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| A. There are ways but the Way is uncharted;
There are names but not nature in words: Nameless indeed is the source of creation
But things have a mother and she has a name. The secret waits for the insight Of eyes unclouded by longing; Those who are bound by desire
See only the outward container. These two come paired but distinct By their names. Of all things profound, Say that their pairing is deepest, The gate to the root of the world. | B. The Way that can be told of is not an Unvarying Way;
The names that can be named are not unvarying names. It was from the Nameless that Heaven and Earth sprang; The named is but the mother that rears the ten thousand creatures, each after its kind. Truly, 'Only he that rids himself forever of desire can see the Secret Essences'; He that has never rid himself of desire can see only the Outcomes. These two things issued from the same mold, but nevertheless are different in name. This 'same mold' we can but call the Mystery, Or rather the 'Darker than any Mystery', The Doorway whence issued all Secret Essences. |
| C. The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth. The named is the mother of ten thousand things. Ever desireless, one can see the mystery Ever desiring, one can see the manifestations. These two spring from the same source but differ in name; this appears as darkness. Darkness within darkness The gate to all mystery. | D. Existence is beyond the power of words
To define: Terms may be used But are none of them absolute. In the beginning of heaven and earth there were no words, Words came out of the womb of matter And whether a man dispassionately Sees to the core of life Or passionately Sees the surface, The core and the surface Are essentially the same, Words making them seem different Only to express appearance. If name be needed, wonder names them both: From wonder into wonder Existence opens. |
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There is ugliness too.
If goodness is taken as goodness, Wickedness enters as well. For is and isnot come together; Hard and easy are complementary; Long and short are relative; High and low are comparative; Pitch and sound make harmony;
Before and after are a sequence. Indeed the Wise Man's office Is to work by being still; He teaches not by speech But by accomplishment; He does for everything, Neglecting none; Their life he gives to all, Possessing none; And what he brings to pass Depends on no one else. As he succeeds, He takes no credit And just because he does not take it. Credit never leaves him. | B. It is because every one under Heaven recognizes beauty as beauty, that the idea of ugliness exists.
And equally if every one recognized virtue as virtue, this would merely create fresh conceptions of wickedness. For truly Being and Notbeing grow out of one another; Difficult and easy complete one another. Pitch and mode give harmony to one another. Front and back give sequence to one another. Therefore the Sane relies on actionless activity, Carries on wordless teaching, But the myriad creatures are worked upon by him; he does not d1sown them. He rears them, but does not lay claim to them, Controls them, but does not lean upon them, Achieves his aim, but does not call attention to what he does; And for the very reason that he does not call attention to what he does He is not ejected from fruition of what he has done. |
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| C. Under heaven all can see beauty only because there is ugliness.
All can know good as good only because there is evil. Therefore having and not having arise together. Difficult and easy complement each other. Long and short contrast each other; High and low rest upon each other; Voice and sound harmonize each other;
Front and back follow one another. Therefore the safe goes about doing nothing, teaching notalking. The ten thousand things rise and fall without cease, Creating, yet not possessing, Working, yet not taking credit. Work is done, then forgotten. Therefore it lasts forever. | D. Through finding one man fit
Judge another unfit. Life and death, though stemming from eu i,er, seen to conflict as stages of change, Difficult and easy as phases of achievement, Long and short as measures of contrast, High and low as degrees of relation; But, since the varying of tones gives music to a voice And what is is the was of what shall be, The sanest man Sets up no deed, Lays down no law, Takes everything that happens as it comes, As something to animate, not to appropriate, To earn, not to own, To accept naturally without self-importance: If you never assume importance You never lose it. |
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| A. If those who are excellent find no preferment,
The people will cease to contend for promotion. If goods that are hard to obtain are not favored, The people will cease to turn robbers or bandits. If things much desired are kept under cover, Disturbance will cease in the minds of the people. The Wise Man's policy, accordingly, will be to empty people's hearts and minds, To fill their bellies, weaken their ambition, Give them sturdy frames and always so, To keep them uninformed, without desire, And knowing ones not venturing to act. Be still while you work And keep full control Over all. |
there will be no more jealousies among the people. If we cease to set store by products that are hard to get, there will be no more thieves. If the people never see such things as excite desire, their hearts will remain placid and undisturbed. Therefore the Sage rules By emptying their hearts And filling their bellies, Weakening their intelligence And toughening their sinews Ever striving to make the people knowledgeless and desireless. Indeed he sees to it that if there be any who have knowledge, they dare not interfere. Yet through his actionless activity all things are duly regulated. |
Not collecting treasures prevents stealing.
