Whoever opposes Chairman Mao is an enemy of the people

The following is my translation of a poem posted on the Chinese language “China Red Travel” website on February 26, 2009. The broad masses of the Chinese people love Chairman Mao and revere his memory. With the restorationists having the upper hand, the masses who have lost the right to free education and health care, and who are suffering as a result of China’s integration into the crisis-ridden system of world capitalism, are increasingly voicing their anger at the new system.

The original poem has a strict seven character per line structure which is impossible to replicate in English, and difficult to translate from as it jettisons conventional grammar. If any Chinese speaker would like to correct my translation, I would very much appreciate it so that my learning of Chinese improves.

Whoever Opposes Chairman Mao is an Enemy of the People

1

The clowns who oppose Mao must be struck down
Their hatred of communism has not disappeared
Monsters and demons want to overturn the heavens[1]
The moneybags and landlords want to stage a comeback

2

Capitalist-roaders have emerged from within the Party
An evil wind rises to oppose Lord Mao[2]
Lord Mao conquered the world for the people
And restored the cool breeze to Heaven with his hands

3

Lord Mao held power for thirty years
The workers and peasants of the whole country beamed with joy
Everybody had a bowl of rice
And you didn’t need money to go to school or to a doctor

4

The workers and peasants managed things and were the masters of the house
From that time on, they had the right to speak
The broad masses of the people supported Chairman Mao
Capital and Self have given us the Word of Deng[3]

[1] Literally “Cow monsters and snake demons”, a traditional epithet used widely for counter-revolutionaries and capitalist-roaders during the Cultural Revolution.
[2] The Chinese original has a strict 7-character per line structure. Referring to Mao as “Lord Mao” (2 characters) rather than “Chairman Mao” or “Mao Zedong” (both three characters) allows greater flexibility within the line. The character for the feudal term “lord” or “duke” has passed into common parlance as an indication of respect or reverence for an elderly male. Mao is more often referred to as “laorenjia” (a bit like “the old man”) in everyday speech, which has the same meaning, but the more formal term of reverence is appropriate to the poetic form.
[3] Deng Xiaoping eventually succeeded Chairman Mao. Deng’s reforms, centering on a “socialist market economy” have opened the door for the reemergence of capitalist economic practices and capitalist relations of production in China.