Watching the Wheat Harvest - Bai Juyi
/观刈麦 - 白居易/
Reflecting on Farmers’ Toil and Personal Conscience
田家少闲月，五月人倍忙
Farmers have few idle months, but in May, their work grows twice as hard
夜来南风起，小麦覆陇黄
Night brings the south wind, and wheat fields turn a sea of gold
妇姑荷箪食，童稚携壶浆
Women tote baskets of food, children carry jugs of drink
相随饷田去，丁壮在南冈
All head to the fields together, where strong laborers gather on the southern ridge
足蒸暑土气，背灼炎天光
Their feet steam in the scorched earth, their backs burn under the blazing sky
力尽不知热，但惜夏日长
Exerting all their strength, they barely feel the heat—only cherishing that summer days are long
复有贫妇人，抱子在其旁
There is also a poor woman, clutching her child at her side
右手秉遗穗，左臂悬敝筐
Her right hand grasps leftover ears of wheat, her left arm holds a worn basket
听其相顾言，但恨无供饷
I hear them speak among themselves, lamenting they’ve no food to share
今我何功德，曾不事农桑
I reflect on my own unearned comforts, having never worked in farming or sericulture
吏禄三百石，岁晏有余粮
Yet I receive an official salary of three hundred measures, leaving me surplus grain at year’s end
念此私自愧，尽日不能忘
Thinking on this, I’m overcome with private shame, unable to forget it all day long
Bai Juyi’s poem “Watching the Wheat Harvest” spotlights the intense labor of farm families during the wheat season in late spring or early summer. In brisk, vivid lines, he sets the scene: under the relentless sun and swirling dust, men and women work tirelessly to gather the ripening grain. Even children help, bringing food and drink to the fields. One especially poignant image is of a poor woman—baby in arms—collecting stray ears of wheat in a worn basket, emphasizing how close to subsistence many rural people lived.
Despite capturing the sweat and exhaustion of the harvest, the poem also reveals a sense of gratitude for long summer days: there is a resigned acceptance, even pride, in their unrelenting labor. Yet Bai Juyi, serving as an official, feels guilt at his own relative ease. He admits he “never labored in farming or sericulture,” a contrast made stark by the woman’s struggle to scrape together food for her family. This contrast awakens his conscience, making him keenly aware of his unearned privilege and the disparities between his life and those of ordinary farmers.
“Watching the Wheat Harvest” ultimately carries a dual theme: first, it praises the perseverance and quiet dignity of those who literally feed the nation under harsh conditions; second, it highlights the need for compassion and humility from those in positions of authority or comfort. Bai Juyi’s reflection that he cannot forget the scene all day underscores how witnessing daily realities in the countryside can spur a desire to advocate for fairer support and recognition for agricultural workers.
In this poem, the farmer’s environment—scorching heat, parched soil, leftover grains—becomes a backdrop for Bai Juyi’s personal awakening. His sense of shame (and perhaps moral responsibility) to those who sustain the empire resonates across time, reminding readers that a robust society requires empathy and an honest look at our own good fortune. More than just an observer, the poet urges us to acknowledge the toil of the marginalized, bridging the gap between the governing elite and the farmers whose labor is indispensable.
Key points
1. The poem underscores the intense physical demands and limited resources of agrarian life.
2. Bai Juyi’s humility highlights a moral imperative for those with privilege to recognize the burdens of the poor.
3. Images of families working—mothers, children, laborers—emphasize community solidarity in the face of adversity.
4. “Watching the Wheat Harvest” invites reflection on social responsibility, urging empathy across class divides.