唐 Tang · 诗 Poem
别州民
Parting from the People of the Prefecture
耆老遮归路，壶浆满别筵。
甘棠无一树，那得泪潸然。
税重多贫户，农饥足旱田。
唯留一湖水，与汝救凶年。
Jars of wine brim the parting feast.
No sweet-pear tree stands in my honour—
How could I fail to weep?
Heavy taxes leave many a poor household;
Starving farmers, parched fields suffice.
All I leave behind is one lake of water,
To succour you through the barren year.
Meaning
As Bai Juyi leaves his post, the aged commoners block his path with wine and tears. He humbly notes he has earned no 'sweet-pear' memorial like the good minister of old, yet the people weep for him. He names the burdens they bear—heavy taxes, hunger, drought—and leaves them the one lake he has managed, to see them through famine.
耆老遮归路，壶浆满别筵。甘棠无一树，那得泪潸然。税重多贫户，农饥足旱田。唯留一湖水，与汝救凶年。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] As the poet-governor departs, white-haired villagers block the road and pile the farewell table with wine. He reflects that no sweet-pear tree honours his rule—how could he not weep? He names their hardship: crushing taxes, many poor homes, hungry farmers, drought-stricken fields. All he bequeaths is a single lake, kept for them against the famine year. [Structure] A parting scene (elders, wine), a self-humbling couplet (no sweet-pear tree), a stark social couplet (taxes, hunger), and a practical bequest (the lake). [Voice] Bai Juyi's plain, humane governance-poetry: feeling fused with concrete concern for the people. [Tone] Warm, modest, socially alert—the 'people's poet' at his most direct.
【白话串讲】 白居易写《别州民》：“耆老遮归路，壶浆满别筵”——“甘棠无一树，那得泪潸然”——“税重多贫户，农饥足旱田”——“唯留一湖水，与汝救凶年”——他离任苏州与州民作别——唯留一湖水。 【意象与手法】 “耆老遮归路，壶浆满别筵”写百姓送别；“甘棠无一树，那得泪潸然”以甘棠典写自谦；“税重多贫户，农饥足旱田”写民生疾苦；结以“唯留一湖水，与汝救凶年”写留湖水救凶年。仁厚悯农。 【情感与主旨】 白居易离任苏州与州民作别之作，写百姓夹道送别的深情与税重农饥的民生疾苦，以“唯留一湖水”写为官者的拳拳之心，体现白居易仁厚悯农的民本情怀。 【名句点睛】 常考“耆老遮归路，壶浆满别筵”写百姓送别；“唯留一湖水，与汝救凶年”写留湖水救凶年。
Background
Bai Juyi (772–846), one of the greatest Tang poets and a committed reform-minded official, served various provincial posts where he undertook practical works—notably irrigation and lake management. 'Parting from the People of the Prefecture' belongs to his body of 'new yuefu'-style and governance poems expressing solidarity with commoners. The 'sweet-pear tree' alludes to the Duke of Shao (Shao Bo), whose virtuous rule made the people cherish the pear tree beneath which he judged cases—a classic emblem of the beloved departing official.
《别州民》为唐代诗人白居易所作诗。白居易（772—846），字乐天，号香山居士，又号醉吟先生，祖籍太原，生于河南新郑，中唐诗人，新乐府运动倡导者，曾任杭州刺史。此诗写送别悯农，为离任杭州时别州民之作。诗中「耆老遮归路，壶浆满别筵」写耆老遮归路，壶浆满别筵；「甘棠无一树，那得泪潸然」写甘棠无一树，那得泪潸然；「税重多贫户，农饥足旱田」写税重多贫户，农饥足旱田；「唯留一湖水，与汝救凶年」写唯留一湖水，与汝救凶年。白居易此诗以送别悯农、与汝救凶年写其悯农之情，仁厚悯农，是白居易诗中的名篇。此篇《别州民》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。此篇《别州民》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。
Art
The poem's power is its union of personal warmth and social critique within a tight octet. The opening scene—elders blocking the road, wine at the feast—shows genuine popular affection without romanticizing. The modest second couplet (no sweet-pear tree) turns a flattering convention on its head: Bai denies himself the hallowed memorial yet is moved to tears, revealing humility and real bond. The third couplet shifts abruptly to hard fact—heavy taxes, poor households, hunger, dry fields—Bai Juyi's trademark social witness. The close offers the one concrete good he leaves: a managed lake for famine relief. The movement from emotion to indictment to practical legacy makes the poem both tender and politically pointed; plain diction maximizes accessibility.
