Island on the Yangtze Tom Sharp

Here we see an island on the Yangtze where nobody lives. The water is endless and mountains rise forever above it. There used to be a road along the cliff, but it has collapsed. Not even monkeys or birds stay here among its tall trees. A passenger boat works its way up the river against the current, its oars singing. It seems to make no headway. It almost disappears in the mist in the shadow of the mountain, like a comb in a woman’s long hair. She’s soft, sinuous, and persistent, and she’s in love with the mountains that dip below and hold her up.

李思训画长江绝岛图 苏轼

山苍苍，水茫茫，大孤小孤江中央。 崖崩路绝猿鸟去，惟有乔木搀天长。 客舟何处来，棹歌中流声抑扬。 沙平风软望不到，孤山久与船低昂。 峨峨两烟鬟，晓镜开新妆。 舟中贾客莫漫狂，小姑前年嫁彭郎。