Tang Dynasty
Sitting Alone at Jingting Mountain
Li Bai
众鸟高飞尽，孤云独去闲。
相看两不厌，只有敬亭山。
Translation
The many birds have flown high and vanished. A lone cloud drifts away by itself, at ease. We look at each other and never tire: only Jingting Mountain remains with me.
Analysis
"Sitting Alone at Jingting Mountain" is one of Li Bai's most quietly powerful poems. It shows a different side of the poet: not the exuberant drinker or bold traveler, but a solitary man sitting face to face with a mountain. The first two lines describe departure. The birds have flown away until none remain. A lone cloud also drifts off, relaxed and free. Movement leaves the scene. Sound and life withdraw into distance. The world becomes empty around the poet. The lone cloud is especially suggestive. It is solitary, like the poet, but it seems free and untroubled. Its departure deepens the speaker's isolation. Even the cloud does not stay. The key line is "We look at each other and never tire." The mountain is treated almost as a companion. The poet looks at the mountain, and the mountain seems to look back. No words are spoken, yet there is a kind of mutual recognition. The final line, "only Jingting Mountain remains with me," is simple but heavy. Birds, clouds, and perhaps human companionship have all gone. What remains is the silent mountain. It cannot speak, but it does not abandon him. The poem's power lies in extreme restraint. Li Bai does not explain his loneliness. He creates a scene where everything leaves except one person and one mountain. In that silence, solitude becomes both painful and strangely consoling.
About the Author
Li Bai, courtesy name Taibai and literary name Qinglian Jushi, was one of the greatest poets of the Tang dynasty and is often called the "Poet Immortal." He spent much of his life traveling and became known for his bold imagination, natural fluency, romantic spirit, and love of freedom. His poetry ranges across landscape, Daoist transcendence, wine, friendship, history, frontier life, and personal aspiration. Representative works include "Bring in the Wine," "The Road to Shu Is Hard," "Quiet Night Thoughts," "Setting Out Early from Baidi City," and "Viewing the Waterfall at Mount Lu." "Sitting Alone at Jingting Mountain" reveals his quieter, more solitary side, where nature becomes the poet's final companion.