此诗艺术上以「仁厚悯农、以水写情」见长。全诗共八句四联，由耆老遮归路而甘棠无一树而税重多贫户。起「耆老遮归路，壶浆满别筵」写耆老遮归路：耆老遮归路，壶浆满别筵；「甘棠无一树，那得泪潸然」写甘棠无一树：甘棠无一树，那得泪潸然；「税重多贫户，农饥足旱田」写税重多贫户：税重多贫户，农饥足旱田；结「唯留一湖水，与汝救凶年」写与汝救凶年：唯留一湖水，与汝救凶年。全诗以水写情，由耆老遮归路而与汝救凶年，仁厚悯农，是白居易诗中的名篇。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。
Allusions
The 'sweet-pear tree' invokes Shao Bo (the Duke of Shao), a Zhou dynasty worthy whose just rule led the people to protect the pear tree where he sat in judgement; later it became the standing symbol of a beloved, departed good official. By saying none stands for him, Bai Juyi humbly declines the comparison while invoking the ideal. The 'lake' refers to a real waterwork he administered to irrigate and buffer famine—his tangible legacy to the people.
诗中「耆老遮归路壶浆满别筵」「甘棠无一树那得泪潸然」「税重多贫户农饥足旱田」「唯留一湖水与汝救凶年」等语，皆含典故故实。「耆老遮归路壶浆满别筵」写耆老遮归路壶浆满别筵；「甘棠无一树那得泪潸然」用甘棠之典（甘棠咏召公之德），写甘棠无一树那得泪潸然；「税重多贫户农饥足旱田」写税重多贫户农饥足旱田；「唯留一湖水与汝救凶年」写唯留一湖水与汝救凶年。诗人以甘棠之典入诗，不着痕迹，而把送别悯农之情写得真切可感，是善于熔铸典故的体现。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。
Commentary
This poem is treasured as a model of Bai Juyi's humane, people-centred verse—affection without flattery, critique without stridency. The image of elders blocking the road and the self-deprecating sweet-pear line are often quoted as evidence of his bond with commoners, and the closing lake bequest shows poetry translating into governance. It sits among his most admired 'governance parting' poems.
这首《别州民》，是白居易写送别悯农之作，写耆老遮归路、甘棠无一树、税重多贫户、与汝救凶年之情，仁厚悯农。起「耆老遮归路，壶浆满别筵」——耆老遮归路，壶浆满别筵。写耆老遮归路：耆老遮归路、壶浆满别筵——遮归路、满别筵；「甘棠无一树，那得泪潸然」——甘棠无一树，那得泪潸然。写甘棠无一树：甘棠无一树、那得泪潸然——无一树、泪潸然；「税重多贫户，农饥足旱田」——税重多贫户，农饥足旱田。写税重多贫户：税重多贫户、农饥足旱田——多贫户、足旱田；结「唯留一湖水，与汝救凶年」——唯留一湖水，与汝救凶年。写与汝救凶年：唯留一湖水、与汝救凶年——一湖水、救凶年。这「唯留一湖水，与汝救凶年」，是全诗之结：以与汝救凶年写其悯农。全诗仁厚悯农，以水写情，正是白居易诗中的名篇。综观全诗，情真、景切、理深，三者浑融无迹，故能于短短数语之中寄无限深意，令人百读不厌。其含蓄蕴藉之处，正是中国古典诗歌以少总多、言有尽而意无穷的美学精神的生动体现。
Prosody
Line by line
耆老遮归路，壶浆满别筵。
The grey-haired elders bar the road of my return; jars of wine brim the parting feast.
耆老遮归路，壶浆满别筵。
The elders block my homeward road; jars of broth fill the farewell feast.
起句写耆老遮归路，起笔即见其耆老。「耆老遮归路」写耆老遮归路，「耆老」写耆老、「遮归路」写遮归路；「壶浆满别筵」写壶浆满别筵，「壶浆」写壶浆、「满别筵」写满别筵。一句写耆老遮归路壶浆满别筵，以耆老遮归路写遮归路、以壶浆满别筵写满别筵，写尽耆老遮归路、壶浆满别筵之情。以老起兴，仁厚而悯农，是「以老起兴」的妙笔。
The opening line writes the elders block my homeward road, the elders at once. The words elders write the aged of the county; block my homeward road write their standing in the way. Jars of broth fill the farewell feast writes the offering of food. The line writes to the full the feeling of the elders blocking the road and the jars filling the feast. Rising through the elders, kind and compassionate toward the farmers, the fine brush of rising through the elders.
甘棠无一树，那得泪潸然。
No sweet-pear tree stands in my honour—how could I fail to weep?
甘棠无一树，那得泪潸然。
Not a single sweet-pear tree; how can they burst into tears?
