Original text:
In Shihao Village at dusk, there were officials arresting 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? After listening to the woman's speech, the three men garrisoned Yecheng.
One man sent 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.
Vernacular translation:
As dusk fell, I came to Shihao Village to stay. In the middle of the night, a police officer came to the village to force soldiers. The old man climbed over the courtyard wall and escaped, and the old woman went out to deal with the servants. The officer shouted so fiercely, and the old woman cried so sadly. I heard the old woman step forward and say: "My three sons went to participate in the Battle of Yecheng.
One of the sons came back with a message saying that the other two sons had just died in the battle. Those who are alive will live for the time being. One day at a time, the dead will never come back to life! Old woman, there is no one else in my family, only a little grandson who is nursing. He went in and out without even a single piece of intact clothing.
Source: From "The Officials in the Stone Haul", one of the "Three Officials and Three Farewells" by the poet Du Fu in the Tang Dynasty.
Extended information:
Creative background:
In 758, in order to quell the rebellion of An (Anlushan) and Shi (Shi Siming), nine military envoys including Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi led a siege of 200,000 troops. In Ye County (today's Anyang, Henan Province) occupied by An Qingxu (son of An Lushan), victory was in sight. However, in the spring of the next year, due to the reinforcements sent by Shi Siming and the internal conflicts of the Tang army, the situation reversed, with the enemy on both sides. Under the attack, the entire Tang army collapsed.
Guo Ziyi and others retreated to Heyang (today's Mengzhou, Henan) and recruited troops from all over. In the spring of 759 AD (the second year of Qianyuan), Du Fu was demoted from Zuo Shiyi. He joined the army for the service of Huazhou. He left Luoyang and passed through Xin'an, Shihao and Tongguan. He stayed at dawn and rushed to his post in Huazhou.
Wherever he passed, mourning was everywhere and the people were in dire straits. This caused a strong emotional shock for 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 "Shihao Official" based on what he saw and heard.