zéi tuì shì guān lì bìng xù TO THE TAX-COLLECTORS AFTER THE BANDITS RETREAT
shīrén: yuán jié Yuan Jie
 贼退示官吏并序
quán yuán zài tíng hù， dòng hè dāng mén qián。
jǐng shuì yòu cháng qī， rì yàn yóu dé mián。
hū rán zāo shì biàn， shù suì qīn róng zhān。
jīn lái diǎn sī jùn， shān yí yòu fēn rán。
chéng xiǎo zéi bù tú， rén pín shāng kě lián。
shì yǐ xiàn lín jìng， cǐ zhōu dú jiàn quán。
shǐ chén jiāng wáng mìng， qǐ bù rú zéi yān？
jīn bèi zhēng liǎn zhě， pò zhī rú huǒ jiān。
shuí néng jué rén mìng， yǐ zuò shí shì xián？
sī yù wěi fú jié， yǐn gān zì cì chuán。
jiāng jiā jiù yú mài， guī lǎo jiāng hú biān。
In the year Kuimao the bandits from Xiyuan entered Daozhou, set fire, raided, killed, and looted. The whole district was almost ruined. The next year the bandits came again and, attacking the neighbouring prefecture, Yong, passed this one by. It was not because we were strong enough to defend ourselves, but, probably, because they pitied us. And how now can these commissioners bear to impose extra taxes? I have written this poem for the collectors' information.
I still remember those days of peace --
Twenty years among mountains and forests,
The pure stream running past my yard,
The caves and valleys at my door.
Taxes were light and regular then,
And I could sleep soundly and late in the morning-
Till suddenly came a sorry change.
...For years now I have been serving in the army.
When I began here as an official,
The mountain bandits were rising again;
But the town was so small it was spared by the thieves,
And the people so poor and so pitiable
That all other districts were looted
And this one this time let alone.
...Do you imperial commissioners
Mean to be less kind than bandits?
The people you force to pay the poll
Are like creatures frying over a fire.
And how can you sacrifice human lives,
Just to be known as able collectors? --
...Oh, let me fling down my official seal,
Let me be a lone fisherman in a small boat
And support my family on fish and wheat
And content my old age with rivers and lakes! |
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