Summary

“Eternity” has five sections, each with a subtitle. “Landscape Painting” describes the experience of looking at a piece of art and recognizing one’s own experiences, including loss and joy. In “Lama Temple,” the speaker describes a visit to a temple; they are struck by the sight of a bird overhead, which “Meant, suddenly, youth” (60). In “Nanluoguxiang Alley,” the speaker searches for the faces of their loved ones in the strangers around them, but instead sees acquaintances and other forgotten faces. “Songzhuang Art Village” is in the second person, describing different canvases “you” would see at an art market, including peonies, your mother, a girl, and Tolstoy. In “Mutianyu, Great Wall,” a tourist falls and a brick crumbles in his hand.

“Ash” is a series of statements about the “strange house” that must eat, feel desire, feel guilt and pride, and...