Not seeing desirable things prevents confusion of the heart. The wise therefore rule by emptying hearts and stuffing bellies, by weakening ambitions and strengthening bones. If people lack knowledge and desire, Then intellectuals will not try to interfere. If nothing is done, then all will be well. | D. it is better not to make merit a
matter of reward Lest people conspire and contend, Not to pile up rich belongings Lest they rob, Not to excite by display Lest they covet. A sound leader's aim Is to open people's hearts, Fill their stomachs, Calm their wills, Brace their bones And so to clarify their thoughts and cleanse their needs That no cunning meddler could touch them: Without being forced, without strain or constraint, Good government comes of itself. |
| A. The Way is a void,
Used but never filled: An abyss it is, Like an ancestor
From which all things come. It blunts sharpness, Resolves tangles; It tempers light,
Subdues turmoil. A deep pool it is, Never to run dry! Whose offspring it may be I do not know:
It is like a preface to God. C. The Tao is an empty vessel; it is used, but never filled. Oh, unfathomable source of ten thousand things! Blunt the sharpness, Untangle the knot, Soften the glare, Merge with dust. Oh, hidden deep but ever present! I do not know from whence it comes. It is the forefather of the emperors. | B. The Way is like an empty vessel
That yet may be drawn from Without ever needing to be filled. It is bottomless; the very progenitor of all things in the world. In it all sharpness is blunted, All tangles untied, All glare tempered, All dust smoothed. It is like a deep pool that never dries. Was it too the child of something else? We cannot tell.
But as a substanceless image it existed before the Ancestor. D. Existence, by nothing bred, Breeds everything. Parent of the universe, It smooths rough edges, Unties hard knots, Tempers the sharp sun, Lays blowing dust, Its image in the wellspring never fails. But how was it conceived? this image Of no other sire |
| A. Is then the world unkind?
And does it treat all things Like straw dogs used in matic rites? The Wise Man too, is he unkind? And does he treat the folk
Like straw dogs made to throw away? Between the earth and sky The space is like a bellows, Empty but unspent.
When moved its gift is copious. Much talk means much exhaustion;
Better far it is to keep your thoughts! Heaven and earth are ruthless; They see the ten thousand things as dummies. The wise are ruthless;
They see the People as dummies. The space between heaven and earth is like a bellows. The shape changes but not the form; The more it moves, the more it yields.
More words count less. Hold fast to the center. | B. Heaven and Earth are ruthless;
To them the Ten Thousand Things are but as straw dogs. The Sage too is ruthless; To him the people are but as straw dogs. Yet Heaven and Earth and all that lies between Is like a bellows In that it is empty, but gives a supply that never fails. Work it, and more comes out. Whereas the force of words is soon spent.
Far better is it to keep what is in the heart. D. Nature, immune as to a sacrifice of straw dogs, Faces the decay of its fruits. A sound man, immune as to a sacrifice of straw dogs, Faces the passing of human generations. The universe, like a bellows, Is always emptying, always full: The more it yields, the more it holds. Men come to their wit's end arguing about it And had better meet it at the marrow |
| A. The valley spirit is not dead:
They say it is the mystic female. Her gateway is, they further say,
The base of earth and heaven Constantly, and so forever,
Use her without labor. C. The valley spirit never dies; It is the woman, primal mother. Her gateway is the root of heaven and earth. It is like a veil barely seen.
Use it; it will never fail. | B. The Valley Spirit never dies.
