The song that reminds me of the Tang poem, “Question and Answer in the Mountains” is “Cudi Zone” by Kid Cudi. The mood of the poem is very carefree and calm. The person in the poem doesn’t even answer the question with words but with just a smile. “I smile and don’t reply; my heart’s at ease.” is very similar to the lyrics of Kid Cudi’s. In Kid Cudi’s song, “Cudi Zone’ he mentions, “When I zone, I’m feeling alright. I forget about it all.” These two characters seem to be in nirvana and are in no hurry to be out of it. Kid Cudi also mentions, “ I could find peace somewhere” which is something I feel the character in Tang’s poem has already found.
In the second half of “Question and Answer in the Mountain”,
“Peach blossoms flow downstream, leaving no trace.
And there are other earths and skies than these.”
It seems this character is in another zone himself in which no one else can see or penetrate. Kid Cudi is in his zone and he clearly describes that with,
“I’ll be zonin’ all alone.
And then the place where my mind is going.
Filled with songs that no one’s knowin.”
These two characters are both floating away in perhaps their own dream world or even a different dimension, who knows? The only thing that’s certain is their mind is at ease and carefree.
