黑潮輓歌楊華及其作品研究

Abstract

日治時期台灣重要詩人楊華(1900─1936)，在短短的三十六年歲月，寫就了328首漢語新詩(現存320首)、兩篇白話文小說，以及散置報章雜誌與各種詩選的傳統漢詩，奠定了他成為台灣文學史上重要詩人作家。 如今研究探討楊華的文學歷程，試圖從他的作品中尋找時代的意義，以及他個人的生命情調。傳統漢詩是他文學之旅的起點與終點，由於他歷經新舊文學論戰的洗禮，擁有「二世文人」的自覺，對於傳統文人遭受詬病的劣行惡風頗為自覺，一方面，不願和韻酬唱；另一方面，由於致力於新文學，雖然漢詩作品不多，也多數是擊缽聯吟的產物，在限題、限韻、限時的情況下，依然能抒寫性靈，別出心裁，具現了他生命底層的深刻感受。 在漢語新詩方面，雖然模仿了冰心、梁宗岱的詩作，痕跡處處可見，但是也經過融和轉化成為自己獨特的風格，具體反映日治時期的時代意義，及個人心靈的安置，並指引台灣人對應的方式和出路。尤其〈女工悲曲〉揭示階級意識，反映勞工的悲慟處境，這是「大眾文藝」思潮影響下的產物，也是「台灣文化協會」解散後的反思。由於〈女工悲曲〉及〈心絃〉都是以台灣話文來創作，為「台語文學」奠基的傑作。 楊華兩篇白話文小說，試圖做為「社會改革」的化身。〈一個勞働者的死〉控訴日本統治階層的欺壓，致使貧窮、悽慘、無抵抗的勞動者面臨絕境，並譴責資本家的巧取豪奪，造成勞動者的死亡悲劇；〈薄命〉則反映傳統社會「新婦仔」無法自主的命運，是血淚斑斑的社會寫真。這兩篇白話文小說，成為台灣文學可資紀念的作品。 楊華短促的一生固是生命悲劇，但他所留下的有限作品，卻是台灣文學的珠璣，是戰前台灣文學從奠基期邁向成熟期不可磨滅的少數經典。Yang Hua (1900-1936), a Taiwanese poet who living when the island was under Japanese rule, had written 328 pieces of Chinese new poetry (only 320 of them could be found today), two vernacular Chinese novels in addition to many Chinese traditional poetry which were carried on newspapers, periodicals and collections of poetry and thereby earned a shinning place in the island's literature history despite of his short lifespan of 36 years.

This study focused on Yang's literary career in an attempt to grab the pulse of his times, and his personal feelings for life. His literary adventure started from and ended at Chinese traditional poetry. As a writer grew against the background of bitter fighting between the new and traditional Chinese poetry, and with the pride of literary figure of the second generation, Yang carefully stayed away from the bad habits considered to be traditional literary men's hallmark. Because of his refusal to pursue fashion by imitating others' verses, and his devotion to creating new literary works, Yang's traditional Chinese poets were limited in quantity, and most were composed during gatherings of poets when they competed to come up with the best verses on specific subjects in time and rhymes restricted by organizers. Nevertheless, his poems were a vivid mirror of his soul in a unique form, which are expression of his deep feelings for life.

Although his Chinese new poetry bore obvious resemblances to verses of Chinese writers Bin Xin and Liang Zong-dai, they formed a unique style of his own because of his digestion of the two Chinese writers works. They also reflected a sense of his time when Taiwan was governed by Japan, his personal thinking, and the way he thought the Taiwanese of that time should respond to their situation and to tide over it. Notable among those works was "A Female Worker's Sorrow Song" which exposed the differences between social classes, and the miserable lives of laborers. This poem was brought about by the believe in popular literary, and a backlash prompted by the dissolution of Taiwan Culture Association at the time. Both "A Female Worker's Sorrow Song" and "Heart String" were written in Taiwanese dialect and were thereby considered as cornerstones of Taiwanese literature.

Yang wrote two novels in vernacular Chinese with an eye to sparkle a social revolution. "A Laborer's Demise" was an accusation that Japanese rulers' bully and oppression had kept the impoverished, miserable, defenseless laborers to the bay, and capitalists' accumulation of assets by trickery or by force had led to the deceases of workers; "Ill Fate" was a vivid story about women's incapability to control their own lives in society of the time and a microcosm of the traditional Taiwanese society. Both of the two novels are remarkable works of Taiwan literature.

Yang's life was a tragedy because of its shortness, but his legacy in literature is Taiwan's treasure, they are the few classic works marking Taiwan literature's progress from beginning to maturity before the World War II.