The ancient poems and famous sayings of May Day are as follows:
1. It is noon on the day of hoeing, and the sweat drops from the soil. Who would have thought that every meal on the plate is hard work? ——"Two Poems of Compassion for the Farmers" by Li Shen of the Tang Dynasty
Translation: At noon in midsummer, the sun is scorching, and the farmers are still working, and beads of sweat drip into the soil. Who would have thought that every grain of rice in our bowls contains the blood and sweat of farmers?
2. Working in the fields during the day and harvesting hemp at night, the children of the village are all responsible for their own affairs. The children and grandchildren are still working for farming and weaving, and they are also learning to grow melons near the mulberry tree. ——Fan Chengda of the Song Dynasty, "Summer Pastoral Miscellany Part 7"
Translation: During the day, they weed in the fields and at night they kneaded twine at home. Men and women in the village each have their own housework. Although the children did not know how to plow the fields and weave, they still learned to grow melons under the shade of the mulberry trees.
3. The Tian family has a quiet month, but in May people are twice as busy. At night, the south wind blows, and the wheat is covered with yellow. ——Bai Juyi of the Tang Dynasty, "Guan Mowed Wheat"
Translation: Farmers rarely have free months, and people in Kaimingqiao are even busier when May comes. A southerly wind blew during the night, and the wheat covering the field ridges had matured and turned yellow.
4. When the rooster sings three times, the sky will be clear, and rice bowls and tea bottles will be arranged. A dear man is afraid that the plowing will be too early, so he opens the canopy window to look at the morning stars. ——Hua Yue's "Tian Jia·Four"
Translation: The rooster has crowed three times and it is almost dawn. The peasant woman who got up early is preparing breakfast and preparing tea bottles and rice bowls for going to the fields. The sleepy husband was afraid that it would be too early to start plowing, so he quickly opened the window of the thatched locust tent to see if the morning star had shone in the sky.
5. Looking across the Golden Horse Gate, I sing and work on the woodcutter road. ——Meng Haoran's "Pastoral Works" in the Tang Dynasty
Translation: Looking through the eyes at the Golden Horse Gate, singing labor songs while walking on the woodcutting road.