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

A princess of the Wey state with the ancestral name Ji, she was the daughter of Wan, Count Zhao of Wey (son of Duke Xuan of Wey) and Xuan Jiang, Duchess Xuan of Wey (daughter of Duke Xi of Qi). She was married to Duke Mu of Xu and became known as Lady Xu Mu or sometimes the Duchess of Xu. When Wey was invaded in 660 BC by the Northern Di 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 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 state. 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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