Qiūyán shījí 秋巖詩集
The Qiū-yán (Autumn-Cliff) Poetry Collection by 陳宜甫 (撰)
About the work
The two-juàn poetic remnant of Chén Yífǔ 陳宜甫 (catalog meta gives 1255–1299; no firm CBDB record), hào Qiūyán 秋巖, a Mǐn 閩 (Fújiàn) native and Yuán-period imperial-attendant who served under both Khubilai and Chéngzōng. The Sìkù editors note that the original Qiūyán jí in the Yǒnglè dàdiǎn did not preserve the author’s full name or temporal context; the editors identified him as Chén Yífǔ on the basis of Jiāo Hóng’s Guóshǐ jīngjí zhì listing of Chén Yífǔ Qiūyán jí. The biography reconstructed from the poems’ internal evidence:
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Letter-poem to Liú Jièchén: “Several times in dreams I have searched for you; / Three-foot books arrive to draw me home — / Mǐn-sea waves grow fat with spring rain past, / Hélín sand grows distant with morning clouds flying” — establishing Chén as a Mǐnrén (Fújiàn man) who had been to Hélín 和林 (Karakorum).
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Gēngchén zài suí jià běi xíng: Two poems on the Gēngchén year (Zhìyuán 17 = 1280) accompanying the imperial procession north — establishing Chén as an imperial-attendant in the Shìzǔ (Khubilai) era.
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Dú Yuánzhēn gǎiyuán zhào: Poem on reading the Yuánzhēn gǎiyuán (i.e. the inauguration of the Yuánzhēn era = 1295) — establishing Chén’s presence at Chéngzōng’s accession.
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Bǐngshēn shíyuè hùcóng Jìnwáng lǐng xiángbīng rù jīng cháojìn shī: Poem on the Bǐngshēn year (Yuánzhēn 2 = 1296) tenth month accompanying the Jìnwáng Gāmǎlā (Gāmǎlā 噶瑪喇, original transliteration Gānmálà 甘麻剌 corrected to Gāmǎlā by Sìkù editors per the standardized Yuán-name transcription) at the head of surrendered troops to the capital for audience. The Yuánshǐ records that Gāmǎlā (Yùzōng’s eldest son) was enfeoffed Liángwáng in Zhìyuán 27 (1290), reassigned Jìnwáng in Zhìyuán 29 (1292), and was sent to suppress rebel-prince Yǒnghéěr 永和爾 (original transliteration Yuèmùhūér 岳木忽兒 corrected to Yǒnghéěr) — the surrender-of-troops event Chén Yífǔ accompanied.
The collection’s prefaces or fùlù are entirely lost. Chén’s poetic associates include the great mid-Yuán literati: Lú Zhì 盧摰 (1242–1314), Yáo Suì 姚燧 姚燧 (1238–1313), Zhào Mèngfǔ 趙孟頫 趙孟頫, Chéng Jùfū 程鉅夫 程鉅夫, Liú Mèngyán 留夢炎 — established by surviving exchange poetry — but these figures’ own collections rarely refer to Chén, accounting for the obscurity of his biographical record.
Tiyao
The Chén Qiūyán shījí, 2 juàn. [The] Chén Qiūyán jí scattered-appears in the Yǒnglè dàdiǎn-mid — yet [it] does not record his name; also does not record [his] era. Examining Jiāo Hóng’s Guóshǐ jīngjí zhì there is Chén Yífǔ Qiūyán jí — [it] should be this person. As for juélǐ (titles-and-native-place) [these] in-the-end [are] not examinable. In the collection [the] Jiē Liú Jièchén shūshī says: “Several times in dreams I searched-for you to go; three-foot books come to draw me home — Mǐn-sea waves fat-with the spring-rain past, Hélín sand far-with the morning-clouds flying” — [he] should be a Mǐn man. Also has Gēngchén zài suí jià běi xíng two poems; gēngchén [is] Zhìyuán 17 (1280) — so in Yuán Shìzǔ’s time once [he was] a shìcóng (attendant). Also has Dú Yuánzhēn gǎiyuán zhào shī; Bǐngshēn shíyuè hùcóng Jìnwáng lǐng xiángbīng rù jīng cháojìn shī. Examining [against] the Yuánshǐ: bǐngshēn [is] Yuánzhēn 2 (1296); the Jìnwáng [whose] name [was] Gāmǎlā (case-note: original-written Gānmálà; now corrected) [was] Yùzōng’s eldest son, tiānxìng rénhòu (heavenly-disposition humane-and-generous), yùxià yǒu ēn (those-below were graced), the Wángfǔ officials from nèishǐ downward all asked-command of the tiānzǐ and did-not-dare slightly-monopolize. Once [he] went out to garrison the northern frontier; the rebel-prince Yǒnghéěr (case-note: original-written Yuèmùhūér; now corrected) and others, hearing of his arrival, looking-toward-the-wind requested-surrender. In Zhìyuán 27 enfeoffed Liángwáng; in Zhìyuán 29 re-enfeoffed Jìnwáng. What [we say of] “leading the surrender-troops” should be precisely this event. So in Chéngzōng’s time again [Chén Yífǔ] was a Jìnwáng liáoshǔ (subordinate-officer).
