李陵《答苏武书》的真伪

汉魏六朝书信体文章中,与《答苏武书》文风相似的作品在汉末魏晋时期才较多涌现,作为一个在《汉书》本传记载中仅能撰作质朴楚歌歌辞的武士,李陵不可能写出情采并茂的书信。《答苏武书》当系汉末魏晋人拟托之作。六朝人论文、选文大力标榜“情采”,自汉至梁同情李陵的声音绵绵不绝,是《答苏武书》在六朝及后世受到注重的主要原因。

"Li Ling's Letter in Reply to Su Wu": Genuine or Counterfeit?

Among the epistolary essays during the Han and Wei and Jin Dynasties,and the following six dynasties,those similar to "In Reply to Su Wu" in style can only be frequently found towards the end of this period. According to the biography(Benzhuan) in Han Shu,Li Ling was just an ordinary soldier,for whom it is impossible to have written letters full of emotions and with elegance as such,except for simple and unadorned songs.As a result,"In Reply to Su Wu" should have been a letter written by somebody else in Li Ling's name at the end of the Han and Wei and Jin Dynasties.Emotion and elegance are considered to be the vital standards in commenting and reviewing literary works in the Six Dynasties.Sympathies have been paid to Li Ling from the Han Dynasty to the Liang Dynasty.That is the main reason why "In Reply to Su Wu" has been stressed since the Six Dynasties and after.