Hồ Xuân Hương facts for kids

Hồ Xuân Hương (born around 1772, died around 1822) was a famous Vietnamese poet. She lived during a time of big changes and wars in Vietnam, when the old Lê dynasty was ending and new leaders were fighting for power.

Hồ Xuân Hương wrote her poems using chữ Nôm, which was a special way of writing Vietnamese using adapted Chinese characters. She is known as one of Vietnam's greatest classical poets. A modern poet named Xuân Diệu even called her "The Queen of Nôm poetry" because of her amazing work.

Biography

Portrait of female poet Hồ Xuân Hương on the cover of the book Giai nhân dị mặc by scholar Nguyễn Hữu Tiến, 1916

It's a bit tricky to know all the exact details about Hồ Xuân Hương's life. But we do know she was born in Nghệ An Province in Vietnam. She later moved to Hanoi when she was still a child. Many people believe she was the youngest daughter of a scholar named Hồ Phi Diễn.

Hồ Phi Diễn was a smart man who earned a special diploma at a young age. Because his family wasn't rich, he worked as a teacher. He met a woman from Bắc Ninh, and Hồ Xuân Hương was born from their relationship.

Hồ Xuân Hương became well-known for her clever and funny poems. She is thought to have married twice. Her poems mention two different husbands. She was a second wife to one of them, a high-ranking official. She wasn't very happy in this role. Her second marriage didn't last long because her husband passed away just six months after they married.

She spent the rest of her life in a small house near West Lake in Hanoi. She often had visitors, including other poets. She earned a living by teaching. She also seemed to travel a lot, as she wrote poems about different places in Northern Vietnam.

Living as an independent woman in a society that followed Confucianism (a system of beliefs about how people should live), Hồ Xuân Hương showed a very strong and independent mind. Her poems often shared her thoughts on society and used a lot of humor.

Legacy

Statue of Hồ Xuân Hương in Danang

By writing most of her poems in `chữ Nôm`, Hồ Xuân Hương helped make the Vietnamese language more important for literature. This was a big step for Vietnamese culture.

Today, `chữ Nôm` is not used much. Most Vietnamese people now use Quốc Ngữ, which is a writing system based on the Latin alphabet. This system was introduced when the French were in Vietnam.

Some of Hồ Xuân Hương's poems have been collected and translated into English. One famous collection is Spring Essence by John Balaban.

Another important Vietnamese poet from her time was Nguyễn Du. He also wrote in Vietnamese, helping to create a national literature for Vietnam.

You can find streets named after Hồ Xuân Hương in several cities across Vietnam.

Works

Hồ Xuân Hương's poems are famous for their cleverness and sometimes hidden meanings. She often used everyday things to talk about bigger ideas.

The Jackfruit (Quả Mít, 果櫗)

A jackfruit, a common fruit in Vietnam.

The Cake That Drifts In Water (Bánh Trôi Nước, 𩛄𬈼渃)

A traditional Vietnamese dessert, Bánh trôi nước.

• "Thân em vừa trắng lại vừa tròn," means "my body is white and round," like the cake in the water.
• "Ba chìm bảy nổi với nước non." means "sunk down three times, floated up seven times." This phrase talks about the many ups and downs someone faces in life.
• "Rắn nát mặc dầu tay kẻ nặn," means "hard and crumbled through the hands of the molder." This refers to how someone's life can be shaped by others.

The Unfortunate Plight of Women (Thân phận người đàn bà, 身份𠊛彈婆)

A painting depicting a woman's daily life.

See also

In Spanish: Hồ Xuân Hương para niños