[Poem] GATHERERS OF REHMANNIA - A Look into Hardship and Perseverance

In this poem attributed to Bai Juyi, we see farmers in a rural setting gathering the medicinal plant known as 地黄 (rehmannia). Written in the poet’s characteristic style of social concern, the lines portray how meager plots of land and difficult growing conditions force villagers to rely on collecting roots for subsistence. By depicting them leaving at daybreak and returning at sunset, the poem underscores the relentlessness of their labor.

The imagery of “村塍春水涨” (“banks overflow with springtime waters”) evokes a season of potential growth, yet the mention of “瘠土” (“barren soil”) reflects how challenging it is to cultivate. Instead of focusing on more common staples like wheat or rice, Bai Juyi draws attention to a less glamorous endeavor—harvesting medicinal roots—which many rural families undertook to supplement their income. This emphasis on everyday, often overlooked labor highlights the poet’s empathy and concern for the most vulnerable workers.

Through its concise lines, the poem conveys both the hope and hardship of agricultural life: nature’s abundance can be as fickle as the terrain is unforgiving. Yet the final lines offer a slender sense of resilience—despite thin soil and long days, those who gather rehmannia find a way to carry on. Bai Juyi’s profound compassion for ordinary people illuminates how, for them, each year’s harvest—however modest—represents continuity, survival, and a fragile measure of hope in the face of adversity. Reading this poem encourages us to reflect on the often-invisible struggles that underpin the comforts many of us take for granted.