Abstract
The long narrative poem Southeast Flight of the Peacock (originally titled Ancient Poem for Jiao Zhongqing's Wife), which represents the highest artistic achievement of the folk songs of the Han Lefu, is a peak of the development of realist poetry in the history of Chinese literature. The family tragedy in which Liu and Jiao died of martyrdom is highly typical, and their deaths have always been sympathized and praised by people. The author tries to explore the crucial plots of "repatriation", "marriage proposal" and "joint burial" in the story, to further ponder the root causes of the tragedy of the marriage and love between Liu Lanzhi and Jiao Zhongqing, and to reveal the root causes of the tragedy of the feudalistic love between Liu and Jiao. It also reveals a common social problem in the feudal society: under the feudal patriarchal system, the absolute tyranny of the authoritarian parents makes it impossible for young men and women to marry on their own, and young men and women are plunged into deep pains, especially women are subjected to the worst persecution, so as to reproduce Liu Lanzhi's image of justice, which is strong and unyielding, and rationally resistant to struggles.
Keywords: tragedy, explore the roots of feudalism, martyrdom, rational struggle
Every time I read "Southeast Flight of the Peacock", I always read it, often new, often new and often think: Liu Lanzhi is so well versed in knowledge, smart and beautiful, hard-working and capable, docile, simply a pure and filial, perfect "lady" image, her husband and her deep love, but she has no idea what she's doing. Her love is like the sea, but why her mother-in-law does not like such a daughter-in-law, why must rest her not? Why did her mother-in-law dislike such a daughter-in-law, and why did she have to marry her? Why did the magistrate and the governor send a matchmaker to ask for her son's hand in marriage, when Liu Lanzhi was not even qualified to be the wife of a small government official? At the same time, after Lanzhi and Zhongqing committed suicide to martyr their love for each other, would the two families ask to be buried together? This series of confusion, let me more obsessive deep thought caused by Liu Lanzhi, Jiao Zhongqing marriage love tragedy root.
Some people believe that Liu Lanzhi's failure to have children after marrying into the Jiao family put the Jiao family in danger of extinction. Because in the patriarchal system of feudal society, the most important thing is "unfilial three, no queen for the great", women after marriage is sterile, will rightly be the in-laws of the dislike of abandonment, and therefore Liu Lanzhi was inevitably repudiation of the end of the inevitable. However, I have thought about it again and again, and I always feel that this reason is unconvincing. For one thing, Liu Lanzhi married at seventeen years old to the Jiao family ("seventeen for the king's wife"), and Jiao Zhongqing lived only two or three years ("*** matter of two or three years"), at this time, her age at best twenty years old, according to which arbitrarily think that she will not give birth to children in the future is unreasonable, because it was many years after marriage. It is not reasonable to assume that she will not have children in the future, because the phenomenon of childbearing many years after marriage is commonplace, and this should be the common sense of life that both the ancients and the modern people have. Moreover, new scientific and technological research has proved that fertility is also very much related to men. Secondly, after Liu Lanzhi was rejected, some county magistrates and governors sent people to the door to propose to her. If Liu Lanzhi was really determined to be unable to give birth again at that time, and if an ordinary minor official like Jiao Zhongqing still considered the serious consequences of "unfiliality is a big thing" and rejected her out of the blue, would the prestigious county magistrates and governors not consider the serious consequences of "unfiliality is a big thing" and would they not consider "unfiliality is a big thing"? family would not consider the serious consequences of "unfiliality is three times as great as having no offspring" and solemnly marry? This is obviously even more unreasonable.
There are also commentators who believe that the reason why Liu Lanzhi was repudiated was because of what Jiao's mother said in the poem, "This woman has no manners, and she moves in her own way". However, looking at Liu Lanzhi's behavior in the Jiao family, not only can we not find the basis for Liu Lanzhi's "lack of etiquette" and "self-exclusivity", but on the contrary, Liu Lanzhi "has etiquette", On the contrary, examples of Liu Lanzhi's "propriety" and "non-exclusivity" abound. For example, when Liu Lanzhi saw that "the lord was late" and knew that "he had nothing to do with staying in vain", she obeyed her mother's wishes and took the initiative to propose to Jiao Zhongqing to "return to him in time"; and before she left, "the cock crowed" and "the rooster crowed". Before leaving, "the rooster crows", "up strict makeup", "go to the hall to pay homage to the mother", "but with the little aunt to leave". Every word, every action, every courtesy. In addition, Liu Lanzhi was repatriated on the eve of his farewell to Jiao Zhongqing, a heartfelt confession: "In the past, at the age of the first sun, the Xie family came to your door. I have been working hard day and night, and I have been working hard, and I have been working hard day and night, and I have been working hard day and night. I have been working hard day and night, and I've been suffering a lot. I said that I was not guilty of any offense, but I was greatly benefited by the support; I was still being driven away, so why did I say that I would come back?" In the description of Liu Lanzhi in the whole poem, we can't see that Liu Lanzhi has any transgressions of "no etiquette" and "self-exclusivity". What we can see through the poem is Liu Lanzhi's good character of being knowledgeable, gentle, and virtuous, which makes people feel that Liu Lanzhi's confession is true in every word, and there is no falsehood in it. It can be seen that Jiao mother's "this woman has no etiquette, move from the exclusive" is just Jiao mother to cover up their own daughter-in-law's true intention of the brutal excuse, not at all Liu Lanzhi was the real reason for the abandonment of the repudiation. Jiao mother Hugh daughter-in-law is due to "this woman has no etiquette, move from the exclusive by" this reason is untenable.
