Su Shi Ci Bian Nian Xiao Zhu

Author: Wang Zongtang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-09-01
Features: This book is based on the "Dongpo Ci" compiled by Wu Nen of the Ming Dynasty, fully utilizing the research achievements of recent scholars, and provides a comprehensive and meticulous collation as well as an innovative chronological arrangement of Su Shi's ci poems. The annotations in this book are detailed and the revisions are rigorous, with academic quality surpassing similar manuscripts.
Editor's Note: Refining the genuine and discarding the false leads to refinement. Zeng Zaozhuang – Reading the "Collected and Annotated Chronological Arrangement of Su Shi's Ci" by Zou Tongqing and Wang Zongtang. Before this century, many people annotated Su Shi's poems, but few annotated his ci poems. Only one edition, Fu's "Annotations on Dongpo Ci," circulated in a limited circle as a handwritten manuscript. In this century, works such as Zhu Zumou's "Chronological Arrangement of Dongpo Ci" and Long Yusheng's "Collected and Annotated Chronological Arrangement of Dongpo Ci" appeared. In the past 30 years, annotating Su Shi's ci poems has become a trend, with Cao Shuming, Zheng Xiangheng, Tang Lingling, and Xue Ruisheng all having complete annotated collections of Su Shi's ci. I believe that the collation of old annotations on Su Shi's ci poems should be ranked highest in terms of achievement by Liu Shangrong's "Collected and Annotated Version of Fu's Annotations on Dongpo Ci," while the most recent annotations on Su Shi's ci poems should be ranked highest by Xue Ruisheng's "Collected and Annotated Chronological Arrangement of Dongpo Ci." After reading the recently published "Collected and Annotated Chronological Arrangement of Su Shi's Ci" by Zou Tongqing and Wang Zongtang from Zhonghua Book Company, I would like to transfer my comments on Xue's "Annotations" to Zou and Wang's "Annotations." The "Annotations" by Zou and Wang began 20 years ago and were submitted 10 years ago, but were only published at the end of 2002, as the authors put it, "early completed but late published" ("Post-Correction After Annotation"). The book's editor, Liu Shangrong, remarked: "Since 1982, the project was initiated, in 1992, the draft was finalized and submitted, but it was delayed until 1999 before printing, and finally published at the end of 2002. The 20-year arduous journey is truly as difficult as the 'Sichuan Road'—'harder than climbing Mount Qingcheng.'"
However, bad things often turn into good ones. Late publication leads to refinement, and the later it comes, the better it is. This early completed but late published annotation of Su Shi's ci poems is, in my opinion, more satisfactory than Xue's "Annotations," and this is only natural, as it incorporates the research achievements of predecessors, including Xue's annotations. The reason why the "Annotations" by Zou and Wang are more satisfactory than Xue's "Annotations" lies primarily in their effort to distinguish the genuine from the spurious. Generally, Song and Yuan edition versions of Su Shi's ci poems contain only 260 to 270 poems, even if supplemented with lost works, they do not exceed 317 poems. However, editions gradually increased the number, and by the time Tang Guizhang compiled the "Complete Songs of the Song Dynasty," there were as many as 360 "Dongpo Ci." Su Shi's fame was too great, and from his lifetime onwards, many works were attributed to him. This was especially true in the Southern Song Dynasty, and among Su Shi's poems, ci poems were particularly prone to such attributions. The "Dongpo Ci" that emerged in the Ming and Qing dynasties cannot all be said to be spurious, but at least they should not be taken at face value. Cao Shuming's opinion that "it is better to be strict than to be lenient" is correct. He annotated only 270 of Su Shi's ci poems and added unchronologized poems, bringing the total to 319, while the remaining 40 were classified as shared poems or misattributed poems. This approach preserved the "Dongpo Ci" from various editions while reminding readers that some of these poems might not be reliable and require further study. However, Cao often did not delve deeply into these misattributed poems, simply dismissing them as "unlike in style" or "unlike in tone," which are subjective judgments difficult to verify, making his conclusions less convincing.
