刘希夷（约651年－约680年）是唐朝的一位诗人，字延之（一作庭芝），汉族，出生于汝州（今河南省汝州市）。他于高宗上元二年考中进士，并擅长弹琵琶。
刘希夷的诗作以歌行为主，尤其擅长写闺情，其辞意柔婉华丽，常常带有感伤的情调。《旧唐书》中的本传称他“善于创作从军闺情之诗，词调哀苦，为当时所重视的作品。他的志行不修，最终被奸人所杀害。”《大唐新语》卷8中记载：“后来孙翌编纂了《正声集》，将希夷的诗作视为其中最优秀的作品。”
《全唐诗》中收录了刘希夷的诗作1卷，而《全唐诗外编》和《全唐诗续拾》则补充了他的7首诗作。除此之外，关于刘希夷的生平和作品的资料相对较少。
刘希夷是一位擅长写从军闺情诗的诗人，他的诗歌辞藻婉丽，但意境却充满了悲苦之情，因此并没有受到太多人的重视。然而，后来孙昱编写了《正声集》，将刘希夷的诗歌作为集中的重点，这使得刘希夷的诗歌受到了广泛的赞赏和称赞。他的代表作品包括《从军行》、《采桑》、《春日行歌》、《春女行》、《捣衣篇》、《代悲白头翁》和《洛川怀古》等。其中，《代悲白头翁》一诗描写了花开花落，时光流转的无常；“今年花落颜色改，明年花开复谁在？”这句诗表达了岁月更迭中人事变迁的感慨，“年年岁岁花相似，岁岁年年人不同”以及“宛转娥眉能几时，须臾鹤发乱如丝”等句子也表达了对时光流逝和人事变迁的深深感慨。在《红楼梦》中，甄士隐对跛足道人的《好了歌》进行了解注，其中“陋室空堂，当年笏满床，衰草枯杨，曾为歌舞场”以及黛玉的《葬花词》“明媚鲜妍能几时，一朝飘泊难寻觅”、“试看春残花渐落，便是红颜老死时”的用词和意境显然是受到了这首诗的影响，可见刘希夷的诗歌具有很大的魅力。《正声集》共有十卷，而刘希夷的诗歌被编入其中的第八十二卷，共有一卷。 刘希夷成就详情»
Liu Xiyi a famous poet in the early Tang Dynasty is said to have been killed by Song Zhiwen. This theory originated from the Tang Dynasty's notes Dadang Xinyu and Liu Binkes Jiahualu. Dadang Xinyu states:
Liu Xiyi also known as Tingzhi was from Ruzhou. He was talented in literature and loved to write palace poems which were filled with sadness and bitterness but not highly regarded. He was skilled at playing the pipa. He once wrote a poem called 'White-haired Old Man's Song': 'This year the flowers wither and change color who will be here next year when the flowers bloom again?' Later he regretted it and said 'This poem seems like a prophecy isn't it the same as Shi Chong's 'white-haired returning to the same place'? He then wrote another line: 'Year after year the flowers look the same but the people change year after year.' He sighed and said 'This line also seems like a prophecy but life and death are predetermined not determined by this!' He kept both versions. Before he could finish the poem he was killed by a traitor. Some say it was Song Zhiwen who harmed him.
Liu Binkes Jiahualu states: Liu Xiyi said 'Year after year the flowers look the same but the people change year after year.' His uncle Song Zhiwen loved these two lines and begged him for them but Liu refused to give them. Song became angry and killed him by pressing him with a sack of soil. Song did not have a peaceful death it was heaven's retribution.
After Song's time many works followed this theory. Even some modern and contemporary works as well as literary histories and dictionaries have adopted this theory. Examples include Wen Yiduo's Redemption of Palace Poems Liu Dajie's History of Chinese Literature Cihai and Dictionary of Chinese Writers. In 1981 when Liu Xiyi's tomb was restored in Linru County (now Ruzhou City) Mr. Lin Guanfu still followed this theory when writing the epitaph.
