Sparrows Peck the Millet
雀 啄 粟
坡 头 车 败 雀 啄 粟
桑 下 饷 来 乌 攫 肉。
乘 时 投 隙 自 谓 才
苟 得 未 必 为 汝 褔。
忍 饥 蓬 蒿 固 亦 难
要 是 少 远 弹 射 辱。
老 农 辍 耒 为 汝 悲
岂 信 江 湖 有 鸿 鹄。
Qiao Zhuo Su
Po tou che bai qiao zhuo su
Sang xia xiang lai wu jue rou.
Cheng shi tou xi zi wei cai
Gou de wei bi wei ru fu.
Ren ji peng hao gu yi nan
Yao shi shao yuan tan she ru.
Lao nong chuo lei wei ru bei
Qi xin jiang hu you hong hu.
Sparrows Peck the Millet
Top of the sloping cart decayed, sparrows pick at the millet
Crows under the mulberry trees look surprised as no one is making silk.
Naturally a corrupt palace faction wants to negotiate away our duty to fight our enemies
In return, we receive almost nothing more than promises for our efforts.
Also difficult for the people to endure the subsequent hunger, having to glean tangled wormwood in the fields
Perhaps our best hope is to lash out against the nomadic marauders.
Having stopped using their farm tools, the old farmers are sad
For now, we should think about long-term issues and the fate of our people, instead of near-sighted goals.
Notes:
Sparrows: A metaphor for the small-minded and small-hearted who are the near-sighted and corrupt palace elite.
Crows: Metaphor for the criminal government officials who are surprised that few people are working to farm for food and to make silk for clothes when the criminals are busy stealing from state treasury.
Commentary:
This poem was written in 1027 AD. The Song empire had suffered a series of military defeats at the hands of the Jin to the north. The empress and her palace faction advocated that the country negotiate for peace by bribing the conquerors with money and pretty ladies.