The phrase "writing for the time, poetry for the things" embodies Bai Juyi's creative principle of "writing for the time, writing for the things". That is, poetry must serve politics and undertake the political mission of "sizing up the situation" and "releasing human feelings" in order to achieve the political purpose of "relieving people's illness and making up for the lack of time"
The basic purpose of Bai Juyi's satirical poems on current affairs is to write for the monarch, ministers, people, things and things, which is the core of Bai Juyi's poetic theory.
The full text (excerpt) is as follows:
There are many reasons why the family is poor. The 27th Party belongs to the village. After that, although he specialized in the senior high school entrance examination, he did not waste poetry. By the time he was awarded the school librarian, he had earned three or four hundred songs. Or that making friends, like the younger generation, is a job that everyone can see, but it is actually not a glimpse of the author's field.
Since I came to North Korea, I have grown up and read more books. Every time you talk to people, ask more current events; Every time you read history, you should seek more truth. At first, I knew that articles were written about time, and songs and poems were written for things. At that time, at the beginning of the emperor's accession to the throne, there were upright people in the slaughterhouse who repeatedly handed down imperial edicts to visit people with acute diseases.
The translation is as follows:
Because of his poor family, he suffered many accidents and was not admitted to Jinshi until he was 27 years old. After the senior high school entrance examination, although I concentrated on the subject examination, I still didn't stop writing poetry. When it comes to being a school bookkeeper, there are three or four hundred poems. Sometimes I show it to my friends like the first step. Everyone says that I am clever at first sight, but I have not reached the level of a poet.
Since I became an official in the imperial court, I have been getting older and experienced more and more things. Whenever you talk to people, ask more about current events, study history and explore ways to govern the country. Only then do I know that articles should be written for current events and poems should be written for reality. At that time, the emperor had just succeeded to the throne, and honest people in the government sent letters to investigate the sufferings of the people many times.