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

zéi贼tuì退shì示guān官lì吏

yuán元jié结Yuan Jie · Tang唐

To the Officials, After the Rebels Withdrew

xī昔suì岁féng逢tài太píng平

shān山lín林èr二shí十nián年

quán泉yuán源zài在tíng庭hù户

dòng洞hè壑dāng当mén门qián前

jǐng井shuì税yǒu有cháng常qī期

rì日yàn晏yóu犹dé得mián眠

hū忽rán然zāo遭shì世biàn变

shù数suì岁qīn亲róng戎zhān旃

jīn今lái来diǎn典sī斯jùn郡

shān山yí夷yòu又fēn纷rán然

chéng城xiǎo小zéi贼bù不tú屠

rén人pín贫shāng伤kě可lián怜

shì是yǐ以xiàn陷lín邻jìng境

cǐ此zhōu州dú独jiàn见quán全

shǐ使chén臣jiāng将wáng王mìng命

qǐ岂bù不rú如zéi贼yān焉

jīn今bǐ彼zhēng征liǎn敛zhě者

pò迫zhī之rú如huǒ火jiān煎

shuí谁néng能jué绝rén人mìng命

yǐ以zuò作shí时shì世xián贤

sī思yù欲wěi委fú符jié节

yǐn引gān竿zì自cì刺chuán船

jiāng将jiā家jiù就yú鱼mài麦

guī归lǎo老jiāng江hú湖biān边

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。

The corpus puts the character yàn of rì yàn in square brackets, and has two slips from machine conversion in lín jìng (neighbouring lands) and zhēng liǎn (collecting taxes). They are corrected here to the usual text. The usual text also prints a short preface before the poem: "In the year guimao, rebels from Xiyuan broke into Daozhou. They burned, killed and robbed until almost nothing was left, then went away. The next year they attacked Yongzhou and took Shaozhou, but they did not touch the edges of this prefecture before pulling back. Was it because we were strong enough to stop them? No, it was only because they pitied us. So how can the imperial envoys bear to squeeze taxes out of these people so harshly? That is why I wrote this poem to show the officials."

原始文本把“日晏”的“晏”放在方括号里，又有“陷隣境”“徴敛”两处繁简转换的错字，这里按通行本作“日晏”“邻境”“征敛”。通行本诗前还有一段小序：“癸卯岁，西原贼入道州，焚烧杀掠，几尽而去。明年，贼又攻永州，破邵，不犯此州边鄙而退。岂力能制敌欤？盖蒙其伤怜而已。诸使何为忍苦征敛！故作诗一篇以示官吏。”

Line by line逐句翻译

昔岁逢太平In the old days, when the land was at peace,从前遇上天下太平的年月，
山林二十年I lived among the hills and woods for some twenty years.我在山林里住了二十来年。
泉源在庭户A spring rose right by my courtyard door,泉水的源头就在院子门口，
洞壑当门前and caves and valleys lay just outside my gate.山洞和山谷正对着我的家门。
井税有常期Land tax was paid on fixed days,交田税有固定的日子，
日晏犹得眠and we could sleep late without a care.太阳升得老高还能安心睡觉。
忽然遭世变Then all at once the world fell into chaos,忽然世道大乱，
数岁亲戎旃and for several years I lived in army camps.好几年我都亲身待在军营里。
今来典斯郡Now I have come to govern this prefecture,如今我来掌管这个州郡，
山夷又纷然and the hill people are rising up again.山里的人又闹起乱来。
城小贼不屠The town was so small the rebels did not slaughter it;城太小，贼没有在这里屠杀，
人贫伤可怜the people were so poor that even the rebels felt pity.百姓太穷，连贼都觉得可怜。
是以陷邻境So the rebels took the lands next door,所以贼攻破了邻近的地方，
此州独见全and only this prefecture was spared.只有这个州保全了下来。
使臣将王命The envoys come bearing the emperor's orders,朝廷派来的官员带着皇帝的命令，
岂不如贼焉so how can they be worse than the rebels?难道还比不上那些贼吗？
今彼征敛者Yet now those who come to collect taxes可现在那些来收税的人，
迫之如火煎press the people as if frying them over a fire.逼迫百姓就像用火煎熬。
谁能绝人命Who could bear to cut off the people's lives谁能狠心断绝百姓的活路，
以作时世贤just to be praised as a fine official of the day?去换一个当世好官的名声？
思欲委符节I would rather give back my seal of office,我想交还官印辞去官职，
引竿自刺船take up a pole and push my own boat,拿起竹竿自己撑着小船，
将家就鱼麦and take my family where there are fish and wheat,带着家人去有鱼有麦的地方，
归老江湖边to grow old by the rivers and lakes.在江湖边上安度晚年。

