位於長江北岸，與鎮江市隔水相對的揚州，唐朝時帶市大運河漕運樞紐、南北貨物集散中心，特別發達。此邑春秋時代就已經建城，因為歷史悠久，所以有許多別名，諸如「廣陵」、「江都」、「淮南」等等。在諸多別名之中，「蕪城」一名與文學關係頗為密切。 南朝宋詩人鮑照〈蕪城賦〉與南宋姜白石〈揚州慢〉，皆是以此地為背景，將戰前繁榮與戰後淒涼做對比。〈蕪城賦〉寫作時期的南北朝，以及〈揚州慢〉的南宋時期，揚州皆因地處南、北對峙政權的中縣，曾經長時間荒蕪。二篇詩文中一幕幕淒涼景象，撼動人心，詩人對大環境無奈的控訴，世代流傳。 終結南北朝分裂現象的隋朝——特別是隋煬帝，為揚州城的重生，奠定基礎。然而，煬帝也被某些以繁榮揚州為背景的唐詩引用，以諷諭世人沉迷於逸樂的下場，例如詩人杜牧〈揚州三首〉等等。其他作品亦有傳達死亡印象者，如張祜〈縱游淮南〉云： 十里長街市井連，月明橋上看神仙。人生只合揚州死，禪智山光好墓田。 本文以「都市生與死」為題，從文學的角度，透過唐詩裏的揚州印象，反省在大環境影響之下，人類與環境互動的過程。主要章節依次為「都市定義」、「蕪城宿命」、「煬帝的建設與揚州城的成長」、「揚州城的繁榮期」、「揚州城的衰亡期」、「結語」。戰爭誠然是摧毀生命的劊子手，但大部分的世人都是自然死亡而非死於戰爭。以繁榮的揚州城為背景的唐詩，不會忘了提醒世人勿過份貪圖逸樂，否則生命終結日期將提早到來。 全文引用之詩作方面，另見本人所著〈以揚州城為背景之唐詩索引〉，《淡江中文學報》，第五期，1998年六月。

This thesis analyzes the life and the death of an ancient city located on the north bank of the Yangtzi River called Yangzhou as recorded in the Tang poems written about this city. Like modern writings about urban settings, these poems depict the largest transport center of the southeast China in the Tang Dynasty. The ancient city YangZhou has many different names, such as Guangling, Jiangdu, Huainan and Wucheng, “Desolate City,” which evoke many impressive allusions to classical Chinese writings. From prosperous to desolate, the fate of Yangzhou repeated itself many times. Wucheng, “the Desolate City,” was also the title of a well-known fu essay by Bao Zhao of the southern Song Empire in the South and North Dynastics Period. This work and the ci poem, “Yangzhou Man” by Jiang Kui in the southern Song Dynasty, both depict the flourishing scenes of the city and lament its destruction by war. From one extreme to the other they impress readers deeply. This thesis cites the urban Yangzhou poems chronologically and this shows the contents of the poems changed when the city's economy changed. Yangzhou was rebuilt by Emperor Yangti of the Sui Dynasty was ending. Although the war was criticized as being responsible for the deaths of numerous people, every now and then there were poems warning people from over indulging in the pursuit of sensual enjoyment which could cause death like it did in the case of the Sui Emperor Yangti. The poems cited in this paper can be found in the Index to the Tang Poems about the Yangzhou City in the previous issue of this journal published in June 1998.

都市文學、唐詩、揚州、蕪城、死亡

urban literature, Tang poems, Yangzhou, Wucheng, death