观刈麦

白居易【唐】

田家少闲月，五月人倍忙。

夜来南风起，小麦覆陇黄。

妇姑荷箪食，童稚携壶浆。

相随饷田去，丁壮在南冈。

足蒸暑土气，背灼炎天光。

力尽不知热，但惜夏日长。

复有贫妇人，抱子在其旁。

右手秉遗穗，左臂悬敝筐。

听其相顾言，闻者为悲伤。

家田输税尽，拾此充饥肠。

今我何功德，曾不事农桑。

吏禄三百石，岁晏有余粮。

念此私自愧，尽日不能忘。

[15] WATCHING THE REAPERS

(A.D. 806)

Tillers of the soil have few idle months;

In the fifth month their toil is double-fold.

A south-wind visits the fields at night:

Suddenly the hill is covered with yellow corn.

Wives and daughters shoulder baskets of rice;

Youths and boys carry the flasks of wine.

Following after they bring a wage of meat

To the strong reapers toiling on the southern hill,

Whose feet are burned by the hot earth they tread,

Whose backs are scorched by flames of the shining sky.

Tired they toil, caring nothing for the heat,

Grudging the shortness of the long summer day.

A poor woman follows at the reapers' side

With an infant child carried close at her breast.

With her right hand she gleans the fallen grain;

On her left arm a broken basket hangs.

And I to-day… by virtue of what right

Have I never once tended field or tree?

My government-pay is three hundred tons;

At the year's end I have still grain in hand.

Thinking of this, secretly I grew ashamed;

And all day the thought lingered in my head.