Grain Buds Poem: Grain Buds Poem by Ouyang Xiu

Ouyang Xiu was a famous poet of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). One of his poems, Happy Rural Life Poems, Part II, is one of the best depictions of rural life in Grain Buds Time. In the poem, he describes the winds that blow all weeds, the small cottage in the deep woods, the earring wheat and the silkworms that have eaten themselves full with mulberry leaves. He writes that farmers are too busy expecting a good harvest to notice the beautiful scenes around them. The last two sentences are about his emotions. He laments that it is too late now for him to see this through and to know the benefits of living a quiet rural life. He thinks he should have withdrawn from society and lived in solitude to enjoy this beautiful rural life when he was young.
在描写小满时节农家生活情状的古诗中，宋代欧阳修的《归田园四时乐春夏二首（其二）》是最著名的一首。诗中写道：“南风原头吹百草，草木丛深茅舍小。麦穗初齐稚子娇，桑叶正肥蚕食饱。老翁但喜岁年熟，饷妇安知时节好。野棠梨密啼晚莺，海石榴红啭山鸟。田家此乐知者谁？我独知之归不早。乞身当及强健时，顾我蹉跎已衰老。”意思是说：夏季的南风吹动了原上的各种野草，就在那草木丛深之处可见到那小小的茅舍。近处麦田那嫩绿的麦穗已经抽齐，在微风中摆动时像小孩子那样摇头晃脑娇憨可爱；而桑树上的叶子正长得肥壮可供蚕吃饱。对于农家来说，他们仍盼望的是当年的收成如何，为能有个丰收年而高兴，至于田园美景和时节的美好他们是无暇顾及的。诗的最后四句诗人以议论的方式发出了历尽沧桑的感慨：我既然看到归隐田园是这么令人神往，然而我自个知道归隐得太晚了，当身体强健之时就应该隐退的，可是看看现在，岁月蹉跎，自己已经衰老了。