The Notes

by Cao Liwei

“Prophecy”

Do prophecies emerge from the unknown? If today’s tsunamis originate from the gentle breezes of yesterday, if today’s verdant forests are born from the fiery volcanos of ancient times, will the landscapes, imagery, and rhapsodies of today permeate and influence our prophesies of the unknown? Forget about these things my dear, the ravings of a lunatic...Prophecy, Pluto shrouded in darkness.

“Rehearsal”

Is life merely a performance? Why can performances be rehearsed, but life cannot? Life passes by like flowing water. A "piano" is not just a musical instrument, but a medium for culture, a metaphor for prosperity, majesty, and opulence, all of which starts and ends in nothingness. That which flourishes will become ashes, and rise again. It is in this everlasting cycle that we find, beauty…

“Genesis”

The captivation inspired by visual art is always short-lived, as the human aesthetic is constantly seeking new sensations. Even works that are deemed to have a “timeless charm” will only inspire “timeless visual fatigue.” The Genesis by Michelangelo, though “timeless,” will be forgotten at some point in the future. With visual fatigue comes imagination, and even if those dreams and illusions are dashed, more will emerge in its place, shimmering with brilliance, because they know that their intrigue will not be long-lived.

“Murmurs at Midnight”

The origin of man, the origination myths, the origin within origin...The intertwined threads of memories and morphing of illusions; images of the past, present and future...I grasp for that word, a word that may give the intangible a form beneath my fingertips…

“Triumph”

I can imagine a world without a calendar, but not a world without existence.

I can imagine a world without life, but not a world without desire.

I can imagine a world without reality, but not a world without psychic.

I can imagine a world without certainty, but not a world without chance.

I can imagine a world without joy, but not a world without games.

I can imagine a world without truth, but not a world without absurdity.

I can imagine a world without essence, but not a world without appearances.

I can imagine a world without intrinsic value, but not a world without hallucination.

I can imagine a world without a past, but not a world without future.

I can imagine a world without triumph, but not a world without war.

I can imagine a world without sunrise, but not a world without eyes.

“Mythology”

Mythology is written for children, but children are no longer innocent. Mythology is written for youth, but youth has faded away.

Mythology is written for the ocean, but the ocean has fallen silent. Mythology is written for the forest, but the leaves have withered.

Mythology is written for us, but our souls have long departed.

“Daydream”

Dreaming during daytime makes it all the more dreamlike. Or perhaps daytime is not daytime, and the dream is not a dream…If everything around you seems strange, perhaps it is because something you are deeply familiar with is stirring in your memory...

“Ancient Melody”

Waves of song washing over the central square

Of a city that thrives in the name of the dead

Fountains blossom, like flowers

My memory murky as the late spring sky

Clouded by dust and sand, and dying in my sleep

The mossy green roof of my youth

Summer clouds, forests, and fairy tales

An innocent blue, dawn touching the sky

I rise with the wind