Imperial

Who brought this to pass?
   
Who has brought the flaming imperial anger?
   
Who has brought the army with drums and with kettle-drums?
   
Barbarous kings.
  
A gracious spring, turned to blood-ravenous autumn,
   
A turmoil of wars-men, spread over the middle kingdom,
   
Three hundred and sixty thousand,
 
And sorrow, sorrow like rain.

--Ezra Pound,
"'Lament of the Frontier Guard"
(from the book, "Cathay", 1915)