Chen Deyi

(c. 1476 - c. 1494)

Married to a high-ranking Ming dynasty magistrate for more than forty years, Chen Deyi often traveled with her husband on official business until his death. Many of her poems reflect this life on the road. “It’s hard to say goodbye, cross the passes and hills,” she wrote in a verse addressed to a friend. “Trudging on tortuous paths, I’ll find it hard to reckon the distance. / Not knowing when we shall meet again, let’s write letters.”