Old road overgrown with thorn,
Winding through the ruin's scorn.
Amethyst blooms cloak the shore,
Marsh gleams colder than before.
Harvest done, the woodcutters pass,
Sunset stains their loads with brass.
Wind-combed willows stand threadbare,
Frost-jeweled pears perfume the air.
Wanderers pause at crossroads' sign,
Birds rush to roost in frantic line.
The old farmer grins his creed:
"Mind dark paths—and take my heed:
This year's luck gave modest cheer,
Never scorn coarse porridge here."
Original Poem
「田家三首 · 其三」
柳宗元
古道饶蒺藜，萦回古城曲。
蓼花被堤岸，陂水寒更绿。
是时收获竟，落日多樵牧。
风高榆柳疏，霜重梨枣熟。
行人迷去住，野鸟竞栖宿。
田翁笑相念，昏黑慎原陆。
今年幸少丰，无厌饘与粥。
Interpretation
The concluding piece of Liu Zongyuan's agrarian triptych diverges from the first poem's labor chronicle and the second's tax protest, offering instead a quiet vignette of autumn's end. Composed during the poet's southern exile (post-805 AD) or Liuzhou governorship (post-815), it captures an accidental encounter with a peasant elder whose contentment in modest harvests reveals the resilient dignity of those who "plow the field of fate" (耕命之田). Where earlier verses exposed systemic cruelty, this poem finds solace in the texture of rural life—its muted colors and unassuming wisdom.
First Couplet: "古道饶蒺藜，萦回古城曲。"
Gǔdào ráo jílí, yínghuí gǔchéng qū.
Thorny caltrops overrun the ancient path; / it coils round ruined walls like time's own wrath.
The "ancient path" (古道) immediately temporalizes the landscape—a road where history's brambles snag the present. The coiled trajectory mirrors the poet's political exile, each step a negotiation with obstacles.
Second Couplet: "蓼花被堤岸，陂水寒更绿。"
Liǎohuā bèi dī'àn, bēi shuǐ hán gèng lǜ.
Knotweeds drape the dyke in crimson shrouds; / pondwater chills to a deeper jade.
Autumn's paradox: the colder the water, the more intense its hue. The "crimson shrouds" (蓼花被) of knotweed—a funeral floral metaphor—clash with the vibrant water, embodying Liu's dual vision of decay and persistence.
Third Couplet: "是时收获竟，落日多樵牧。"
Shì shí shōuhuò jìng, luòrì duō qiáo mù.
Harvest done at last, the setting sun / gilds woodcutters and herdsmen as they roam.
The golden-hour tableau breathes post-agrarian calm. Syntactically, "at last" (竟) suspends relief—a hard-won pause in the peasant's eternal cycle.
Fourth Couplet: "风高榆柳疏，霜重梨枣熟。"
Fēng gāo yú liǔ shū, shuāng zhòng lí zǎo shú.
Winds shear elms and willows thin; / heavy frosts plump pears and dates.
Nature's economy laid bare: arboreal loss enables fructal gain. The counterpoint of "shear" (疏) and "plump" (熟) mirrors Liu's own exilic paradox—spiritual leanness yielding poetic richness.
Fifth Couplet: "行人迷去住，野鸟竞栖宿。"
Xíngrén mí qù zhù, yě niǎo jìng qī sù.
A wanderer falters at crossroads' riddle; / wild birds scurry for roosts in twilight's middle.
The poet's disorientation ("falters at crossroads") merges with avian urgency, creating a kinetic portrait of dusk. The birds' instinctive purpose contrasts with human uncertainty.
Sixth Couplet: "田翁笑相念，昏黑慎原陆。"
Tián wēng xiào xiāng niàn, hūn hēi shèn yuán lù.
An old farmer grins through gapped teeth, warns: / "Dusk-black plains demand wary steps, my son."
The grin "through gapped teeth" (笑相念) radiates vernacular warmth. His paternal address ("my son") temporarily adopts the exiled bureaucrat into the kinship of the land.
Seventh Couplet: "今年幸少丰，无厌饘与粥。"
Jīnnián xìng shǎo fēng, wú yàn zhān yǔ zhōu.
"Heaven's lent us a lean yield this year— / still, we shan't scorn our gruel and bran, no sir."
The elder's philosophy in eight syllables: gratitude survives between "lean yield" (少丰) and "bran" (饘). His "no sir" (无厌) resonates as both humility and quiet defiance—a manifesto of sufficiency.
Holistic Appreciation
This poem depicts an ordinary rural evening after autumn harvest, vividly portraying both natural scenery and human interactions, brimming with pastoral charm. Here, Liu Zongyuan deliberately avoids overt expressions of oppression or indignation, instead using authentic scenes to showcase peasants' self-sufficient contentment and diligent character. Though the old farmer lacks material wealth, his modest satisfaction shines through in lines like "never tired of simple porridge"—revealing both life's hardships and his philosophical acceptance. As a lost traveler welcomed into the farmhouse, the poet's plain yet warm exchange with the farmer reflects Liu's genuine affinity with common folk. Structured around scenic imagery yet unified by emotion, the poem conveys profound feeling through gentle strokes, resembling an autumnal village vignette—restrained yet infinitely suggestive.
Artistic Merits
- Scenery-Humanity Interweaving, Emotion in Stillness
Landscapes never exist without people; human actions blend seamlessly into environments, creating unforced poetic flow. - Colloquial Language, Lived Authenticity
Terms like "chicken and millet" (daily meals) and "smiling remembrance" (natural expressions) lend conversational authenticity that heightens emotional truth. - Concrete Imagery, Distinct Visuals
From thorny ancient paths to smartweed-covered banks, from sunset woodcutters to frost-touched pears, layered visuals compose vibrant living tableaus. - Temperate Ambience, Profound Feeling
Absent direct critique, the poem radiates the poet's respect for peasant resilience and unadorned living wisdom.
Insights
This work sketches farming life with plain speech and conveys human warmth through ordinary moments, prompting reflection: Amid social upheavals and harsh realities, true consolation may lie precisely in this attitude of "grateful for modest plenty." Between disillusionment and rootlessness, simple kindness between people becomes especially precious. The poem offers elemental wisdom about existence: the ordinary need not mean indifference; simplicity can harbor strength. A literatus' compassion should transcend romanticized nature, extending to fundamental understanding of common lives.
About the Poet
Liu Zongyuan (柳宗元, 773 - 819), a native of Yuncheng in Shanxi province, was a pioneering advocate of the Classical Prose Movement during China's Tang Dynasty. Awarded the prestigious jinshi degree in 793 during the Zhenyuan era, this distinguished scholar-official revolutionized Chinese literature with his groundbreaking essays. His prose works, remarkable for their incisive vigor and crystalline purity, established the canonical model for landscape travel writing that would influence generations. As a poet, Liu mastered a distinctive style of luminous clarity and solitary grandeur, securing his place among the legendary "Eight Great Masters of Tang-Song Prose" - an honor reflecting his enduring impact on Chinese literary history.
