Song Dynasty
Silk-Washing Creek · Layered Hemp Leaves Gleam in Light
Su Shi
麻叶层层苘叶光，谁家煮茧一村香。
隔篱娇语络丝娘。
垂白杖藜抬醉眼，捋青捣麨软饥肠。
问言豆叶几时黄。
Translation
Layer upon layer, hemp leaves spread out; the leaves of the abutilon shine in the light. Some household is boiling silkworm cocoons, and the fragrance fills the whole village. Across the fence come the soft voices of young women reeling silk. A white-haired old man leans on his goosefoot staff, lifting his drunken eyes. He strips green grain and pounds it into roasted meal, just enough to soothe his hungry belly. Then he asks: when will the bean leaves turn yellow, and the harvest finally come?
Analysis
This lyric comes from Su Shi's Huangzhou period and belongs to a group of 'Huan Xi Sha' poems that turn toward rural life and farming. It is striking because it brings very concrete, earthy details into the ci form: hemp leaves, abutilon leaves, boiled cocoons, silk reeling, an old man, hunger, and bean leaves. The first stanza presents a village in early summer. The plants are flourishing: hemp leaves grow in layers, and abutilon leaves catch the light. The line about boiling cocoons is especially vivid. Rather than showing the work directly, Su Shi lets the smell spread through the village. The fragrance of boiled cocoons suggests sericulture, labor, and the seasonal rhythm of rural livelihood. The voices of the silk-reeling women add sound and human presence. The second stanza changes tone. A white-haired old man appears, leaning on a staff and lifting his drunken eyes. He strips unripe green grain and pounds it into meal to ease his hunger. This is a sharper image than the fragrant village scene above. The countryside is not only picturesque; it is also a place of scarcity. The final question, 'When will the bean leaves turn yellow?' is simple but heavy. It means: when will the beans ripen, and when will there be food again? Su Shi does not make an explicit social argument, but the question exposes the dependence of rural life on harvest, timing, and survival. The poem's strength lies in its realism. It contains beauty — light, scent, voices — but also hunger and waiting. Su Shi sees the countryside not as a decorative landscape, but as a living economy of labor and need.
About the Author
Su Shi, courtesy name Zizhan and literary name Dongpo Jushi, was a major writer, statesman, calligrapher, painter, and poet of the Northern Song dynasty. Born in Meishan, Meizhou, he is one of the 'Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song.' Su Shi transformed the scope of ci poetry, expanding it beyond banquet songs, love, and parting sorrow into history, philosophy, landscape, politics, farming, and everyday life. His style can be bold and expansive, but also fresh, humorous, and finely observant. His famous works include 'Nian Nu Jiao · Remembrance at Red Cliff,' 'Shui Diao Ge Tou · When Will the Moon Be Bright,' and 'Jiang Cheng Zi · Dream on the Twentieth Night of the First Month.'