許穆公; Xu Mu Gong), the ruler of the
State of Xǔ. She was the first recorded female poet in Chinese history.
Life
A princess of the
Wey state with the clan name Ji, she was the daughter of Wan, Count Zhao of Wey (son of Duke Xuan of Wey) and his wife Xuan Jiang, a daughter of
Duke Xi of Qi
Duke Xi of Qi (; died 698 BC) was from 730 to 698 BC the thirteenth recorded ruler of the State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His personal name was Lü Lufu (呂祿甫), ancestral name Jiang ( 姜), and Duke Xi was ...
. Xuan Jiang was the sister of
Wen Jiang, and the two sisters were renowned beauties. She married Duke Mu of Xu and became known as the Duchess of Xu.
When Wey was invaded in 660 BC by the
Northern Di
The Di or Beidi (Northern Di) were various ethnic groups who lived north of the Chinese (''Huaxia'') realms during the Zhou dynasty. Although initially described as nomadic, they seem to have practiced a mixed pastoral, agricultural, and huntin ...
barbarians, she tried to return to her home state and call for help from other states on the way. However, courtiers from Xu caught up with her and forced her to return to Xu. Nevertheless, her appeals for aid succeeded, and the
state of Qi
Qi, or Ch'i in Wade–Giles romanization, was a state of the Zhou dynasty-era in ancient China, variously reckoned as a march, duchy, and independent kingdom. Its capital was Linzi, located in present-day Shandong.
Qi was founded sh ...
saved Wey from its crisis. The Wey people remembered her for bringing supplies, getting military aid and rebuilding the state.
According to ''
Zuo zhuan'', she composed the poem "Speeding Chariot" (載馳; ''Zaichi'') expressing her profound anxiety about her native state of Wey being destroyed by the
Di. The poem is collected in the ''
Classic of Poetry
The ''Classic of Poetry'', also ''Shijing'' or ''Shih-ching'', translated variously as the ''Book of Songs'', ''Book of Odes'', or simply known as the ''Odes'' or ''Poetry'' (; ''Shī''), is the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, c ...
''. Two other poems in the collection, "Bamboo Pole" (竹竿) and "Spring Water" (泉水), have also been attributed to her, although it is not certain if all three poems were actually written by her.
Works
Speeding chariot (載馳)
载驰载驱，归唁卫侯。
驱马悠悠，言至于漕。
大夫跋涉，我心则忧。
既不我嘉，不能旋反。
视尔不臧，我思不远。
既不我嘉，不能旋济。
视尔不臧，我思不閟。
陟彼阿丘，言采其虻。
女子善怀，亦各有行。
许人尤之，众穉且狂。
我行其野，芃芃其麦。
控于大邦，谁因谁极。
大夫君子，无我有尤。
百尔所思，不如我所之。
Notes
Sources
"Lady Xu Mu – poet and patriot"
Year of birth unknown
Year of death unknown
7th-century BC women writers
Ancient Asian women writers
Ancient Chinese princesses
Chinese women poets
Poets from Henan
Zhou dynasty nobility
Zhou dynasty poets
7th-century BC women poets
Wey (state)
7th-century BC Chinese poets
7th-century BC Chinese women
7th-century BC Chinese people
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