“牛郎织女”传说新探

A New Exploration on the Legend of The Cowherd and The Girl Weaver

《诗·小雅·大东》是最早记载牛郎织女传说的诗篇,但论者一般不将此诗所记的牛女作配偶看待。笔者认为,在西周时期就已产生了天帝之孙织女与牛郎结为夫妻,因违背天帝意志,被天河阻隔,一年一度才能在鹊桥相会的传说。他们美好的爱情是与西周社会开始出现的"男耕女织"的经济生活和从群婚的混沌中走出来,有了一夫一妻的专偶婚息息相关。将牛郎织女的配偶关系视为尚处于原始母系氏族社会的"阿注婚"的观点是站不住的。由于西周时期一夫一妻制已与宗法制联系在一起,媒妁之言、父母之命、等级制度和财产观念等,开始向爱情生活渗透。这是造成牛郎织女爱情悲剧的根源所在。

Book of Songs·Xiaoya·Dadong is the earliest poem which recorded the legend of The Cowherd and The Girl Weaver,however,the cowherd and the girl weaver in the poem are hardly regarded as a couple by researchers.The author deems it was in Western Zhou Dynasty that the legend of God's grandchildren,the cow- herd and the girl weaver,was created.It was said that the cowherd and the girl weaver were married,but they could only meet once a year on the Magpie Bridge,for they violated the God's will.The reason that their wonder- ful love appeared is closely linked to the economic life of'Men Cultivate and Women Weave',and to the process from the chaos of group marriage to monogamy marriage.The viewpoint,which regards the couple relationship of the cowherd and the girl weaver as the'Azhu Marriage'of primitive matriarchal clan society,is untenable.Since the monogamy had been related to the patriarchal clan system at that time,the command of parents and the good offices of a matchmaker,the hierarchy and the concept of property,etc.started to penetrate into love lives.This is the root of the cowherd and the girl weaver's love tragedy.