It is named the Mysterious Female. And the Doorway of the Mysterious Female Is the base from which Heaven and Earth sprang. It is there within us all the while;
Draw upon it as you will, it never runs dry. D. The breath of life moves through a deathless valley Of mysterious motherhood Which conceives and bears the universal seed, The seeming of a world never to end, Breath for men to draw from as they will: And the more they take of it, the more remains |
| A. The sky is everlasting
And the earth is very old. Why so? Because of the world Exists not for itself;
It can and will live on The Wise Man chooses to be last And so become the first of all; Denying self, he too is saved. For does he not fulfillment find
In being an unselfish man? C. Heaven and earth last forever. Why do heaven and earth last forever? They are unborn, So ever living. The sage stays behind, thus he is ahead. He is detached, thus at one with all.
Through selfless action, he attains fulfillment. | B. Heaven is eternal, the Earth everlasting.
How come they to be so? It is because they do not foster their own lives; That is why they live so long. Therefore the Sage Puts himself in the background; but is always to the fore. Remains outside; but is always there. Is it not just because he does not strive for any personal end
That all his personal ends are fulfilled? D. The universe is deathless, Is deathless because, having no finite self, It stays infinite. A sound man by not advancing himself Stays the further ahead of himself By not confining himself to himself Sustains himself outside himself: By never being an end in himself He endlessly becomes himself. |
| A. The highest goodness, waterlike,
Does good to everything and goes Unmurmuring to places men despise;
But so, is close in nature to the Way. If the good of the house is from land, Or the good of the mind is its depth, Or love is the virtue of friendship, Or honesty blesses one's talk, Or in government, goodness is order, Or in business, skill is admired, Or the worth of an act lies in timing, Then peace is the goal of the Way
By which no one ever goes astray. C. The highest good is like water. Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive.
It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao. In dwelling, be close to the land. In meditation, go deep in the heart. In dealing with others, be gentle and kind. In speech, be true. In ruling, be just. In business, be competent.
In action, watch the timing. No fight: No blame. | B. The highest good is like that of water. The goodness of water is that it benefits the ten thousand creatures; yet itself does not scramble, but is content with the places that all men disdain. It is this that makes water so near to the Way.
And if men think the ground the best place for building a house upon, If among thoughts they value those that are profound, If in friendship they value gentleness In words, truth; in government, good order; In deeds, effectiveness; in actions, timeliness In each case it is because they prefer what does not lead to strife,
And therefore does not go amiss. D. Man at his best, like water, Serves as he goes along: Like water he seeks his own level, The common level of life, Loves living close to the earth, Living clear down in his heart, Loves kinship with his neighbors, The pick of words that tell the truth, The even tenor of a wellrun state, The fair profit of able dealing, The right timing of useful deeds, And for blocking no one's way No one blames him. |
| A. To take all you want
Is never as good As to stop when you should. Scheme and be sharp And you'll not keep it long. One never can guard His home when it's full Of jade and fine gold: Wealth, power and pride Bequeath their own doom. Then fame and success Come to you, then retire.
This is the ordained Way. C. Better stop short than fill to the brim. Oversharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt. Amass a store of gold and jade, and no one can protect it. Claim wealth and titles, and disaster will follow. Retire when the work is done. This is the way of heaven. | B. Stretch a bow to the very full,
And you will wish you had stopped in time; Temper a swordedge to its very sharpest, And you will find it soon grows dull. When bronze and jade fill your hall It can no longer be guarded. Wealth and place breed insolence That brings ruin in its train. When your work is done, then withdraw!
Such is Heaven's Way. D. Keep stretching a bow You repent of the pull, A whetted saw Goes thin and dull, Surrounded with treasure You lie ill at ease, Proud beyond measure You come to your knees: Do enough, without vieing, Be living, not dying. |
| A. Can you govern your animal soul, hold to the One and never depart from it?
Can you throttle your breath, down to the softness of breath in a child? Can you purify your mystic vision and wash it until it is spotless? Can you love all your people, rule over the land without being known? Can you be like a female, and passively open and shut heaven's gates?
