Two Poems for Peasants. It is a group of poems by Li Shen, a poet in the Tang Dynasty.
original text: if you plant a millet in spring, you will reap ten thousand seeds in autumn. Under heaven there is no waste of heaven and earth, and the labouring peasants are still starved to death. The summer noon, the sun is hot, farmers are still working, beads drop into the soil. Who knows that every grain of Chinese food is hard.
As long as you sow a seed in spring, you can harvest a lot of food in autumn. All over the world, there are no fields left uncultivated and uncultivated, and toiling farmers will still starve to death. At noon in midsummer, the scorching sun, farmers are still working, sweat dripping into the soil. Who would have thought that the rice in our bowl is full of the blood and sweat of farmers?
Extended information:
Anecdotal stories about writing poems to show kindness to farmers:
In the Tang Dynasty, a great poet named Li Shen appeared in Huzhou. Li Shen was eager to learn since childhood. At the age of twenty-seven, he became a scholar. When the emperor saw that he was knowledgeable and outstanding in learning, he recruited a bachelor's degree in Hanlin. One summer, Li Shen returned to his hometown of Bozhou to visit relatives and friends. It happened that Li Fengji, our envoy from eastern Zhejiang, went back to the DPRK to play a role, and passed through Bozhou. They were fellow scholars and friends of literati, so it was natural to linger for a day after a long separation.
On this day, Li Shen and Li Fengji joined hands to climb the east of the city to watch crops. Looking into the distance, the two of them are full of ups and downs. Li Fengji sang a poem with emotion, and the last two sentences were: "How can you get a thousand miles in the ruling and opposition? You have moved to the stage for years." It means, if only the promotion could be as fast as the stage. Li Shen was moved by another sight at this time.
When he saw the farmers in the field hoeing in the hot sun, he couldn't help feeling, and casually chanted:
When hoeing is noon, sweat drops down the soil.
who knows that every grain of Chinese food is hard!
Li Fengji even said, "Good, good! This song is so good! It's not easy to get a porridge and a meal! "
Li Shen heaved a deep sigh, and then chanted:
If you plant a millet in spring, you will reap ten thousand seeds in autumn.
there are no idle fields in the four seas, and farmers still starve to death!
Li Fengji heard this. Isn't this exposing the shortcomings of the imperial court? This boy is so bold. When he returned to his study, Li Fengji said to Li Shen, "Dude, can you copy down the two poems you just recited and give them to me? It's not a waste for us to have a trip together." Li Shen said thoughtfully, "The poem is only three or four crosses. I have heard it for my brother, so I can remember it naturally. Why copy it? If you must write, it is better to write another gift from the Prime Minister. " Li Fengji had to say, "All right, all right." Then, Li Shen wrote another poem:
Plough on the ridge, and hunger grows when you plant your hands.
The shuttle weaver under the window has no clothes.
I'd like to turn Yan Zhaoshu into a beautiful woman.
a smile is worthless, and it will naturally enrich the country.
write it and hand it to Li Fengji for correction. Li Fengji saw it and felt that this poem was more specific than the last two in accusing the court. The next day, Li Fengji said goodbye to Li Shen and left for Beijing. Li Fengji is very kind to Li Shen on the surface, but inside he wants to take him as a stepping stone to a higher level.
When he returned to the DPRK, he immediately called on the emperor and said, "Long live your report. Today, Li Shen, a bachelor of the Academy of Academician, wrote anti-poems to vent his personal anger." Emperor Wuzong was surprised and asked, "How can I see it?" Li Fengji hurriedly presented Li Shen's poems. Emperor Wuzong called Li Shen to the Golden Palace and took out the poem. Li Shen read it and said, "I wrote it when I saw the sufferings of the people's livelihood after I returned home. I hope your majesty can observe it!"
Wu zong said, "I have been living in the high hall for a long time and forgotten the people's feelings. I am also guilty. I am sorry to remind you. Today, I make you the right servant of Shangshu, so that you can manage the affairs of Shang Dynasty, govern the country and protect the people. " Li Shen kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Emperor!" Wu Zong added, "Thanks to Li Fengji's recommendation." Li Shen is grateful to Li Fengji.
Li Fengji, however, was shocked and frightened when he heard that Li Shen had been promoted, but Li Shen came to thank him. Li Fengji was in the dark, so he had to hum it. Soon, Li Fengji was transferred to Yunnan as an observer and dropped his post. Only then did he feel that he was stealing chickens and eating rice. For thousands of years, people have only seen the first two of Li Shen's three poems about compassion for farmers. The third poem "Poems for Peasants" was spread to the palace, and it was not until modern times that people found it in the Tang Dynasty poems in Dunhuang Grottoes.
Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Li Shen.