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 Xǔ. She was the first recorded female poet in Chinese history.
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. 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 Lady Xu Mu or sometimes the Duchess of Xu.
When Wey was invaded in 660 B.C. 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.
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. 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.
The poem:
载驰载驱，归唁衛侯。
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
Romanisation (in reconstructed Old Chinese):
zlɯːs l'al zlɯːs kʰo, klul ŋrans ɢʷads ɡoː.
kʰo mraːʔ lɯw lɯw, ŋan tjiɡs qa zluː.
daːds pa boːd djeb, ŋaːlʔ slɯm ʔsɯːɡ qu.
kɯds pɯ ŋaːlʔ kraːl, pɯ' nɯːŋ sɢʷan panʔ.
ɡljilʔ njelʔ pɯ ʔsaːŋ, ŋaːlʔ snɯs pɯ ɢʷanʔ.
kɯds pɯ ŋaːlʔ kraːl, pɯ' nɯːŋ sɢʷan ʔsliːls.
ɡljilʔ njelʔ pɯ ʔsaːŋ, ŋaːlʔ snɯ pɯʔ priɡs.
tɯɡ pralʔ qaːl kʰʷɯ, ŋan sʰɯːʔ ɡɯ mraːŋ.
naʔ tɯɡ qaːl ɡruːl, laːɡ klaːɡ ɢʷɯʔ ɡraːŋ.
hŋaʔ njin ɢʷɯ tjɯ, tjuŋs l'ils sʰjaːʔ ɡʷaŋ.
ŋaːlʔ ɡraːŋ ɡɯ laːʔ, boːŋ boːŋ ɡɯ mrɯːɡ.
kʰoːŋs ɢʷa daːds proːŋ, djul qin djul ɡab.
daːds pa klun ʔslɯʔ, ma ŋaːlʔ ɢʷɯʔ ɢʷɯ.
praːɡ njelʔ sqʰraʔ snɯs, pɯ nja ŋaːlʔ sqʰraʔ tjɯ
Romanisation (modernised):
Zài chí zài qū, guī yàn wèi hóu.
Qū mǎ yōuyōu, yán zhìyú cáo.
Dàfū báshè, wǒ xīn zé yōu.
Jì bù wǒ jiā, bùnéng xuán fǎn.
Shì ěr bù zāng, wǒ sī bù yuǎn.
Jì bù wǒ jiā, bùnéng xuán jì.
Shì ěr bù zāng, wǒ sī bù bì.
Zhì bǐ ā qiū, yán cǎi qí méng.
Nǚzǐ shàn huái, yì gè yǒu xíng.
Xǔrényóu zhī, zhòng zhì qiě kuáng.
Wǒ xíng qí yě, péng péng qí mài.
Kòng yú dà bāng, shéi yīn shéi jí.
Dàfū jūnzǐ, wú wǒ yǒu yóu.
Bǎi ěr suǒ sī, bùrú wǒ suǒ zhī
English translation (grammar corrected by me):
Go fast chariots! Cause I'm going back to where the ruler of Wei lives to console him.
The horse keeps wandering, and when will I reach Zhao?
The daifus went wandering, but my heart is filled with worries.
There's no person that thinks I'm good, yet I cannot go back.
The person doesn't think very much of me, but my thoughts haven't changed.
You don't think of me as good, but my thoughts for you would not cease.
I'll climb up those hills and collect plants.
A woman has lot of thoughts, and they all go their own ways.
The people of Xu worry about me, yet they are childish and mad!
I went out in the wilderness and noticed the wheat not reaped.
I try to report it to the big countries, yet who should I tell by whom?
To all the high officials, don't say I worry.
I have so many thoughts, but it isn't anything compared to where I try to go.
Notes: Daifus = high officials.
She collected plants to make medicine to soothe her anxieties.
The wheat was not reaped because of the political situation.
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