5.在饥荒时期
“1877年11月30日。——没有人希望今年的饥荒再次发生，即使是他仇恨这片土地上除自己外的所有人。即使是我能再活上几十年，那些我在北方多地所见的充满饥饿与绝望的可怕画面，恐怕都无法从我的脑子里消除。朝廷还未得到受灾详情和具体受灾人数的报告，但据我估计大概有七百万老百姓已经被活活饿死。”
“在这种时候人们都希望自己是掌握国家财富的大臣，或是拥有巨额财富的富商，这样他们就可以为那些饥饿的人们提供食物。”
“在这些艰难岁月里，只要我能够承受得了，我的钱库都会尽可能打开。但所买到的食物根本不够，就像拿一小把谷子去喂一大群乌鸦。尽管这样，听说在这可怕的几个月里，有成千上万灾民因为我提供的食物而能勉强吃饱，这让我十分欣慰。听我手下的人报告说仅在天津城里就有一到两千灾民靠我提供的玉米和蔬菜维生，同时我还努力救助着几个临近村庄的五千灾民。我母亲的生活虽然不会受这些灾情的影响，但她却每天都在乞求上天保佑让这些灾民早日渡过难关。母亲说佛祖和人民不会忘记，我对这些穷苦灾民的贡献。”
李鸿章在这个时期写下了这样的诗篇：
THE SAD SIGHT OF THE HUNGRY
T would please me, gods, if you would spare
Mine eyes from all this hungry stare
That fills the face and eyes of men
Who search for food o'er hill and glen.
Their eyes are orbs of dullest fire，
As if the flame would mount up higher；
But in the darkness of their glow
We know the fuel's burning low.
Such looks, O gods, are not from thee！
No, they're the stares of misery！
They speak of hunger's frightful hold
On lips a-dry and stomachs cold.
Bread, bread！
they cry, these weary men，
With wives and children from the glen！
O, they would toil the live-long day
But for a meal, their lives to stay.
But where is it in all the land?
Unless the gods with gen'rous hand
Send sweet some rice and strengthening corn
To these vast crowds to hunger born！
For months the awful famine beast
Has roamed the lands both North and East，(www.xing528.com)
And smiled as he on landscape read
The gruesome figures of the dead.
IN THE TIME OF FAMINE 87
His black claws clutched the stalwart man，
The very headmen of each clan，
The elder sons and younger ones，
Nor e'en the baby's cradle shuns.
In all the fields along the road，
In each and every mean abode，
He stops to grin in hellish way
At famished forms turned quick to clay.
The greater are the awful pains，
And if the tears do fall as rains，
This monster demon smiles the more
While passing by each hungry door.
He crosses now the bone-dry streams，
And listens to the frantic screams
Of those who on the mountain high
Are doomed this awful death to die.
In valley and on sandy plain
The beast appears, again, again！
In city and in village street，
Where'er you go, the beast you meet！
A million now have bowed to him，
This famine monster, black and grim！
O, gods, we ask, remove the brand
Of this vile demon's bony hand！
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