《《The Agrarians》》
作词:無渊界.玄音
(By Xuan Yin of the Boundless Abyss)
When the primordial chaos first settled and humanity emerged, the foundation of survival lay in the fields.
Across ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers, the people relied on cultivation; the masses of the four seas depended on the planting of grain.
They guarded only the earthly path of food and clothing, plowing the deep soil to sustain the vitality of life.
Agriculture is the root of all prosperity; a stable diet is the foundation of peace for every household.
When taxes were heavy and corvée labor oppressive, fertile lands were abandoned; wastelands stretched endlessly, and the people mourned.
In the Warring States period, Master Xu was born with a compassionate heart; dwelling in the rural wilds, he observed the rise and fall of eras.
He knew deeply that amidst the myriad affairs of a nation, only farming and sericulture formed the true foundation.
He established his school to pass down the agricultural path, dedicating his life to relieving the exhaustion of the people.
He vehemently advocated that rulers must value the root; he opposed extravagance and the pursuit of superficial splendor.
He urged kings and ministers to labor alongside the people; let there be no arrogance above, and no deceit below.
Nobles should not sit idle and enjoy unearned blessings; they must plow the ridges and furrows together with the commoners.
Worldly wealth and honor are but fleeting illusions; only the sweat of cultivation can never be forsaken.
All food and clothing emerge from the mud; the entire realm relies on the support of rice and millet.
He bitterly condemned the suffering of extortionate levies, urging rulers to lighten taxes to nurture the people's prosperity.
He reclaimed wasteland to promote agriculture; he rejected trivial pursuits to return to the root, driven by a compassionate heart.
He did not value political stratagems nor seek hegemony; he did not discuss rituals nor compose poetry.
Throughout his life, he only thought of the people's full bellies; in his lifetime, he only sought harvests in every season.
Amidst a chaotic era where everyone chased profit, only the Agrarians guarded their unadorned simplicity.
Having seen through the eternal cycles of rise and fall, they knew a nation without cultivation would surely collapse.
The teachings of the Agrarians hold no mystical secrets; every word aligns with the brows of the common people.
They did not search for the void in heaven and earth, nor debate the emptiness of the cosmos.
They guarded only the earthly path of food and clothing, plowing the deep soil to sustain the vitality of life.
Agriculture is the root of all prosperity; a stable diet is the foundation of peace for every household.
When the sails of chaos are finally exhausted, only the path of cultivation remains for eternity.
Later dynasties followed their principles, strengthening the agricultural foundation to secure their borders.
When granaries are full, propriety is understood; when the people's livelihood is secure, there are fewer refugees.
Had it not been for the teachings of the ancient Agrarian sages, how could there be a prosperous era for the masses?
Though the philosophers had many lofty theories, only the Agrarian masters were close to the hearth fires.
