中古回文诗三题

Three Topics on Medieval Palindromic Poems

“回文诗”是中国古代文学一种独特的艺术形式,它最早出现在西晋时期,在南北分裂、动乱频繁的东晋南北朝时期,广泛传播于南北各地,成为当时流行的诗体之一。中古时代回文诗的兴起和繁盛,很可能是受到了印度文化的影响。编纂十卷《回文集》的谢灵运,写《回文研铭》的沈约,以及创作回文诗的王融、梁元帝萧绎等,都与佛教有某种联系,甚至精通佛教或梵文,而前秦苏蕙的《织锦回文璇玑诗图》,也不能排除佛教和梵语文学影响的因素。

“Palindrome poetry”is a unique art form of ancient Chinese literature.It first appeared in the Western Jin Dynasty.It was widely spread in the north and south during the Eastern Jin Dynasty and Southern and Northern Dynasties when the North and South were divided and troubled frequently.It was one of the popular poetic styles at that time.The prosperity of palindrome poetry in the Middle Ages was probably influenced by Indian culture.Xie Lingyun who compiled the ten-volume Palindrome Collectio,Shen Yue who wrote the Palindrome Yanming(the poems wrote by CHEN Yuyi),and Wang Rong,Liang Yuandi as well as Xiao Yi who wrote palindrome poems,all have some connection with Buddhism and even mastered Buddhism or Sanskrit.And Su Hui’s Brocade Palindrome Xuanji Poetry Diagram of the Former Qin Dynasty cannot rule out the influence of Buddhism and Sanskrit literature.