Song Mingqiong (Chinese: 宋鳴瓊, 1750/52–1802), courtesy name Wanxian, was a Chinese poet of the Qing dynasty. She wrote thousands of poems during her lifetime, but perhaps only one-fifth of the poems have survived.[1]
Song Mingqiong | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 1750 or 1752 | ||||||||
| Died | 1802 (age 49–52) | ||||||||
| Nationality |  Qing dynasty | ||||||||
| Spouse | Tu Jianxuan[1] | ||||||||
| Children | 3, including two adopted[1] | ||||||||
| Father | Song Wuren[1] | ||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 宋鳴瓊 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 宋鸣琼 | ||||||||
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| Courtesy name | |||||||||
| Chinese | 婉仙 | ||||||||
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Biography
editSong Mingqiong was from Beixiang (北鄉), Fengxin, Jiangxi. The fifth of seven children of the scholar Song Wuren (宋五仁), she learned to read and write from her father and brothers. According to the local gazetteer (Fengxin xianzhi, 奉新縣志) she could read at the age of four, write poetry at the age of eight, and write fu prose-poems at the age of nine.[1]
At the age of 14 she married Tu Jianxuan (涂建萱), also a native of Fengxin, and moved with him to Wenzhou when he took up an official position. Their marriage was cut short by his death seven years later. The next three decades saw her living out her life as a widow, bringing up a daughter and two adopted sons, and burying her parents and parents-in-law. Many of her days were spent reading poetry from her collection.[1]
She often sent her poems to her siblings and their children, and it was through their connections that her poems enjoyed wide acclaim.[1]
Dream of the Red Chamber poems
editShe was one of the earliest women to write poems reflecting on her reading of the novel Dream of the Red Chamber. Evidence exists that she published the four poems in 1791, when the novel was still banned by the Qing government. In these poems, she criticized traditional marriages and expressed support for free love.[2][1]
All four poems have been translated into English by Ellen Widmer.[3][4]
Bibliography
edit- Weixue xuan shicao (味雪軒詩草, "Poems from Weixue Pavilion", published in 1791[1])
- Biegao (別稿; "Supplement"[1])
- Chunqiu waizhuan (春秋外傳; "Ancillary to the Spring and Autumn Annals"[1])
Her other poems are found in anthologies compiled by Cai Dianqi (蔡殿齊) and Huang Zhimo (黃秩模).[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Zong Desheng; Zong Jingjing (1998). "Song Mingqiong". In Lee, Lily Xiao Hong; Stefanowska, A.D. (eds.). Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: The Qing Period, 1644–1911. Translated by W. Zhang. M.E. Sharpe. pp. 195–197. ISBN 0-7656-0043-9.
- ^ Luo Shangrong (罗尚荣); Liu Jie (刘洁) (2017). "别有奇馨人未识"——宋鸣琼诗歌探析 ["There Exists Unique Fragrance Unknown to Man": Analyzing Song Mingqiong's Poems]. Journal of Jiujiang University (Social Science Edition) (in Chinese). 2017 (1): 87–90. Retrieved 13 July 2021 – via National Center for Philosophy and Social Sciences Documentation.
- ^ Widmer, Ellen (2006). The Beauty and the Book: Women and Reading in Nineteenth Century China. Harvard University Asia Center. pp. 140–141. ISBN 0-674-02146-0.
- ^ Waltner, Ann. "Song Mingqiong 宋鳴瓊: "On Dream of the Red Chamber" 题红楼梦". Dream of the Red Chamber: Afterlives. Retrieved 13 July 2021 – via University of Minnesota Libraries.