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此诗和《舂陵行》都是作者反映社会现实，同情人民疾苦的代表作，而在斥责统治者对苦难人民的横征暴敛上，此诗词意更为深沉，感情更为愤激。
在诗中，元结把起义的少数民族称之为“贼”，固然表现了他的偏见，但他把“诸使”和“贼”对比起来写，通过对“贼”的有所肯定，来衬托官吏的残暴，这对本身也是个“官吏”的作者来说，是非常难能可贵的。
全诗共分四段。第一段由“昔年”句至“日晏”句，先写“昔”。头两句是对“昔”的总的概括，交代他在作官以前长期的隐居生活，正逢“太平”盛世。三、四句写山林的隐逸之乐，为后文写官场的黑暗和准备归老林下作铺垫。这一段的核心是“井税有常期”句，所谓“井税”，原意是按照古代井田制收取的赋税，这里借指唐代按户口征取定额赋税的租庸调法；“有常期”，是说有一定的限度。作者把人民没有额外负担看作是年岁太平的主要标志，是“日晏犹得眠”即人民能安居乐业的重要原因，对此进行了热情歌颂，便为后面揭露“今”时统治者肆意勒索人民设下了伏笔。
第二段从“忽然”句到“此州”句，写“今”，写“贼”。前四句先简单叙述自己从出山到遭遇变乱的经过：安史之乱以来，元结亲自参加了征讨乱军的战斗，后来又任道州刺史，正碰上“西原蛮”发生变乱。由此引出后四句，强调城小没有被屠，道州独能促使的原因是：“人贫伤可怜”，也即“贼”对道州人民苦难的同情，这是对“贼”的褒扬。此诗题为“示官吏”，作诗的主要目的是揭露官吏，告戒官吏，所以写“贼”是为了写“官”，下文才是全诗的中心。
第三段从“使臣”句至“以作”句，写“今”，写“官”。一开始用反问句把“官”和“贼”对照起来写：“使臣将王命，岂不如贼焉？”这是抨击官吏，不顾丧乱地区人民死活依然横征暴敛的愤激之词，是元结关心人民疾苦的点睛之笔。而下两句指陈事实的直接描写：“今彼征敛者，迫之如火煎”，更活画出一幅虎狼官吏陷民于水火的真实情景。和前面“井税”两句相照应，与“昔”形成鲜明对比，对征敛官吏的揭露更加深刻有力。接下来的两句：“谁能绝人命，以作时世贤？”以反问的语气作出了断然否定的回答，揭示了“时世贤”的残民本质。“绝人命”和“伤可怜”相照应，“时世贤”与“贼”作对比，这里对“时世贤”的讽刺鞭挞之意十分强烈。更为可贵的是诗人在此公开表明自己不愿“绝人命”，也不愿作“时世贤”的决绝态度，并以此作为对其他官吏的一种告诫。
第四段由“思欲”句至“归老”句，向官吏们坦露自己的心志。作者是个官吏，他是不能违“王命”的，可是作“征敛者”吧，他又不愿“绝人命”。诗人对待这一矛盾的处境的办法是：宁愿弃官，归隐江湖，也绝不去做那种残民邀功、取媚于上的所谓贤臣。这是对统治者征敛无期的抗议，此处充分清楚地表明作者对民瘼的热情关心。
元结在政治上是一位具有仁政爱民理想的清正官吏；在文学上反对“拘限声病，喜尚形似”（《箧中集序》）的浮艳诗风，主张发挥文学“救时劝俗”（《文编序》）的社会作用。这首诗不论叙事抒情，都指陈事实，直抒胸臆，没有一点雕琢矫饰的痕迹，而诗中那种忧时爱民的深挚感情，如从胸中自然倾泄，自有一种感人之处，亦自能在质朴之中成其浑厚，显示出元结诗质朴简古、平直切正的典型特色。沈德潜说：“次山诗自写胸次，不欲规模古人，而奇响逸趣，在唐人中另辟门径。”（《唐诗别裁》）▲
appreciation
Both this poem and Chung Ling Xing are representative works of the author reflecting social reality and sympathizing with the sufferings of the people. In criticizing the rulers for extorting excessive taxes on the suffering people, this poem is more profound and emotional.