However upon careful consideration it can be seen that this theory lacks solid evidence and strong supporting evidence. It seems implausible both in terms of time and logic making it difficult to establish.
In terms of time the birth and death dates of Liu and Song are not clearly recorded in history and can only be inferred from obscure materials. If we assume that Liu Xiyi became a jinshi (successful candidate in the imperial examination) at the age of 25 in the second year of Shangyuan (675 AD) and died before the age of 30 then he would have been born in the second year of Yonghui (651 AD as determined by Wen Yiduo's Tang Poetry Series) and died between the Yifeng and Diaolu reigns no later than the first year of Yonglong (680 AD). According to the preface of Song Zhiwen's Autumn Lotus Fu:
In the first year of Tian Shou the imperial scholar Yang Jiong and I were assigned to study at the Xizhi Academy in Luoyang. The Xizhi Academy refers to the Xizhi Academy of Arts and Sciences (according to the Annotations to Volume 208 of the Tongjian the original name was Neiwenxueguan which was changed to Xiyiguan by Empress Wu Zetian and then changed to Hanlin Nei Jiaofang). According to the New Book of Tang Biography of Song Zhiwen:
After his coming of age Empress Wu summoned him and Yang Jiong to study at the Xizhi Academy.
刘希夷生平考证详情»
夷园，是初唐诗人刘希夷的墓园，位于汝州风穴寺山门东侧。墓园背依龙山，面朝黄虎山，环境幽静宜人。刘希夷墓最初建于唐朝，原为土冢，墓前植有柏树。经过千年的生长，柏树高度接近三丈，其中一株需要四人合抱，树茎分为三枝，被称为“三柱香”。另一株则需要五人合抱，树荫面积达到百多平方米，形状如巨伞，被称为“一蓬伞”。然而，在解放前，这些珍贵的柏树遭到了毁坏。
清朝初年，刘希夷墓年久失修，只剩下一个土丘。然而在清雍正七年（1729年），汝州的文人们用青石将刘墓护砌，周围广植松柏，并立碑刻上“唐诗人刘希夷墓”的字样，使刘希夷墓成为汝州的一处景点。光绪二十四年（1898年），州署在墓周围用青砖砌成了长宽各5米，高2米的透花围墙，并在门口立起了雍正十年所刻的碑石。
然而，在文化大革命期间，刘希夷墓遭到了破坏。直到1984年，一些知名人士如张绍文等发起倡议，原临汝县人大常委会于同年6月14日第22次会议通过，县财政拨款5万元，于1985年建造了纪念堂厢房5间和一个大门，门额上请张绍文先生书写了“夷园”的名字，并在墓前刻上了一块墓碑。然而，由于管理不善，不久后这5间纪念堂就被山火焚毁。
1994年，风穴寺文管所砌了一座园林式围墙，长约400米。1998年，纪念堂得到了重建，另外还将一对清代的石狮移立在门前。1999年秋天，用青石重新砌筑了一个高一米，直径为2.9米的圆形墓冢，象征着刘希夷享年29周岁。
刘希夷墓周围建有一个古朴典雅的青砖小院落，看上去像是古建筑。然而，汝州市宣传部新闻科长张万强告诉我，这个“古建”实际上只有20年的历史。上世纪80年代，刘希夷墓只剩下一块清代光绪年间开封人冯承志父子撰写的石碑，旁边还有一块残碑。当时，“文化大革命”刚刚结束，国家开始重建百废，一些汝州的文化人决定修复墓园。在他们的努力游说下，当地政府于1985年出资修建了现在的墓园。
夷园是一处具有历史意义的墓园，它见证了刘希夷这位伟大诗人的生平和成就。虽然经历了多次的修复和重建，但夷园依然保留着初唐时期的风貌，吸引着众多游客前来参观。这个古朴典雅的墓园，不仅是对刘希夷的纪念，也是对中国古代文化的珍贵遗产的保护和传承。
刘希夷墓址详情»