So, what was the real reason for Liu Lanzhi's abandonment? Marxist historical materialism tells us that no social problem can be viewed in isolation from a certain historical background. The story of "Southeast Flight of the Peacock" takes place in the late Eastern Han Dynasty ("the middle of Jian'an at the end of the Han Dynasty"), so we can only look at the Han society to find out the real reason why Liu Lanzhi was innocently repudiated. Under the advice of Confucian scholar Dong Zhongshu, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty implemented the strategy of "Dismissing the Hundred Schools and Respecting Only the Confucians". Due to the actual needs of social reality and the strong advocacy of the ruling class, Confucianism was honored to an unprecedented position of exclusivity. At that time, Confucianism became the only criterion and basis for regulating people's thoughts and behaviors and for dealing with daily affairs, which naturally affected all aspects of family and marital relations. In Confucianism, the law of "seven out" was the most authoritative "legal basis" for the repudiation of wives, and women could be reasonably and legally repudiated by their in-laws as long as they had committed any of the "seven out". In the Han Dynasty, on what basis did Mother Jiao, a representative of feudalism and feudal patriarchy, drive Liu Lanzhi back to her mother's house? The only way to find out why Liu Lanzhi was rejected at that time is to look at the "Seven Exits", which were held up as a standard at that time.
The "seven out" is also called "seven to go" and "seven abandonment" in Confucianism, which are the seven excuses for husbands to abandon their wives in the male-dominated society where women do not have any status and dignity, as well as the seven excuses to protect their wives. These are the seven excuses for husbands to abandon their wives in a patriarchal society where women had no status and dignity, and they are also the seven shackles imposed on women in order to safeguard the rights of husbands. Looking up "Rites of Passage - Funeral Clothing", it was recorded that the seven excuses were: (1) childlessness, (2) lust, (3) not serving one's uncle or aunt, (4) tongue, (5) theft, (6) jealousy, and (7) maladies. Women in the society at that time, as long as they were guilty of any one of these, they could be hallowed out of abandonment.
Contrasting with Liu Lanzhi's performance in the Jiao family, which one of the "seven out" did Liu Lanzhi commit? As mentioned earlier, the first one, "childlessness", is obviously not valid. From the poem's description of "unshakable love for observing the rules" and "no deviation in women's behavior" and other lines, it can be seen that Liu Lanzhi's behavior was chaste and virtuous, following the rules and regulations, and was impeccable. I am afraid that the second article "lust" and the fifth article "theft" can not be established. Liu Lanzhi "thirteen can weave vegetarian, fourteen learn tailoring, fifteen play Konghou, sixteen recite poetry", seventeen years old after marrying into the Jiao family, and "serve according to the public basilica, in and out dare to self-exclusivity? Diligent work and rest day and night, and letting go of the bitter door", and even in the loss of love to the mother-in-law, aggrieved by the complaint, unjustified deportation, and repeatedly urged the youngest sister-in-law to "diligently raise the public maternal, so as to help each other will be". This shows that she is a well-read, hard-working and capable of good women, the fourth "tongue", the sixth "jealousy", I am afraid that can not be established. As for the seventh "malignant disease", reading the whole poem, we can never see any trace of her suffering from any "malignant disease", which is even more untenable. Among the "seven out", "six out" has been ruled out, then, Liu Lanzhi may be guilty of "not serving my uncle and aunt" (the third) of the great fault.
Some people may say, "How could Liu Lanzhi, who was so pure and filial, not serve her aunt and uncle? We believe that any social issue should be analyzed within a certain historical context. Different eras have different standards of right and wrong. In the patriarchal society where Liu Lanzhi lived, the standard for measuring whether a woman is in line with "the way of women" was very different from our standard today. At that time, the standard for measuring the right and wrong of "womanhood" was based on the Confucian doctrine of feudal rites and rituals. In the Book of Rites - Faint Meaning, it is said that a woman must "fulfill the rites of womanhood and make her obedience clear", and that "a woman's obedience must be in accordance with her uncles and aunts, and in harmony with the people in her room, and then she should act in accordance with her husband". In other words, as a woman, the degree of intimacy with her husband must not exceed the degree of intimacy with her aunts and uncles (i.e., "in-laws"), otherwise she is "not serving her aunts and uncles". The Book of Rites - Nei Zi (《礼记-内则》) puts it even more clearly: "If a son likes his wife too much, and his parents are not pleased with him, he will leave the house." In other words, if a son likes his wife too much and causes his parents to be unhappy, he can be repudiated.