Can you keep clear in your mind the four quarters of earth and not interfere? Quicken them, feed them; Quicken but do not possess them. Act and be independent; Be the chief out never the lord:
This describes the mystic virtue. C. Carrying body and soul and embracing the one, Can you avoid separation? Attending fully and becoming supple, Can you be as a newborn babe? Washing and cleansing the primal vision, Can you be without stain? Loving all men and ruling the country, Can you be without cleverness? Opening and closing the gates of heaven, Can you play the role of woman? Understanding and being open to all things, Are you able to do nothing? Giving birth and nourishing, Bearing yet not possessing, Working yet not taking credit, Leading yet not dominating, This is the Primal Virtue. | B. Can you keep the unquiet physical soul from straying, hold fast to the Unity, and never quit it?
Can you, when concentrating your breath, make it soft like that of a little child? Can you wipe and cleanse your vision of the Mystery till all is without blur? Can you love the people and rule the land, yet remain unknown? Can you in opening and shutting the heavenly gates play always the female part? Can your mind penetrate every corner of the land, but you yourself never interfere? Rear them, then, feed them, Rear them, but do not lay claim to them. Control them, but never lean upon them; Be chief among them, but do not manage them.
This is called the Mysterious Power D. Can you hold the door of your tent Wide to the firmament? Can you, with the simple stature Of a child, breathing nature, Become, notwithstanding, A man? Can you continue befriending with no prejudice, no ban? Can you, mating with heaven, Serve as the female part? Can your learned head take leaven From the wisdom of your heart? If you can bear issue and nourish its growing, If you can guide without claim or strife, If you can stay in the lead of men without their knowing, You are at the core of life. |
| A. Thirty spokes will converge
In the hub of a wheel; But the use of the cart Will depend on the part
Of the hub that is void. With a wall all around A clay bowl is molded; But the use of the bowl Will depend on the part
Of the bowl that is void. Cut out windows and doors In the house as you build; But the use of the house Will depend on the space
In the walls that is void. So advantage is had From whatever is there; But usefulness rises
From whatever is not. C. Thirty spokes share the wheel's hub; It is the center hole that makes it useful. Shape clay into a vessel; It is the space within that makes it useful. Cut doors and windows for a room; It is the holes which make it useful. Therefore profit comes from what is not there. | B. We put thirty spokes totether and call it a wheel;
But it is on the space where there is nothing that the usefulness of the wheel depends. We turn clay to make a vessel; But it is on the space where there is nothing that the usefulness of the vessel depends. We pierce doors and windows to make a house; And it is on these spaces where there is nothing that the usefulness of the house depends.
Therefore just as we take advantage of what is, we should recognize the usefulness of what is not. D. Thirty spokes are made one by holes in a hub By vacancies joining them for a wheel's use; The use of clay in moulding pitchers Comes from the hollow of its absence; Doors, windows, in house, Are used for their emptiness: Thus we are helped by what is not To use what is. |
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A. The five colors darken the eye; The five sounds will deaden the ear; The five flavors weary the taste; Chasing the beasts of the field Will drive a man mad. The goods that are hard to procure Are hobbles that slow walking feet. So the Wise Man will do What his belly dictates And never the sight of his eyes.
Thus he will choose this but not that. C. The five colors blind the eye. The five tones deafen the ear. The five flavors dull the taste. Racing and hunting madden the mind.
Precious things lead one astray. Therefore the sage is guided by what he feels and not by what he sees. He lets go of that and chooses this. | B. The five colours confuse the eye, The five sounds dull the ear, The five tastes spoil the palate. Excess of hunting and chasing Makes minds go mad. Products that are hard to get Impede their owner's movements. Therefore the Sage Considers the belly not the eye.
