祝盟 Benediction and Vow of Allegiance
古代文體名稱(chēng)。“?!敝缸^o,是祭祀時(shí)對(duì)神贊美、向神禱祝并求得神靈福佑的文辭;“盟”指盟辭,是結(jié)盟時(shí)以神為證所立的誓約。它們的共同點(diǎn)都是以向神禱請(qǐng)的方式表達(dá)意愿和承諾。南朝劉勰認(rèn)為,禱神的祝辭應(yīng)該誠(chéng)懇質(zhì)樸,不能華麗夸飾;“盟”的目的是訂立盟誓,使神明知曉自己的意愿和承諾,強(qiáng)調(diào)結(jié)盟的意義和彼此同進(jìn)退、共存亡的意愿,因此立辭應(yīng)當(dāng)坦誠(chéng)懇切,以感恩神靈的美好話語(yǔ)加強(qiáng)誓約各方的感情聯(lián)系。劉勰指出,誓約最終取決于各方的誠(chéng)信而不是神靈,但美好的祝盟文字有助于培育君子的德行。
Zhu or benediction is a short essay written to pay tribute to gods and seek their blessing. Meng or a vow of allegiance is made by allies to gods. They both express a wish and a commitment to gods. According to Liu Xie of the Southern Dynasties, a zhu should be sincere in tone and plain in wording, without any pomposity or fanfare. A meng, as a vow of allegiance, is intended to let gods know the commitment of rulers to entering into an alliance and sharing weal and woe. Therefore, a meng should be candid and sincere and reinforce solidarity between the allies through a prayer to gods. The success of entering into an alliance, said Liu Xie, depends ultimately on the sincerity of all the parties involved, not on gods. But a beautifully written zhu or meng will help to foster trust in and noble character among the people involved.
引例 Citations:
◎故知信不由衷,盟無(wú)益也。(劉勰《文心雕龍·祝盟》)
由此可見(jiàn),誓約如果不能出自真心,訂立的誓約也毫無(wú)意義。
It can thus be seen that a meng or a vow of allegiance made without sincerity would be meaningless. (Liu Xie: The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons)
◎然非辭之難,處辭為難。后之君子,宜存殷鑒,忠信可矣,無(wú)恃神焉。(劉勰《文心雕龍·祝盟》)
誓約的文辭不難寫(xiě),難在遵守約定。后世君子應(yīng)當(dāng)以背棄誓約的有關(guān)史實(shí)為鑒戒,恪守忠信的原則才行,不要依賴(lài)于神靈。
It is not difficult to write a vow of allegiance. The hard part is honoring it. People in later generations should learn the past lessons of breaking vows of allegiance. One should remain true to one's word and not rely on the grace of the gods. (Liu Xie: The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons)
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供稿:北京外國(guó)語(yǔ)大學(xué) 外語(yǔ)教學(xué)與研究出版社
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