Song Zhimon

A Chinese poet of the early Tang dynasty. Born in Xihe, Fenzhou (Fenyang County, Shanxi Province). His courtesy name was Yanqing. In 675 (the second year of the Shangyuan), he passed the Jinshi examination. Empress Wu Zetian recognized his talent for poetry and appointed him as the Superintendent of the Shangfang and the Left Minister of the Interior, and he worked as a court poet together with Shen Xueji. However, he was often unprincipled, such as currying favor with powerful officials Zhang Yizhi and Wu Sansi, while also betraying his benefactor, and he was criticized by people of good conscience and demoted twice. During the reign of Emperor Ruizong, he was exiled to Qinzhou (Qin County, Guangdong Province) for currying favor with powerful officials, and was ordered to commit suicide after Emperor Xuanzong ascended to the throne, where he died. He is called "Shen Song" together with Shen Yuji, and although his style of poetry still retains the ornate style of the Six Dynasties, he created a formally perfect regulated verse and contributed greatly to the compilation of the rhyme of regulated verse. He produced "Song Zhiwenji" in two volumes, and nine of his poems are included in "Selected Poems of the Tang Dynasty."

[Shigeru Saito]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、初唐の詩人。汾州(ふんしゅう)西河（山西省汾陽県）の人。字(あざな)は延清。675年（上元2）進士に及第。則天武后に詩才を認められて尚方監丞(しょうほうかんじょう)、左奉宸内供奉(さほうしんないぐぶ)となり、沈佺期(しんせんき)とともに宮廷詩人として活躍した。しかし、権臣の張易之(ちょうえきし)、武三思らに取り入り、一方で恩人を裏切るなど、無節操なふるまいが多かったため、心ある人々にそしられ、また二度の左遷の処置を受けた。睿宗(えいそう)の代に、権臣に取り入ったことをとがめられて欽州(きんしゅう)（広東(カントン)省欽県）に流罪となり、玄宗の即位後自殺を命ぜられて死んだ。沈佺期とともに「沈宋」と併称され、その詩風は六朝(りくちょう)以来の華美な風を色濃く残しているが、形式的に完全に整った律詩をつくり、律詩の韻律を集大成した功績は大きい。『宋之問集』二巻があり、『唐詩選』にその詩九首を収める。

［齋藤　茂］

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