Truly, 'he rejects that but takes this'. D. The five colors can blind, The five tones deafen, The five tastes cloy. The race, the hunt, can drive men mad And their booty leave them no peace. Therefore a sensible man Prefers the inner to the outer eye: He has his yes he has his no. |
| A. "Favor, like disgrace
Brings trouble with it; High rank, like self,
Involves acute distress.'' What does that mean, to say That "favor, like disgrace Brings trouble with it"? When favor is bestowed
On one of low degree, Trouble will come with it. The loss of favor too Means trouble for that man. This, then, is what is meant By "favor, like disgrace
Brings trouble with it." What does it mean, to say That "rank, like self, Involves acute distress"? I suffer most because Of mean selfishness. If I were selfless, then
What suffering would I bear? In governing the world, Let rule entrusted be To him who trusts his rank As if it were his soul; World sovereignty can be Committed to that man Who loves all people
As he loves himself. | B. Favour and disgrace goad as it were to madness; high rank hurts keenly as our bodies hurt." What does it mean to say that favour and disgrace good as it were to madness? It mean that when a ruler's subjects get it they turn distraught, when they lose it they turn distraught. That is what is meant by saying favour and disgrace goad as it were to madness. What does it mean to say that high rank hurts keenly as our bodies hurt? The only reason that we suffer hurt is that we have bodies if we had no bodies, how could we suffer? Therefore we may accept the saying: "He who in dealing with the empire regards his high rank as thou" it were his body is the best person to be entrusted with rule; he who in dealing with the empire loves his subjects as one should love one's body is the best person to whom one can commit the empire. |
| C. Accept disgrace willingly.
Accept misfortune as the human condition. What do you mean by "Accept disgrace willingly"? Accept being unimportant. Do not be concerned with loss or gain.
This is called "accepting disgrace willingly. " What do you mean by "Accept misfortune as the human condition''? Misfortune comes from having a body.
Without a body, how could there be misfortune? Surrender yourself humbly; then you can be trusted to care for all things. Love the world as your own self; when you can truly care for all things. | D. Favor and disfavor have been called equal worries,
Success and failure have been called equal. ailments. How can favor and disfavor be called equal worries? Because winning favor burdens a man With the fear of losing it. How can success and failure be called equal ailments? Because a man thinks of the personal body as self. When he no longer thinks of the personal body as self Neither failure nor success can ail him. One who knows his lot to be the lot of all other men Is a safe man to guide them. |
| A. They call it elusive, and say
That one looks But it never appears. They say that indeed it is rare, Since one listens, But never a sound. Subtle, they call it, and say That one grasps it But never gets hold. These three complaints amount To only one, which is
Beyond all resolution. At rising, it does not illumine; At setting, no darkness ensues; It stretches far back To that nameless estate
Which existed before the creation. Describe it as form yet unformed; As shape that is still without shape; Or say it is vagueness confused: One meets it and it has no front;
One follows and there is no rear. If you hold ever fast To that most ancient Way, You may govern today. Call truly that knowledge Of primal beginnings The clue to the Way. | B. Because the eye gazes but can catch no glimpse of it,
It is called elusive. Because the ear listens hut cannot hear it, It is called rarefied. Because the hand feels for it but cannot find it, It is called the infinitesimal. These three, because they cannot be further scrutinized, Blend into one. Its rising brings no light; Its sinking, no darkness. Endless the series of things without name On the way back to where there is nothing. They are called shapeless shapes; Forms without form; Are called vague semblance's. Go towards them, and you can see no front; Go after them, and you see no rear. Yet by seizing on the 'day what was You can ride the things that are now. For to know what once there was, in the beginning, This is called the essence of the day. |
| A. The excellent masters of old,
Subtle, mysterious, mystic, acute, Were much too profound for their times. Since they were not then understood,
It is better to tell how they looked. Like men crossing streams in the winter, How cautious! As if all around there were danger, How watchful! As if they were guests on every occasion, How dignified! Like ice just beginning to melt, Selfeffacing! Like a woodblock untouched by a tool, How sincere! Like a valley awaiting a guest, How receptive!
Like a torrent that rushes along, And so turbid! Who, running dirty, comes clean like still waters? Who, being quiet, moves others to fullness of life? It is he who, embracing the Way, is not greedy; Who endures wear and tear without needing renewal. | B. Of old those that were the best officers of Court
Had inner natures subtle, abstruse, mysterious, penetrating, Too deep to be understood. And because such men could not be understood I can but tell of them as they appeared to the world: Circumspect they seemed, like one who in winter crosses a stream, Watchful, as one who must meet danger on every side. Ceremonious, as one who pays a visit; Yet yielding, as ice when it begins to melt. Blank, as a piece of uncarved wood; Yet receptive as a hollow in the hills. Murky, as a troubled stream Which of you can assume such murkiness, to become in the end still and clear? Which of you can make yourself inert, to become in the end full of life and stir? Those who possess this Tao do not try to fill themselves to the brim, And because they do not try to fill themselves to the brim They are like a garment that endures all wear and need never be resewed. |
| C. The ancient masters were subtle, mysterious, profound, responsive.