Words字词注释

昔岁xī suì: xī suì: years gone by, the old days.昔岁：从前的年月。
逢太平féng tài píng: féng tài píng: to live in a time of peace.逢太平：遇上天下太平的时候。
山林shān lín: shān lín èr shí nián: lived in the hills and woods for many years. "Twenty years" is a round number.山林二十年：在山林里住了很多年。“二十年”是大概的说法。
庭户tíng hù: tíng hù: the courtyard and the door of the house.庭户：院子和房门。
洞壑dòng hè: dòng hè: caves and valleys.洞壑：山洞和山谷。
当dāng: dāng: right in front of, facing.当：正对着。
井税jǐng shuì: jǐng shuì: land tax. In old times farmland was said to be divided like the character for a well, so land tax was called "well tax".井税：田税。古时候有把田地分成“井”字形的说法，所以田税也叫井税。
常期cháng qī: yǒu cháng qī: taxes were collected on fixed dates, not at random.有常期：交税有固定的日子，不会乱收。
日晏rì yàn: rì yàn: the sun is high, it is late in the day. The line means people could sleep in without worry.日晏：太阳已经很高了，天色已晚。这句是说可以安心睡到很晚。
世变shì biàn: shì biàn: the world turned upside down. This means the An Lushan Rebellion, a huge civil war that began in 755.世变：世道大变，指安史之乱。
亲戎旃qīn róng zhān: qīn róng zhān: to serve in the army in person. Róng zhān are army tents and flags.亲戎旃：亲自待在军营里，就是从军打仗。戎旃，军中的帐篷和旗子。
典斯郡diǎn sī jùn: diǎn sī jùn: to govern this prefecture. Diǎn means to be in charge; sī means this. Yuan Jie had become governor of Daozhou.典斯郡：掌管这个州郡。典，主管；斯，这。指元结做道州刺史（一州的长官）。
山夷shān yí: shān yí: hill peoples. Here it means the rebels from the Xiyuan area in the far south.山夷：住在山里的少数民族，这里指“西原贼”，从西原一带起兵作乱的人。
纷然fēn rán: fēn rán: in turmoil, stirring up trouble again.纷然：乱纷纷的样子，指又闹起事来。
屠tú: tú: to kill large numbers of people, to massacre.屠：大批地杀人。
伤可怜shāng kě lián: shāng kě lián: sad and pitiful. The line means even the rebels pitied the people here for being so poor.伤可怜：叫人哀伤、同情。这句是说：连贼都可怜这里的百姓太穷。
是以shì yǐ: shì yǐ: because of this, therefore.是以：因此。
陷邻境xiàn lín jìng: xiàn lín jìng: broke into the neighbouring lands. Xiàn means to capture.陷邻境：攻破了邻近的地方。陷，攻破。
见全jiàn quán: jiàn quán: was left whole, was spared.见全：得到保全，没有受害。
使臣shǐ chén: shǐ chén: envoys sent by the court, here to collect taxes.使臣：朝廷派来收税的官员。
将王命jiāng wáng mìng: jiāng wáng mìng: carrying the emperor's orders. Jiāng means to hold or carry.将王命：带着皇帝的命令。将，拿着、带着。
岂不如贼焉qǐ bù rú zéi yān: qǐ bù rú zéi yān: can they really be worse than the rebels?岂不如贼焉：难道还比不上贼吗？
征敛zhēng liǎn: zhēng liǎn: to collect taxes, to squeeze money out of people.征敛：收税，搜刮财物。
迫之如火煎pò zhī rú huǒ jiān: pò zhī rú huǒ jiān: they press the people as if frying them over a fire.迫之如火煎：逼百姓逼得像用火煎熬一样。
绝人命jué rén mìng: jué rén mìng: to cut off people's lives, to leave them no way to live.绝人命：断绝百姓的活路。
时世贤shí shì xián: shí shì xián: what the times call a fine, able official.时世贤：当时人眼里的好官、能干的官。
委符节wěi fú jié: wěi fú jié: to give back the seal of office, to quit. Wěi means to put down; fú jié was the token that proved one's office.委符节：交还官印，辞官不干了。委，丢下；符节，做官的凭证。
引竿yǐn gān: yǐn gān: to pick up a pole.引竿：拿起竹竿。
刺船cì chuán: cì chuán: to push a boat along with a pole.刺船：用竹竿撑船。
将家jiāng jiā: jiāng jiā: taking the family along.将家：带着家人。
就鱼麦jiù yú mài: jiù yú mài: to go where there are fish and wheat, that is, to live by fishing and farming.就鱼麦：到有鱼有麦的地方去，就是去过打鱼种田的生活。
归老guī lǎo: guī lǎo: to go home and grow old there.归老：回去养老，度过晚年。