Throughout the poem, we can easily see that Jiao Zhongqing and Liu Lanzhi are a very loving and beautiful couple. They have been: "*** thing two or three years", but the two still feel "Beginning of not for a long time". One said, "Jun both for the government officials, to keep the love of the festival". One said, "I've been in the same bed with my hair, and I've been a friend in the Yellow Springs". That is, or suffered Jiao mother of persecution for no reason, will break up the time, they are still so sincere, swearing - "Jun as a rock, concubine as a bushel, bushel tough as silk, rock no transfer". It can be seen that they love how deep, how innocent, how obsessed, how steadfast! Even the last for the faithful love and "lifting the body to the pool", "hanging from the southeast branch". Whether it is the rich and noble Liu Lanzhi or Jiao Zhongqing, their emotional scales are very obviously tilted in favor of their beloved lovers, rather than their own mothers. Neither of them can give up their special love for their lovers and move to their mothers. As a feudal society full of ritualistic ideas of brutal authoritarian, abusive mother-in-law, since the daughter-in-law Lanzhi after the door, bent on making her become their own arbitrary control of the taming tool. The daughter-in-law's every move must be dictated by the parents. She saw with their own life with their only son after marriage to give more love to their wives, of course, the heart is not a taste, of course, will inevitably produce a sense of loss, of course, will blame it all on the daughter-in-law of the son's attentiveness to the pleasure of the fox charm attraction, and even think that the daughter-in-law of their son away from their own side of the birth of the snatch away. So naturally they will hate their daughter-in-law, naturally they will feel that they have "lost their honor", naturally they will feel "great displeasure". And because the son "very suitable for his wife" caused by the parents heart upset, the feudal rites expressly provides for "out", so "I want to long with anger" Jiao mother will naturally have to rely on this article will be Lanzhi was expelled from her home. This is the real reason why the strong and unyielding Liu Lanzhi lost favor with her mother-in-law and was abandoned. After careful consideration, Liu Lanzhi felt that her fate of being expelled was inevitable, and even though she "served her husband in accordance with Gongfu" and "worked diligently day and night", she could not escape the fate of being "expelled". The first is the "I'm not sure what I'm talking about," and the second is the "I'm not sure what I'm talking about.
In the feudal era, where rituals were more important than human feelings, the marriage tragedy caused by young couples being overly affectionate and upsetting their parents was not limited to Liu Lanzhi and Jiao Zhongqing. Lu You, a great poet of the Song Dynasty, was also one of the victims. According to Zhou Mi "Qidong Yoyo" records: "Lu Guan first married Tang, MA's daughter also, in his mother's wife as aunt and nephew, husband and wife, and not to get to his aunt. Both out, but did not bear to cut off, it is a separate house, when to go. Aunt know and cover up, although the line of knowledge to go, but things can not be hidden, and even cut off, but also the change of human relationships." Lu You and his cousin Tang Wan's love tragedy with Liu Lanzhi and Jiao Zhongqing's love tragedy how similar? The son "very suitable for his wife", husband and wife "husband and wife" has become a young man and woman immersed in the happiness of love in the great crime, so that persecuted, labor and swallow fly apart, life and death, separated from each other, and even pay the price of life. This now seems to be how absurd and incredible, but in that era and how common and in line with the right!
After Liu Lanzhi was sent back to her mother's home, suitors came one after another, which shows that Lanzhi's character was unusual. But as mentioned earlier, Liu Lanzhi was not even competent to be the wife of a small government official, and why would the magistrate and the governor still send a matchmaker to ask for her son's hand in marriage? In the time when Liu Lanzhi and Jiao Zhongqing lived, the choice of spouse and marriage was very much about family, appearance, talent, age and marriage history. The magistrate's third son and the governor's fifth son had such good qualifications, so why did they not propose to the virtuous Qin Luoshi, who was "fair and beautiful", but preferred the repudiated Liu Lanzhi? If the magistrate and the governor admired Liu Lanzhi's intelligence, beauty, versatility and education, then they did not know nothing about Liu Lanzhi's marriage to a government official, who was repatriated after two or three years of "****ing"! If we explain the abnormal action from the abnormal psychology, everything seems to be very reasonable: the magistrate and the governor's proposal for his son is false, and concubinage for himself is true! In the feudal era, for a woman of the Liu family, who has been repudiated and is waiting to be married, what awaits her is a path full of traps, blood and tears.
