石壕吏 by 杜甫

暮投石壕村，有吏夜捉人。 老翁逾墙走，老妇出门看。 吏呼一何怒！妇啼一何苦！ 听妇前致词：三男邺城戍。 一男附书至，二男新战死。 存者且偷生，死者长已矣！ 室中更无人，惟有乳下孙。 有孙母未去，出入无完裙。 老妪力虽衰，请从吏夜归。 急应河阳役，犹得备晨炊。 夜久语声绝，如闻泣幽咽。 天明登前途，独与老翁别。

Shihao Official (literal translation of Du Fu’s poem)

At dusk, I arrived at Shihao Village. An official was arresting people at night. The old man climbed over the wall and ran away. The old woman went out to see. How angry the official shouted! How bitter the woman cried! I heard the woman speak: three sons were stationed in Yecheng. One son sent a letter, and two sons died in the war. The living are just trying to survive, and the dead are gone forever! There was no one else in the room, only the grandson who was still breastfeeding. The grandson’s mother had not left yet, and she had no complete skirt to wear when going out. Although the old woman was weak, she asked the official to go home at night. I had to respond to the urgent service in Heyang, so I could still prepare breakfast. After a long night, the voices stopped, and I could hear her sobbing. At dawn, I set out on the road and said goodbye to the old man alone.