清代江南孀妇悼夫诗词创作姿态通论

General Theory of Poetry-Writing Posture of Widows in Jiangnan in the Qing Dynasty

创作姿态是作家写作心态的外现。清代江南孀妇在痛失夫婿后,或长歌当哭,或短歌倾诉,创作了为数不菲的悼夫诗词。清代江南孀妇悼夫诗词创作姿态大致可分为八种:遽失夫婿的悲痛欲绝、愿赴黄泉的殉夫诉求、特殊日期的痛苦缅怀、妇代子职的侍奉舅姑、抚养子女的举步维艰、日常生活的触景伤情、乱世流离的孤苦无依、梦中相见的复杂情感。这些创作姿态无不真实地呈现出清代江南孀妇在夫亡后的不同时间节点、不同情景境遇下的自我形象,彰显了悲伤绝望、痛苦挣扎、深情追悼的孀妇生活的各个方面,也反映出她们真实的人格。

Writing posture is the external manifestation of a poet’s writing mentality.In the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911),widows in the regions south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River(traditionally referred to as“Jiangnan”)often lamented their husbands with tears and expressed their grief in poems long and short.Mental postures underlying composition of these poems reminiscent of their loved ones can be roughly divided into eight kinds:1)grief over the lost loves;2)wish to join the deceased in the after world;3)remembrance on special days;4)commitment to carrying on filial duties;5)difficulties in up-brining the children;6)moments touched by past memories;7)helplessness facing a wandering life in a troubled time;and 8)mixed emotions of seeing husbands in dreams.These postures all truly present the self-images of these widows in the Qing Dynasty under different time nodes and circumstances,revealing all aspects of their lives of sadness,despair,pain,struggle and deep mourning as well as their real personalities.