Lady Xu Mu

Lady Xu Mu (Chinese: 許穆夫人; fl. 7th century BC) was a princess of the State of Wey who married Duke Mu of Xu (許穆公; Xu Mu Gong), the ruler of the State of Xu. She was the first recorded female poet in Chinese history.

Life

She was married to Duke Mu of Xu, and although her surname was Ji, she became known as Lady Xu Mu or sometimes the Duchess of Xu. She lived in the Xu state with her husband, but when the state of Wey was invaded in 660 BC by the Northern Di barbarians, she tried to return there and call for help from Wey's neighboring states on the way. However, courtiers from Xu chased her and forced her to return to Xu. However, her appeals for aid succeeded, and the state of Qi saved Wey from its crisis. The Wey people remembered her for bringing supplies, getting military aid and rebuilding the state. She composed the poem "Speeding Chariot" (載馳; Zaichi) expressing her profound anxiety about the fate of her native country. The poem is collected in the Classic of Poetry.[1]

Notes

  1. ↑ Bennet Peterson, Barbara (2000). Notable Women of China: Shang Dynasty to the Early Twentieth Century. M.E. Sharpe, Inc. p. 21.

Sources


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