Written on July 1, 1958.
Source: Mao Zedong's "Two Poems of Seven Rhymes: Farewell to the God of Plague".
Original text:
The spring breeze brings thousands of willows, and the 600 million Chinese states are filled with Shun and Yao. The red rain turns into waves at will, and the green mountains turn into bridges intentionally.
The five ridges in the sky are like silver hoes falling, and the earth is shaking and the iron arms of three rivers are shaking. May I ask where King Wen wants to go? The paper boat is burning with candles shining in the sky.
Translation:
Thousands of green willows bloom in the spring breeze, and China, where 600 million people live, is full of shunyao. The red heart rain turns into waves at will, and the green mountains turn into bridges intentionally.
There are silver hoes rising and falling on the five high ridges, and iron arms are shaking on the vast land. May I ask where the god of plague wants to go? He makes a paper boat and lights a candle to burn it to the sky. Extended information
Creative background: On February 27, 1956, Mao Zedong emphasized at the Supreme State Council that "the whole party and the whole people should be mobilized to eliminate schistosomiasis", and the elimination of schistosomiasis was included in the "Agricultural Development" "Outline 40 Articles". In the same year, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China established a leading group for the prevention and control of schistosomiasis and sent a large number of medical teams to the affected areas to carry out schistosomiasis prevention and control work.
The work has achieved obvious results. People in Yujiang County, the epidemic area, put forward the slogan of "half a year to prepare, a year to fight, and half a year to clean up", exerting great energy to fight against the plague. They also vigorously built water conservancy projects, filled in ravines, and eradicated the breeding grounds of schistosomiasis. In just two years, schistosomiasis was eradicated.
On June 30, 1958, "People's Daily" reported the news with a front-page headline and published an editorial titled "The First Red Flag - Recording the Complete Elimination of Schistosomiasis in Yujiang County, Jiangxi Province" .
This poem is not only profound in thought, but also heroic in spirit. This is not only because the poet, as a leader of the people, is far-sighted and broad-minded, showing the infinite universe and long history in his poems. More importantly, the poet has a deep love for the motherland and the people, and a passionate feeling for the cause of socialism.
Therefore, once I learned the unprecedented good news that "Schistosomiasis has been eradicated in Yujiang County", I was extremely excited and my poetic thoughts surged, making the poems filled with high spirits and heroic pride. Poems are like people. This poem is the embodiment of Mao Zedong's great personality and courage, and only Mao Zedong could compose such a majestic poem.