Reply To Our Linked Poem, Praying For Rain With Xiao Bozhen
和 萧 伯 振 祷 雨
云 气 微 升 又 霍 然
虚 疑 数 点 长 三 川。
渚 东 粳 稻 今 无 雨
杜 曲 桑 麻 莫 问 天。
饿 死 何 愁 更 平 籴
野 夫 半 去 只 荒 田。
未 辞 托 命 长 馋 柄
黄 独 那 能 支 一 年！
He Xiao Bo Zhen Dao Yu
Yun qi wei sheng you huo ran
Xu yi shu dian zhang san chuan.
Zhu dong jing dao jin wu yu
Du qu sang ma mo wen tian.
E si he chou geng ping di
Ye fu ban qu zhi huang tian.
Wei ci tuo ming chang chan bing
Huang du na neng zhi yi nian!
Reply To Our Linked Poem, Praying For Rain With Xiao Bozhen
Rising moist air suddenly falls back down
So few drops they can be counted, rivers rise so little.
Eastern islets and rice paddies without rain
Everyone in Du Qu making silk and hemp threads also praying for rain.
Those dying of hunger do not have to worry about paying government taxes
Half of the male farm workers gone away, half of the fields are weeds.
Not yet ready to give up our lives, we need a long chan bing to dig up wild roots
But this huangdu not able to feed us until the next harvest!
Notes:
Linked poem: Poetic dialogue between two poets on a common theme. Similar to a harmonic duet.
Xiao Bozhen: Probably either a close hometown friend or a family member of Yang.
Chan Bing: A long-handled shovel used to dig deep holes.
Huangdu: Bitter yam. Air potato. Scientific name is Dioscorea Bulbifera.