⬅️ 唐诗 Tang Poems
卖炭翁
白居易卖炭翁，伐薪烧炭南山中。
满面尘灰烟火色，两鬓苍苍十指黑。
卖炭得钱何所营，身上衣裳口中食。
可怜身上衣正单，心忧炭贱愿天寒。
夜来城外一尺雪，晓驾炭车辗冰辙。
牛困人饥日已高，市南门外泥中歇。
翩翩两骑来是谁？黄衣使者白衫儿。
手把文书口称敕，回车叱牛牵向北。
一车炭，千余斤，宫使驱将惜不得。
半匹红纱一丈绫，系向牛头充炭直。
The Elderly Charcoal Seller
by Bai Juyi (772-846 AD)The elderly charcoal seller,
He cut and burned woods to make charcoal on South Hill.
His face was covered by dusts and ashes,
His sideburns were grey and his fingers were blackened.
What did he do with the money from selling charcoal,
Just for the clothes put on his body and foods put into his mouth.
The poor old man was in light clothing,
But he prayed for cold weather, so as to sell his charcoal at a good price.
There was a heavy snow fall the night before,
At dawn he was already driving the bullock-cart on the icy road.
The ox was tired and the old man was starving when the sun came up,
In the mud outside of the south gate they took a break.
Who were those two flighty steeds coming towards this way?
They were the eunuch and his minion from the imperial palace.
With a decree in hand they said by the edict from emperor,
they took the bullock-cart and led it towards north.
A cartload charcoal, a thousand pounds in weight,
What they took was too much for the old man to spare.
Half bolt of red tarlatan and ten feet of silk,
They tied it on the ox's head as if they had paid.