<p class="ql-block"><span style="font-size:20px;">Visiting Hometown on May 18 — Sketches of Farm Work</span></p><p class="ql-block"> </p><p class="ql-block">By Shen Zhou</p><p class="ql-block"> </p><p class="ql-block">After the rain, fierce sun blazes o’er the Northern frontier,</p><p class="ql-block">Crimson mud crusts hard within the furrowed field.</p><p class="ql-block">Beneath the film, young sprouts yearn to appear,</p><p class="ql-block">Yet capped by hard crust, their buds can scarcely yield.</p><p class="ql-block"> </p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">So we labour by hand to set seedlings free,</p><p class="ql-block">Swinging long hoes and two‑pronged rakes in toil.</p><p class="ql-block">Bending low, we rake gaps where young plants fail to see,</p><p class="ql-block">Striving to let frail shoots meet sunlight’s toil.</p><p class="ql-block"> </p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">Wide farmlands stretch as far as eyes can roam,</p><p class="ql-block">Beneath the scorching sun, sweat streams down cheeks.</p><p class="ql-block">I grieve the frogs’ croaks are gone from home,</p><p class="ql-block">No natural melody our weary souls bespeaks.</p><p class="ql-block"> </p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">Yet magpies alight upon the earthen ridge,</p><p class="ql-block">Chattering in flocks along the farmland’s edge.</p><p class="ql-block">I still recall old nights where frogs would sing,</p><p class="ql-block">A symphony by nature, unbound by pledge.</p><p class="ql-block"><br></p><p class="ql-block">Times shift and turn, old scenes away are whirled,</p><p class="ql-block">Though faces change, my thoughts still linger long.</p><p class="ql-block">May winds be mild, rains timely o’er the world,</p><p class="ql-block">That all who till the land may thrive and strong.</p><p class="ql-block"> </p><p class="ql-block">May 23, 2025</p> <p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:22px;">五月十八回乡探亲体验农活速写</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;">文/神舟</p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">雨后烈日照北疆</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">红泥田里结硬痂</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">新苗欲破覆膜土</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">硬壳封顶难舒芽</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><br></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">无奈人工去放苗</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">再挥长铲俩股耙</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">躬身细耙缺苗处</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">力让弱苗重见光</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><br></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">连片农田开视野</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">头顶烈日汗流浃</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">只憾蛙声从此绝</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">再无天籁解困乏</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><br></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">幸得田埂落喜鹊</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">结伴地头叫喳喳</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">犹念当年蛙声簇</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">浑然天成出交响</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><br></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">沧海桑田多变幻</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">物是人非意未央</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">还祈风调并雨顺</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">万家农事共安康</span></p><p class="ql-block" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:20px;">2025.5.23(诗原稿)</span></p> <p class="ql-block"><span style="font-size:22px; color:rgb(255, 138, 0);">May winds be mild, rains timely o’er the world,</span></p><p class="ql-block"><span style="font-size:22px; color:rgb(255, 138, 0);">That all who till the land may thrive and strong.</span></p>