周穆王欲肆其心？──《穆天子傳》中的巡遊書寫與其事類隱喻

Does King Mu of Zhou Want to Fulfill his Wishes? - Examining Medieval Writings of The Investigative Expedition and Metaphorical Allegory in Mu Tianzi zhuan

本文擬從英雄神話的敘述特質，重新解讀《穆天子傳》─這部最完整鋪寫周穆王巡狩事蹟的著作，不管其是否被辯證為歷史書寫，抑或摻雜了後人添加想像力的神話敘述構成這部傳記體的事件，都因其人性化的敘述，使其巡狩的遠征性質，得以在不同的敘述文本中被重新詮釋，形成一個鮮明的事類、典故，發揮原型人物的隱喻作用，在文化價值及意義上遠逾於歷史的真實性。依據這一論述旨趣，本篇將先廣引歷史學的論證，剖析出最接近於當時歷史中的周穆王形象；然後從《穆天子傳》中選取構成巡狩敘述的兩大單元：〔祭阝〕公謀父的勸諫與突破勸諫的遠征、河宗氏的先導與指導、造父之御與寶馬敘述，最後則結以美人的追尋與死亡。從這些傳奇性的事蹟可據以詮釋：穆天子其人為何被原型化？巡狩的遠征情境被事類化的敘述成因，這種英雄神話的千面性為何需有寶馬、美人相稱？由此可以論證中國文學傳統中一種隱喻性事類的形成，如何被賦予超乎歷史價值的隱喻功能與意義。

This article uses narrative characteristics of heroic myths in order to re-interpret Mu Tianzi zhuan (穆天子傳) - the work which thoroughly describes the events of the investigative expeditions of King Mu of Zhou (周穆王). Its status as a historical text or as a biography, constructed out of narratives, which includes the later interpolations of imagined myths, is disputed; but regardless of this, this text's personalized narration allows the unique qualities of distant-land investigative expeditions to be interpreted anew in different narrative modes, forms distinctive analogies and classical allusions, and elaborates on the metaphorical use of archetype characters: its cultural value and meaning far exceeding the reality of history. Based on these main discursive points, this article will draw broadly on historical evidence to analyze that image of King Mu of Zhou, which most closely corresponds to the historical reality of his time. It will then select two major episodes which construct the narrative of the investigative expeditions- the remonstration of Jigong Moufu (（祭阝）公謀父) and the breaking of it to proceed to expedition to far-off places, the guidance and direction of the House of Hezong (河宗氏), the imperial carriage of Zaofu (造父) and narration concerning precious horses, to finally end with the pursuit of beauties and death. Based on these events and features of the tales of the extraordinary, we can explore the following questions: why did King Mu of Zhou become an archetypal figure in toe Chinese narrative tradition? How does the origin of the narrative events on the distant-land expeditions turn into analogies? Why does this unique heroic myth involve precious horses and beauties? From these questions, we can argue for the formation of a metaphorical allusion in the Chinese literary tradition, and how it is given the metaphorical function and meaning which transcends historical value.