A Research on Lu Lun's Life and Literary Creations Based on Newly Discovered Epitaphs of Lu Lun and His Wife
The discovery of Dali poet Lu Lun's tomb inscription and that of his wife,Zhao Xuan,not only provides valuable first-hand materials for re-examining his life and career but also provides important clues for delving deeper into the underlying factors behind Lu's political career and literary creations.This article utilizes newly uncovered epitaphs to corroborate the extant literature and addresses five important issues.First,the controversy over the time of Lu Lun's imperial examination can be clarified via these epitaphs.Historical records present two conflicting accounts regarding when Lulun participated in the imperial examination:either at the end of Tianbao or at the beginning of Dali.By combining evidence from epitaphs and Lu Lun's autobiographical poems,it can be inferred that the poet was born in the second year of Tianbao,travelled to the capital during the years of Guangde under the reign of Emperor Daizong,took the exam twice,and failed around the early years of Emperor Daizong's reign.This analysis settles the controversy over his birth year and death year while correcting historical inaccuracies concerning the time of imperial examination.The second aspect aims at re-examining Lu Lun's relationship with Yuan Za and Wang Jin,the two powerful premiers of the Middle Tang Dynasty.Historically,Lu Lun has always been regarded as a disciple of the two powerful premiers.He was recommended by Yuan and Wang initially,but was later implicated by Wang Jing and was not promoted for a long time.However,based on epitaph evidence,it is revealed that Lu Lun was directly recommended by Huangfu Wen instead of Yuan and Wang;furthermore,his career had close ties with Yan Ying shortly after Yuan and Wang fell from power.This suggests that Lu Lun may not have had significantly direct contact with Yuan and Wang themselves.Lu Lun's political interaction,nevertheless,infers that he may obtain appointments and receive support from personnel associated with the Yuan Party.The third is a reinterpretation of Lu Lun's experience with slander and related poems.Lu Lun's poems"Sending Councillor Miao to the Capital from My Culpable Dwelling","Writing to Official Huangfu after My Defamation Was Cleared"and"Meeting Li Shudu after My Defamation Was Cleared"all involve his experiences of being slandered and having his defamation cleared up.Previous scholars believed that these poems were written after Lu Lun was implicated in the case involving Yuan and Wang.And Huangfu Wen was identified as the"Official Huangfu"mentioned in the title of the poems.However,from Lu Lun's life and political career,it can be seen that his defamation had nothing to do with Yuan and Wang's downfall,but rather stemmed from his experience of being captured by the rebels during the Jianzhong Rebellion.It is more likely that"Official Huangfu"mentioned in the poems is Huangfu Zheng,rather than Huangfu Wen.The fourth aspect focuses on investigating the marital and familial network behind Lu Lun's official career.The epitaph supplements the information in the extant literary works by revealing Lu Lun's previously unknown marital relationships.His wife Zhao Xuan's uncle Zhao Zong was closely related to Yuan and Wang,and was the son-in-law of Guo Ziyi.Key political figures who played a crucial role in Lu Lun's career,such as Huangfu Wen,Yan Ying,and Hun Jian,were members of the Yuan Party or officials or generals under Guo Ziyi.This suggests that the kinship and support based on the network of marital relationships was an important driving force behind Lu Lun's political career.The fifth is an analysis of Lu Lun's literary creations as recorded in these epitaphs.It can be seen from the epitaphs that Lu's literary creations were based on his experiences with his maternal family,and his poetry featured the characteristic of graceful and delicate language.A total of 700 poems and essays were created by Lu Lun,which were compiled into a collection and widely circulated at the time,exerting a great impact.
Lu Lunepitaphimperial examinationYuan ZaiWang JinGuo Ziyimarriagecareerliterature
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