Su Shi - Family

Family

Su Shi had two wives and a concubine. His first wife was Wang Fu (王弗, 1039–1065), an astute, quiet lady from Sichuan who married him at the age of sixteen, when Su was nineteen. Wang Fu died in 1065, on the second day of the fifth Chinese lunar month (Gregorian calendar June 14), after bearing him Su Mai (蘇邁). Heartbroken, Su wrote a memorial for Wang (《亡妻王氏墓志铭》), stating Fu was not just a virtuous wife but advised him frequently on the integrity of his acquaintances when he was an official.

Ten years after Su Shi's first wife died, Su composed a (ci) poem after dreaming of the deceased Fu in the night at Mizhou (present-day Zhucheng). The poem, To the tune of 'Of Jinling' (江城子), remains one of the most famous poems Su wrote:

《江城子•乙卯正月二十日夜記夢》

蘇軾

十年生死兩茫茫，不思量， 自難忘。千里孤墳，無處話淒涼。縱使相逢應不識，塵滿面，鬢如霜。

夜來幽夢忽還鄉，小軒窗，正梳妝。相顧無言，惟有淚千行。料得年年腸斷處，明月夜，短松岡。

In 1068, two years after Wang Fu's death, Su married Wang Runzhi (王闰之, 1048–93), Fu's paternal younger cousin and his junior by eleven years. Wang Runzhi spent the next 15 years accompanying Su through his ups and downs in officialdom and political exile. Su praised Runzhi for being an understanding wife who treated his three sons equally (his eldest, Su Mai, was borne by Fu). Once, Su was angry with his young son for not understanding his unhappiness during his political exile, and Wang chided Su himself for his silliness, prompting Su to write the domestic poem My Young Son 《小兒》:

《小兒》

小兒不識愁，起坐牽我衣。我欲嗔小兒，老妻勸兒癡。兒癡君更甚，不樂復何為？還坐愧此言，洗盞當我前。大勝劉伶婦，區區為酒錢。

My Young Son

My young son knows no grief:

he tagged at my garment upon sitting upright.

I was just about to lose my temper

when my old wife chided the boy for being silly.

"But my husband's sillier than the son," she said.

"why not just be happy?"

I sat upright, embarrassed by her words;

she placed a washed wine cup before me.

She's far better than Liu Ling's wife

who got mad with her husband for spending on wine!

Wang Runzhi died in 1093, aged forty-six, after bearing Su two sons, Su Dai (蘇迨) and Su Guo (蘇過). Overcame with grief, Su expressed his wish to be buried with her in her memorial (see memorial 《祭亡妻同安郡君文》). During his deceased second wife's birthday, Su wrote another ci poem, To the tune of 'Butterflies going after Flowers' (《蝶恋花》), for her:

《蝶恋花》

泛泛東風初破五。江柳微黃，萬萬千千縷。佳氣郁蔥來繡戶，當年江上生奇女。一盞壽觴誰與舉。三個明珠，膝上王文度。放盡窮鱗看圉圉，天公為下曼陀雨。

To the Tune of 'Butterflies going after Flowers'

A wafting east breeze breaks on the Fifth's dawn.

Willows by the Yangtze, yellow-wan,

interweave in its tens of thousands.

A festive air comes luxuriantly to these patterned gateways.

Once a wondrous lady was born along this stream:

with whom shall I raise this wine-cup, on her birthday,

though she's now deceased?

Three offspring pearls, all placed lovingly on her lap,

like Wang Wendu.

I release countless carps,

watch them squirm lazy,

uncomfortably, away

as the Lord of Heavens lets down Datura rain.

Su's concubine Wang Zhaoyun (王朝雲, 1062–1095) was his handmaiden who was a former Qiantang singing artiste. Su redeemed Wang when she was twelve years old and she later became his concubine, teaching herself to read though she was formerly illiterate. Zhaoyun was probably the most famous of Su's companions. Su's friend Qin Guan wrote a poem, A Gift for Dongpo's concubine Zhaoyun 《贈東坡妾朝雲》, praising her beauty and lovely voice. Su dedicated a number of his poems to Zhaoyun, like To the Tune of 'Song of the South'《南歌子》, Verses for Zhaoyun 《朝雲詩》, To the Tune of 'The Beauty Who asks One to Stay' 《殢人娇·贈朝雲》, To the Tune of 'The Moon at Southern Stream' 《西江月》. Zhaoyun remained a faithful companion to Su after Runzhi's death, but died of illness on August 13, 1095 (绍圣三年七月五日) at Huizhou. Zhaoyun bore Su a son Su Dun (蘇遁) on November 15, 1083, who died in his infancy. After Zhaoyun's death, Su never married again.

Su Shi had three adult sons, the eldest son being Su Mai (蘇邁), who would also become a government official by 1084. Su Dai (蘇迨) and Su Guo (蘇過) are his other sons. When Su Shi died in 1101, his younger brother Su Zhe buried him alongside second wife Wang Runzhi according to his wishes.