美玉生涯原是梦——《锦瑟》《红楼梦》的石头意象比较

On the Imagery of Jade and Stone in The Zither and Dream of the Red Chamber

《锦瑟》与《红楼梦》是中国文学中最令人兴味无穷的两部作品,二者在感伤的情调上、在"梦幻感与破灭感"的执着上,以及在具体意象的运用等方面存在着惊人的相似之处。前者的主题意蕴含藏在中间两联合成的幻境上,尤其体现在文化内蕴丰富的"珠玉"意象中。"珠玉"意象,或即"美玉"意象,与后者中至关重要的"石头"意象前后相映,构成了奇异的文学对应关系。美玉顽石本一身,在传统文人的心态史上,它们各居一极,或可被看作是具有标志性意义的双璧。

The Zither and Dream of the Red Chamber are two great literary works in China,which have some surprising similarities in the sorrowful sentiment,disillusionment,application of concrete images,etc.The leitmotiv of the former is implied in a fantasy consisting of four sentences in the middle,especially in the imagery of pearl and jade which possess affluent implications of culture.The imagery of pearl and jade,or the imagery of jade,and the latter’s imagery of stone,form a corresponding relation in literature.Jade and stone are literally one thing taking two different appearances with a symbolic significance in the mentality of traditional literati in China.