Poem: Hard-time Friends 唐诗《贫农交》

Pínjiāo Xíng
贫交行
Dù Fǔ（Táng）
杜甫（唐）

Fān shǒu wéi yún fù shǒu yǔ,
翻手为云覆手雨，
fēnfēn qīngbó héxū shǔ.
纷纷轻薄何须数。
Jūn bú jiàn Guǎn Bào pín shí jiāo,
君不见管鲍贫时交，
Cǐ dào jīnrén qì rú tǔ.
此道今人弃如土。

Explanation

轻浮: (qīngfú) adj. levity
薄情: (bóqíng) adj. fickle
美德: (měidé) n. virtue
趋炎附势: (qūyánfùshì) adj. to hail the rising sun
见利忘义: (jiànlìwàngyì) adj. for the sake of thirty silver coins
尖锐: (jiānruì) adj. acute
批判: (pīpàn) v. criticism

evaluation

“行”是古诗的一种体裁。“贫交”指人与人在窘迫时建立的友谊。
“行” is an ancient poem style. “贫交” refers to friendship established in the time of difficulty.

有些人交朋友，翻手覆手之间，一会儿像云，一会儿像雨，变化无常。这种轻浮、薄情的交往，多么地让人不屑一顾！你看古人管仲和鲍叔牙的友情并未因贫富发生变化，这种美德却被现在的人们弃如粪土。
Some people are changeable to their friends, like the clouds turn into the rain in the wink of an eye. How despicable is this frivolous and fickle relations! The friendship between Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya in the ancient time never changed no matter in good time or in bad time. However this kind of virtue is cast away like dirt by people today.

通过这首诗，诗人对当时社会上人与人交往中的趋炎附势、见利忘义等种种假、恶、丑的行为进行了尖锐批判，对古人那种贫富不移的友情观表达了自己的怀念和向往。
The poet repudiated the false, evil and ugly behaviors in the society at that time, such as fawning upon the rich and powerful persons and forgetting friendship for profit in interpersonal exchanges, .