通过对《江南》古辞的全面考察,文章认为它在“原生态”的状况下具有特殊的实用功能,同时又是爱情的隐语和谑辞,而叠唱与相和是其最基本的歌唱方式。它不仅是我国古代乐府文学中《采莲》诸曲和在文坛上竞相绽放的“莲花文学”的鼻祖,而且还是孕育诸多“《江南》体”诗歌的母体,对后世的诗人产生了深远的影响。
Through a thorough survey on ancient Ci (a Form of Classical Poetry) in Jiang Nan, the paper holds that ancient Ci had had special functions under the original ecology, and at the same time, it was an enigmatic and teasing way of denoting love. Refrain and echoing are the most basic ways of singing folk songs and ballads. Many lyric songs in ancient Chinese lyric literature such as Picking Lotus and the much relished "Lotus Literature" in the literary world could all find their origin in ancient Ci form in Jiang Nan. It was also the poetic matrix of many Jiang Nan-style poesies, which has had a far-reaching influence on posterior poets.