南嶽總勝集敘
Preface to the Collection of Outstanding Records of Mount Heng
南嶽多古志。率皆佚而不傳。隋經籍志有宋居士撰衡山記。太平御覽引徐靈期南嶽記。宋藝文志有盧鴻衡山記。錢景衎南嶽勝概。諸書既不得見。惟有唐道士李仲昭撰南嶽小錄一卷。錄入 四庫書。此外有明彭簪衡嶽志。國朝趙寧嶽麓志。俱後出又少。故實此本南嶽總勝集三卷為宋紹興時陳田夫所撰。明人影宋鈔本。體例既佳。書亦最古。考之晁公武讀書志。有其書不著撰人名。宋史藝文志并不載是書。蓋其漏略。吾友唐陶山明府仕優則學愛古敦素。校付開雕。閱月刊成。甚可喜也。昔向子禽遊五嶽。待畢婚嫁。予以少賤從事畢督部幕府。自華歷嵩。又以都官扈 蹕。西巡經曲陽。大茂山詢考北嶽舊廟故蹟。及官東魯。祈雪泰山。信宿日觀。屈指五嶽。已遊其四所。未至者南嶽耳。而陶山先生未第時。以名孝廉遊學。足跡半天下。授經泰山之麓。撰岱覽三十卷。蒐羅古迹金石。多前人未見。茲官東南。以經術飾吏治方求吳地。記吳中水。利書寫刊。以徵一方文獻尤念。此書為鄉郡名山故蹟所在。急為廣布。予與陶山生同歲。甫及知非鬢髮漸斑白矣。薄宦思有濟於物。終不能自行意。如待畢婚嫁遊名山。恐年衰已乏濟勝之具。終日執此編。尋攬名勝。以當臥遊。或數年後即賦。遂初從陶山於瀟湘。雲夢間望衡九面。以補向禽未遂之願。則與陶山案圖考古。續補此書所不及載。又盛舉也。嘉慶六年六月朔日。孫星衍敘於金陵五松書屋。
Mount Heng has many ancient records, yet most are lost and not passed down. The *Sui Dynasty Bibliography* includes the *Mount Heng Record* by a Song dynasty lay scholar. The *Taiping Imperial Encyclopedia* quotes Xu Lingqi's *Southern Peak Record*. The *Song Dynasty Art and Literature Records* contain Lu Hong's *Mount Heng Record* and Qian Jingyan's *Highlights of Mount Heng*. As these works are no longer seen, only the *Brief Record of Mount Heng* in one volume, written by Tang dynasty Taoist Li Zhongzhao, remains, included in the *Siku Quanshu*. Additionally, there are Peng Zan's *Mount Heng Chronicle* from the Ming dynasty and Zhao Ning's *Yuelu Chronicle* from our dynasty, both later works with fewer historical details. Thus, this edition of the *Collected Highlights of Mount Heng* in three volumes, compiled by Chen Tianfu during the Song Shaoxing period, is a Ming dynasty copy of a Song manuscript. Its structure is excellent, and the text is the most ancient. Checking Chao Gongwu's *Reading Records*, the book is mentioned without the author's name, and the *Song Dynasty Art and Literature Records* do not list it, likely an omission.
My friend Tang Taoshan, a magistrate who pursued learning in leisure, cherishes antiquity and simplicity. He proofread and had it carved for printing, completing it in a month—a truly delightful achievement. In the past, Xiang Ziqin traveled to the Five Sacred Mountains only after his children were married. I, from humble beginnings, served in Minister Bi's office, journeying from Mount Hua to Mount Song. As a capital official, I accompanied the imperial procession westward through Quyang, investigating old temples and sites at Mount Da Mao, the Northern Peak. When posted in eastern Lu, I prayed for snow at Mount Tai and stayed at the Sun-Viewing Peak. Counting the Five Sacred Mountains, I have visited four; only Mount Heng remains. Before attaining office, Mr. Taoshan, as a renowned scholar, traveled widely, studying at the foot of Mount Tai and compiling the *Mount Tai Overview* in thirty volumes, gathering ancient relics and inscriptions unseen by predecessors. Now serving in the southeast, he applies classical studies to governance, seeking records of Wu and writing on its waterways, publishing to preserve local culture. He especially values this book for documenting the famous mountains and sites of his homeland, urgently spreading it.
Taoshan and I are the same age, just reaching the age of understanding and with hair graying. In modest official posts, I wish to benefit the world but cannot always follow my will. Like waiting for children's marriages to travel famous mountains, I fear age may weaken my ability. Holding this volume daily, I explore its sights as a mental journey. Perhaps in a few years, I will retire and join Taoshan between the Xiao-Xiang rivers and Yunmeng marshes, gazing at Mount Heng's many faces to fulfill Xiang Ziqin's unrealized wish. Then, with Taoshan, we may consult maps, study antiquity, and supplement what this book omits—another grand endeavor.
Written on the first day of the sixth month, Jiaqing 6th year, by Sun Xingyan at the Five Pines Study in Jinling.