Full text:
The old man lives in Ling Du, and every year he grows a barren land. In March, there was no rain and dry wind, and the wheat seedlings did not bloom and turned yellow and died. In September and autumn, the frost is cold and early, and the ears are not ripe. Officials know, but they don't report the truth. Rent and violent taxes are rewarded by exams.
If you want to pawn mulberry fields, you have to sell them and pay the taxes stipulated by the government. What about food and clothing next year? Strip our clothes and take the food from our mouths. The victim of abuse is a jackal. Why did he pawn the hook and saw human flesh with his teeth like a saw? I don't know who reported the emperor's compassion and understood the people's plight.
The royal decree of mercy is written on white linen, and all taxes are exempted near the capital this year. Yesterday, Li came to the door, holding his certificate in the countryside. Ten of the nine taxpayers have been sent and exempted from taxes by our king.
Translation:
Old people in Ling Du live in Ling Du and plant more than one hectare of wasteland every year. There was no rain and dry wind in March, and most of the wheat seedlings died before flowering. September frost, early autumn cold, immature ears of grain have withered. Officials know clearly but don't report the truth, eager to collect rent and levy taxes violently in order to get a reward through the exam.
What will happen to food and clothing next year if you pawn mulberry fields and sell them at the rent stipulated by the government? Strip us naked and take food from our mouths. It's a jackal who abuses people and hurts people, so why should his minions eat human flesh like a hook and teeth like a saw! I wonder who reported it to the emperor. The emperor felt pity and understood the sufferings of the people.
White linen paper is written with the imperial edict of Enbad, and all places near Beijing are exempt from tax this year. Chang Li came to the door yesterday, holding a document and posting it in the countryside. Nine out of ten taxes have been paid, and our king has exempted them for nothing.
Extended data:
Du Ling Cuo is the work of Bai Juyi, a poet in the Tang Dynasty. There is a line under the poem: "It is difficult to hurt farmers." It can be seen that the content of this poem is to sympathize with the hardships of farmers' lives.
The whole poem can be divided into two parts. In the first half, there are two direct reasons for the misery of farmers' lives, one is natural disasters from heaven and the other is man-made disasters. The second half points out the darkness and corruption of bureaucracy, and extortion is the profound point of the whole poem.
In this song "Ling Du Wrong", he even wrote: "If you mistreat others and hurt others, you are a wolf. Why do you have to grab your teeth and eat human flesh! " When Bai Juyi wrote the above complaint with indignation, he did not realize that he had actually touched the cruel and barbaric social essence of cannibalism in feudal society. In fact, whenever the famine is serious, the emperor issued a letter to rent-free and tax-free, and local officials stepped up exploitation and extortion, but it was just a double-reed play.