The author of "Compassion for the Farmers" is Li Shen.
Li Shen was a poet of the Tang Dynasty. He was born in 772. His ancestral home was Qiao County, Bozhou, and he was born in Wucheng County, Huzhou. When Li Shen was young, he was frugal and simple. After becoming a high official, he was influenced by his own experience and his eyes and ears, and lived a luxurious and luxurious life, becoming a nobleman of "rich families, full of wine and meat".
The most shining part of his life was poetry. He was a participant in the New Yuefu Movement that had a huge impact on literary history. He wrote 20 pieces of "New Titles of Yuefu", which have been lost. He is the author of two poems "Compassion for the Farmers", which are very popular among women and children and have been passed down through the ages.
Background
Li Shen has been diligent and studious since he was a child. He passed the Jinshi examination at the age of 27 and became a bachelor of Hanlin. One summer, Li Shen returned to Bozhou to visit relatives and friends. He met Li Fengji, the governor of eastern Zhejiang Province, who was passing through Bozhou on his way to Beijing to perform an event. They were both Jinshi in the same ranking, and they were good friends who often sang poems and had fun together, so of course they wanted to have a little get-together.
That day, they went to Guanjiatai in the east of the city to play together. Guanjia Terrace was built by Cao Cao. Standing on Guanjia Terrace, you can see the crisscrossing streets and rivers in front of you, which is very spectacular. Li Fengji sighed with emotion and recited a poem: "How can it be that traveling thousands of miles to the country and the countryside, moving to different posts over the years is like stepping on the stage." This means that it would be great if promotion in official positions could be as easy as stepping on the stage. It is obvious that Li Fengji is thinking about his personal destiny and future.
Li Shen thought differently. He saw farmers working hard in the fields under the scorching sun, and recited a poem: "It's noon on the day of hoeing, and the sweat is dripping from the soil. Who knows that every grain of food on the plate is hard work." Li Shen was not satisfied yet. , and immediately recited: "One grain of millet is planted in spring, and ten thousand grains are harvested in autumn. There is no idle land in the world, and farmers still starve to death."
These two poems earned Li Shen the title of "Poet of Compassion for Peasants" ” the reputation.