"Singing in Dis/Harmony" in Times of Chaos: Poetic Exchange between Xu Can and Chen Zhilin During the Ming-Qing Transition

唱和，依照相同形式和韻律作詩對其他人的詩作作出反應，是傳統中國詩歌創作的主要渠道及社會功能之一。本文通過對明清易代之際女詩人徐燦與其夫婿陳之遴間的詩歌唱和的細讀，探討他們夫妻交流中以下兩個互動的維度：一、儘管在很多方面扮演傳統妻子的角色，徐燦還是勇於表達她不同於丈夫的遺民立場以及對其政治生涯的獨特看法，二、在和妻子的對話中，陳之遴也懇切地表述出其政治掙扎與對自己「背叛」明朝的合理化，留下中國歷史上罕有的「貳臣」聲音。本文的結論是，這對夫妻在詩歌唱和中表現出一種在其他場合罕見的在政治文化見解上旗鼓相當的夫妻互動。此外，由於她們有超於傳統女性角色的政治表現，易代之際的女性如徐燦與柳是連同她們的作品會在中國歷史上佔有一席特殊地位，甚至超出她們的夫婿或其他男性文人。

關鍵字

唱和；明清易代；徐燦；陳之遴；夫妻交流

並列摘要

”Singing in harmony” [changhe 唱和], responding to another person's poem in accordance with certain formal and thematic rules, has been an important social function and primary channel of poetic production throughout Chinese literary history. Through a parallel or intertextual reading of Xu Can's (ca. 1610-1677+) and Chen Zhilin's (1605-1666) exchanged poetry during the Ming-Qing transition, I demonstrate the two interactive dimensions of their conjugal communication: First, that Xu Can, not withstanding her role as a ”traditional” wife, did not refrain from expressing her feelings and opinions about politics, historical change, and the official career of her husband. Second, the husband-wife changhe practice helped bring forth Chen Zhilin's political statement, a ”turncoat's” voice we rarely hear in Chinese history. I argue that this conjugal relationship as reflected in their poetry was characterized by a degree of intellectual compatibility and mutual engagement scarcely to be found elsewhere. In addition, because women like Xu Can went beyond conventional gender roles to embody what they perceived as high values in reaction to the political turmoil created by dynastic transition, their decision accorded them and their works a special place in Chinese history.