Modern readers familiar with ballads or hymns will easily relate to yuefu, written during the Han dynasty, which ruled China about 206 BCE to 220 AD.  If Jesus ever went to China, as some report, he would have visited during this time, when China's borders were similar to what they are today.

This style of poetry feels familiar, as its themes raise contemporary issues:

The imperial or government royalty wish to be considered Heaven's Mandates, embodying piety and demanding loyalty.

Folk songs make powerful and straightforward statements regarding the lives of ordinary people: they are anti-war, yet patriotic; women are independent and strong yet flirtatious. 

One poem, Song of the East Gate parallels the social injustice found in Les Miserables.  Zong Qi Cai writes, "The deplorable, poverty-stricken condition the protagonist has been reduced to is unbearable. In order to survive, he must act, regardless whether his deed is criminal or not..."

In short, the poems coming out of the Han period remind us that these are not the worst of times: the struggle continues.

We Fought South of the Walls
Martial music for the Northern Di

We fought south of the walls,
And died north of the ramparts.
Dead in the wilderness and unburied, the crows may eat us.
Tell the crows for us:
"Cry for us strangers away from home!"
We died on the moors, and certainly will not be buried.
How can our rotting flesh run away from you!
The water is deep and clear,
The rushes and reeds are dark.
Valiant steeds have died in battle,
While nags neigh, running around.
Brudges have been made into houses,
How can one go south?
How can bridges go north?
How can the grain be harvested, what shall our lord eat?
We wish to be loyal subjects, yet how can we achieve that!
We long for you, fine vassals.
Fine vassals are truly worth longing for.
You went out in the morning to fight.
And in the evening you did not return.

According to her official website, Senator Mary L. Landrieu is "currently the Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee, and a member of the Appropriations and Energy and Natural Resources Committees. The nonpartisan Congress.org has ranked Senator Landrieu as the tenth most effective legislator in the Senate."

Landrieu splits rank with her Democratic Party often, as a Conservative Democrat.

On the other side is Republican Senator Olympia J. Snowe, who, women count reports "...was named the 54th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine. In 2006 Time Magazine named her one of the top ten U.S. Senators. Calling her The Caretaker, Time magazine wrote of Snowe: Because of her centrist views and eagerness to get beyond partisan point scoring, Maine Republican Olympia Snowe is in the center of every policy debate in Washington., but while Snowe is a major player on national issues, she is also known as one of the most effective advocates for her constituents.

Snowe splits rank with her Republican Party often, as a Moderate Republican.

Why do they appear in this hub? Because these two co-chair a Senate Common Ground Coalition meant to take advantage of the Bipartison Policy Center think tank, yet I can find no website or action taken by this coalition that can be googled. And this inspired a Han-like ballad based on the true, unraveling story of widow Hotaru Fernschke.

It's complicated.

Hotaru fell for a Marine, a solid, handsome lad
Based in Japan, he lived with her, stroking her lovely face
But duty called and he deployed across a treacherous sea
She married him proxy in Iraq, and soon their love meant three
Three, soon their love became three.

Come live with us, his parents begged.
"Mom, I'm in love," Michael said, he had said,
Mom, I'm in love and we've wed.

In the battle for fame and glory only the ruthless survive
His son's mouth will be dry and his lips will parch
Michael died on the streets of Iraq, yes, Iraq,
But the government left her alone, alone
The government sent her back home.

Come live with us, his parents begged.
"Mom, I'm in love," Michael said, he had said,
Mom, I'm in love and we've wed.

Pity the women, the ones who believed
Who held hands while their pulses quickened
It might have been well when they joined in the night
But the moon distinguished its light, its light
The moon sank without light.

Come live with us, his parents begged.
"Mom, I'm in love," Michael said, he had said,
Mom, I'm in love and we've wed.

In years ahead, should our divisions deepen
The boy's mouth will be dry, his lips parched
Yesterday we basked in each other's company,
Today our coalition is done, it's gone,
Today we serve alone.

Let's cheer up and be merry.
For on the mountain of fame and glory
Only the ruthless, the Bristol cone survive.
We can not pack out our own, our own
their worth, once departed, is gone.

Pity the women, the ones who believed
Who held hands while their pulses quickened
It might have been well when they joined forces
But the moon distinguished its light, it's light
The moon sank without light.

The Northern Dipper transcends the sky.
Relatives and friends enter the House,
Though sick at heart they could not be healed.
Banquets of dirt they were fed, were fed
Lovely the dwelling of dead.

A resident passes those without license
Driving their mint Touring Coups
Uttering songs of fantastic unity,
Along roads without compassion, no passion

Dust clouds of idle talk.