Hŏ Nansŏrhŏn

Hŏ Nansŏrhŏn (; 1563 – March 19, 1589), was a Korean painter and poet of the mid-Joseon dynasty. She was the younger sister of Hŏ Pong, a politician and political writer, and elder sister to Hŏ Kyun, a prominent writer of the time and credited as the author of The Tale of Hong Gildong. Her own writings consisted of some two hundred poems written in Chinese verse (hanshi), and two poems written in hangul (though her authorship of the hangul poems is contested).

Biography Early life Before being known as Hŏ Nansŏrhŏn, Lady Hŏ was known by her name Hŏ Ch'ohŭi or Hŏ Okhye . Lady Hŏ was born in Gangneung to a prominent political family (yangban). Her father, , was from the Yangcheon Hŏ clan who was a distinguished scholar and her mother was his second wife, Lady Kim of the Gangneung Kim clan.

His second marriage in 1548 was to the only daughter of a political minister, who mothered Nansŏrhŏn and her two brothers.

His first wife, Lady Han of the Cheongju Han clan, was the fourth daughter of Han Sukch'ang, who yielded four daughters and six sons. His father-in-law, Han Sukch'ang, was a great-grandson of Han Hwak (the father of Princess Consort Jeongseon and Queen Sohye), and the maternal cousin of Queen Janggyeong.

While her father was a Confucian and conservative official who subscribed tightly to the belief of namjon-yubi ("men above, women below"), it fell to her elder brother, Hŏ Pong, to recognize her budding talent and curiosity and introduce her to literature.

From an early age, she became recognized as a prodigal poet, though due to her position as a woman she was incapable of entering into a position of distinguishment. Her early piece, "Inscriptions on the Ridge Pole of the White Jade Pavilion in the Kwanghan Palace" (Kwanghanjeon Paegongnu sangnangmun), produced at the age of eight, was lauded as a work of poetic genius and earned her the epithet "immortal maiden."

Marriage In 1577, she married the son of a civil official, Kim Sŏngnip, and became his first wife. Her marriage was an unhappy one, as recorded by Hŏ Kyun. Her husband often left her alone at home to pursue other women, and she maintained a cold relationship with her mother-in-law. She gave birth to two children, a girl and a boy. Her daughter died within a year while her son died after living for 3 years. Within a year of her elder brother Hŏ Bong's death in Kapsan, she died of illness at the age of twenty-seven in 1589. Her husband later remarried in 1590 to woman from the Namyang Hong clan and he died childless two years later, but a male relative from his clan was later adopted to continue his line.

The circumstances and timing of her marriage are uncertain, and the documented proof is limited and subject to conjecture. Scholars such as Young-Key Kim-Renaud

"The Young Seamstress," or "Song for the Poor Girl", is one of her poems of empathy, where she sympathizes with those from poorer economic backgrounds. It is a five-syllable cheolgu.

"Woman's Grievance," another seven-syllable cheolgu, exemplifies the tone of the poetry believed to have been written after her marriage.

Gallery

Works Nansŏrhŏn chip Chwesawonchang

Family

Father Hŏ Yŏp (; 19 December 1517 – 4 February 1580) Mother Lady Kim of the Gangneung Kim clan (; 1523–?) Siblings Older half-sister: Hŏ Muksŏk , Lady Hŏ of the Yangcheon Hŏ clan (; 1523–?) Older half-brother: Hŏ Sŏng (; 1548–1612) Older brother: Hŏ Pong (; 1551–1588) Older half-sister: Hŏ Taejŏng , Lady Hŏ of the Yangcheon Hŏ clan (; 1553–?) Younger brother: Hŏ Kyun (; 10 December 1569 – 12 October 1618) Husband Kim Sŏngnip of the Andong Kim clan (; 1562–1592) Children Son: Kim Hŭiyun (; 1579–1582) Daughter: Lady Kim of the Andong Kim clan (; 1580–1581) Adoptive son: Kim Chin (; 1603–1669); son of Kim Chŏngnip (; 1574–?)