Look west

Tiaoxiaoling* (A Lost Horse) by Wei Yingwu

Mongolian horse, Mongolian horse,
Far and free beneath Yenzi mountain.
Running on sand, running on snow, alone panting.
Look east, look west, the way is lost.
Lost the way, lost the way,
Grasses edge without end, as the sun sets. 

A Tang poet. There were many foreign invaders during this dynasty and therefore lots of battles along the borders. Many poets described the border areas because most people lived in the middle of the country, far away. This poet usually described Yenzi Mountain in Inner Mongolia, a fortress area to block invaders.

The poet probably feels lost, afraid, and lonely; even though enjoying the freedom of border living.

*a form of one of two words repeated, three lines of six, another line of two words repeated, a final line of six

Taizhong Flood

Remembering the horrible catastrophe of last fall:
After the devastation, the people begged for relief.
In analyzing the events, never heard Mr. Tang take responsibility. 
Who will have compassion and tell Mr. Fan to consider their plight foremost?*
In the Capital, crown-wearers boast about their building projects.
While all around, dams and levees wait for repair.  
Try to look west from Jade Mountain,
Ten-thousand acres of good fields, washed away by flood waters.

Around 1961, a friend wrote a series of poems about the poor people who lived in a area that had survived several years of frequent disaster, one of which had been published in the newspaper. I am writing in response to his poem. 

*a famous Song dynasty scholar wrote:
When it comes to concerns, you are the first to address.
When it comes to pleasures, you are the last to partake.
He was employed by the emperor to help defeat the Mongols. He was so successful that the Mongolians had a saying about him that he had 10,000 soldiers in his bosom.