Compassion for Farmers “is a seven character quatrain created by Yang Wanli in the Song Dynasty. The first two sentences of this poem describe the disaster this year: due to the lack of rain for a long time, the rice fields are short of water, and most of the seedlings have died; The last two sentences reveal the anxious inner activities of farmers: they had expected to suffer from hunger and starvation this winter, but unexpectedly encountered a leap year, making life even more difficult. The language of this poem is simple and natural, with layers of rendering and deepening step by step, depicting the disaster of farmers in a very specific and profound way, revealing the poet’s sincere sympathy for the working people between the lines.
《悯农》是宋代杨万里创作的一首七言绝句。此诗前两句叙述今年的灾情：由于久早无雨，稻田缺水，秧苗大半枯死；后两句揭示农民忧心如焚的内心活动：本来早已料到今冬要受饥挨饿，谁知偏偏又遇上闰年，日子更难过。此诗语言朴实自然，层层渲染，步步加深，将农民的灾难描写得十分具体、深刻，字里行间流露出诗人同情劳动人民的一片赤诚之心。
杨万里·《悯农》
稻云不雨不多黄，荞麦空花早著霜。
已分忍饥度残岁，不堪岁里闰添长。
feeling sad for the farmers
–yang wanli
the rice field looks like a rack of clouds
but there wasn’t enough rain really
the field has turned yellow in the drought
and the yellowed ears have not matured
an early frost nipped the buckwheat
so the farmers will have to suffer
but there are thirteen lunar months this year
and they will suffer longer and how can they
