Tang poem · five-character old-style poem唐诗 · 五言古诗

guān观yì刈mài麦

bái白jū居yì易Bai Juyi · Tang唐

Watching the Wheat Harvest

tián田jiā家shǎo少xián闲yuè月

wǔ五yuè月rén人bèi倍máng忙

yè夜lái来nán南fēng风qǐ起

xiǎo小mài麦fù覆lǒng陇huáng黄

fù妇gū姑hè荷dān箪shí食

tóng童zhì稚xié携hú壶jiāng浆

xiāng相suí随xiǎng饷tián田qù去

dīng丁zhuàng壮zài在nán南gāng冈

zú足zhēng蒸shǔ暑tǔ土qì气

bèi背zhuó灼yán炎tiān天guāng光

lì力jìn尽bù不zhī知rè热

dàn但xī惜xià夏rì日cháng长

fù复yǒu有pín贫fù妇rén人

bào抱zǐ子zài在qí其páng旁

yòu右shǒu手bǐng秉yí遗suì穗

zuǒ左bì臂xuán悬bì敝kuāng筐

tīng听qí其xiāng相gù顾yán言

wén闻zhě者wèi为bēi悲shāng伤

jiā家tián田shū输shuì税jìn尽

shí拾cǐ此chōng充jī饥cháng肠

jīn今wǒ我hé何gōng功dé德

céng曾bú不shì事nóng农sāng桑

lì吏lù禄sān三bǎi百dàn石

suì岁yàn晏yǒu有yú余liáng粮

niàn念cǐ此sī私zì自kuì愧

jìn尽rì日bù不néng能wàng忘

Underlined words have notes: tap one. The Pinyin button below shows or hides all pinyin. 一 and 不 are marked with the tone you actually say.字下有虚线的，点开有注释。下方的“拼音”按钮可以显示或隐藏全部拼音。“一”“不”标的是实际读出来的变调。

This follows the textbook. Three characters in the source, for "child", "beside" and "ashamed", are old variant forms; the textbook uses the modern ones with the same meaning. The source also drops the punctuation between the last two lines.

这里用课本的写法：原始资料的“童穉”“其傍”“自媿”，课本写作“童稚”“其旁”“自愧”，都是同一个意思的不同写法。原始资料最后两句之间漏了标点。

Line by line逐句翻译

田家少闲月Farm families have few free months.种地的人家很少有空闲的月份，
五月人倍忙In the fifth month they are twice as busy.到了五月，人们加倍地忙。
夜来南风起At night the south wind rises,夜里吹起了南风，
小麦覆陇黄and the ripe wheat turns the field ridges gold.小麦熟了，田垄上一片金黄。
妇姑荷箪食Wives and mothers-in-law carry baskets of food on poles.媳妇和婆婆挑着竹篮装的饭，
童稚携壶浆Children bring pots of drink.小孩子提着壶里的汤水，
相随饷田去One after another they take food to the fields,一个跟着一个去给地里的人送饭，
丁壮在南冈where the strong men are cutting wheat on the southern hill.男人们正在南边的山冈上割麦。
足蒸暑土气Their feet are steamed by the hot earth,脚下被晒热的土地蒸着，
背灼炎天光their backs burned by the blazing sun.背上被火热的阳光烤着。
力尽不知热Worn out, they no longer feel the heat,累得没力气了，也顾不上热，
但惜夏日长and only wish the summer day were longer.只盼着夏天的白天长一些，好多干活。
复有贫妇人Then there is a poor woman又看见一个穷苦的妇人，
抱子在其旁holding a child, standing beside them.抱着孩子，站在他们旁边。
右手秉遗穗In her right hand she holds ears of wheat she has picked up.右手拿着拾来的麦穗，
左臂悬敝筐From her left arm hangs a worn-out basket.左胳膊上挂着一个破筐。
听其相顾言Hearing what she tells the others,听她对别人说的话，
闻者为悲伤everyone who listens feels sad.听的人都为她难过。
家田输税尽"All our own harvest went to pay the tax,家里的田地，收成都交税交光了，
拾此充饥肠so I pick up these ears to fill our empty stomachs."只好拾些麦穗来填饱肚子。
今我何功德And I, what merit do I have?如今我有什么功劳和德行？
曾不事农桑I have never farmed or raised silkworms.从来不种地，也不养蚕。
吏禄三百石My pay as an official is three hundred measures of grain,做官的俸禄有三百石，
岁晏有余粮and at the year's end I still have grain to spare.到了年底还有吃不完的粮食。
念此私自愧Thinking of this, I feel ashamed inside,想到这些，我心里暗暗惭愧，
尽日不能忘and all day long I cannot forget it.一整天都忘不了。