What makes the "Annotations" by Zou and Wang particularly valuable is that they included 53 "Dongpo Ci" and 9 fragments as misattributed works, providing credible reasons for their classifications. For example, "Jiangchengzi" ("Southbound swallows, northbound geese," p. 931): First, based on the versions of Su Shi's ci poems, it was identified as a misattribution: "This poem appears in Wu's edition, Ming-era complete collections, and the 'Elegant Collection of Two Masters.' It is not found in Fu's edition, Yuan-era editions, Mao's edition, Zhu's edition, Long's edition, or Cao's edition." Mao's edition also explained the reason for its exclusion: "Qin Huaihai's poems were deleted." It then cites over a dozen versions of Qin Huaihai's poems to confirm that they indeed belong to Qin, and concludes: "Wu Nen's 'Supplementary Dongpo Ci' listed this as Su Shi's poem, but it was a misattribution. The Ming-era complete collections and the 'Elegant Collection of Two Masters' both followed Wu's edition in error." The examination of "Yumumei" ("Falling flowers have danced in the wind," p. 933) is also quite credible: "This poem was written by Ye Mengde. It is included in all extant versions of 'Shilin Ci,' and Mao's 'Shilin Ci,' which was engraved based on Song-era editions, is particularly reliable. Moreover, Song-era anthologies such as Zeng and Huang's selections also list it as Ye Mengde's work. Zeng's 'Elegant Collection of Song Poems' was compiled in the Bingyin year of the Shaoxing era (1146), when Ye Mengde was still alive, so it is reasonable to attribute this to him. However, 'Dongpo Ci' in Song and Yuan-era editions does not include it. It was only added in the Ming Wanli era by Mao Wei's edition of the 'Complete Collection of Dongpo.' Mao's edition of the 'Complete Collection' is widely criticized for being 'highly disordered,' so it is unreliable."
The "Annotations" by Zou and Wang not only rely heavily on textual evidence to determine the authenticity of Su Shi's ci poems but also pay great attention to the records of contemporary scholars. For example, although Fu's, Yuan-era, and Wu-era editions all include "Zhugu Tian" ("White herons fly by the Xisai Mountain," p. 929), based on the postscript by Xu Shichuan in Volume 2 of Zeng's "Elegant Collection of Song Poems," it was identified as Huang Tingjian's work. After citing Xu's postscript, the "Annotations" state: "To complete the 'Fisherman's Ci' of Yuanzhenzi, both Su Shi and Huang Tingjian wrote a 'Huanxiasha' each. Later, Huang Tingjian regretted his earlier work ('Huanxiasha' by Huang Tingjian: 'New wife's promontory, eyebrows frown in sorrow') for not being skillful enough, so he composed this 'Zhugu Tian.' Xu Shichuan, Huang's nephew, spoke with more credibility."
The "Annotations" by Zou and Wang handle the authenticity of Su Shi's ci poems with caution, classifying any works they are unsure about as shared poems or doubtful works. For example, "Pusaman" ("Gentle shadows creep into the temples, makeup faint," p. 887): Some attribute it to Su Shi, such as Zeng's "Supplementary Dongpo Ci," which was compiled before the Guangguan year (1109) of the Northern Song Dynasty. Others attribute it to Xie Jing: "It first appeared in Huang's 'Choice of the Best Poems of Song and Yuan Scholars,' which was first published in the Chunjiu year (1249) of the Southern Song Dynasty, nearly a century later than Zeng's 'Supplementary Dongpo Ci,' so its reliability is questionable." However, the authors did not completely attribute it to Su Shi based on the time of compilation, as they also considered Cao Shuming's opinion: "Cao's annotations state that 'Xie Jing's poems are merely about the beauty of women,' and 'the mood of this poem aligns with Xie Jing's style, so it is not Su Shi's work. It has been moved to the misattributed category.'" However, they do not fully agree with Cao's opinion: "Determining authenticity based solely on mood lacks sufficient evidence and is not convincing." Instead, they adopted the cautious approach of the "Complete Songs of the Song Dynasty": "'Complete Songs of the Song Dynasty' included it as a shared poem, which is indeed cautious. Whether it belongs to Su Shi or Xie Jing still awaits further study."
For Cao's annotations that judge works as spurious solely based on mood and style, the "Annotations" by Zou and Wang generally reclassify them as doubtful works, which also reflects their caution. For example, "Yumumei" ("Ice skin is naturally slender from birth," p. 918): Cao's annotations state: "This poem has a feminine tone and is unlike Su Shi's style, so it is definitely not by Su Shi. It has been moved to the misattributed category." The "Annotations" by Zou and Wang respond: "This poem is not included in Song and Yuan-era editions of 'Dongpo Ci' but appears in Ming-era complete collections. Its origins are unclear. Cao attributes it to a spurious work based on its mood being unlike Su Shi's, but this lacks sufficient evidence and requires further study. It has been classified as a doubtful work." Many ancient poets wrote poems with a feminine tone, so judging it as not by Su Shi is indeed "lacking sufficient evidence" and hard to convince.
