汉乐府挽歌歌辞考论

On the Elegy Lyrics of Yuefu(乐府) Poems in the Han Dynasty

汉乐府中存有一些当时用于演唱的挽歌曲目,如《薤露》、《蒿里》、《梁父吟行》等。这些挽歌歌辞能够在丧葬活动中实际演唱的情况,一改先秦"禁乐"的丧葬制度,佐证了汉代挽歌送葬的丧葬礼制。汉代挽歌之所以能够纳入丧葬礼制中,一是与董仲舒提出新的儒家礼乐观有关,他否定旧礼,为民间存在的丧仪风俗争得了合法地位;二是因为汉代挽歌具有一定的仪式功能,如安慰死者,规范活人的行为,维护上下尊卑的秩序等。

There are some elegy lyrics such as Xie Lu, Hao Li and Liang Fu Yin Xing in Yuefu poems in the Han Dynasty. In the Han Dynasty, the etiquette of elegy singing is no longer forbidden in funerals as in the pre-Qin period. There are two major causes underlying this change： first, Dong zhongshu proposed a new concept of ritual music according to Neo-Confucianism and thus folk funeral ceremony won recognition; second, elegy lyrics in the Han Dynasty fulfilled certain ceremonial functions, such as paying tribute to the deceased, setting standards for the living and maintaining social hierarchy.