唐代边塞诗中的南疆形象和西域文化书写——以岑参诗歌为例

Depiction of Southern Xinjiang and Cultural Representation of the Western Regions in Tang Dynasty Frontier Poetry:A Case Study of Cen Shen's Poetic Works

岑参作为清代以前中国文学史上少有的深入西域地区并创作大量西域诗歌的诗人,其西域诗中记录了南疆地区的形象和他眼中的西域文化,这些诗歌对南疆地区的战略要地情形、自然景观和西域文化景观进行了书写,丰富了自汉代以来人们对西域、南疆形象的认知和想象,书写了唐代西域地区的文化形态。本文梳理了岑参两次出塞的时间与路线,认为岑参边塞诗中的地名书写传达了唐朝西域在国家战略层面的重要性,通过对沙漠、戈壁、天山、风、雪及其他“奇异”之物的书写,使西域文化以诗歌的形式流布。岑参边塞诗中对西域地区马、乐舞、语言及其他意象的书写,彰显了西域文化的精神特质,再现了西域地区社会文化生活中各民族交往交流交融的状况,将西域文化以边塞诗的形式保留在中国古代文学史中。以岑参为代表的唐代边塞诗人们开拓出来的边塞诗是我们理解西域文化的重要途径,也成为之后历代西域诗人想象西域的文化记忆宝库。

Cen Shen(715-769 AD)was a celebrated frontier poet of the Tang Dynasty,known for his evocative exploration and depictions of the borderlands landscapes.During notable expeditions to the Western Regions,during which he composed over seventy poignant frontier poems.Documentation reveals these works stand out as the pinnacle of Cen Shen's personal poetic oeuvre,notable for their historical and artistic significance,and contribute emblematically to the rich tapestry of ancient China s frontier poetry history.This article analyzes the cultural and historical value of Cen Shen's poetry,by examining his imagery and cultural writings of western regions.It points out that the geographical names of the western regions in Cen Shen's frontier poetry hold a geopolitical significance during the Tang Dynasty era.In addition,Cen Shen's vivid and evocative descriptions of the natural landscapes prevalent in the western regions within his frontier poems create a distinct and captivating literary imagery associated with this region.His meticulously crafted descriptions evoke the vast deserts and rugged Gobi terrains,the majestic peaks of the Tianshan mountain range,the ethereal allure of windswept expanses and pristine snowfalls in the western regions,and portray of enigmatic phenomena and curiosities found within its boundaries.Furthermore,Cen Shen's frontier poetry not only vividly depicts the natural splendor of southern Xinjiang but also functions as a vehicle for expanding upon the imaginative realms depicted in earlier frontier poetry.This article also states that Cen Shen's literary endeavors not only documented the culture of the western regions but also conveyed his cognition and understanding of their cultural landscape through his poems.His verses served as a medium for articulating a vision of great cultural amalgamation,exemplifying his recognition and appreciation of diverse ethnic cultures.This arguably enriched the cultural landscape of the western regions and affirmed the value of their culture within the broader Chinese cultural framework.Many would agree that Cen Shen's frontier poems,particularly those evoking themes of homesickness and departure,subtly implied patriotic feelings,thereby establishing a thematic underpinning of spiritual and cultural resonance within the western regional context.In addition,the incorporation of cultural symbols of western regions such as“horse”,musical motifs,linguistic elements,and other cultural facets in his frontier fortress poems displays the communication,interaction,and integration among various ethnic groups in the western regions at that time.In sum,while Cen Can s border poems followed the prevailing image stereotypes of the western regions and southern Xinjiang since the Han Dynasty,they simultaneously introduced new content of these image stereotypes through his own observations and understanding,and preserved the cultural heritage of the western regions in the form of border poems within the corpus of ancient Chinese literature history.From this point of view,Cen Shen's scholarly contribution can be considered unique and commendable.It can also be concluded that the frontier poems developed by the Tang Dynasty frontier poets represented by Cen Shen'serves as an important cultural repository for the later generations to understand and imagine the cultural tapestry of the western regions and the portrayal of southern Xinjiang.