历史与传说间的文学变奏——伯奇本事及其历史演变考论

The Literary Variation between History and Legend: A Textual Research of Boqi's Story and Its Historical Evolution

作为后世广为传诵的孝而被弃的典范,伯奇及其本事呈现出令人注目的时段性特点:先秦文献记载阙失,启人疑窦;西汉诸说蜂起,莫衷一是;东汉至晋,既展示出显著的历史化、经学化倾向,又涌动着夹杂想象、虚构的传说暗潮。其间相激相荡,相克相生,几经转化,最后构成以《履霜操》及相关叙述为载体的定型文本。总而观之,汉代以来围绕伯奇故事所出现的种种记载、议论和创作,与其说在于慎终追远,还原历史,不如说是徘徊在历史与传说之间,遵循有序与无序的发展规则,进行着一种文学的变奏。换言之,伯奇故事在汉晋历史上的每一次大的变动,既受制于历史与传说间的张力,不至于过度远离历史或"观念历史",也追求着精神的自由和心灵的秩序,使其在不断的情节完善中一步步逼近文学的真实。

As a seminal paragon of being filial yet being abandoned,Boqi and his story demonstrated compelling characteristics of periodic variation:in the pre-Qin times,there left suspicion due to the lack of relevant documents;in the Western Han Dynasty,various statements rose which differed from each other;from the Eastern Han to the Jin Dynasties,there both showed a notable tendency toward history and Confucianism,and flowed the undercurrent of legend mixed with imagination and fiction.After interaction,interpromotion,interrestraint,and transformation of those trends,the definitive texts of'Treading on Frost'and other relevant narrations were finally constructed.All in all,the kinds of records,discussions,and creations around Boqi's story since the Han Dynasty constitute a literary variation which wander between history and legend,and follow the orderly or disorderly principle,rather than recollecting an ancient sage,or restoring the history.In other words,on the one hand,each big change of Boqi's story from the Han to Jin Dynasties is subject to the tension between history and legend to keep it not too distant from history or the'history of ideas',and on the other hand,the narrative pursues the spiritual freedom and mental order,making it more and more close to the literary reality through continuous improvement of its plot.