On Clouds

Floating clouds unfold in five colours—
Carnelian shining against the frosty sky.
Jade leaves scattering autumn shadows;
Purple mist sent adrift by a metal wind.

Xiao Gang (503-551)

The clouds depicted in this quatrain are specifically autumn clouds. Real leaves wither and decay in autumn, but not these jade leaves. But, as the metal wind blows, even the jade leaves are scattered and turned into a mist. One of Xiao's abiding themes was transience- autumn being a most natural exemplar of this condition.