"A perpetual stranger...", p. 110
• In the world I am
Always a stranger
I do not understand its language
It does not understand my silence
• In the world I am
Always a stranger
I do not understand its language
It does not understand my silence
“
a perpetual stranger
am I to the world
I don't understand its language
my silence it can't comprehend
• Variant translation:
— Bei Dao
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "a perpetual stranger
am I to the world
I don't understand its language
my silence it can't comprehend
• Variant translation:" in the context of ""A perpetual stranger...", p. 110
• In the world I am
Always a stranger
I do not understand its language
It does not understand my silence" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Bei Dao" (Quotes, The August Sleepwalker (1990): The August Sleepwalker, trans. Bonnie S. McDougall (New York: New Directions, 1990), )
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Tags
About Bei Dao
Bei Dao (simplified Chinese: 北岛; traditional Chinese: 北島; pinyin: Běidǎo; literally: "Northern Island", August 2, 1949 - ) is the pen name of Chinese poet Zhao Zhenkai (S: 赵振开, T: 趙振開, P: Zhào Zhènkāi). Bei Dao is the most notable representative of the Misty Poets, a group of Chinese poets who reacted against the restrictions of the Cultural Revolution.
About Bei Dao
Bei Dao (simplified Chinese: 北岛; traditional Chinese: 北島; pinyin: Běidǎo; literally: "Northern Island", August 2, 1949 - ) is the pen name of Chinese poet Zhao Zhenkai (S: 赵振开, T: 趙振開, P: Zhào Zhènkāi). Bei Dao is the most notable representative of the Misty Poets, a group of Chinese poets who reacted against the restrictions of the Cultural Revolution.
View all quotes →