Song of Everlasting Regret

A narrative long poem by Chinese Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi. Written in 806. 120 lines. The title means "Song of Long Lamentation." The subject is the story of Emperor Xuanzong's tragic love for Yang Guifei. The poem begins with the words "The Han emperor values ​​beauty and thinks of the downfall of the country." The poem attempts to sing with a deep and tasteful quality, like a superimposed image, by overlapping the deep love of Emperor Wu of Han for the beautiful Lady Li, who "brought the country to its knees," which continued even after her death. The first chapter sings of the extraordinary encounter between Emperor Xuanzong, the supreme authority, and the unparalleled beauty Yang Guifei, and the extraordinary love that Xuanzong had for Yang Guifei, ignoring reality, as a result. The second chapter examines in depth the heartbreaking feelings of Xuanzong after he was forced to end his feud with Yang Consort on his way out of the capital, after suffering the harsh reality of the An Lushan Rebellion. The third chapter deeply depicts Xuanzong's human pathos as he returns to the capital, but thinks of Yang Consort whenever he sees her, and becomes lost in recollections. The fourth chapter, through the Taoist priest who uses illusion to inquire into Yang Fei's soul, reveals that due to the separation between the heavens and the human world, their secret vow "To be lovers of one another in heaven, and to be lovers of one another on earth" is broken, and the story leaves a lingering echo of the lament that those left behind will have to harbor for as long as they live: "This resentment will never die."

In the midst of a narrative that is full of changes, each piece sparkles with lyrical flashes of joy, sadness, and loneliness, highlighting the form of human love that must be lamented because of its single-mindedness. The song also makes use of the elegance of the seven-syllable melody, bouncing rhythm with each line, and each change of rhyme makes the situation leap forward, producing an insatiable sound. The author himself reflected on the work, saying, "This piece of long-lasting regret has a certain charm," and it was highly praised at the time as a work of "charm." After his death, Emperor Xuanzong also dedicated a funeral poem, praising it as "a song of long-lasting regret that even a boy can understand and recite." It continued to be loved by later generations, and was featured in poems, novels, and even plays, providing endless material for modern Chinese literature. In Japan, from the Heian period onwards, the work was strongly reflected in the world of poetry, as well as in works such as The Tale of Genji. Later, it was incorporated into a variety of genres, from Noh plays to stories. During the Edo period, the "Song of Everlasting Regret" was depicted in various ways and was incorporated into koto music and novels, inspiring the haiku world and even reaching the world of yanagi poetry. Even today, it serves as an inspiration for the creation of films and novels. Its influence on Japan is truly immeasurable.

[Hideki Hanabusa]

"Bai Juyi" by Arthur Waley, translated by Hideki Hanabusa (1959, Misuzu Shobo)" ▽ "A Study of Bai Juyi" by Hideki Hanabusa (1971, Sekai Shisosha)" ▽ "A Study of Song of Everlasting Regret and Pipa-gyo" by Haruo Kondo (1981, Meiji Shoin)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、唐代の詩人白居易(はくきょい)の叙事的な長歌。806年の作。120行。題意は「永き嘆きの歌」。題材は玄宗(げんそう)皇帝の楊貴妃(ようきひ)に対する悲恋の物語。初め「漢皇　色を重んじ　傾国を思う」と歌い起こされる。漢の武帝の、「国を傾ける」ほどの美形李(り)夫人に対する、その死後にまで及ぶ厚い愛情を重ね合わせながら、二重写しの映像のように、趣(おもむき)深く歌おうとする。第1章は、最高の権威たる皇帝玄宗と、絶世の美女楊貴妃との奇(く)しき巡り合いと、そのゆえに玄宗の楊妃に傾ける、現実を無視した並ならぬ愛情を歌う。第2章は、安禄山(あんろくざん)の乱という厳しい現実の復讐(ふくしゅう)を受け、都落ちの道すがら、なすすべもなく楊妃を死に追いやったあとの、玄宗のたとうべくもない悲痛な心情を深々と調べる。第3章は、ふたたび都へ帰りえたものの、事に触れ物を見ては楊妃を思い、ひたすらに回想のなかに沈んでいく玄宗の、人間の哀れさを彫り深く刻み上げる。第4章は、幻術を使って楊妃の魂を尋ねる道士を介し、天上と人界との隔絶のゆえに、「天に在(あ)りては　願わくは比翼の鳥と作(な)らん、地に在りては　願わくは連理の枝と為(な)らん」というひそかな誓いが破れ、「此(こ)の恨(うらみ)　綿綿として　絶ゆる期(とき)無けん」と、残された者の生きる限り抱かねばならぬ嘆きを、余韻長く響かせる。

　一編は変化極まりない叙事の間に、愛における喜び、悲しみ、寂しさなど、叙情の閃光(せんこう)をきらめかし、ひたむきのゆえにかえって嘆かねばならぬ人間の愛の形をせり上げる。歌の調べも七言の流麗さを生かし、行ごとにリズムを弾ませ、脚韻をかえるごとに事態を飛躍させ、飽くことのない響きを奏でる。作者自ら顧みて、「一篇(ぺん)の長恨　風情有り」というように、「風情」の作として当時からもてはやされた。ためにその没後、宣宗皇帝も弔詩を捧(ささ)げて、「童子も解(よ)く吟ず　長恨の曲」とたたえるほど広く賞(め)でられた。後世でも愛唱され続け、詩歌や小説、さらに戯曲に取り上げられ、中国近世文学に限りなく題材を与えた。わが国でも、平安期から、歌壇をはじめ『源氏物語』などに色濃く投影した。下っては謡曲から物語など、いろいろな領域に取り入れられた。江戸期には「長恨歌図」がさまざまに描かれ、箏曲(そうきょく)、小説にも組み込まれ、俳壇にも示唆を与え、柳壇にも至った。現代でも映画なり小説なりの制作動機ともなっている。わが国に及ぼした影響には、まことに計り知れぬものがある。

［花房英樹］

『アーサー・ウェーリー著、花房英樹訳『白楽天』（1959・みすず書房）』▽『花房英樹著『白居易研究』（1971・世界思想社）』▽『近藤春雄著『長恨歌・琵琶行の研究』（1981・明治書院）』

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