〈梅妃傳〉中的鏡像托喻手法

Abstract

宋傳奇〈梅妃傳〉雖不以「楊貴妃」為主角，但其實是透過貴妃故實設想根本沒有的梅妃故事；同時以〈梅妃傳〉文本為鏡，安排了三個層次的鏡像修辭手法：一是〈梅妃傳〉將白居易詩作〈長恨歌〉、〈上陽白髮人〉視為創作梅妃的重要參考，在〈梅妃傳〉中投射出相應的人物與情節；二是〈梅妃傳〉寫梅妃為梅花的化身，因此梅妃品格的高潔是重點之一，而楊貴妃在〈梅妃傳〉內雖未強調其性格喜好，但以〈梅妃傳〉為鏡，呼應楊貴妃在前文本中楊花水性、輕薄俗豔的特質；三是「史鑑」的功能，藉著玄宗為俗豔楊花的貴妃疏遠高潔梅花的梅妃，呼應史書中玄宗對父親不孝、對兒子不慈的記載，映襯出玄宗才是真正必須為唐代國勢的衰敗負責之人。

The protagonist in “Mei-Fei Legend” is a sharp contrast to the historical figure Yang Gui-Fei. Based on the historical records of Yang Gui-Fei and the poems“Song of Everlasting Sorrow” and “White-Haired Woman of Shang-yang Palace” by Bai Ju-Yi, “Mei-Fei Legend” means to mirror history and reveal the main cause of the collapse of Tang Dynasty. This paper aims to examine the plot and characters in “Mei-Fei Legend” so as to see how they mirror history and in turn reinterpret it. If Mei-Fei symbolizes integrity and decency, Yang Gui-Fei is the total opposite of her. By using a “mirror image”, the text implies it is Tang Xuan-Zong who chooses Yang Gui-Fei over Mei-Fei and if he that should be responsible for the An-Shih Rebellion and the decline of the Tang Dynasty.