When the four pillars broke and the nine provinces split, Nüwa smelted five-colored stones to mend the sky.
Huainanzi · China, 2nd c. BC
As heaven moves, ever vigorous, so the noble one strives without cease.
I Ching · China, before 3rd c. BC
The state is shattered; mountains and rivers remain. Spring returns to the city; grass and trees grow deep.
Du Fu, “Spring View” · AD 757, amid civil war
Since the dawn of time, who has escaped death? Let this loyal heart shine on in the annals.
Wen Tianxiang · AD 1279, captive after defeat
The earth rises from the sea again, green as it once was; waterfalls pour, and the eagle hunts above.
Völuspá · Norse, 10th c. — the first words after Ragnarök
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying.
Revelation 21:4 · 1st c. · King James Version
Set a heart for heaven and earth; secure the lives of the people; carry on the lost learning of the sages; open peace for ten thousand generations.
Zhang Zai · China, 11th c.
All texts are in the public domain; Chinese and Norse passages rendered into English by the atelier. Images from the open collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Cleveland Museum of Art and Wikimedia Commons (CC0 / Public Domain), gathered by Registry No. 005, Magiceye.