作為《紅樓夢》中最獨特的詩歌作品，薛寶琴的〈懷古十絕句〉不但是唯一的懷古詩，更是完全出於一手的最大型組詩。本文有別於歷來對這一組詩的猜謎式解讀，改由「詩學」與「敘事」的雙焦點切入，透過與傳統文學的互文關係以及明清時代的社會文化因素，探索其於類型意義、形式架構、文體特徵、敘事作用、人物評價、角色塑造的深層內涵，而進行《紅樓夢》中詩歌之存在功能的重新解釋與價值重估。由此釐清：這組詩「詠物」其用、「懷古」其名、「詠史」其實，糾合了三種詩類的性質或功能，並透過「組詩」的形式涉及十個歷史地點與歷史人物，內蘊雙性平衡的意義；其之所以必須出自薛寶琴之手，更具備了合情合理的內在邏輯，達到「詩」與「人物」的完美合一。

The article analyzes Xue Bao-qin’s “Ten Poems of Meditation on the Past,” the collection of poems (henceforth Ten Poems) that is the single meditation-on-the-past poem (懷古詩) in The Dream of the Red Chamber and also the longest among all collections-of-poems (組詩) at the time. Traditional commentaries on the Ten Poems adopt an allegorical approach, with typical intention of puzzle-style interpretations. By contrast, this article analyzes it from the context of poetry and narrative per se. Relating the Ten Poems to its literary tradition and the sociocultural context of the Ming and early Qing era, the article discusses interrelated issues such as the work’s narrative patterns and forms, the characteristics and meanings of its stylistic type, and the role it plays in order to reevaluate its values in The Dream of the Red Chamber. In conclusion, the article suggests that the Ten Poems fuse three poem subgenres including huaigu, yongshi and yongwu so as to meditate the title of the past (huaigu qi ming), and chant the functions of objects (yongwu qi yong) and accomplishments of the history (yongshi qi shi). Through the ten historic sites and corresponding figures meditated and described, the Ten Poems proposes a balance of gender difference. This article also discusses the significance of Xue Bao-qin as the author of the Ten Poems.