1. "Shihao Officials":
Du Fu of Tang Dynasty
In Shihao Village at dusk, there were officials who caught people at night. The old man walked over the wall, and the old woman went out to see. Why are the officials so angry? What's the trouble when a woman cries! Listen to the woman's speech: Three men garrison Yecheng. One man arrived with a letter, and the other two men died in battle. The survivors live in vain, but the dead have long since passed away! There is no one in the room except for the grandson. My granddaughter is still here, so she goes in and out without undressing.
Although the old woman's strength is declining, please return from the official position at night. In case of emergency in Heyang, you still have to prepare morning meals. The sound of words disappeared for a long time, as if I heard weeping and swallowing quietly. At dawn, I will go to the future and say goodbye to the old man alone.
Interpretation:
I stayed in Shihao Village in the evening, and some officers came to recruit soldiers at night. The old man escaped over the wall, and the old woman went out to check. How ferociously the guards roared! How pitifully the old woman cried! I heard the old woman step forward and say: My three sons are going to serve in Yecheng. One of the sons came back with a message saying that his two sons had just died in the battle.
The living can live one day at a time, but the dead will never be resurrected! There is no one else at home, only a grandson who is nursing. Because his grandson is here and his mother has not left yet, she goes in and out without a single complete piece of clothing.
Although the old woman is old and weak, please allow me to follow you back to the camp overnight. Hurry to Heyang to apply for the army, and you can also prepare breakfast for the troops. As the night progressed, the voices disappeared, and faint intermittent cries could be heard. When I left at dawn, I only said goodbye to the old man.
2. "Song of Thatched Cottage Broken by the Autumn Wind":
Tang Du Fu
The high autumn wind howled in August and rolled up the three layers of thatch on my house. Mao flies across the river and spreads across the outskirts of the river. The taller ones hang on the treetops, while the lower ones float around the pond. A group of children in the south village bullied me into being old and weak, and I was a thief who could not stand it. He carried thatch into the bamboo without hesitation, his lips were burnt and his mouth was dry and he couldn't breathe. When he came back, he leaned on his staff and sighed.
The wind in Russia makes the clouds dark, and the desert turns dark in autumn. The quilt has been as cold as iron for many years, and the delicate child is lying on it and is cracked inside. There is no drying place for the leakage at the bedside, and the rain is like hemp on the feet and has not been stopped. Since my period is disordered and I don’t sleep much, how can I get wet all night long?
There are tens of millions of mansions in Ande, which can shelter the poor people all over the world and make them happy! Unmoved by wind and rain, it is as peaceful as a mountain. Alas! When I suddenly see this house in front of me, my house alone will be broken down and frozen to death.
Translation:
In the depth of autumn in August, the strong wind howled, and the strong wind swept away several layers of thatch on my roof. Thatch flies across the Huanhua River and is scattered on the other side of the river. The thatch that flies high is entangled in the tall treetops, and the grass that flies low flutters and sinks into the ponds and depressions.
A group of children in Nancun bullied me because I was old and weak. They had the heart to act like a "thief" and steal things in front of me. They ran into the bamboo forest holding thatch without any scruples. My lips were dry and I couldn’t stop drinking. When I came back, I was leaning on a cane and sighing alone. After a while, the wind stopped, and the dark clouds in the sky were as black as ink. The gloomy sky in late autumn gradually became dark.
The cloth has been covered for many years and is cold and hard, like an iron plate. The child's sleeping posture was not good and the quilt was torn. When it rains, the roof leaks, and there is no dry place in the house. The rainwater on the roof leaks down like twine.
Since the Anshi Rebellion, I have had very little sleep time. The nights are long and the house is leaky and the bed is wet. How can I stay up until dawn! How can we get tens of millions of spacious and tall houses to shelter poor scholars all over the world and make them smile! As stable as a mountain. well! When such a tall house appears in front of me, even if my thatched hut is blown apart by the autumn wind, I will be willing to freeze to death.
3. "The Charcoal Seller":
Tang Bai Juyi?
The Charcoal Seller cut down firewood to burn charcoal in the southern mountains.
The face is dusty and smoky, and the temples are gray and the fingers are black.
Where do you get money from selling charcoal? The clothes on your body and the food in your mouth.
Poor, I am wearing only the right clothes, and I am worried about the cold weather.
At night, there is a foot of snow outside the city, and at dawn, the charcoal cart rolls over the ice tracks.
The cows were trapped and the people were hungry. The sun was getting high and they rested in the mud outside the south gate of the city.
Who is Pian Pian riding here? The messenger in yellow is in white.
He holds the document in his hand and pronounces the edict, returns to the carriage and scolds the oxen to lead them north.
A cart of charcoal weighs more than a thousand kilograms, and the palace envoy will regret it.
Half a piece of red gauze and one foot of silk ribbon are tied directly to the cow's head and filled with charcoal.
Translation:
There was an old charcoal seller who spent the whole year cutting firewood and burning charcoal in the Nanshan Mountains. His face was covered with dust and looked burnt by smoke, his hair on his temples was gray, and his ten fingers were blackened by charcoal. What do you use the money you get from selling charcoal to buy the clothes you wear and the food you eat?
It's a pity that he was only wearing thin clothes, but he was worried that he wouldn't be able to sell the charcoal, and he also hoped that the weather would be colder. A foot of heavy snow fell outside the city at night. In the early morning, the old man drove his charcoal cart over the frozen wheel tracks to the market.
The cattle were tired and the people were hungry, but the sun had risen very high, so they rested in the mud outside the south gate of the market. Who is that proud man riding two horses? They were the eunuchs and eunuch's subordinates in the palace.
The eunuch held the document in his hand, but said it was the emperor's order, and shouted at the ox to pull it towards the palace. A cart of charcoal weighed more than a thousand kilograms, and the eunuchs and servants insisted on driving it away. The old man was reluctant to give it up, but he had no choice. Those people hung half a piece of red yarn and a foot of silk on the cow's head and used it as the price of charcoal.
Extended information
Characteristics of Tang poetry:
The form and style of Tang poetry are colorful and innovative. It not only inherits the folk songs and Yuefu traditions of the Han and Wei dynasties, but also greatly develops the style of the song; it not only inherits the five- and seven-character ancient poems of the previous generation, but also develops into a long and epic narrative romance; it not only expands the five-character and seven-character poems The use of form also creates modern poetry with a particularly beautiful and neat style.
Modern-style poetry was a new style of poetry at that time. Its creation and maturity were a major event in the history of poetry development in the Tang Dynasty. It has pushed the artistic features of syllable harmony and word refinement of our country's ancient poetry to unprecedented heights, and found the most typical form for ancient lyric poetry. It is still particularly popular among the people today.
However, the rhythmic poetry in modern poetry has strict metrical restrictions, which easily restricts the content of the poem and prevents free creation and development. This is a big flaw brought by its strengths.
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Baidu Encyclopedia - Song of Thatched House Broken by the Autumn Wind
Baidu Encyclopedia - Charcoal Seller