(1) "Compassion for the Farmers"
Tang Dynasty: Li Shen
Sow a grain of millet in spring and harvest ten thousand grains in autumn.
There is no idle land in the world, and farmers are still starving to death.
Translation:
As long as you sow a seed in spring, you can harvest a lot of food in autumn.
There is no uncultivated field in the world, and hardworking farmers will still starve to death.
(2) "Viewing the Cutting of Wheat"
Tang Dynasty: Bai Juyi
The Tian family has few free months, but in May people are twice as busy. At night, the south wind blows, and the wheat is covered with yellow.
Women and aunts carry baskets of food, children carry pots of pulp, and go to the salary fields with them. Young men and women are in Nangang.
The weather is full of rustic heat, and the sky is scorching on my back. I am exhausted and don’t know the heat, but I regret that the summer is long.
There is also a poor woman with a child beside her, holding an earring in her right hand and a basket hanging on her left arm.
Hearing his words of care makes those who hear them feel sad. When all the taxes on the family fields are exhausted, this is left to satisfy the hunger.
What merit do I have now? I never did farming or mulberry farming. The salary of an official is three hundred stones, and there is a surplus of food every year.
I feel ashamed when I think about this, and I will never forget it.
Translation:
Farmers have no leisure all year round, and they are even busier in May.
The warm south wind blows at night, and the wheat in the fields is ripe and yellow.
Women carry food in baskets, and children carry pots filled with water and soup.
They go to the fields to deliver meals, and the men work in the southern hills.
My feet were fumigated by the heat from the ground, and my back was burned by the burning sun.
Exhausted, I don’t feel the heat, I just cherish the endless summer.
I saw another poor peasant woman following someone with her child in her arms.
The right hand holds the picked wheat ears, and the left arm hangs a broken basket.
Listening to her recounting her family circumstances, everyone who listened felt sad for her.
In order to pay taxes, he sold all his land and relied on picking wheat ears to fill his hunger.
What merit do I have now? I have never farmed or picked mulberries.
The annual salary is 300 shi, and there is still food left at the end of the year.
I feel ashamed when I think of these things, and I can’t forget them all day and night.
(3) "Returning to the Garden and Living in the Fields"
Wei and Jin Dynasties: Tao Yuanming
At the foot of the southern mountain where beans are planted, there are few bean seedlings in the grass.
In the morning, I clean up the wasteland and filth, and return with a hoe in the moonlight.
The road is narrow, the grass and trees are long, and the evening dew touches my clothes.
I don’t regret the stain on my clothes, but my wishes are fulfilled.
Translation:
I plant beans at the foot of Nanshan Mountain, where weeds are lush and bean seedlings are sparse.
Get up early in the morning and go to the fields to weed weeds, and return home with a hoe under the moonlight at nightfall. Narrow
The narrow mountain path is overgrown with vegetation, and the night dew soaked my clothes.
It’s not a pity if your clothes get wet. I just hope it doesn’t go against my intention to return to farming.
(4) "Pastoral Miscellany in Four Seasons"
Song Dynasty: Fan Chengda
Working in the fields during the day and planting hemp at night, the children of the village are responsible for their own affairs.
The children and grandchildren are still working for farming and weaving, and they are also learning to grow melons near the mulberry tree.
Translation:
Weeding in the fields during the day and rolling twine at home at night. Men and women in the village each have their own housework.
Although the children did not know how to plow the fields and weave, they still learned to grow melons under the shade of the mulberry trees.
(5) "The Fisherman on the River"
Song Dynasty: Fan Zhongyan
People come and go on the river, but they love the beauty of sea bass.
Look at the boat, which is in and out of the storm.
Translation:
People who come and go on the river only like the delicious taste of sea bass.
Look at those poor fishermen, who are driving their boats up and down in the strong wind and waves.