'"From the brain of the purple mountain" flows forth cheer
to my somewhat weary mind. I feel refreshed amid these bolder
shapes of nature. Mere gentle and winning landscapes are not
enough. How I wish my birth had been cast among the sources
of the streams, where the voice of hidden torrents is heard
by night, and the eagle soars, and the thunder resounds in
prolonged peals, and wide blue shadows fall like brooding
wings across the valleys! Amid such scenes, I expand and feel
at home. All the fine days I spend among the mountain passes,
along the mountain brooks, or beside the stately river. I
enjoy just the tranquil happiness I need in communion with
this fair grandeur.'