[Verse 1]
One summer evening, as the air cooled, I stepped out into the field. Next to the plot lay a patch of vegetation so dense it resembled a jungle; I happened to pass a woman and asked, “Are those yardlong bean leaves?” She replied, ”No, those are mountain yams.”
[Pre-Chorus 1]
Judging by the sheer volume of foliage above ground, it seemed likely that a massive amount of yam lay buried beneath the soil.
[Chorus 1]
I was always so busy with the work at hand that I hadn’t really looked around me,
But the seasons had been quietly turning,
And the time of harvest had arrived.
[Verse 2]
“And over there,” she said, pointing, “those are lily flowers-see them blooming?” She remarked on how the area ahead was filled with lilies.
Then, pointing to the edge of the field on the opposite side of the road, she said, “Those are the yardlong beans.”
[Pre-Chorus 2]
She added a piece of advice: “Once the beans form, you should go ahead and pick them. After all, they’re just growing wild.”
[Chorus 2]
I was always so busy with the work at hand that I hadn’t really looked around me,
But the seasons had been quietly turning,
And the time of harvest had arrived.
[Verse 3]
We parted ways there, as chatting too much meant no work would get done. I gave the corn which hadn’t sprouted yet-a generous watering, then pushed aside the sweet potato vines, tugged at the base of the plant, and hauled the tuber up from the earth.
[Pre-Chorus 3]
Four or five golden-hued tubers emerged from the soil: I snapped them off the stems and dropped them into my bucket.
[Chorus 3]
I was always so busy with the work at hand that I hadn’t really looked around me,
But the seasons had been quietly turning,
And the time of harvest had arrived.
[Bridge]
True to their name, they were a brilliant golden color, looking as though they were worth a fortune, Despite receiving neither pesticides nor fertilizer, the harvest had turned out beautifully.
[Final Chorus]
I was always so busy with the work at hand that I hadn’t really looked around me,
But the seasons had been quietly turning,
And the time of harvest had arrived.
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