| Nguyễn Trãi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Vietnamese name | |
| Vietnamese | Nguyễn Trãi |
| Hán-Nôm | 阮廌 |
Nguyễn Trãi (阮廌),pen nameỨc Trai (抑齋); (1380–1442) was an illustrious VietnameseConfucianscholar, a notedpoet,[1] a skilledpolitician and a masterstrategist. He was at times attributed with being capable of almost miraculous or mythical deeds in his designated capacity as a principal advisor ofLê Lợi, who fought against the Ming dynasty. He is credited with writing the important political statements of Lê Lợi and inspiring the Vietnamese populace to support open rebellion against theMing dynasty rulers. He is also the author of "Great Proclamation upon the Pacification of the Wu" (Bình Ngô đại cáo).
Nguyễn Trãi originally was fromHải Dương Province, he was born in 1380 in Thăng Long (present dayHanoi), the capital of the decliningTrần dynasty.[2] Under the briefHồ dynasty, he passed examination and served for a time in the government. In 1406,Ming forcesinvaded and conquered Vietnam. Under the occupation, the Ming China attempted to convert Vietnam into a Chinese province and ruthlessly quashed all rebellions.
In 1417, Nguyễn Trãi joined a rebel leader named Lê Lợi, who wasresisting the occupation from a mountainous region inThanh Hóa Province south of Hanoi. Nguyễn Trãi served as the chief advisor, strategist and propagandist for the movement.
The war of independence leading to the defeat of the Ming and the inauguration of theLê dynasty lasted from 1417 to 1427.[3] From 1417 until 1423, Lê Lợi conducted a classic guerilla campaign from his bases in the mountains. Following a negotiated truce, Lê Lợi, following the advice of Nguyễn Chích, led his army to the southern prefecture ofNghệ An. From Nghệ An, Vietnamese forces won many battles and gained control over the whole part of Vietnam fromThanh Hóa southwards. The Ming sent a series of military reinforcements in response to bolster their positions. In 1426, the army of aChinese general namedWang Tong arrived in theRed River Delta. However, Vietnamese forces were able tocut supply lines and control the countryside, leaving Chinese presence totally isolated in the capital and other citadels. During this period, Nguyễn Trãi sought to undermine the resolve of the enemy and to negotiate a favorable peace by sending a series of missives to the Ming commanders.[4] In 1427 the Ming emperorXuande sent two large reinforcing armies to Vietnam. Lê Lợi moved his forces to the frontier, where they confronted and utterly defeated Chinese reinforcements in a series of bloody battles, most notably the battle of Chi Lăng-Xương Giang. Wang Tong sued for peace. The numerous Chinese prisoners of war were all given provisions and allowed to return to China. Nguyễn Trãi penned a famous proclamation of victory.[5]
After the war Nguyễn Trãi was elevated by Lê Lợi to an exalted position in the new court but internal intrigues, sycophantic machinations and clannish nepotism meant he was not appointed regent upon the emperor's death. Instead that position was bestowed uponLê Sát, who ruled as regent on behalf of the young heirLê Thái Tông.[citation needed]
At some point during the regency of Lê Sát, having found life at court increasingly difficult, Nguyễn Trãi retired to his country home north ofHanoi in the tranquil mountains ofChí Linh, where he enjoyed poetry writing andmeditation. Today, visitors can visit this site where a largeshrine of remembrance, covering from the foot of the mountain to the top is erected to honour the national hero. The site of Nguyễn Trãi's house still exists, however only the tiled floors remain original. Close by is an ancient Buddhist temple, which has stood there several centuries before his time.
Nguyễn Trãi's death resulted from a scandal involving the young emperor, Lê Thái Tông, and the wife or concubine of Nguyễn Trãi, named Nguyễn Thị Lộ. Early in 1442, the young emperor began an affair with Nguyễn Thị Lộ. This affair continued when the emperor visited the old scholar at his home. Not long after having left, Lê Thái Tông suddenly became ill and died. The nobles at the court blamed Nguyễn Thị Lộ for the young emperor's death, accused them of regicide and had both,along with most members of their extended families, executed.
Twenty years later, Lê Thái Tông's son, emperorLê Thánh Tông officially pardoned Nguyễn Trãi, saying that he was wholly innocent in the death of Thánh Tông's father. He was given the posthumous noble title theCount of Tán Trù.
According to Loren Baritz ("Backfire: A History of How American Culture Led Us Into Vietnam and Made Us Fight the Way We Did", 1985), Trai set down the Vietnamese strategy against the Chinese in an essay. This essay would prove to be very close to the Communists' strategy of insurgency. Specifically you must, "subordinate military action to the political and moral struggle...better to conquer hearts than citadels."
Most cities in Vietnam have named major streets after him.[6]
Nguyễn Trãi had five wives (or concubines) and seven sons.
Wives/concubines:
Sons:
Notable descendants:
Being both a military tactician and a poet, Nguyễn Trãi's works varied in many areas ranging from literature, history, geography, ceremony and propriety; many of them were missing after his execution. Most of his poems that survive until today were collected inỨc Trai Thi Tập (Ức Trai's Poems Collection) by Dương Bá Cung, printed in 1868 under Nguyễn dynasty. His poems, written in both ancient Chinese (Hán) and Vietnamese (Nôm), were highly regarded by notable philosophers, poets, and politicians[who?] in Vietnamese history.
In 2010, Vietnamese poetNguyễn Đỗ and American poetPaul Hoover published the first collection of Nguyễn Trãi's poetry in English translation, titledBeyond the Court Gate: Selected Poems. The collection reflects Nguyễn Trãi's metaphysical contemplation of tiny details in everyday life,[citation needed] but at the same time set him apart fromLi Po's uses of extreme imaginary[clarification needed] and formal poetic rules.[citation needed] Nguyễn Trãi's poems demonstrate wit, humility, and a conversational tone, and express his personal perception and experience.[citation needed]
An example of Nguyễn Trãi's writing is his poemTo a Friend (Traditional Chinese: 記友, Sino-Vietnamese:Kí Hữu, Vietnamese:Gửi Bạn), as translated and edited by Nguyễn Đỗ and Paul Hoover:
記友
半生世路嘆屯邅，
萬事惟應付老天。
寸舌但存空自信，
一寒如故亦堪憐。
光陰焂忽時難再，
客舍凄涼夜似年。
十載讀書貧到骨，
盤惟苜蓿坐無氈。
To a Friend
My fate naturally has many twists and sharp turns,
So in everything I trust in the wisdom of Heaven.
I still have my tongue—believe me, I am able to talk,
Even though I'm still poor and, as we know, pathetic.
Never to return, the past flies too quickly and the time is short,
But, wandering in this cold room, the night is far too long.
I’ve been reading books for ten years, but I'm poor from clothes to bone
From eating only vegetables and sitting without a cushion.
Media related toNguyễn Trãi at Wikimedia Commons