Opening of
崔颢《黄鹤楼》 (Cui Hao, Tang):
昔人已乘黄鹤去,此地空余黄鹤楼。黄鹤一去不复返,白云千载空悠悠 (The one of old has ridden the yellow crane away; this place is left with only the Yellow Crane Tower. The yellow crane, once gone, returns no more; white clouds for a thousand years drift on in vain). Legend says an immortal rode a yellow crane from the tower. The poem is so beloved that Li Bai, visiting later, famously declined to write, saying
眼前有景道不得,崔颢题诗在上头 (There's a scene before my eyes I cannot describe - Cui Hao has written the poem above).