1. "Jia Sheng" by Li Shangyin in the Tang Dynasty
Original text:
The promulgation office sought talents and visited ministers, but Jia Sheng's talent was even more unmatched.
It’s a pity that I sit down at the front table in the middle of the night and don’t ask about the common people or the ghosts and gods.
Translation:
Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty sought talents and announced to summon his demoted officials. Jia Yi's talent is truly brilliant and unparalleled.
It’s just empty talk half the night, which makes people sigh. Emperor Wen only asked about ghosts and gods, but said nothing about national affairs and people's livelihood.
2. "Entering Beijing" by Yu Qian of the Ming Dynasty
Original text:
Silk handkerchiefs, mushrooms and incense sticks, which were used by the capital but were used by civilians, were a disaster.
The breeze blows with both sleeves toward the sky, so as not to make short talk.
Translation:
Silk handkerchiefs, mushrooms, incense and other local products should have been enjoyed by the people themselves, but they were all looted by officials, and instead they were brought to the people disaster.
I went to Beijing to see the emperor empty-handed, so as not to be gossiped about by the people.
3. "Official Hamster" by Cao Ye of the Tang Dynasty
Original text:
The official hamster is as big as a bucket, and will not leave when someone opens the silo.
When the healthy children have no food and the people are hungry, who will send the king to the king?
Translation:
The rats in the government granary are as fat as rice measuring buckets. They will not run away when someone comes to open the granary.
The soldiers guarding the border have no food, and the hardworking people are starving. Who puts the food in the official warehouse into the mouths of you official warehouse rats every day?
4. "Mooring in Qinhuai" by Du Mu in the Tang Dynasty
Original text:
The smoke cage is cold, the moon is caged in the sand, and the Qinhuai River is close to the restaurant at night.
Shang girls don’t know the hatred for the country’s subjugation, but they still sing the flowers in the backyard across the river.
Translation:
The blurry moonlight and light smoke cover the cold water and white sand. At night, the boat is anchored at a restaurant on the shore of Qinhuai River.
The singing girls don’t know what the hatred of the country’s subjugation is, and they are still singing about Yushu and Backyard Flowers across the river.
5. "Five Hundred Words of Odyssey from Beijing to Fengxian County" by Du Fu in the Tang Dynasty
Original text:
The wine and meat in Zhumen smelled bad, and there were frozen bones on the road.
The prosperity and decline are so close and different, and the melancholy is difficult to describe again.
Translation:
In that Zhumen, the wine and meat of the rich family wafts out the tempting aroma, but on this road, who will bury the poor people who died of cold and starvation!
Only a few steps apart, there are two worlds with different joys and sorrows. The injustices in the world fill my chest with grief and indignation, and I can’t talk about it anymore!