Original text:
Shihao Officials
Author Du Fu? Dynasty 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? Why does a woman cry?
Listen to the woman’s speech: Three men garrisoned Yecheng. One man arrived with a letter, and the other two men died in battle. Those who survive 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 failing, please come back from the official position at night. In case of emergency in Heyang, you still have to prepare morning meals.
The sound of speech has been silent for a long time, just like hearing weeping and swallowing. I will go to the future in the morning and say goodbye to the old man alone.
Translation?
I stayed in Shihao Village in the evening, and some officers came to forcefully 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 frail, please allow me to follow you back to the camp through the night.
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.
Extended information:
Creative background
In 758 AD, in order to quell the rebellion of An (An Lushan) Shi (Shi Siming), Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi and other nine As a military envoy, he led 200,000 troops to besiege Yejun (now Anyang, Henan) occupied by An Qingxu (son of An Lushan). Victory was in sight.
But in the spring of the next year, due to the reinforcements sent by Shi Siming and the many internal conflicts of the Tang army, the situation reversed. Under the enemy's attack from both sides, the Tang army collapsed. Guo Ziyi and others retreated to Heyang (now Mengzhou, Henan) and recruited soldiers from all over to supplement their troops.
In the spring of 759 AD (the second year of Qianyuan), Du Fu was demoted from Zuo Shiyi to Huazhou Sigong and joined the army. He left Luoyang, passed through Xin'an, Shihao, and Tongguan, stayed at Xiaoxing, and rushed to Huazhou to take up his post.
Everywhere he passed, mourners were everywhere and the people were in dire straits, which caused a strong emotional shock to the poet. On his way west from Xin'an County, he stayed in Shihao Village and encountered officials arresting people late at night. So he wrote this immortal poem based on what he saw and heard.
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Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia---Shi Hao Li