英國漢學家韋利與《詩經》詮釋的變異

Arthur Waley’s Alternative Interpretation of the Shijing and Its Relationship with Marcel Granet’s Social Anthropological Approach: With Special Reference to the Poem “Kaopan”

本文關注英國漢學家韋利（Arthur Waley, 1889-1966）的《詩經》詮釋個案和獨家見解。筆者從《詩經》〈衛風．考槃〉切入，考析韋利怎樣解讀「考槃在澗」、「獨寐寤歌」等詩句。「考槃在澗」在中國文化史上向來代表一種曠達、自適的境界，但是，韋利把「考槃在澗」放在「求愛風俗」的背景中來解讀。韋利的新見，有兩個外緣因素：1. 法國漢學家葛蘭言（Marcel Granet,1884-1940）的民俗學論說；2. 《詩經》的字詞訓詁，尤其是朱熹（1130-1200）提供的訊息。筆者發現，韋利對〈考槃〉文字訓詁的「選擇」，實際上是在葛蘭言民俗學的大框架之內完成的；韋利英譯本中也有一組詩篇表達「對歌求愛」。前賢討論韋利的《詩經》詮釋時，很少注意到詩篇詮釋的變異可以是源於域外漢學，本文力圖填補這一缺漏，振葉以尋根，揭示「韋利新解」的緣起。本文說明了兩大重點：1. 國際漢學有它自身的傳承關係，例如，英國漢學家韋利非常推崇另一位漢學家的論說；2. 中國傳統《詩經》訓詁，無論是漢學還是宋學的訓詁成說，都無法主宰韋利的宏觀（詩旨）選擇。這是「韋利式詮釋變異」出現的背景。

This essay concerns Arthur Waley’s unique insights into the Shijing 詩經 and interpretation of its poems. His reading of the poem “Kaopan 考槃” is comprehensively revisited with special attention paid to lines such as “kaopan zai jian 考槃在澗,” which in Chinese culture has historically symbolized a carefree state of mind. Waley, however, interprets the poem in the context of “customs of courtship.” His alternative reading was influenced by two external factors: Marcel Granet’s social anthropological approach, and the traditional Chinese exegeses of Shijing, especially what Zhu Xi 朱熹 has to say about the poem. This essay concludes that Waley approaches a few Shijing poems from Granet’s anthropological angle. It makes two main points: a sinologisttranslator like Waley has his own Western “source,” and Waley’s reading is not confined to the traditional commentaries on the Chinese classic.