帕布莉卡卖炭翁
卖炭翁，
伐薪烧炭南山中。
满面尘灰烟火色[1]，
两鬓苍苍十指黑。
卖炭得钱何所营？
身上衣裳口中食。
可怜身上衣正单，
心忧炭贱愿天寒。
夜来城外一尺雪，
晓驾炭车辗冰辙。
牛困人饥日已高，
市南门外泥中歇。
翩翩两骑来是谁？
黄衣使者[2]白衫儿[3]。
手把文书口称敕[4]，
回车叱牛牵向北[5]。
一车炭，千余斤，
宫使驱将惜不得。
半匹红纱一丈绫[6]，
系向牛头充炭直。
《卖炭翁》是《新乐府》中的第三十二首。诗中写卖炭翁伐薪烧炭，两鬓苍苍，可见年迈；满面尘土，可见生活艰苦。“卖炭得钱何所营？身上衣裳口中食”，可见他贫寒。虽然他“身上衣正单”，却“心忧炭贱愿天寒”，可见他多么需要卖炭赚钱来维持生计。但他千辛万苦烧出来的千余斤炭，却被宦官强征暴敛，只用“半匹红纱一丈绫”的代价，就抢走了，叫卖炭翁如何能生活下去!诗人以个别表现一般，通过卖炭翁的遭遇，揭示了封建王朝的剥削本质。
注释：
[1]烟火色：烟熏后的脸色，此处表现卖炭翁的辛劳。
[2]黄衣使者：指宦官。
[3]白衫儿：宦官的手下。
[4]敕（chì）：皇帝的诏书或命令。
[5]牵向北：此处指牵向宫中。
[6]半匹红绡一丈绫：唐代商贸交易中，绢帛等丝织品可代货币使用。当时半匹纱和一丈绫，比一车炭的价值相差很远。此为官方用贱价强夺民财的体现。
The Old Charcoal Seller
What does the old man fare?
He cuts the wood in southern hill and fires his ware.
His face is grimed with smoke and streaked with ash and dust,
His temples grizzled and his fingers all turned black.
The money earned by selling charcoal is not just
Enough for food for his mouth and clothing for his back.
Though his coat is thin, he hopes winter will set in,
For cold weather will keep up the charcoal’s good price.
At night a foot of snow falls outside city walls;
At dawn his charcoal cart crushes ruts in the ice.
The sun is high, the ox tired out and hungry he;
Outside the southern gate in snow and slush they rest.
Two riders canter up. Alas! Who can they be?
Two palace heralds in the yellow jackets dressed.
Decree in hand, which is imperial order, one says;
They turn the cart about and at the ox they shout.
A cartload of charcoal a thousand catties weighs;
They drive the cart away. What dare the old man say?
Ten feet of silk and twenty feet of gauze deep red,
That is the payment they fasten to the ox’s head.
