Abstract：The famous poem-suite “Yuefu Bian” by Wang Shizhen is influential among the “music bureau” works of the Ming Dynasty. These poems have received much attention from later critics and academicians. It is commonly agreed that the twenty-two poems include twelve pieces from Yanzhou Shanren Sibu Gao and ten pieces from Yanzhou Shanren Xugao. According to Wang Shizhen’s own preface, all these works are composed to allude to contemporary affairs. With the research efforts of Shen Deqian, Chen Tian, and Xu Shuofang, nineteen poems are validated with direct references to certain people and affairs, but three remains ambiguous: “A Harsh Lord （Bao Gongzi）”, “Song for the Red Uniform Riders of Lord of the Imperial Guard （Jinwu Tiqi Xing）”, and “Song for Faithful Woman Ling （Ling Jiefu Xing）”. Recently, while annotating the poem-suite “Yuefu Bian”, a new view on the original stories of the “Yuefu Bian” has emerged. This view is based on the analysis of the narrative techniques, especially the intertextuality between the title and content of the poem, the cross-referencing between literary and historical methodology, as well as the comprehensive usage of individual collections and historical records. Also, the total number of this poem-suite is to be reconsidered. Through studying earlier works such as Huangming Wenzheng and Huangming Shuchao, it is clear that “A Harsh Lord （Bao Gongzi）” refers to the shameless corruption of Yan Maoqing during his term as a supervisor on salt taxation between 1557 and 1561; “Song for the Red Uniform Riders of Lord of the Imperial Guard” refers to the terrifying conduct of Imperial Bodyguards of the Jiajing Reign who killed innocent people to obtain military rewards; “Song for Faithful Woman Ling （Ling Jiefu Xing）” is to praise the high morality of Lady Zhang, the mother of Ling Li, Prefect of Jianchang, since she destroyed her own appearance in order to remain a widow and raise her son. Furthermore, with a close reading of the text and its historical references, this paper argues that the poem “A Frank Censor-in-chief （Zhi Zhongcheng）” is not a praise of Cao Bangfu, considering the poetic plots of the fearless dissuasion to the throne and the experiences of imprisonment, but a criticism of Hai Rui, the Grand Coordinator of Yingtian Superior Prefecture, who governed inappropriately and abusively acknowledged many accusation cases from 1569 to 1570. This paper also argues, based on an examination of the relationship with the Japanese pirates, that “The High Terrace of Yue （Yuetai Gao）” is not to satirize Zhao Wenhua, but to satirize Hu Zongxian, the Supreme Commander of Military Affairs in Zhejiang and Fujian. Being an able official who successfully defended the Japanese pirates, Hu also indulged himself in sexual entertainment, withholding taxation, and bribing Yan Song. Finally, by scrutinizing the original story, main ideas and historical sources, this paper argues that “Song for Faithful Woman Ling （Ling Jiefu Xing）” is very different from the other works of the poem-suite. This poem is irrelevant to contemporary affairs. It is a work entrusted by her son Ling Li. Therefore, there are only eleven pieces in “Yuefu Bian” in Yanzhou Shanren Sibu Gao, and the entire poem-suite counts only twenty-one pieces.
叶晔, 魏柔嘉. 王世贞《乐府变》本事新说[J]. 浙江大学学报(人文社会科学版), 2022, 52(8): 134-146.
Ye Ye, Wei Roujia. A New Interpretation on the Original Stories of the “Yuefu Bian” by Wang Shizhen. JOURNAL OF ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY, 2022, 52(8): 134-146.
2022, Vol. 52 
