An old man selling charcoal cuts wood and burns charcoal in the mountains in the south all year round.
His face was covered with dust, which was the color of smoke burning, his temples were gray, and his ten fingers were burnt black.
What's the point of selling charcoal? You can't eat with clothes on.
Pity that he is wearing thin clothes, but he is worried that charcoal can't be sold, hoping it will be colder.
At night, it snowed a foot thick outside the city. Early in the morning, the old man drove a charcoal wheel to the market.
Cows are tired and people are hungry, but the sun has risen very high. They are resting in the mud outside the south gate of the market.
Who is that proud man riding on two horses? It was the eunuchs in the palace and eunuchs who did it.
The eunuch, with documents in his hand and the emperor's orders in his mouth, shouted at the petrified palace.
A load of charcoal, more than 1000 kilograms, eunuch attendants to drive away, the old man is helpless, but there is no way.
Half a horse's red yarn is a silk, which is filled with charcoal to the cow's head.
Bai Juyi wrote 50 poems of "New Yuefu" in the fourth year of Yuanhe (809), among which "Selling Charcoal Weng" is the thirty-second poem. Its description of the "palace market" in the preface of "New Yuefu" is based on real life.
"Palace market" refers to the imperial court sending people directly to the market to buy the needed items. In Tang Dezong, eunuchs are dictatorial. They often send hundreds of people to Chang 'an to look around. When they see what they want, they will buy it at a low price, even without paying. Han Yu's Record of Shunzong is recorded as follows: "A farmer tried to sell firewood to the city with his donkey, and when he met an official, he called it Miyagi. After taking it, he walked only a few feet away from the silk, so he asked for a' portal' and still invited him to send it in with a donkey; The farmer sobbed and paid with the silk he got, but refused to accept it, saying,' Your donkey must send firewood inside.' The farmer said,' I have parents and a wife, and I want to stay here for dinner; I'll chop firewood for you today. I won't take it directly. You'd better not! I'm just dead! Then call the official. "Farmers who sell firewood have been plundered. This is an example of the suffering of the people in the palace city.
Poetry begins with introducing characters. The lonely old man "reduced his salary" and "burned charcoal" in Nanshan outside Chang' an for many years. He has no land and lives entirely by selling charcoal. "The face is full of dust and fireworks, and the temples are gray and black." Labor is very hard, just to "have food in your mouth" and hope to survive. However, even such a minimum life is difficult to maintain. The weather is cold, but it is "worried about charcoal and willing to be cold." This psychological description, which prefers to endure twice the cold and get more money for selling charcoal, profoundly reflects the tragic situation of charcoal sellers.
"It snows a foot outside the city at night", and the cold weather has finally come. Early in the morning, he got on the ox cart and went out to sell charcoal through the snow. Just as he was exhausted and taking a break outside the south gate, suddenly, the "yellow messenger white shirt" on horseback rushed over and said that he would buy charcoal in the palace, forcing the old man to drive the charcoal cart to the palace. "Go back to the car and scold the cow to lead the north", which shows the arrogance and robber behavior of the palace envoy. The old man felt sorry and helpless when he saw that more than a thousand kilograms of charcoal burned so hard were taken away. "The palace envoy drove him away" is an accurate expression of this mood. The old man's hope was shattered, and all he got in the end was "half a horse red yarn and a thread", which could neither satisfy hunger nor keep out the cold. It's just a small ornament tied to a loudspeaker, and the bullying and fear of the "court market" are exposed completely.
This poem needs no discussion, and the author's love and hate are completely contained in vivid narration and description.
Writing about the poverty and misery of selling charcoal Weng is not judged by the author, but by the characters: "The face is full of dust and fireworks, and the temples are gray and black." Vividly describe the hardships of selling charcoal. "The poor man's clothes are just ordinary. He is worried about charcoal and hopes it is cold." It is a portrayal of the inner pain of the old man. Another example is to show the evil of the court market system. It didn't take the form of directly criticizing Du Like's error, nor did it "show one's will" at the end like some poems in New Yuefu. Instead, it is straightforward and ends with a narrative fact, which is more subtle and thought-provoking.
Go straight to the book, but its meaning is self-evident, let alone a judgment. (Poetry of Tang and Song Dynasties, Volume 20)