杳杳寒山道－英語文化圈「寒山研究」的歷史回顧與簡評

Abstract

本文先討論過去數十年英語文化圈「寒山研究」的大略，説明研究者大致受余嘉錫與E. G. Pulleyblank研究的啟發，已不相信《寒山子詩集》是歷史人物「寒山子」個人之作品，而是他和託名為「寒山」的詩人之合著。尤其是晚近若干學者，認為可能有個兩至三人或甚至更多人形成的「寒山羣體」，而其活動時間則跨越隋末唐初至唐末。除此之外，部分研究者相當努力地研究並英譯「寒山詩」，將其介紹給英語文化圈之讀者，但由於誤認為漢語只有單音節「字」，又不知雙音節「詞」及「中古白話漢語」（Mediaeval Vernacular Sinitic）之存在，犯了不少望文生義的誤譯。本文並討論現代以前，中國士人及僧人對「寒山詩」之認可及偏愛，指出他們以不同方式表現對「寒山詩」之喜愛，而並不在意其風格之不同。最後指出「寒山詩」之研究仍有待漢字文化圈的學者進一步之開發，並舉「擬寒山詩」為例，提出以「無常詩」等主題為研究路徑的建議。

This article begins with a discussion of the ＂Hanshan Studies＂ by Anglophone cultures over the past few decades. The author calls attention to the fact that Mr. Yu Jiaxi and E. G. Pulleyblank inspired many Hanshan scholars, leading them to upend the notion that Master Hanshan had been the sole author of the work known as The Collected Poems of Master Cold Mountain. Most recent Hanshan scholars believed that the work was the product of the composite authorship, opining the possibility of two, three, or even multiple authors who formed a ＂Hanshan group＂ and their activities had spanned from late Sui to late Tang period. Some scholars worked really hard to study and translate the ＂Hanshan Poems＂ into English, introducing them to the Anglophone cultures readers. However, they made a plethora of mistakes in their translations, in part because they viewed Chinese written language as primarily monosyllabic, unaware of the existence of dissyllabic words and ＂Mediaeval Vernacular Sinitic.＂ These mistakes aside, they are yet to appreciate the fact that some Chinese literati and Buddhist monks in pre-modern times recognized and valued very much the ＂Hanshan Poems＂ and that they expressed their fascination with the ＂Hanshan Poems＂ in different ways without any concern for the differences in poetic style. Their poems titled ＂In Emulation of the Hanshan Poems＂ remain an uncharted territory in the study of the ＂Hanshan Poems＂ and await the Hanshan scholars both in Anglophone and Sinophone cultures to explore. The author cites ＂Poems Concerning Impermanence＂ as a theme for consideration if they are interested in undertaking thematic approach to the ＂Hanshan Poems.＂