Tao Yuanming: If You Cannot Be a Farmer, At Least Think Like One: Part 1

If You Cannot Be a Farmer, At Least Think Like One: Part 1

劝 农

悠 悠 上 古
厥 初 生 民。
傲 然 自 足
抱 朴 含 真。

智 巧 既 荫
资 待 靡 因。
谁 其 赡 之？
实 赖 哲 人。

哲 人 伊 何？
时 维 后 稷。
赡 之 伊 何？
实 曰 播 殖。

舜 既 躬 耕
禹 亦 稼 穑。
远 若 周 典
八 政 始 食。

熙 熙 令 德
猗 猗 原 陆。
卉 木 繁 荣
和 风 清 穆。

纷 纷 士 女
趋 时 竟 逐；
桑 妇 宵 兴
农 夫 野 宿。

Quan Nong

You you shang gu
Jue chu sheng min.
Ao ran zi zu
Bao pu han zhen.

Zhi qiao ji yin
Zi dai mi yin.
Shei qi shan zhi?
Shi lai zhe ren.

Zhe ren yi he?
Shi wei hou ji.
Shan zhi yi he?
Shi yue bo zhi.

Shun ji gong geng
Yu yi jia se.
Yuan ruo zhou dian
Ba zheng shi shi.

Xi xi ling de
Yi yi yuan lu.
Hui mu fan rong
He feng qing mu.

Fen fen shi nu
Qu shi jing zhu;
Sang fu xiao xing
Nong fu ye su.

If You Cannot Be a Farmer, Then At Least Think Like One:  Part 1

Very remote in the ancient past
At the beginning of Man’s existence.
Naturally proud and unyielding, man did not worry about accumulating
To cherish the plain and simple was fundamental to a natural state.

With improving skills and arts, people want more and more
But the soil’s natural capacities are limited.
Who can abide by this?

We really need to rely upon the sages
And who are these wise people?
Consider only Hou Ji, famous farmer and teacher of farming
Who of us can follow him?

Truly, of those who daily sow and multiply
Emperor and sage Shun, who planted and cultivated his own garden.
With general and minister of public works Yu, who found time to grow his own food.

Long ago this was discussed in one classic book:
Of the eight things inside politics and government, first on the list is food.
Very happy and content to create good virtue
Magnificent ! The uncultivated land.

Trees and grasses thrive in great numbers
Touched by the pure, soft and gentle breezes.
Numerous young men and women
Follow the fashion: compete and pursue each other.

Before dawn the mulberry women arise
The men folk spend their nights out in the open fields;
Moral integrity and courage easily fall away
Harmony and periods of rain disappear for a long time.

Notes:

Hou Ji: Legendary Chinese hero who introduced millet to humanity during the Xia Dynasty (c. 2070-c. 1600 BC). His name means “Lord of Millet” and he is credited with the development of the Philosophy of Agriculturism. This philosophy advocates a peasant utopian society based upon communalism and egalitarianism, and early form of rural socialism. Sounds like the American Thomas Jefferson in this regard.

Emperor Shun (c. 2294-c. 2184 BC): Emperor during the golden ages of antiquity. One of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Mentioned by Sima Qian in his Records of the Grand Historian.

Yu the Great (c. 2200-c. 2101 BC): Founder of the Xia Dynasty and ruled for 45 years. Famous for his effective flood control projects.

Mulberry women: The women at this time were in charge of raising silkworms, feeding them mulberry leaves, spinning silk thread, and making silk cloth.  The cloth was used for clothes, as money to pay the government taxes, and to barter for other goods.