The depth of their knowledge is unfathomable. Because it is unfathomable, All we can do is describe their appearance. Watchful, like men crossing a winter stream. Alert, like men aware of danger. Courteous, like visiting guests. Yielding, like ice about to melt. Simple, like uncarved blocks of wood. Hollow, like caves.
Opaque, like muddy pools. Who can wait quietly while the mud settles? Who can remain still until the moment of action? Observers of the Tao do not seek fulfillment. Not seeking fulfillment, they are not swayed by desire for change. | D. Long ago the land was ruled with a wisdom oo fine, too deep, to be fully understood
And, since it was beyond men's full understanding, Only some of it has come down to us, as in these sayings: "Alert as a winterfarer on an icy stream," "Wary as a man in ambush," "Considerate as a welcome guest," "Selfless as melting ice," "Green as an uncut tree," "Open as a valley," And this one also. "Roiled as a torrent," Why roiled as a torrent? Because when a man is in turmoil how shall he find peace Save by staying patient till the stream clears? How can a man's life keep its course If he will not let it flow? Those who flow as life flows know They need no other force: They feel no wear, they feel no tear, They need no mending, no repair. |
| A. Touch ultimate emptiness,
Hold steady and still. All things work together: I have watched them reverting, And have seen how they flourish
And return again, each to his roots. This, I say, is the stillness: A retreat to one's roots; Or better yet, return To the will of God, Which is, I say, to constancy, The knowledge of constancy I call enlightenment and say That not to know it
Is blindness that works evil. But when you know What eternally is so, You have stature And stature means righteousness And righteousness is kingly And kingliness divine And divinity is the Way
Which is final Then, though die,
You shall not perish. | B. Push far enough towards the Void,
Hold fast enough to Quietness, And of the ten thousand things none but can be worked on by you . I have beheld them, whither they go back. See, all things howsoever they flourish Return to the root from which they grew. This return to the root is called Quietness; Quietness is called submission to Fate; What has submitted to Fate has become part of the alwaysso. To know the always so is to be illumined; Not to know it, means to go blindly to disaster. He who knows the alwaysso has room in him for everything; He who has room in him for everything is without prejudice. To be without prejudice is to be kingly; To be kingly is to be of heaven; To be of heaven is to be in Tao. Tao is forever and he that possesses it, Though his body ceases, is not destroyed. |
| C. Empty yourself of everything.
Let the mind rest at peace. The ten thousand things rise and fall while the Self watches their return. They grow and flourish and then return to the source. Returning to the source is stillness, which is the way of nature. The way of nature is unchanging. Knowing constancy is insight. Not knowing constancy leads to disaster. Knowing constancy, the mind is open. With an open mind, you will be openhearted. Being openhearted, you will act royally. Being royal, you will attain the divine. Being divine, you will be at one with the Tao. Being at one with the Tao is eternal.
And though the body dies, the Tao will never pass away. | D. Be utterly humble
And you shall hold to the foundation of peace. Be at one with all these living things which, having arisen and flourished, Return to the quiet whence they came, Like a healthy growth of vegetation Falling back upon the root. Acceptance of this return to the root has been called "quietism. " Acceptance of quietism has been condemned as "fatalism " But fatalism is acceptance of destiny And to accept destiny is to face life with open eyes, Whereas not to accept destiny is to face death blindfold. He who is openeyed is openminded, He who is openminded is openhearted, He who is openhearted is kingly, He who is kingly is godly, He who is godly is useful, He who is useful is infinite, He who is infinite is immune, He who is immune is immortal. |
| A. As for him who is highest,
The people just know he is there. His deputy's cherished and praised; Of the third, they are frightened; The fourth, they despise and revile. If you trust people less than enough,
Some of them never trust you. He is aloof, as if his talk Were priced beyond the purchasing; But once his project is contrived, The folk will want to say of it:
"Of course! We did it by ourselves!" C. The very highest is barely known by men. Then comes that which they know and love, Then that which is feared,
Then that which is despised.
