Exiles Summary

"When I was a child I lived amid the mulberry groves. In summer the mulberry trees would stain the green grass with crimson pulp. Birds of a thousand colours danced in the sky when I was a boy. They brightened the day with their intricate songs. "We are who we choose to be," sang the goldfinch, when the sun was high. "I dream about dreams about dreams," sang the nightingale, under the pale moon." Exiles, p. 2

Master Li writes this at the beginning of Exiles before he starts to tell his story - how he commanded armies, advised emperors, made fortunes, had a family and concubines, all before he was sent into exile. Along the way they met a pack of wolves. They killed the king and the rest lost heart. Master Li talks about having dreams about dreams about dreams.

Master Li...