The Charcoal Seller - Bai Juyi
/卖炭翁 - 白居易/
A Stark Glimpse of Poverty and Injustice in the Capital
卖炭翁，伐薪烧炭南山中
An old man sells charcoal, chopping wood and burning it in the southern hills
满面尘灰烟火色，两鬓苍苍十指黑
His face is soiled by dust and ash, his temples are gray, and his fingers stained black
卖炭得钱何所营，身上衣裳口中食
What can he buy with the money from selling charcoal, but clothes on his back and food for his mouth?
可怜身上衣正单，心忧炭贱愿天寒
Pitifully, his clothes are thin—he prays for bitter cold so his charcoal might sell at a better price
夜来城外一尺雪，晓驾炭车辗冰辙
At night, a foot of snow falls outside the city; by dawn, he drives his cart through icy ruts
牛困人饥日已高，市南门外泥中歇
His ox is exhausted, and he is hungry—midday has come; he halts, mired in the mud by the South Gate
翩翩两骑来是谁？黄衣使者白衫儿
Who are these two horsemen riding up so swiftly? Envoys in yellow robes, attendants in white
手把文书口称敕，回车叱牛牵向北
Holding official documents, they invoke an imperial decree, turn his cart around, and drive his ox northward
一车炭，千余斤，宫使驱将惜不得
A whole cart of charcoal, over a thousand pounds—yet palace agents seize it without a second thought
半匹红纱一丈绢，系向牛头充炭直
They offer half a bolt of red gauze, a single length of silk, fastening it to the ox’s head as payment
In “The Charcoal Seller,” Bai Juyi highlights the stark realities that beset those on society’s margins. The poem’s protagonist has only a meager livelihood, chopping wood in the south hills to produce charcoal. He endures a life of hardship—covered in ash, with threadbare clothing—yet his hopes hinge on winter’s chill, which might fetch a higher price for his goods. This harsh detail conveys the precarious balance of rural life, where cold weather paradoxically promises survival.
The narrative intensifies when court officials suddenly appear and commandeer his load of charcoal under the guise of imperial authority. Though they “pay” him with fine fabrics, the value is far below what his hard-earned labor deserves, underscoring the injustice. Bai Juyi’s choice of everyday language and vivid imagery makes the old man’s plight deeply moving. His ox stands exhausted in the mud, and hunger gnaws at both man and beast before noon has even passed.
Through this single incident, Bai Juyi critiques the systemic exploitation prevalent under imperial rule. Those wielding power—here symbolized by brightly robed palace envoys—take from the vulnerable with impunity. “The Charcoal Seller” thus serves not only as a documentary glimpse of Tang-era society but also as a moral outcry. Bai Juyi’s empathetic eye for ordinary people’s struggles, woven into elegant yet unadorned verse, reflects his enduring concern for fairness and compassion in governance. This poem endures as a timeless reminder that prosperity for the few cannot justly be built upon the suffering of the many.
Key points
1. The old man’s plight reveals the gap between imperial demands and the struggles of common folk.
2. Bai Juyi’s direct language makes the social critique accessible and emotionally resonant.
3. Winter’s cold highlights the paradox that extreme hardship can be a source of livelihood.
4. The poem remains a potent reminder of how unchecked power and privilege often exploit the vulnerable.
