— Lai Hu
You have a thousand shapes in flakes or piles in vain;
Hidden in mountains or on water you remain.
The drought is so severe that all seedlings would die.
Why won’t you come down but leisurely tower high?
Lai Hu (9th century) was a lesser-known but perceptive poet of the late Tang Dynasty, whose works often used natural imagery to express social concern and quiet moral critique. Living during a time of political instability and frequent droughts, he channeled his empathy for common people into concise, evocative verse.
His poem “Clouds” (To the Cloud) begins by marveling at the clouds’ ever-changing forms – shifting, multiplying, yet ultimately “empty,” offering no real substance. They drift dramatically across the sky, reflecting in rivers and veiling mountains in layered veils. But the tone turns sharp in the final couplet: while countless drought-stricken seedlings wither below, desperate for rain, the clouds float idly in the heavens, fashioning themselves into “fantastic peaks” as if for amusement.
This striking contrast – between human suffering and nature’s indifferent beauty – transforms the poem into a subtle yet powerful protest. The clouds, though majestic, are accused of neglect: they have the power to save, but choose only to perform.
云
— 来鹄
千形万象竟还空，
映水藏山片复重。
无限旱苗枯欲尽，
悠悠闲处作奇峰。
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