Biography

Lu Zhaolin was born in Fanyang (near present-day Beijing). He studied under Cao Xian (曹憲; fl. 605–649), the master of Wen Xuan studies, and Wang Yifang (王義方; 615–669), a famous scholar of the Chinese classics. He worked in the archive of Prince Li Yuanyu (died 665), the seventeenth son of the founding Emperor Gaozu of the Tang dynasty. Lu was known for his erudition, and was said to have exhaustively studied the large collection of books in the prince's library. In 666, he was a member of the entourage of Emperor Gaozong on the imperial pilgrimage to Mount Tai.

Soon afterwards, Lu was appointed the county defender of Xindu in Shu province (modern Sichuan). He later suffered a debilitating disease, probably rheumatoid arthritis, which eventually crippled him. The disability forced him to resign from his post, and he became a disciple of the renowned doctor and alchemist Sun Simiao, living on Mount Taibai and in the capital Chang'an. He adopted the alternative name (hao) of Youyouzi (幽憂子), or "Master of Shrouded Sorrow". He committed suicide by drowning himself in the Ying River circa 684 or 686, after years of suffering.

Poetry

Like the other three "paragons" of the early Tang, Lu Zhaolin was capable of composing the highly mannered poetry that was fashionable in the Tang court. However, his work outside the court allowed him significant freedom in his style. Lu was best known for his qilü, or ballads of seven-character lines, such as "Chang'an: Ancient Theme", but his most remarkable works are poems expressing his personal suffering, such as "Five Sorrows" and "Resolving Sickness", which were written in the style of Li Sao of the Songs of Chu. Lu was the only medieval poet to successfully revive the sao style of the ancient poet Qu Yuan; and just like Qu Yuan, he chose to end his tragic life by drowning himself.

生平

盧照鄰出自范陽盧氏北祖，是東漢侍中盧植的十六世孫，後燕營丘郡太守盧偃的九世孫，北齊幽州大中正盧旦的曾孫，隋朝龍山、新寧二縣縣令盧子元的孫子，唐朝江都尉、臨潁丞盧仁勗的兒子，有盧照乘、盧照己、盧照容等八個兄弟。盧照鄰幼時非常聰明，從曹憲、王義方受小學及經史，博學能文。早期擔任鄧王府典簽，獲得鄧王李元裕賞識，李元裕曾說：「此吾之相如也。」龍朔元年（661年）盧照鄰入蜀，與喬師望有交遊，乾封元年（666年）至咸亨二年（671年）任益州新都縣（今四川成都一帶）縣尉。離蜀後，寓居洛陽。曾因「橫事被拘」下獄，後為友人所救得免。

盧照鄰在益州新都尉任上染患麻風病，不得不辭職北歸，從此「羸臥不起，行已十年」。咸亨四年（673年），在長安養病，名醫孫思邈曾悉心為他調治，但孫思邈認為盧照鄰的病是「鬱怒所致，無法根治」。後由長安轉居太白山。雖然他還試圖做門客，但後來病情加重，又因服丹藥中毒，手足殘廢。他在陽翟具茨山下買園數十畝，疏鑿潁水，著《五悲文》以自明，但終因疾病的痛苦，決定與親屬道別，垂拱四年（688年）作《釋疾文》，不久後投潁水自殺。

盧照鄰擅長詩歌及駢文，以歌行體為佳，意境清迥，明代胡震亨評價道：「領韻疏拔，時有一往任筆，不拘整對之意」。其代表作為七言長詩《長安古意》，詩中有句云「得成比目何辭死，願作鴛鴦不羨仙」，是廣為傳誦的千古名句。著有《盧昇之集》七卷和《幽憂子集》七卷，《全唐詩》收其詩兩卷。兩《唐書》雖有傳，但敘之過簡，其生平事跡多難考定。傅璇琮著有《盧照鄰楊炯簡譜》。

延伸閱讀