Words字词注释

田家tián jiā: tián jiā: farming families.田家：农家，种地的人家。
闲月xián yuè: xián yuè: a free month, with little work.闲月：空闲的月份。
倍忙bèi máng: bèi máng: twice as busy. The fifth month of the old calendar is wheat harvest time.倍忙：加倍忙碌。这里的五月是农历五月，正是收麦子的时候。
覆陇黄fù lǒng huáng: fù lǒng huáng: ripe wheat covers the field ridges in gold. Lǒng means the raised rows in a field.覆陇黄：麦子成熟了，盖满了田垄，一片金黄。陇，通“垄”，田里种庄稼的土埂。
妇姑fù gū: fù gū: wives and their mothers-in-law, the women of the family.妇姑：媳妇和婆婆，泛指家里的妇女。
荷箪食hè dān shí: hè dān shí: carrying food in round bamboo baskets on a pole.荷箪食：挑着装饭的竹篮。箪，圆形的竹筐。
童稚tóng zhì: tóng zhì: young children.童稚：小孩子。
壶浆hú jiāng: hú jiāng: drinks carried in a pot.壶浆：壶里装的汤水。
饷田xiǎng tián: xiǎng tián: to take food to the people in the fields.饷田：给在田里干活的人送饭。
丁壮dīng zhuàng: dīng zhuàng: strong young men.丁壮：年轻力壮的男子。
南冈nán gāng: nán gāng: the southern hill. Gāng is a low hill.南冈：南边的山冈。冈，低矮的山坡。
足蒸暑土气zú zhēng shǔ tǔ qì: zú zhēng shǔ tǔ qì: their feet are steamed by the hot earth.足蒸暑土气：脚下被晒热的泥土蒸着。
背灼炎天光bèi zhuó yán tiān guāng: bèi zhuó yán tiān guāng: their backs are burned by the blazing sun. Zhuó means to scorch.背灼炎天光：背上被火热的阳光烤着。灼，烤。
但惜dàn xī: dàn xī: they only treasure.但惜：只是珍惜。
其旁qí páng: qí páng: beside them.其旁：他们旁边。
秉遗穗bǐng yí suì: bǐng yí suì: holding wheat ears picked up from the ground. Bǐng means to hold; yí suì are ears dropped in the harvest.秉遗穗：拿着拾来的麦穗。秉，拿着；遗穗，收割时掉在地里的麦穗。
悬敝筐xuán bì kuāng: xuán bì kuāng: a worn-out basket hangs from her arm. Bì means worn out.悬敝筐：挂着一个破筐。敝，破旧。
相顾言xiāng gù yán: xiāng gù yán: talking while looking at each other; here, the woman tells the others her story.相顾言：互相看着说话。这里指那妇人对别人诉说。
输税尽shū shuì jìn: shū shuì jìn: everything has gone to pay taxes. Shū means to hand over.输税尽：交税交光了。输，交纳。
充饥肠chōng jī cháng: chōng jī cháng: to fill an empty stomach.充饥肠：填饱饿肚子。
功德gōng dé: gōng dé: good deeds, merit.功德：功劳和德行。
不事农桑bú shì nóng sāng: bù shì nóng sāng: not farming or raising silkworms. Shì means to do; sāng is mulberry, for silkworms.不事农桑：不种地，也不养蚕。事，做；桑，种桑养蚕。
吏禄lì lù: lì lù: an official's pay.吏禄：做官的俸禄，也就是官员的工资。
三百石sān bǎi dàn: sān bǎi dàn: three hundred measures of grain, about a year's pay for Bai Juyi as a county officer.三百石：三百石粮食。白居易当县尉，一年的俸禄大约是这个数。
岁晏suì yàn: suì yàn: the end of the year. Yàn means late.岁晏：年底。晏，晚。
私自愧sī zì kuì: sī zì kuì: secretly feeling ashamed of himself.私自愧：自己心里暗暗觉得惭愧。
尽日jìn rì: jìn rì: all day long.尽日：整天。

