Classical Prose
捕蛇者说
永州之野产异蛇,黑质而白章。
触草木,尽死;以啮人,无御之者。
然得而腊之以为饵,可以已大风、挛踠、瘘疠,去死肌,杀三虫。
其始,太医以王命聚之,岁赋其二。
募有能捕之者,当其租入。
永之人争奔走焉。
有蒋氏者,专其利三世矣。
问之,则曰:“吾祖死于是,吾父死于是,今吾嗣为之十二年,几死者数矣。”
余悲之,且曰:“若毒之乎?余将告于莅事者,更若役,复若赋,则何如?”
蒋氏大戚,汪然出涕曰:“君将哀而生之乎?则吾斯役之不幸,未若复吾赋不幸之甚也。”
向吾不为斯役,则久已病矣。
而乡邻之生日蹙,殚其地之出,竭其庐之入,号呼而转徙,饥渴而顿踣。
非死则徙尔。而吾以捕蛇独存。
悍吏之来吾乡,叫嚣乎东西,隳突乎南北,哗然而骇者,虽鸡狗不得宁焉。
今虽死乎此,比吾乡邻之死则已后矣,又安敢毒耶?
余闻而愈悲。孔子曰:“苛政猛于虎也。”
呜呼!孰知赋敛之毒有甚是蛇者乎!
故为之说,以俟夫观人风者得焉。
Translation
In the wilds of Yongzhou there was a strange snake, black in body with white markings. If it touched plants, they died; if it bit a person, no medicine could resist it. Yet when caught and dried, it could be used as medicine for serious illnesses. At first, imperial physicians collected these snakes by royal order, demanding two each year. The authorities then allowed snake-catching to offset taxes. A man of the Jiang family had held this duty for three generations. His grandfather died from it, his father died from it, and he himself had inherited the work for twelve years and nearly died several times. Liu Zongyuan pitied him and offered to ask the officials to change his duty and restore normal taxes. Jiang wept, saying that although snake-catching was unfortunate, paying taxes again would be far worse. His neighbors had been ruined by taxes and forced labor; their households disappeared through death or migration. By contrast, he faced death only twice a year and could otherwise live in relative peace. Hearing this, Liu became even more sorrowful. Confucius had said, “Harsh government is fiercer than a tiger.” Liu now understood the truth of that saying. He wrote the account so that those who observe the people’s condition might understand that the poison of taxes can be worse than the poison of snakes.
Analysis
“The Snake Catcher’s Account” is one of Liu Zongyuan’s strongest indictments of harsh government. Its central irony is clear: the snake is deadly, yet people choose to catch it because taxes and forced labor are even more unbearable. Jiang’s testimony gives the essay its force. His family has suffered death through snake-catching, but he still fears the return of regular taxation more than the snake. Through this reversal, Liu shows that oppressive governance can be more destructive than natural danger. The quotation “Harsh government is fiercer than a tiger” becomes concrete and undeniable. Liu does not merely argue; he lets a common person’s experience reveal the truth. That is why the essay remains so moving.
About the Author
Liu Zongyuan was a Tang dynasty writer, thinker, and one of the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song. His years of exile in Yongzhou and Liuzhou shaped his concern for local society and the suffering of ordinary people. “The Snake Catcher’s Account” is a representative work of his socially critical prose.