In the poem, Yuan Jie called the uprising ethnic minorities “thieves”, which showed his prejudice, but he wrote a comparison between “envoys” and “thieves”, and through the affirmation of “thieves”, to set off the cruelty of officials, which is very valuable for the author who is also an “official”.
The whole poem is divided into four sections. The first paragraph is from “the past years” to “Riyan”. First, write “the past”. The first two sentences are a general summary of “the past”, explaining his long life of seclusion before he became an official, which coincided with the prosperous era of “peace”. 3、 Four sentences are about the seclusion in the mountains and forests, which pave the way for the darkness of officialdom and the preparation for returning to the old forest. The core of this paragraph is the sentence “Well tax has a constant period”. The so-called “Well tax” originally means the tax collected according to the ancient well field system. Here, it refers to the Rent Yong Transfer Method of the Tang Dynasty, in which the tax was collected according to the quota of household registration; “There is a constant period” means that there is a certain limit. The author regards the people’s lack of extra burden as the main symbol of peace and tranquility, which is the important reason why people can live and work in peace and contentment. He enthusiastically praises this and foreshadows the later revelation of the rulers’ wanton extortion of people in the “present” era.
In the second paragraph, from “suddenly” to “this state”, write “today” and “thief”. The first four sentences briefly describe his experience from going out of the mountain to encountering upheavals: since the An Shi Rebellion, Yuan Jie personally participated in the fight against the rebels, and later served as the governor of Daozhou. Now he is encountering upheavals in “Xiyuan Barbarians”. This leads to the last four sentences, emphasizing that the reason why the small cities were not slaughtered and the only reason why Daozhou can promote is that “people are poor and hurt”, that is, the “thief” sympathizes with the suffering of the people in Daozhou, which is a praise for the “thief”. This poem is entitled “Show the officials”. The main purpose of writing the poem is to expose the officials and warn them. Therefore, writing “thief” is to write “official”. The following is the center of the whole poem.
In the third paragraph, from the sentence of “envoy” to the sentence of “to make”, write “today” and “official”. At the beginning, he contrasted “official” with “thief” with rhetorical questions, and wrote: “How could the envoy be inferior to the thief in taking the king’s order?” This is an outrageous word that criticizes officials and levies exorbitantly regardless of the lives and deaths of the people in the chaotic areas. It is the finishing touch of Yuanjie’s concern for the sufferings of the people. The next two direct descriptions of the facts: “Today and there are those who levy and collect, and they are forced like fire”, which vividly depicts a real scene of tiger and wolf officials trapping people in fire and water. In contrast to the previous two sentences, “Well Tax”, and in sharp contrast to the “past”, the disclosure of the tax collectors is more profound and powerful. The next two sentences: “Who can kill people to be the sages of the time?” He made a categorical negative answer in the tone of rhetorical questions, revealing the essence of “time wise people”. “Jue human life” and “Hurt the poor” correspond to each other, and “Shishixian” is contrasted with “thief”. Here, the satirical meaning of “Shishixian” is very strong. What is more valuable is that the poet publicly stated that he did not want to “kill people”, nor do he want to be a “wise man of the times”, and took this as a warning to other officials.
The fourth paragraph is from “thinking and desire” to “returning to the old age”, to disclose his mind to the officials. The author is an official. He cannot disobey the “king’s order”, but he is not willing to “kill people”. The way for the poet to deal with this contradictory situation is that he would rather abandon the official position and retire to the Jianghu than be a so-called virtuous minister who would abuse the people to seek credit and flatter the superior. This is an endless protest against the rulers’ expropriation, which fully and clearly shows the author’s enthusiasm for the people’s suffering.
In politics, Yuanjie was an upright official with the ideal of benevolent government and loving the people; In literature, he opposes the flamboyant poetic style of “restricting the voice and liking the shape” (Preface to the Collection of the Middle Trunk), and advocates the social role of literature in “saving the time and persuading the customs” (Preface to the Literary Compilation). This poem, no matter how it narrates or expresses feelings, points out the facts and expresses feelings directly, without any trace of embellishment. If the deep feelings of caring about the time and loving the people in the poem are naturally poured out from the chest, it has a touching place and can also become vigorous in the simplicity, showing the typical characteristics of the Yuan Jie poem, which is simple, plain and upright. Shen Deqian said, “Cishan’s poems are self written. They don’t want the scale of the ancients, but they sound interesting and interesting. They open a new path among the Tang people.” (Genres of Tang Poetry) ▲
