Human life must follow a certain path;
Clothing and food are undeniably its foundation.
Who can neglect these basic needs,
And yet hope to find peace of mind?
When spring arrives, I attend to my regular farm work;
As the year progresses, the harvest becomes rewarding.
I go out at dawn to apply my modest toil,
And return at sunset carrying bundles of rice on my back.
The mountains abound with frost and dew,
And the climate here turns cold early.
Is the life of a farmer not bitter?
Yet I cannot escape this hardship.
Though my body is truly exhausted,
At least I am spared from unforeseen calamities.
Washing my hands and face, I rest beneath the eaves;
A measure of wine relaxes my mind and brings a smile to my face.
My heart resonates across the ages with the ancient recluses Changju and Jieni;
A thousand years later, our spirits are intimately connected.
I only wish my life could remain like this forever;
Tilling the soil with my own hands is nothing to sigh about.
Note
Historical Background: The Gengxu Year (庚戌岁)
This poem was written in September of 410 CE (the Gengxu year of the Eastern Jin Dynasty), when Tao Yuanming was 46 years old. It had been six years since he famously resigned from his post as the magistrate of Pengze to become a full-time farmer. Written right after the autumn harvest, the poem reflects his solemn yet joyful state of mind as he reaps the fruits of his own labor.
The Primacy of Labor and Independence
Unlike many traditional scholars who looked down upon physical labor, Tao opens this poem with a bold, pragmatic thesis: securing one’s clothing and food through personal labor is the absolute foundation of human life. For Tao, true peace of mind cannot be bought with a government salary if it requires sacrificing one’s independence and moral integrity. He would rather endure the physical exhaustion of farming than compromise his free spirit for “five pecks of grain.”
Fearing “Unforeseen Calamities”
Why does Tao prefer the exhausting life of a farmer over the comfortable life of an official? The “unforeseen calamities” he mentions carry a dark, historical weight. The Wei-Jin period was notoriously brutal and politically volatile. Powerful warlords and regents frequently purged intellectuals and officials: Cao Cao executed Kong Rong, Sima Yi killed He Yan, and Sima Zhao executed the great scholar Ji Kang. The ruling warlord of Tao’s time, Liu Yu, was even more ruthless. In this era, holding a government post meant living in constant fear of sudden execution. For a poet whose “nature is inherently natural,” even the act of bowing to superiors was considered a profound calamity. Farming, though physically grueling, guaranteed his safety and spiritual freedom.
The Ancient Recluses Changju and Jieni
In the final lines, Tao’s spirit transcends his physical exhaustion and connects with ancient sages. Changju and Jieni (长沮、桀溺) are two legendary hermits from the Analects of Confucius. When Confucius and his disciples were lost, they encountered these two men plowing in the fields. The hermits told Confucius’s disciple: “The whole world is engulfed in chaos and darkness; who can change it? Instead of following a teacher who merely avoids specific bad rulers, wouldn’t it be better to follow those who have withdrawn from the world entirely?”
By stating that his heart resonates with Changju and Jieni across a thousand years, Tao is declaring that he has completely abandoned the illusion of reforming a corrupt society. He has chosen to embrace the wilderness, finding profound spiritual kinship with these ancient figures who also chose self-reliance and moral purity over political engagement.
庚戌岁九月中于西田获旱稻
陶渊明 〔魏晋〕
人生归有道，衣食固其端。
孰是都不营，而以求自安？
开春理常业，岁功聊可观。
晨出肆微勤，日入负禾还。
山中饶霜露，风气亦先寒。
田家岂不苦？弗获辞此难。
四体诚乃疲，庶无异患干。
盥濯息檐下，斗酒散襟颜。
遥遥沮溺心，千载乃相关。
但愿长如此，躬耕非所叹。
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