元稹與白居易這兩位中唐最重要的樂府詩人均以擅長敘事詩而著稱於世。然而，由於中國傳統文學批判對敘事詩的寫作及發展一向論述不深，元、白二人在詩歌創作方面的許多貢獻乃隱晦而不彰，他們在敘事詩上的成就亦往往被批判家所謂「元輕白俗」之說所遮掩。雖然敘事詩已是唐代文學體裁中的重要一環，運用描寫式呈現模式(a descriptive mode of presentation)的詩歌並未因其敘事特點而形成一獨立文類。依循前人在賦體、樂府及古體詩方面所建立的傳統，元稹與白居易在傳統形式上力求開新，創作所謂的「新樂府」，為其敘事詩之寫作立下最直接而有效的章法。身為「元和」詩派之領袖，元、白不僅致力於新的文學理念之倡導，並藉著實驗性的寫作來體現他們崇高的文學理想。因此本文係以探討元、白對於中國詩歌的敘事模式在理論與實踐上成就為出發點。由於元、白詩哥中的戲劇成份乃源自於其敘事詩，在各別探討這些詩歌的戲劇特質之前。作者分析了元、白樂府詩中與其敘事、戲劇興味之展現密切相關的描寫技巧。作者並分別就戲劇轉換(dramatic shift)、戲劇劇衝突(dramatic conflict)、戲劇行動(dramatic action)、戲劇口吻與客觀性(dramatic voice and objectivity )、戲劇節奏(the rhythm of dramatic action)、特寫效果(the“close-up”effect)等六項成份，進一步探討元、白詩歌藝術之技巧如何將中國詩歌傳統中的敘事與戲劇特質作一番獨特的整合與開新。易言之，本文對於元、白敘事詩之戲劇成份的分析，並未背離其源自中國詩歌傳統之內在本質，而是賦予並肯定了這些戲劇特質啟發與影響後代中國戲劇的重要意義。

As the two most important Yuefu poets of the Mid-Tang period (766-835), Bo Juyi and Yuan Zhen are both celebrated for their achievements in narrative poetry. However, because traditional Chinese literary criticism is relatively taciturn when it comes to analyzing narrative popetry, many aspects of Bo's and Yuan's creative effort in poetry remain unexplored. Their achievement in the sphere of narrative poetry has been largely ignored by most literary critics who appraise their poetry with superficial dismissal such as that Yuan's poetry is “frivolous”or that Bo's is “vulgar. ” While narrative poetry constitutes a significant category of Tang literature, preceding the Tang period, poetry which already employed a descriptive mode of presentation did not form an independent genre on the basis of their “narrative ” characteristics. Following the established poetic tradition of Fu,Yuefu and Gutishi(ancient-style poetry), Bo and Yuan made innovations on traditional forms and created the so-called “New Yuefu”(Xin Yuefu) which provided immediate legacy to their pursuit of narrative poetry. As leaders of the Yuanhe school, Bo and Yuan not only devoted themselves to new literary ideal but also strove for the realization of their lofty goal by experimental creative writing. My point of departure is thus to examine Yuan's and Bo's theoretic and practical contribution to the development of narrative mode in Chinese poetry. Because dramatic elements in Bo's and Yuan's works originate in their narrative poetry, before going on to explore their dramatic aspects separately, I have analyzed their descriptive techniques in Yuefu which is relevant to the emergence of narrative-dramatic interest in their poetry. I have then examined, in dramatic shift, dramatic conflict, dramatic action, dramatic voice and objectivity, the rhythm of dramatic action, and the “close-up”effect, how the craft of Yuan's and Bo's poetic art presents a spectacular renewal and integration of the narrative and dramatic elements in the Chinese poetic tradition. In my analysis of the dramatic elements of these poems, I have not turned away from their inherent qualities reminiscent of the Chinese poetic tradition, but have regarded them as positive, prominent features that inspire and influence the Chinese drama of subsequent ages.