Another example is "Huanxiasha" (Mountain colors invade the dyed clouds): It contains the lines "Xiangchuan wind is still, cold flowers bloom," and "Dreaming of the homeland, how many roads, after waking, southward, separated by the vast distance." Su Shi never visited Xiang River in his lifetime. Even if he did, "dreaming of the homeland" should be westward, not southward. The earliest extant versions of Su Shi's ci poems, Fu's and Yuan-era editions, do not include this poem. Neither do the multiple Song-era Su Shi chronicles (He Lun, Shi Su, Wang Zongji, Fu Zao) mention it. Therefore, the reliability of Su Shi's poem should be treated with caution. Cao included it in the misattributed category. However, Xue's "Annotations" treat it as the opening work, attributing it to the Ganwu year (1115) when Su Shi set out from Jingzhou and headed north, using it to prove the "synchronization of Dongpo Ci with Su Shi's poems and prose." The "Annotations" by Zou and Wang propose a new theory: "This poem is not by Su Shi but by his friend Zhang Shunmin." The reasons they provide are credible, but the authors "dare not be too confident, for the sake of caution, they temporarily classify it as a doubtful work rather than a misattributed one, leaving it to future scholars for resolution." This is very cautious, and it is much safer than classifying it as a misattributed work or a chronologized work.
Following this principle, there are still some questions when reading the "Annotations" by Zou and Wang. First, among the unchronologized works, are there still misattributed or doubtful works? For example, "Mulanangling" ("For ten days, I have not received news from the east," p. 815): "This poem is not included in Wu's edition, nor in Fu's, Yuan-era, or Ming-era complete collections. It is supplemented from the 'Elegant Collection of Two Masters,' Mao's edition, Zhu's edition, Long's edition, and the 'Complete Songs of the Song Dynasty.'" Since this poem appears only in editions after the Ming and Qing dynasties and is not found in any extant Song and Yuan-era editions, it raises the question of whether it is truly by Su Shi?
Another example is "Linjiangxian" ("Last night, I crossed the river where did I stay," p. 825): "This poem is also not included in Wu's, Fu's, Yuan-era, or Ming-era complete collections. It is supplemented from the 'Elegant Collection of Two Masters,' Mao's edition, Zhu's edition, Long's edition, and the 'Complete Songs of the Song Dynasty.'" Cao considered it spurious: "According to records, Su Shi passed through Jinling several times in his life, and each time his travels were documented in poems and letters. There is no record of such leisurely pursuits. The mood of this poem is unlike Su Shi's, so it has been moved to the misattributed category." The "Annotations" by Zou and Wang argue: "This poem is not included in Song and Yuan-era editions of 'Dongpo Ci' but appears in Ming-era editions. There is no conclusive evidence to prove it is a spurious work. It has been retained as a shared poem for further study." In fact, "This poem is not included in Song and Yuan-era editions of 'Dongpo Ci' but appears in Ming-era editions" is itself one piece of evidence. Since Cao already considered it a misattributed work, it should at least be classified as a doubtful work, and leaving it unchronologized is equivalent to confirming it as a work by Su Shi.
Second, among the chronologized works, are there still doubtful works? For example, "Yihuzhu" ("Luocheng spring evening," p. 6): As the "Annotations" by Zou and Wang point out, it can be determined solely from the first line: "This poem was written in Luoyang during late spring." Su Shi passed through Luoyang five times in his life: first in the fifth month of the first year of the Jiaqing era, second in the fifth month of the second year of the Jiaqing era, third in the eleventh month of the sixth year of the Jiaqing era, fourth in the first month of the second year of the Zhiping era, and none of these align with "late spring." The fifth time was in the second year of the Xining era. The "Annotations" by Zou and Wang state: "Su Shi and his brothers completed their mourning for their father in the twelfth month of the first year of the Xining era and left home, passing through Chengdu, Langzhong, Fengxiang, Chang'an, and Luoyang, reaching Bianjing in February of the second year of the Xining era. When passing through Luoyang, it must have been late January or early February. Therefore, this poem must have been written before February of the second year of the Xining era." "Late January or early February" is already hard to call "late spring"; "before February of the second year of the Xining era" can at the earliest only be "late January," which is even less likely to be "late spring." Since the content of this poem does not align with Su Shi's travels, and it is not included in Fu's or Yuan-era editions, why must it be chronologized? Even if it is not classified as a misattributed work, could it not be classified as a doubtful work? Similar doubts still exist, and they are not all listed here.