白居易诗歌归类考——兼及《长恨歌》的主题

Approach to Classification of Bai Juyi's Poems ——and Theme of Verse of Endless Grief

一般认为,白居易把自己的诗歌分为四类,除杂律以形式为依据以外,讽谕、闲适、感伤三类诗歌均根据内容进行分类。但研究发现,讽谕诗、闲适诗的分类是以"儒家达则兼善天下,穷则独善其身"思想的两个方面为依托,这里并未为感伤诗提供相应的位置,因为儒家这一核心思想并无第三个方面。因此感伤诗的分类,不可能采用与讽谕诗、闲适诗相同的内容依据。白居易把自己的诗歌分为讽谕、闲适、感伤、杂律四类,实际上使用了三种标准,是三次分类的结果,把这一分类结果进行直接并列,而不是分层次表述,这种处理方式与现代严格的逻辑分类要求不同,反映了我国古人思维方式的特点。按照白居易自己确定的标准和分类方式,把《长恨歌》归入感伤诗,并无归类不当问题,但把《长恨歌》归入感伤诗,由于不是以表达特定内容或主题为依据,所以既不能作为表达爱情主题的证据,也并不影响它以特殊的方式表达政治主题。

It is generally believed that Bai Ju-yi classifies his poems into four types: zalu by form and the satiric, the leisure and the sentimental by content. However, a study reveals that when Bai classifies his poems into the four types he does it three times according to three criteria without hierarchy. Bai's method of classification differs from modern one of strict logics, which reflects the characteristics of ancient thinking. It not improper for Bai to classify Verse of Endless Grief into the sentimental according to his own criteria and ways, but its classification, not based on specific content or theme, can not serve as proof for its being love poem and does not affect its expression of political theme in a special way.