How to read it读音

数shù: shù suì means several years. Here the character is read shù (a few), not shǔ (to count).数岁：几年。这里的“数”读 shù，意思是“几个”，不读 shǔ。

Background创作背景

In 763, people from the Xiyuan area in the far south rose up and broke into Daozhou (today's Dao County in Hunan). They burned, killed and robbed. The next year Yuan Jie came to govern Daozhou. That year the rebels attacked Yongzhou and Shaozhou nearby, but left Daozhou alone and went away. Yuan Jie believed this was not because Daozhou was strong. It was because the rebels pitied how poor the people were. Yet the envoys sent by the court were still forcing the people to pay heavy taxes. So he wrote this poem to show the officials.

唐代宗广德元年（763年，癸卯年），西原一带的人起兵作乱，攻进道州（今湖南道县），烧杀抢掠。第二年元结来做道州刺史。这一年乱兵又攻打永州、邵州，却没有侵犯道州就退走了。元结认为这不是道州有力量打败他们，而是乱兵可怜这里的百姓太穷。可朝廷派来的官员还在拼命逼百姓交税。他就写了这首诗给官吏们看。

The poet作者

Yuan Jie (719–772) was a Tang poet who also served as an official and led troops. He liked to write plain truths in his poems and cared about the suffering of ordinary people. While governing Daozhou he wrote "The Song of Chongling" and this poem, both speaking up for the poor. Du Fu was moved when he read them and wrote a poem in praise of him.

元结（719—772），唐代诗人，也做过官，带过兵。他写诗喜欢说真话，关心百姓的苦难。在道州做刺史时，他写了《舂陵行》和这首诗，都替穷苦百姓说话。杜甫读了很感动，专门写诗称赞他。

The mood意境

This poem reads like a letter that argues a point. It opens with memories of peaceful days: a spring and valleys by the door, taxes collected by the rules, and nights of easy sleep. Then it turns to the war and to how poor Daozhou is. The sharpest part is a contrast in the middle. The rebels pitied the people and spared the town, but the court's envoys squeeze out taxes as if frying people over a fire. The poet asks: can officials really be worse than rebels? At the end he says he would rather quit and go fishing and farming than become a "fine official" by trampling on people's lives. The words are plain, with nothing fancy, yet every line is strong. You can see the conscience of a good official.

这首诗像一篇讲道理的信。开头先回忆太平年月：家门口有泉水山谷，交税有规矩，人能睡个安稳觉。接着写战乱，写道州的穷。最扎心的是中间一层对比：乱兵都可怜百姓，放过了道州；朝廷派来的官员却像火煎一样逼人交税。诗人反问：难道官还不如贼吗？最后他说，宁可丢掉官职去打鱼种田，也不愿踩着百姓的命去当“好官”。语言朴素，没有华丽的词，却句句有力，能看出一个好官的良心。