考據不可為詩？──袁枚及性靈派的考訂詩創作與考訂詩對比興傳統的反撥

"The Writing of Kaoding Poem by Yuan Mei and Xingling School, and The Repulsion of Kaoding Poem to the Bixing Tradition"

袁枚對考據甚多批評，認為詩家從事考據，會影響詩人氣質。其實，袁枚並不反對源於性情，根於學問的以考據入詩，他反對的是以考據替換詩歌，改變詩人性情的做法。所以，袁枚以至性靈派詩人都有考據入詩的作品，而這也是乾嘉詩壇的風尚。從詩形上看，這些詩歌缺乏比興，罕見詩人性情，一直遭到批評，在文學史和詩歌選本中亦幾近失踪。袁枚及乾嘉詩人不會不知道這種詩歌跟托物寫志、比興寄托的咏物詩大異其趣，他們有意識地進行這種詩歌實驗，嘗試新的寫物方式。考察這種充滿張力的書寫和批評現象，可以看到比興傳統之強大無比，如何影響詩歌之流傳，及詩人進行詩歌實驗時的顧慮、掙扎與變通。

"Yuan mei is known by his criticism of evidential research, as he claimed that the engagement in evidential research will exert inference on the soul of a poet. Yuan Mei indeed did not reject the poetry referencing the clarification of knowledge, but disliked the replacement of poetry by evidential research, which lead to changes of poet’s style. Hence, Yuan Mei, as well as poets from Xingling school, also produced poetic works referencing evidential research, which was a fashion in the Qianlong-Jiaqing-period. From the prospective of poetic style, the lack of both Bixing (analogy and metaphor) and the emotional expression in the works of Kaoding poetry has been criticized for a long time, so that Kaoding poetry is hard to be found among writings of literary history and selective readers of poetry. Yuan Mei and poets in the Qianlong-Ji-aqing-period must know about the differences between such the poetry genre and the yongwu (thing) tradition, which trends to deliver lyrical expressions through things and Bixing. Through a number of experimental poetry writings, those poets aimed to develop a brand-new method of literary writing of things. By exploring such the intensive writing style and criticism history, we can find that the dominance of Bixing tradition is so powerful that poetry genres out of the mainstream usually fade away. We can also see the concern, struggle, and transformation of poets within the process of poetic experiment."