementing their lacunae; fixed as 10 juǎn. [Zhāng] Yuángàn’s poetic-rule rather qiú (vigorous); miscellaneous-prose’s tíbá etc. pieces — all have SūHuáng surviving-meaning — surely the consequence of the eyes-and-ears gradually-soaking. The manuscript-version’s end has Zūnzǔ lù 1 juǎn — that is-the record of his establishing memorial-fields for his grandmother’s outer-family; appended-with contemporary-persons’ colophons; within is much Yuányòu míngchén zhī bǐ (famous-ministers’ brushes) — also kept-per the old version, only appended-as appendix. Respectfully collated, Qiánlóng 46 (1781), 9th month.
Abstract
The Lúchuān guīlái jí in 10 juǎn is the standard recension of Zhāng Yuángàn’s collection. The 1219 imprint by Zhāng’s grandson Zhāng Qīnchén had been incomplete (only five-character regulated 1 juǎn + seven-character regulated 1 juǎn; gǔtǐ and quatrains missing); the Sìkù editors enriched it through Yǒnglè dàdiǎn recovery to fix the structure as 10 juǎn. The principal aesthetic content is the Hú Quán farewell-poem (the Hè xīnláng manuscript famously preserved by Zhāng’s grandson from Hú’s son). The principal genealogical content is the appended Yōuyán zūnzǔ lù with colophons by the Northern-Sòng Dàoxué / Yuányòu greats (Liú Ānshì, Yóu Zuò, Yáng Shí, Lǐ Gāng, Zhū Sōng).
The Sìkù editors specifically place Zhāng’s Yuányòu-school orientation (zūn Yuányòu ér dǐ Xīníng) — both stylistically (SūHuáng inheritance) and politically — at the centre of his historical importance.
Lifedate-discrepancy: the catalog meta gives 1067–1143; CBDB id 19699 gives 1092–1161. Modern scholarship (Wáng Zhàopéng’s Zhāng Yuángàn niánpǔ) places Zhāng at approximately 1091–1170 based on the Lúchuān cíjí’s Qiándào dateable pieces and other internal evidence. The catalog’s 1067 is too early (incompatible with internal evidence); the CBDB’s 1161 death-year is too early. Approximately 1091–1170 is followed here.
Translations and research
- 周必大 colophon to the Hè xīn-láng — preserved.
- 王明清 Huī-zhú lù — preserves the Hú Quán cí episode and Zhāng’s expulsion.
- Wáng Zhào-péng 王兆鵬, Zhāng Yuán-gàn nián-pǔ — modern scholarly biography.
- Quán Sòng cí — preserves the Lú-chuān cí.
- No dedicated Western-language monograph located. Zhāng is treated in surveys of Southern-Sòng cí.
Other points of interest
- The two Hè xīnláng farewell-poems for Hú Quán are among the most-anthologised Sòng cí and are the principal aesthetic and political documents of Zhāng’s career. Read together with KR4d0196 (Hú Quán’s Dànān wénjí).