仙乡中的“仙翁”--论欧阳修亳州诗文对道教的接受

The“Immortal”in the Fairyland:On the Acceptance of Taoism in Ouyang Xiu’s Poems Created in Bozhou

欧阳修早年坚定地信奉儒家思想,认为“仙翁释子”皆为“异说”,但晚年开始倾心于道教,以儒者的身份吸收道教思想。这种思想转变是在多方面因素共同影响下而产生的。从时代环境来看,宋代三教合流的背景为欧阳修思想的转变提供了前提条件;从个人身体条件来看,晚年身患“消渴症”、双目眊昏的他已经不能再担任要职;更重要的是,欧阳修晚年乞求致仕不成,出知亳州之后,受这一空间的触动,心灵和情感得到了升华,使他对道教的态度发生了改变。欧阳修在亳州时期创作的诗文数量虽然不多,但在遣词造句方面极具道教特色,大量使用与道教相关的典故和人物,反映出他对道教养生思想的接受和推崇。

Ouyang Xiu was a faithful believer in Confucianism in his early years,rejecting both Taoism and Buddhism as unorthodox beliefs.However,he became enamoured of Taoism in his later years and absorbed it into his Confucian thoughts.This thought transformation occurred under the joint influence of many factors.From the perspective of historical context,the integration of the three religions in the Song Dynasty provided an ideological background and a prerequisite for the transformation.From the perspective of his physical condition,he was then unable to occupy prestigious positions for suffering from emaciation-thirst disease and poor eyesight.More importantly,his retirement request was denied and he was dispatched to Bozhou as the magistrate of the county.Touched by the landscape and atmosphere of that space,his spirits and emotions had been sublimated,which caused the change in his attitude towards Taoism.Although his poems created during this period are limited in number,they abound in Taoist characteristics in terms of wording and phrasing.In these poems he has utilized a considerable number of Taoist allusions and characters,which reflects his acceptance and praise of Taoist thoughts on health preservation.