Backgrounds Quote by Yasunari Kawabata
“In the depths of the mirror the evening landscape moved by, the mirror and the reflected figures like motion pictures superimposed one on the other. The figures and the background were unrelated, and yet the figures, transparent and intangible, and the background, dim in the gathering darkness, melted into a sort of symbolic world not of this world. Particularly when a light out in the mountains shone in the centre of the girl's face, Shimamura felt his chest rise at the inexpressible beauty of it.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Sound of the Mountain by Yasunari Kawabata, 1954
The passage describes how a reflected scene blends reality and imagination, creating a transcendent, otherworldly beauty that moves the observer emotionally.
In simple terms: A reflected scene merges reality and imagination, evoking deep beauty.
Key Takeaway
Notice and appreciate fleeting, surreal moments.
Themes
beauty
perception
transcendence
memory
loneliness
Mood
melancholic
wonderful
Type
literary
descriptive
philosophical
When to use this quote
- watching a sunset
- seeing a reflection
- contemplating art
- experiencing nostalgia
Key Concepts
aesthetic experience
subjective reality
visual metaphor
Questions to Reflect On
- How do reflections alter your view of the world?
- What moments have felt otherworldly to you?
A Different Perspective
The description may romanticize perception, overlooking mundane reality.
![“Nature is a mirror in which I am reflected, because by rescuing this land from sad devastation [through recreating it in photographs], I am in fact trying to save myself from my own inner sadness.” quote by Mario Giacomelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e38/mario-giacomelli-46577_devastation_nature-is-a-mirror-in-which-i-am-reflect_1175736.jpg)