His poetry [is] much with Lú Zhì, Yáo Suì, Zhào Mèngfǔ, Chéng Jùfū, Liú Mèngyán and others in mutual chànghé (exchange-composition); yet [those] various persons’ poetry rarely reaches [his] — his beginning-and-ending [is] thereupon not-recoverable in detail. The original collection [in] Jiāo Hóng’s zhì gives [it as] 1 juàn; yet the pieces-and-numbers are rather many — suspect its character-stroke [was] incidentally erroneous. Now according-to what the Yǒnglè dàdiǎn preserves [we] have edited [it] as upper-and-lower 2 juàn. His poetry largely [has] origin emerging from Yuán [Zhěn] [and] Bái [Jūyì] — although in yùnyì (transporting-meaning), qiǎncí (sending-forth-words) [it] lacks the achievement of shēnkè qíjǐng (deep-cut, marvellously-startling) — yet píngzhèng tōngdá (level-correct, conveyed-clearly) — [in his] language [there is] no géài (obstruction-and-hindrance) — [it] requires [us to say it is] also still not failing to be an elegant-sound.
Respectfully collated, ninth month of Qiánlóng 46 (1781). Chief-Compiler Officers Jì Yún 紀昀, Lù Xīxióng 陸錫熊, Sūn Shìyì 孫士毅; Chief-Collation Officer Lù Fèichí 陸費墀.
Abstract
The poetic remnant of Chén Yífǔ (probable dates fl. 1280–1300), a Fú-jiàn-born Yuán-period imperial-attendant whose obscure biographical record had to be reconstructed by the Sìkù editors from the internal evidence of his collection. The principal historiographical interest is the documentation of: (1) his presence in Hélín (Karakorum); (2) his accompaniment of the imperial procession north in Zhìyuán 17 (1280) under Khubilai; (3) his attendance at Chéngzōng’s accession (Yuánzhēn era 1295); (4) his accompaniment of Jìnwáng Gāmǎlā on the Yuánzhēn 2 (1296) entry of surrendered troops from rebel-prince Yǒnghéěr into the capital.
The reconstructed name Gāmǎlā 噶瑪喇 (corrected from the older Sìkù-original Gānmálà 甘麻剌) and Yǒnghéěr 永和爾 (corrected from older Yuèmùhūér 岳木忽兒) reflect the Sìkù-era standardized transcription of Mongol-Yuán names — a Qián-lóng-period imperial editorial intervention preserved in the Sìkù base. (Note: contemporary modern scholarship transcribes Gāmǎlā as Kammala / Gammala and Yǒnghéěr as Yobukur / Yolqur — the modern reconstructions differ from the Sìkù correction.)
The Sìkù editors evaluate Chén’s verse as origins-in-Yuán-Zhěn-Bái-Jū-yì style — píngzhèng tōngdá (level-correct, conveyed-clearly), though lacking deep originality. Composition window: probably 1275–1300.
Translations and research
- Yuán-shǐ lacks a biography of Chén Yí-fǔ. Principal data is the internally-reconstructed Sìkù tíyào analysis.
- Standard Yuán-poetry references.
Other points of interest
The Sìkù-period reconstruction of Chén Yífǔ’s biography from his own collection’s internal evidence is a model case of philological recovery: in the absence of any preserved prefaces, xíngzhuàng, or external biographical record, the editors used poem-titles, dated annotations, and identifiable historical-event references to establish a basic life-outline and confirm his identity against Jiāo Hóng’s bibliographical catalog. The retention of “case-notes” (àn) on the imperial corrections of Mongol-Yuán proper names — Gānmálà → Gāmǎlā, Yuèmùhūér → Yǒnghéěr — preserves a snapshot of Qián-lóng-era Sino-Mongol historical-philological practice.
Links
- WYG SKQS V1202.5, p673.