Original Poems: Hymns for Sanitation Workers
Text/Sister Yi
Hoshiko blinked wearily
The street lights lit up overnight
At this point it was a bit dim
Orange figures
On the empty streets
Waving a broom
The rustling of the floor
Awaken the sleeping city
Early sanitation workers
Always the first to usher in the dawn of the city
Their spirits radiate in the morning sun and their smiles bloom in the afterglow of the setting sun
They measured the length of the street with their footprints
Day after day, year after year
Their footsteps are firm and powerful
In the spring they are drenched in a gentle rain
In the summer they brave the scorching sun
In the autumn they face the cold wind
In winter they braved the bitter cold
When people enjoy the joys of the holidays
But they toiled in the streets and alleys, and they were meticulous in the wind and rain
Don't let go of a dead end
Not a single scrap of paper is missed
No dirt allowed
There are places where they are
The world is clean and beautiful
Sharpened the broomstick
Thickened the calluses on the hands
With a broken broom
All turned into deep wrinkles on the face
They breathe dust every day
But it washed away the dirt with sweat
They have meager incomes
Work is tiring
But they have no complaints or regrets
They work hard
In order to get back to the cleanliness of the city
Our city is beautiful because of them
Our lives are colorful because of them
They give up their small homes to take care of everyone
They sacrifice themselves to complete the whole society
Industriousness and simplicity are synonymous with them
They are glorious laborers
They are the beauticians of the city
They are the most admirable and lovely sanitation workers!
![In winter, I look forward to a heavy snow that is flying all over the sky. Today is the third day of the great cold, the last solar term of the lunar year, and nature begins to seem to have a faint budding of spring. In the morning, start[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)