Bailing Ji (白蓮集) is a ten-volume collection of poems compiled by the Tang dynasty poet-monk Qiji. Qiji, originally from Yiyang, referred to himself as the monk of Heng Mountain. The erroneous belief that Qiji lived in the same era as Du Fu, as suggested by Song dynasty annotators of Du Fu's poem "Ji Shangren Maocai," has been widely discredited. Similarly, the claim that Qiji was from the Liang dynasty is incorrect. Historical records indicate that Qiji served as the abbot of Longxing Temple under Gao Jixing, who, although he held an official position in the Liang dynasty, was referred to as the South Ping King in Qiji's work. This title was used during the reign of Emperor Zhuangzong of Tang, specifically in the year 921 (Longde 1st year).

The collection was compiled by Qiji's disciple, Xiwén, and includes a preface written by Sun Guangxian in 936 (Tianfu 3rd year). The first nine volumes contain regulated verse, while the last volume is dedicated to ancient-style verse. Following the ancient-style poems, there are 42 additional quatrains, which are believed to have been appended later.

Among the Tang dynasty monks who were skilled in poetry, only three collections have survived to the present day: those of Jiaoran, Guanxiu, and Qiji. Jiaoran's poetry is described as clear but weak, and Guanxiu's as bold but rough. Qiji's seven-character regulated verse follows the conventions of his time, while his seven-character ancient-style poetry, influenced by the styles of Lu Tong and Ma Yi, is characterized by its complex and difficult structure. However, the majority of his work, comprising about 60% of the collection, consists of five-character regulated verse. These poems, while somewhat derivative of the Wu Gong style, exhibit a unique and robust style. Notable pieces include "The Swordsmen," "Listening to the Zither," and "Mount Zhurong," which retain the spirit of the Dali period and beyond.

One of Qiji's most celebrated quatrains, "The Fifteenth Night of the Gengwu Year," reads: "The sea is calm and the sky clear, the moon is perfectly round. Thinking of Emperor Xuanzong on this cold night, the jade rabbit, if it has feelings, should remember. On the west side, the old Chang'an is no longer visible." This poem, with its deep nostalgia for a former ruler, sets Qiji apart from other monks and poets of his time. It is this sentiment that likely contributed to his close relationship with the poet Sikong Tu.

Bailing Ji remains a significant literary work, offering insights into the poetic style and cultural context of the late Tang dynasty.

References

• 《四庫全書總目提要·卷151 集部·別集類四 唐三、五代》

《白蓮集》，唐釋齊己撰，共十卷。齊己為唐代僧人，自號衡嶽沙門，益陽人。他曾依附高季興，任龍興寺僧正。高季興雖曾接受後梁官職，但齊己擔任僧正時，應為唐莊宗入洛後的龍德元年（921年）。《白蓮集》由齊己的門人西文編纂，書前有天福三年（938年）孫光憲所作的序文。

《白蓮集》前九卷為近體詩，後一卷為古體詩。古體詩之後還有絕句四十二首，可能是後人輯錄附入的。唐代僧人中能詩者眾多，而其詩集傳世者僅有皎然、貫休和齊己三人。其中，皎然的詩作清雅但略顯柔弱，貫休的詩作豪放但略顯粗獷。齊己的七言律詩雖然未脫當時的風格，但其七言古詩模仿盧仝、馬異的風格縮短為短章，風格詰屈聱牙，不足稱道。然而，齊己的五言律詩在全集中佔了十分之六，風格獨樹一幟，頗具力度。如《劍客》、《聽琴》、《祝融峰》等篇，仍有大歷時期的遺韻。在絕句中，《庚午年十五夜對月》一詩雲：「海澄空碧正團圞，吟想玄宗此時寒。玉兔有情應記得，西邊不見舊長安。」此詩表達了對故君的深切懷念，尤為其他僧人所不及。因此，齊己與詩人司空圖相互契合併有交往。

《白蓮集》不僅是齊己詩作的重要彙編，也是研究唐代僧人文學創作的珍貴資料。