The Influence of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoismin in Nguyen Dynasty Court Poetry

Abstract

This article focuses on studying the imprint of three religions in the royal poetry of the Nguyen dynasty from the perspective of content. The research is conducted by surveying the characteristics of three ideological streams reflected through the thematic system and main content of 90 poems belonging to the royal poetry group of the Nguyen dynasty. From there, it clarifies features such as: thes dynasty’s ideals and the cultivation issues of the royal family (influenced by Confucianism); themes of landscape appreciation and liberation tendencies (influenced by Buddhism); as well as aspirations for harmony with nature and transcendence tendencies (influenced by Taoism) in the royal poetry of this period. By combining systematic methods and structural analysis of works from a cultural – historical viewpoint, the article establishes that the three ideological currents of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism profoundly influenced the content of Nguyen dynasty court poetry, expressed through dynastic ideals, liberation tendencies, and harmony with nature, thereby illuminating the value of court literature within the historical-cultural context of medieval Vietnam and opening new research directions for a previously understudied literary domain. The research results may contribute to studies on a topic that has not received due attention relative to its value, such as royal literature in general, serving as a complementary piece and a part of the overall picture of medieval Vietnamese literary studies.