Du Fu was not only a great realist poet of the Tang Dynasty, but also a devoted person. Du Fu loved his wife throughout his life, and only loved her. And his wife, who has no historical record, is only known as an official lady with the surname Yang, but no one knows her name. Next, the History Encyclopedia editor will bring you relevant introductions, hoping to be helpful to everyone.
When Yang married Du Fu, he was only 19 years old, while Du Fu was already 29 years old at that time. This is Du Fu’s first marriage, it seems that Du Fu was also an older bachelor in their time!
Some people may say that Du Fu is so talented that there must be many girls who want to marry him. How could they marry so late?
In fact, although Du Fu was young and intelligent, it was a pity that his talents were not recognized. Despite his youthful recklessness, he was determined to make a name for himself and stayed in Chang’an for ten years, never having the opportunity to showcase his talents. Unable to survive any longer, he returned home and married Yang, who came from a similar family background.
Yang was a very intelligent and humble person. Before marriage, she told Du Fu that she was illiterate and didn’t know how Du Fu felt when he heard this.
After all, for a talented poet, having an illiterate wife is really awkward. But after marriage, Yang often accompanied Du Fu and patiently helped him check his articles for any mistakes or omissions, which surprised and delighted Du Fu.
From then on, the couple raised their eyebrows and showed exceptional affection.
Yang is smart. At first, she didn’t praise herself to the heavens, which didn’t make Du Fu have high expectations for her. However, the talent she demonstrated after marriage was impressive, and it has to be said that this approach is even more captivating.
Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. After the death of Du Fu’s father, the Du family plummeted and became impoverished. As a young lady from an official family, Yang wore cloth clothes and worked tirelessly, planting in the fields without the appearance of a delicate lady.
As a husband, Du Fu was deeply moved by his wife’s dedication and also hated his own incompetence.
What has become of their husband and wife’s poverty? Du Fu once wrote a poem, in which there are two lines: ‘I am ashamed to be a father, and without food, I die young.’.
This is about his youngest son, who starved to death due to poverty at home, indicating that his life is truly impoverished.
And he had a total of eight children with Yang, which should have been completely raised by Yang. After all, Du Fu was only a scholar and his career was not satisfactory, so he naturally couldn’t support his family.
Not only that, during the An Lushan Rebellion, their husband and wife were separated by distance.
It was also during this period that Du Fu wrote poems about missing his wife, and the article was quite cheesy, written from the perspective of his wife, indirectly showing his affection. At this time, he was already in his forties, and being able to write such poems showed his deep feelings for Yang.
Tonight in the month of Fuzhou, I can only watch alone in my boudoir.
Feeling sorry for my little children from afar, I still remember Chang’an.
Fragrant mist, clouds and wet maidservants, clear and bright jade arms, cold.
When do I lean on the virtual bow and see the tears dry in my eyes?
Of course, Du Fu’s love for his wife was not limited to that. When they used to live together, whenever friends came to visit, Du Fu would introduce his wife to them, which could be described as a wife flaunting maniac.
Although they always gather less and leave more, it doesn’t affect their relationship at all.
Du Fu wrote many poems related to his wife. The poem “Northern Expedition” depicts the situation when Du Fu returned home to visit his family. He wrote, “His wife’s clothes are tied up in knots” and “Two little girls in front of the bed, who only reached their knees after repairing their flaws”, all of which reflect the hardships of Yang’s life.
Although Yang did not have a good life after marrying Du Fu, at least Du Fu was wholeheartedly devoted to her, which is very rare compared to some other poets who were promiscuous.
Although Du Fu did not express his feelings for his wife, we can feel the friendship through some fragments of words, which is much better than other poets who only say love with their mouths!
So, Yang is lucky and happy!