How to read it读音

少shǎo: Read shǎo, meaning few.少，不多，读 shǎo。
荷hè: Here it means to carry on the shoulder, read hè, not hé as in lotus.荷，用肩膀挑着，读 hè，不读荷花的 hé。
食shí: Now usually read dān shí. The old reading is dān sì, with sì meaning cooked food.箪食：现在一般读 dān shí。旧读 dān sì，“食”指饭食。
饷xiǎng: Read xiǎng, meaning to bring food to people working in the field.饷，给在地里干活的人送饭，读 xiǎng。
为wèi: Read wèi here, meaning because of.为，因为，读 wèi。
曾céng: Read céng here. Some read zēng, the old reading when it means "after all".这里读 céng。也有人按古义读 zēng，意思是“竟然”。
石dàn: As an old unit for grain it is read dàn in textbooks. Some say it should be read shí in old texts.石，古代计算粮食的单位，课本读 dàn。一说古书中应读 shí。

Background创作背景

Bai Juyi wrote this poem around 807, when he was a minor county officer in Zhouzhi, in today's Shaanxi. His job included keeping order and collecting taxes. At harvest time he saw farmers cutting wheat under the burning sun. He also saw a poor woman who had paid all her grain in taxes and could only pick up stray ears to eat. It troubled him, and he wrote this poem.

这首诗写于唐宪宗元和二年（807年）前后，白居易当时在盩厔（今陕西周至）当县尉，是县里管治安、催收赋税的小官。麦收时节，他亲眼看到农民在烈日下割麦，又看到一个交完税只能拾麦穗充饥的穷妇人，心里很不安，写下了这首诗。

The poet作者

Bai Juyi (772–846), also called Letian, was a great Tang poet. He believed poems should show real life and care about common people. He wrote so plainly that, the story goes, even an old woman who could not read understood his poems. "Watching the Wheat Harvest" and "The Old Charcoal Seller" are poems of this kind, speaking up for ordinary people.

白居易（772—846），字乐天，唐代大诗人。他主张诗歌要反映现实、关心百姓，写得通俗易懂，传说连不识字的老婆婆都能听懂。《观刈麦》《卖炭翁》都是这类为百姓说话的诗。

The mood意境

The poet seems to stand by the field and write down one scene after another. First the whole family is at work. The women carry food, the children bring drink, and the men cut wheat on the hill. The ground is hot under their feet, the sun burns their backs, and they are too tired to feel the heat. They even wish the day were longer. Then a poor woman appears, holding her child and picking up stray wheat. All her family's grain went to pay taxes. At last the poet turns the camera on himself. He does not farm, yet he has more grain than he can eat. His shame is an official's honest look at himself. The words are plain, with nothing fancy, yet we see both the farmers' hard work and the poet's conscience.

诗人像站在田边，把看到的一幕一幕写下来。先是全家出动：女人挑饭，孩子提水，男人在山冈上割麦。脚下烫，背上晒，累得都不觉得热了，还嫌白天太短。接着出现一个抱着孩子拾麦穗的穷妇人，她家的粮食全交了税。最后诗人把镜头转向自己：我不种地，却有吃不完的粮食。这份惭愧，是一个官员真诚的反省。全诗语言朴素，没有华丽的词，却让人看到了农民的辛苦，也看到了诗人的良心。