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Task: Understanding the Poem 'Beloved Wife'
Sample essay: Understanding the Poem 'Beloved Wife'
Essay
Tú Xương stands out as one of the few contemporary poets who frequently dedicate verses to their wives. Confucian scholars, descendants of the Khổng family, traditionally view wives as mere supporters of household affairs, hence, the toils of wives are deemed natural. Consequently, they seldom compose poetry about their wives unlike modern poets. However, Tú Xương diverges significantly by producing numerous poems about his wife, notably the poem 'Beloved Wife.' This piece exemplifies both Tú Xương's poetic talent and his character.
Born during the tumultuous period of 'West Encroaching East,' amidst a society's moral decline, Tú Xương carries within him the bitter sentiments of a morally upright yet powerless individual. Tú Xương encapsulates numerous societal critiques within his poetry, each stanza serving as a bitter rebuke hurled at those willing to compromise their integrity, trample upon the nation's honor, and forsake moral principles for a comfortable life. This facet comprises Tú Xương's satirical poetry.
Furthermore, Tú Xương's profound romantic poems unveil the hidden sorrows behind his harsh and bitter exterior towards life. These verses express the personal anguish of a suffering soul, suppressed by the poet. 'Beloved Wife' is one such poem. While adhering to the traditional form of Tang poetry, Tú Xương modernizes it with simple, folk-like language, and genuine sentiments of a husband when describing his devoted wife. Tú Xương had a remarkably virtuous wife. Throughout her life, Mrs. Tú devoted herself to her husband and children. This selflessness is reflected in the poet's verses dedicated to his wife. Living as a Confucian scholar in an era where people are ready to 'Swap feather pens for pencils' in pursuit of a luxurious lifestyle, Tú Xương could offer little assistance to his wife. The burden of the household fell upon Mrs. Tú's shoulders, yet, with the modesty and selflessness characteristic of an Eastern woman, she endeavored to ensure her family's well-being, allowing Mr. Tú to fulfill his role as the 'scribe of the age.' It is this reason that Mr. Tú always held his wife in high esteem.
The poem introduces two characters: a wife and a husband. The image of the wife emerges through the sentiments of the sincere character, the husband.
Year-round trading by the riverside,
Raising five children with just one spouse.
Struggling with the canoe when the waters are empty,
Shouldering the burden through winter's ferry rides.
Four lines encapsulate the daily hardships of the wife as she struggles to make a living and support her husband and children. The wife's hardship is immediately apparent in the first line of poetry. 'Year-round' is a never-ending time, 'riverside' is a precarious location, all evoking hardship and toil. The cause of this hardship is the burden of family. A strange form of comparison. The burden on the wife's shoulders with one side being five children, and the other, a husband. The husband is one side of the burdensome worry. It seems to be a bitter self-reproach. Because of the family, because of the husband's many needs, the wife struggles more. The following two lines intensify the hardship. Words like struggling - emptiness, shouldering - winter ferry have an evocative power. The image of the wife toiling becomes clearer, more poignant in the husband's perception. The husband deeply understands the wife's hardship. Understanding to empathize, to cherish the gentle wife. The husband's character is shown in that understanding. Not because he is irresponsible to the family and children but because he is at a loss. Amidst a society full of madness:
That household, the disrespectful child scorns the father,
The old woman, sour, the wife scolds the husband.
Yet the wife perseveres patiently, unwaveringly devoted to her husband and children. It is precisely that which earns the husband's admiration. He expresses his empathy:
One fate, two debts, enduring destiny,
Five suns, ten rains, courageously managed labor.
Two proverbs appear in the two lines, both describing the hardship of the woman supporting her husband and children. And here again, the husband demonstrates his appreciation for the wife. 'Enduring destiny', 'courageously managed labor' are not the wife's endurance but the words of the sincere character - the husband. The image of the wife quietly supporting her husband and children with immense sacrifice is a prominent figure in the poem. Only in the last two lines does the husband express his own attitude towards himself. The lines seem like a rather abrupt change of emotional tone:
Parents live for silver, accustomed to silver,
A negligent husband is as good as none.
Above is the most impressive part of understanding the poem Pitying His Wife. Furthermore, for revising knowledge and studying literature effectively in grade 11, students should actively explore sample essays Composing the poem Pitying His Wife along with the section Lecturing on the poem Pitying His Wife by Tu Xuong, Analyzing the last two lines of the poem Pitying His Wife by Tran Te Xuong,...