此句写甘棠无一树，是全诗写甘棠之态的关键。「甘棠无一树」用甘棠之典写甘棠无一树，「甘棠」写甘棠、「无一树」写无一树；「那得泪潸然」写那得泪潸然，「那得」写那得、「泪潸然」写泪潸然。一句写甘棠无一树那得泪潸然，以甘棠无一树写无一树、以那得泪潸然写泪潸然，写尽甘棠无一树、那得泪潸然之情。以棠写情，仁厚而悯农，是「以棠写情」的点睛之笔。
This line writes not a single sweet-pear tree, the key of the whole's writing the sweet pear. It uses the allusion to the sweet-pear tree of Shao Gong; not a single tree writes that the poet has left no such memorial. How can they burst into tears writes the self-deprecating wonder at the people's weeping. The line writes to the full the feeling of no tree and the tears. Writing feeling through the pear, kind and compassionate, the eye-dotting brush.
税重多贫户，农饥足旱田。
Heavy taxes leave many a poor household; starving farmers, parched fields suffice.
税重多贫户，农饥足旱田。
Taxes are heavy, many households poor; the farmers starve, the fields are dry.
此句写税重多贫户，是全诗写税重之态的关键。「税重多贫户」写税重多贫户，「税重」写税重、「多贫户」写多贫户；「农饥足旱田」写农饥足旱田，「农饥」写农饥、「足旱田」写足旱田。一句写税重多贫户农饥足旱田，以税重多贫户写多贫户、以农饥足旱田写足旱田，写尽税重多贫户、农饥足旱田之情。以税写情，仁厚而悯农，是「以税写情」的点睛之笔。
This line writes taxes are heavy, many households poor, the key of the whole's writing the heavy tax. The words taxes heavy write the burden; many poor households write the poverty. The farmers starve, the fields are dry writes the hunger and the drought. The line writes to the full the feeling of heavy taxes and starving farmers. Writing feeling through the tax, kind and compassionate, the eye-dotting brush.
唯留一湖水，与汝救凶年。
All I leave behind is one lake of water, to succour you through the barren year.
唯留一湖水，与汝救凶年。
I leave only this lake's waters, to rescue you in the year of famine.
结句写与汝救凶年，是全诗立意的落点。「唯留一湖水」写唯留一湖水，「唯留」写唯留、「一湖水」写一湖水；「与汝救凶年」写与汝救凶年，「与汝」写与汝、「救凶年」写救凶年。一句写唯留一湖水与汝救凶年，以唯留一湖水写一湖水、以与汝救凶年写救凶年，写尽唯留一湖水、与汝救凶年之情。以水写情，仁厚而悯农，是全诗最动人处，也是「以水写情」的点睛之笔。
The closing line writes I leave only this lake's waters, to rescue you in the year of famine, the landing of the whole's bent. The words only this lake's waters write the irrigation lake the poet built; to rescue you in the year of famine writes the lasting benefit. The line writes to the full the feeling of leaving the lake for the people's relief. Writing feeling through the lake, kind and compassionate, the most moving place of the whole and the eye-dotting brush.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Su Shi's lyric extends goodwill across distance ('may you live long'); Bai Juyi's poem leaves a literal lake for the people's survival. Both transcend personal feeling into concern for others, one cosmic, one earthly.
苏轼《水调歌头·明月几时有》「人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全」，写别离感怀、仁厚旷达，是宋词长调的名篇；白居易《别州民》则以「唯留一湖水，与汝救凶年」「耆老遮归路」写救凶年、遮归路。两诗同写别离感怀、仁厚旷达：一写人有悲欢离合、以悲欢写离合，一写唯留一湖水与汝救凶年、以湖水写悯农；一为苏轼之旷达、一为白居易之仁厚，并读正可见诗写「别离感怀」的两种笔法，皆于别离之中见仁厚。
八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天 Ba Sheng Gan Zhou: Facing the Rivulets of Dusk Rain Falling on River and Sky 柳永 · 同写归路凝望、仁厚清丽，一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、一写耆老遮归路壶浆满别筵，皆于归路之中见凝望 Both take a parting/farewell stanceLiu Yong's slow lyric lingers on a lover's parting with beautiful sorrow; Bai Juyi's octet parts from his people with social warmth and practical care. Both are farewells, but one is intimate, the other civic.
柳永《八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天》「对潇潇暮雨洒江天，一番洗清秋」，写归路凝望、仁厚清丽，是宋词写羁旅的名篇；白居易《别州民》则以「耆老遮归路，壶浆满别筵」「甘棠无一树」写满别筵、无一树。两诗同写归路凝望、仁厚清丽：一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、以暮雨写清秋，一写耆老遮归路壶浆满别筵、以壶浆写悯农；一为柳永之清丽、一为白居易之仁厚，并读正可见诗写「归路凝望」的两种笔法，皆于归路之中见凝望。