“正诸侯之礼”与西汉前期的文学创作

“Letting Princes Strictly Follow the Etiquette of Monarchs and Ministers”and Literary Creation in the Early Western Han Dynasty

西汉前期,诸侯王多有僭礼、背礼之举。这一时期不少文学作品以“正诸侯之礼”为主旨,或批判诸侯王骄奢淫逸,或指斥诸侯王荒政虐民,或反对诸侯王僭越不臣,如枚乘《七发》、司马相如《上林赋》、韦孟《讽谏诗》等。西汉前期诸侯王与其治下的士民官吏具有君臣名分,诸侯国的士民官吏具有明显的“二重的君主观念”。根据文本预设接受对象的不同,这类文学作品可分为两类:一类以诸侯王为目标读者,如枚乘《七发》、韦孟《讽谏诗》、司马相如《子虚赋》等;另一类以天子为目标读者,如贾谊《新书》、司马相如《上林赋》等。文本预设接受对象的特定性,直接影响作品的题旨、内容及言说方式。汉武帝之后,伴随中央集权的强化,天子礼尊崇在上,诸侯王僭越、背礼被视为对君臣大义的挑战,诸侯之礼开始纳入严格的礼制规范,“正诸侯之礼”逐步成为现实。

In the early period of the Western Han Dynasty,the princes often violated the etiquette.During this period,many literary works took“letting princes strictly follow the etiquette of monarchs and ministers”as the theme or content,some criticizing the princes’arrogance and extravagance,some accusing the princes of dereliction of duty and abuse of power,and some objecting to the princes’overstepping their authority.Representative works in this regard include Mei Cheng’s Qifa(七发),Sima Xiangru’s Shanglin Fu(上林赋),Wei Meng’s Poem of Admonition(讽谏诗)and so on.In the early period of the Western Han Dynasty,the princes and the civil officials under them had the status of monarchs and ministers,and the civil officials under the princes had the obvious“dual concept of monarchy”.According to the different reception objects of text presupposition,this kind of literary works can be divided into two categories:one is aimed at the princes and kings,such as Mei Cheng’s Qifa(七发),Sima Xiangru’s Zixu Fu(子虚赋),and Wei Meng’s Poem of Admonition(讽谏诗);the other is aimed at the emperor,such as Jia Yi’s New Writings,Sima Xiangru’s Shanglin Fu(上林赋),et cetera.The specificity of the object of text presupposition directly affects the theme,content and way of speaking.After Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty,with the strengthening of centralization,the emperor’s propriety was respected,and the princes’transgression of propriety was regarded as a challenge to the righteousness of the monarch and his ministers.The propriety of the princes began to be included in the strict proprietary system,and“letting princes strictly follow the etiquette of monarchs and ministers”gradually became a reality.