Overview
Du Qiuniang or Lady Du Qiu (fl. AD 807–831) was a Tang dynasty Chinese poet. She is the only female poet to be included in the famous anthology Three Hundred Tang Poems.
Life
Born in Jinling (modern Nanjing), she became a concubine of the military governor Li Qi at fifteen. After Li was executed for rebelling against Emperor Xianzong, Du served in the emperor's palace. She was favourite of Xianzong, and Emperor Muzong appointed her governess of his sixth son Li Cou. After Li was falsely accused by Zheng Zhu and demoted, Du returned to Jinling.
Golden Dress Song
Her only surviving poem is the Golden Dress Song, said to have been addressed to Li (translation by Victor Mair):
I urge you, milord, not to cherish your robe of golden thread,
Rather, milord, I urge you to cherish the time of your youth;
When the flower is open and pluckable, you simply must pluck it,
Don't wait till there are no flowers, vainly to break branches.
The "robe of golden thread" is a synecdoche for Li Qi's official career.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
