"Plant one grain of millet in spring and harvest ten thousand grains in autumn."

From: "Two Ancient Poems/Two Poems of Compassion for Farmers" by Li Shen of the Tang Dynasty

"Two Ancient Poems/Two Poems of Compassion for Farmers"

Li Shen of the Tang Dynasty

Sow a grain of millet in spring and harvest ten thousand grains in autumn.

There is no idle land in the world, and farmers are still starving to death.

It is noon on the day of hoeing, and the sweat is dripping from the soil.

Who knew that every meal on the plate is hard work?

Translation:

As long as you sow a seed in spring, you can harvest a lot of food in autumn.

There is no place in the world that is uncultivated and uncultivated, and hardworking farmers will still starve to death.

At noon in midsummer, the sun is scorching, and farmers are still working, sweat dripping into the soil.

Who would have thought that every grain of rice in our bowls is filled with the blood and sweat of farmers?

Notes:

⑴ pity: mercy. There is sympathy here. The first poem is "Two Ancient Style Poems". The order of these two poems varies in each version.

⑵ Millet: Generally refers to cereals.

⑶Autumn Harvest: One is "Autumn Harvest". Zi: refers to grain particles.

⑷Sihai: refers to the whole country. Idle fields: fields that are not cultivated.

⑸You: Still.

⑹He: The collective name for cereal plants.

⑺Meal: One is "秧". A common name for cooked food.