Nguyễn Du

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Nguyễn Du (阮攸, 1766–1820, pennames Tố Như and Thanh Hiên) is a celebrated Vietnamese poet who wrote in Chữ Nôm, the ancient writing script of Việt Nam. He is most known for writing the epic poem The Tale of Kieu.

Contents

1 Biography

1.1 Youth
1.2 Adulthood

2 The Tale of Kieu
3 Other works
4 See also

Biography

Youth

Nguyễn Du was born in 1766 in Tiên Điền village, Nghi Xuân district, Nghệ Tĩnh province (now Hà Tĩnh province), Vietnam. He was the seventh child of Nguyễn Nghiễm, a former prime minister under the Lê Dynasty. By the age of thirteen, Nguyen had lost both of his parents, so for most of his teen years he lived with his brother Nguyễn Khản or with his brother-in-law Đoàn Nguyễn Tuấn.

At the age of 17 (some sources say 19), Nguyen passed the Chinese-style competitive examinations and received the title of "tú tài", which made him the equivalent of a high school graduate. However, in Nguyen's time this was a far more difficult credential to obtain, both because few people were affluent enough to devote themselves to study, and because the examination dealt mostly with politics and literature.

Nguyen’s mother was his father’s third wife and noted for her ability at singing and composing poetry. In fact, she made her living by singing, which at that time was considered a disreputable occupation. It is said that Nguyen may have inherited a part of his talents from his mother. He loved listening to traditional songs; and there was a rumour that, when he was 18, he himself eloped with a songstress.

Adulthood

For around 150 years, from the mid 16th century to the early 18th, Trịnh Lords of the north and Nguyễn Lords of the south battled for supremacy. The ruling Lê dynasty were puppets. Just before Nguyen Du’s birth, the three Nguyen (no relation to the lords) brothers, Nguyen Nhac, Nguyen Lu, and Nguyen Hue, rebelled against the Nguyen Lords. After defeating them, they went on to capture the capital and wipe out the Trịnhs as well. The emperor fled to China, where he received troops, but they were defeated as well. Nguyen Hue set himself up as emperor and founded the Tây Sơn dynasty. After his death, the revived Nguyễn Lords seized power.

In 1802, Nguyen was given a military post under the Nguyễn Dynasty, and was promoted to ambassador to China in 1813. While there, the discovered and translated the Ming dynasty era tale that would become the basis for the Tale of Kieu. He was later appointed to two more diplomatic missions to Peking, but before he could depart for the last one, he died of a long illness for which he refused treatment.

Nguyen's father had been a minister under the Lê dynasty, and his family had benefited greatly under their rule. For most of his life, Nguyen Du was haunted by what he felt was his own betrayal of his lords, which occurred when he accepted a post under the Nguyễns.

The Tale of Kieu

See Tale of Kieu

It is necessary to keep in mind this historical and social background in order to understand both Nguyen Du and his main work, The Tale of Kieu (Vietnamese Truyện Kiều). which was based on an earlier work known as Kim Vân Kiều and was originally titled Đoạn Trường Tân Thanh (lit. new accents of a heart-rending song).

The Tale of Kieu was written under the pen-name of "Thanh Tam Tai Nhan" in the 16th or early 17th century. It is the tale of two lovers forced apart by the girl's loyalty to her family honor. Nguyen added his own pain and guilt over his betrayal of his own honor, and the result is one of the great masterpieces of Vietnamese literature.

In Vietnam, the poem is so popularly beloved, that even many illiterate farmers know the whole work by heart, and can recite it without a mistake.

Other works

The Tale of Kieu is one among Nguyen's many works, including:

Thanh Hiên thi tập (Poems by Thanh Hiên)
Nam Trung Tạp Ngâm
Bắc Hành Tạp Lục