Gatherers of Rehmannia - Bai Juyi
/采地黄者 - 白居易/
山間藥香與辛勞相映
朝採深山何太早
Why venture so early into the deep mountains at dawn?
風霜沾袖足難行
Wind and frost dampen one’s sleeves, making each step a struggle.
家貧冀得藥材利
Poverty at home forces us to seek profit from medicinal herbs,
稚子飢寒待粥羹
While our little ones wait, hungry and cold, hoping for a bowl of porridge.
一束根莖纔換米
A small bundle of roots barely trades for enough rice,
幾回露宿苦兼情
How many nights spent in open fields, hardship weighing on our hearts.
但憐勞苦誰相問
Yet who comes to inquire after such toil and suffering?
自有詩人為寫生
Only the poet may capture this life in humble verse.
《采地黃者》借描寫山中貧苦百姓冒著風霜採集地黃的辛勞光景，流露出白居易關懷底層民生的典型風格。詩中一面呈現勞動者早出晚歸、露宿荒野的具體情形，一面暗示出為家庭生計所逼的無奈與期盼。從「一束根莖纔換米，幾回露宿苦兼情」可見，即使歷經辛苦勞作，也僅能換得微薄糧食，令人生出深切的同情。最後以「但憐勞苦誰相問，自有詩人為寫生」輕描淡寫地點出詩人對現實無力改變，卻只能以筆墨為採藥者記錄的感慨，使全詩不但具有人文關懷，也蘊含著社會批判意味。
重點
此詩透過採藥者悲苦的日常，喚起人們對農村勞作與貧窮的關懷，同時也體現白居易重視社會疾苦的創作初衷。