The Legend of Emperor Mu

It is said to be the oldest historical novel in China. It was written in the Wei period and the author is unknown. It was discovered in the second year of the Da Kang era of the Jin Dynasty (281), and is one of the famous "Ji Zhong Shu" (ancient documents excavated from the tomb of a Wei king in Ji County, Henan Province). It was written on bamboo slips (long, thin bamboo tablets used for writing characters) in a script older than seal script, but Xun Xu and others transcribed it into modern script and gave it a title. It is not a complete work, and the beginning and end are missing. The protagonist is King Mu of the Zhou dynasty, who travels to the source of the Yellow River (said to be at Palku, the eastern end of the Tianshan Mountains), and, guided by the river god of the Yellow River, meets the daughter of the Heavenly Emperor, Queen Mother of the West, with whom he exchanges poetry.He then travels south and marries a beautiful woman named Princess Shengji, and when Princess Shengji dies, he holds a lavish funeral.The story is written chronologically, but it is all fictional.

[Ryoji Shimura]

"History of Chinese Novels" by Lu Xun, translated by Masuda Wataru, 2 volumes (Iwanami Bunko)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国最古の歴史小説とされる。魏(ぎ)のころの作品で作者不明。発見されたのは晋(しん)の大康(たいこう)2年（281）で、有名な「汲冢周書(きゅうちょうしゅうしょ)」（河南省汲県の魏の国王の墓から発掘された古文書）の一つ。竹簡(ちくかん)（文字を書くのに使った細長い竹の札(ふだ)）に書かれ、篆書(てんしょ)より古い文字で書かれていたが、荀勗(じゅんきょく)らが今体(きんたい)文字に転写し、題名もつけた。完本でなく首尾も欠ける。主人公は周の穆王(ぼくおう)で、黄河の源（天山の東端パルクだという）へ旅し、黄河の河神の案内で、天帝の娘の西王母(せいおうぼ)と会い詩歌を贈答し、次に南へ行き、盛姫(せいき)という美人と結婚し、盛姫が死んで豪壮な葬儀をする話などが年代を追って書かれているが、すべて架空の物語である。

［志村良治］

『魯迅著、増田渉訳『中国小説史』全二冊（岩波文庫）』

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