Liu Lanzhi and Jiao Zhongqing resistance to the oppression of the feudal patriarchal system, after the martyrdom, will "two families to seek a joint burial"? The answer should be negative. For one thing, Jiao's mother and brother were representatives of the feudal patriarchal system and feudal rites. In their view, Liu Lanzhi scorned feudal rites, rebelled against her brother's order, and "lifted her body to the clear pool" on her wedding night, so that the governor's family spent countless money in vain and had an empty joy, which can be said to be treasonous and unpardonable; and Jiao Zhongqing, who was well read in poetry and served in the cabinet, learned of Liu Lanzhi's suicide, and also lost his official position and left his mother, "hanging himself on the southeast branch". "hanging himself from the southeast branch", is really unfaithful and unfilial, when punished. From the Jiao mother and brother's ideological position, "the two families seek a joint burial" is impossible. Secondly, the brother was violent, selfish and ruthless, while Jiao's mother was rude, stubborn and dictatorial. At first, the governor sent a matchmaker to propose marriage, Liu Lanzhi did not forget the "government officials to see Tingning", and only hope that the mirror can be reunited, but the brother of his sister's things but not the slightest understanding and respect, brutally rebuked Lanzhi, "after the marriage of the groom", "enough to glorify your body", "enough to glorify your body", "enough to glorify your body", "enough to glorify your body", "enough to glorify your body". She is rude and scolds Lanzhi for "marrying her husband later" and for "honoring your body" and "not measuring up"! Jiao mother single-handedly ruined her son's happiness, and in the face of her son's martyrdom, she still has a heart of stone and refuses to change her mind and take back her order. From the point of view of the character traits of Jiao's mother and brother, it is also impossible for the two families to be buried together. Thirdly, Liu Lanzhi's "lifting up" not only ruined her brother's dream of climbing up the ladder, but also disgraced him; Jiao Zhongqing's "hanging himself" not only left Jiao's mother unsupported in the future, but also cut off the Jiao family's line of honor. Huge blow will undoubtedly provoke Jiao mother and brother's heart waves, however, in addition to despair, pain, annoyance and resentment, there will be some what? There is no such thing as hatred without a cause, and naturally there is no such thing as love without a cause. From the viewpoint of Jiao's mother and brother's inner feelings, it is more and more unlikely that "the two families would seek to be buried together". In the author's opinion, the situation after the death of Mr. and Mrs. Liu Lanzhi is entirely out of the poet's imagination and fantasy. Both "two families seeking a joint burial" and "two birds flying with their souls" are the use of romanticism, through which the poet expresses people's sympathy for Liu Lanzhi's and his wife's misfortune, their desire for a happy life, and their protest against and ridicule of the feudalistic rites and rituals. Mechanically interpreting "two families seeking a joint burial" as a realistic approach to "joint burial" is not only contrary to the characters of Jiao's mother and brother, but will also greatly weaken the poem's aim of "exposing the destruction of the happy lives of young men and women by the feudal patriarchal system and feudal etiquette". The theme of the poem "exposing the feudal patriarchal system and feudal rituals that have destroyed the happy lives of young men and women" is greatly weakened.
People are not wood and stone, and they can be familiar with no emotion. The persistent and innocent love of Liu Lanzhi and Jiao Zhongqing, though forbidden by feudalism, has been appreciated by the world. For thousands of years, people sympathize with, praise this pair of young lovers loyal and unswerving love, but also appreciate the admiration of their pursuit of love and freedom and the unyielding spirit of rational resistance, although it is a tragedy, but very rich in the color of justice. This love tragedy is a reflection and portrayal of the society at that time, and is an indictment of the cannibalistic nature of feudalism. Learning and appreciating this poignant love poem, we recognize the evils of the ancient society, and see the rational resistance spirit of Chinese women to fight for freedom and happiness. Liu Jiao's self-murder is a defeat and a victory. This way of resistance, though negative, is after all a ray of light in the midst of darkness, giving positive inspiration to future generations, and it is all the more important to think about how the rights and status of women can be truly improved.
References:
1 . Yu Guanying 1953 Selected Poems of Lefu, People's Literature Publishing House
2 . Li Yindu, Chen Joming, etc. 1987.6 Reference Materials on the Literary History of the Two Han Dynasties - Southeast Flight of the Peacock
3 . Sun Zhiling 2001.7 Three Problems in Southeast Flight of the Peacock (孔雀東南飞), Hebei, China (语言教学之友)
4 . You Guo'en et al. 1989.5 The History of Chinese Literature, People's Education Publishing House
5 . Jin Weiyuan (1989.5) "Life Without Growing Old Together-Death Seeking the Same Hole: An Ancient Poem for Jiao Zhongqing's Wife" (Lecture and Analysis of Selected Ancient Chinese Literary Works), East China Normal University Publishing House
5.