The birds have vanished down the sky. Now the last cloud drains away. We sit together, the mountain and me, until only the mountain remains.
Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The poet notes that birds and clouds have disappeared, leaving only the mountain and the speaker together.
- In plain terms
- All else fades, leaving just the mountain and me.
- What can you take from it?
- Find solitude in enduring natural elements.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What does the mountain symbolize?
- How does loss of birds affect mood?
Another view
The image may feel bleak to some readers.
More from Li Bai
All the birds have flown up and gone; A lonely cloud floats leisurely by. We never tire of looking at each other - Only the mountain and I.
Permalink to quote #2 From the walls of Baidi high in the coloured dawn To Jiangling by night-fall is three hundred miles, Yet monkeys are still calling on both banks behind me To m…
Permalink to quote #4 Her robe is a cloud, her face a flower; Her balcony, glimmering with the bright spring dew, Is either the tip of earth's Jade Mountain, Or a moon-edged roof of…
Permalink to quote #1
Related quotes
Shall Earth no more inspire thee, Thou lonely dreamer now? Since passion may not fire thee Shall Nature cease to bow? Thy mind is ever moving In regions dark t…
Emily BronteEmily Bronte quote #3 Having no human companion I felt a spirit of comradeship for the objects of nature around me. In my childish way I communed with these as with my own soul; the…
Jan Christiaan SmutsJan Christiaan Smuts quote #3 The greenish sky glows up in misty reds, The purple shadows turn to brick and stone, The dreams wear thin, men turn upon their beds, And hear the milk-cart jan…
Sara TeasdaleSara Teasdale quote #15