He who does not trust enough will not be trusted. When actions are performed Without unnecessary speech,
People say, "We did it!" | B. Of the highest the people merely know that such a one exists;
The next they draw near to and praise. The next they shrink from, intimidated; but revile. Truly, "It is by not believing people that you turn them into liars." But from the Sage it is so hard at any price to get a single word That when his task is accomplished, his work done,
Throughout the country every one says "It happened of its own accord". D. A leader is best When people barely know that he exists, Not so good when people obey and acclaim him, Worst when they despise him. "Fail to honor people, They fail to honor you;" But of a good leader, who talks little, When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, They will all say, "We did this ourselves." |
| A. The mighty Way declined among the folk
And then came kindness and morality. When wisdom and intelligence appeared, They brought with them a great hypocrisy. The six relations were no more at peace, So codes were made to regulate our homes. The fatherland grew dark, confused by strife:
Official loyalty became the style. C. When the great Tao is forgotten, Kindness and morality arise. When wisdom and intelligence are born,
The great Pretense begins. When there is no peace within the family, Filial piety and devotion arise. When the country is confused and in chaos,
Loyal ministers appear. | B. It was when the Great Way declined
That human kindness and morality arose; It was when intelligence and knowledge appeared That the Great Artifice began. It was when the six near ones were no longer at peace That there was talk of "dutiful sons"; Nor till fatherland was dark with strife
Did we hear of "loyal slaves". D. When people lost sight of the way to live Came codes of love and honesty, Learning came, charity came, Hypocrisy took charge; When differences weakened family ties Came benevolent fathers and dutiful sons; And when lands were disrupted and misgoverned Came ministers commended as loyal. |
| A. Get rid of the wise men!
Put out the professors! Then people will profit A hundredfold over. Away with the kind ones; And let people return To the graces of home. Root out the artisans; Banish the profiteers! And bandits and robbers
Will not come to blunder. But if these three prove not enough To satisfy the mind and heart, More relevant, then, let there be A visible simplicity of life, Embracing unpretentious ways, And small selfinterest
And poverty of coveting. C. Give up sainthood, renounce wisdom,
And it will be a hundred times better for everyone. Give up kindness, renounce morality,
And men will rediscover filial piety and 1ove Give up ingenuity, renounce profit,
And bandits and thieves will disappear. These three are outward forms alone; they are not sufficient in themselves. It is more important To see the simplicity, To realize one's true nature, To cast off selfishness And temper desire. | B. Banish wisdom, discard knowledge,
And the people will be benefited a hundredfold. Banish human kindness, discard morality, And the people will be dutiful and compassionate. Banish skill, discard profit, And thieves and robbers will disappear. If when these three things are done they find life too plain and unadorned, Then let them have accessories; Give them Simplicity to look at, the Uncarved Block to hold,
Give them selflessness and fewness of desires. D. Rid of formalized wisdom and learning People would be a hundredfold happier, Rid of conventionalized duty and honor People would find their families dear, Rid of legalized profiteering People would have no thieves to fear These methods of life have failed, all three, Here is the way, it seems to me: Set people free, As deep in their hearts they would like to be, From private greeds And wanton needs. |
| A. Be done with rote learning
And its attendant vexations; For is there distinction Of a "yes" from a "yea" Comparable now to the gulf Between evil and good? "What all men fear, I too must fear"-
How barren and pointless a thought! The reveling of multitudes At the feast of Great Sacrifice, Or up on the terrace At carnival in spring, Leave me, alas, unmoved, alone,
Like a child that has never smiled. Lazily, I drift As though I had no home. All others have enough to spare; I am the one left out. I have the mind of a fool, Muddled and confused! When common people scintillate I alone make shadows. Vulgar folks are sharp and knowing: Only I am melancholy. Restless like the ocean, Blown about, I cannot stop. Other men can find employment,
But I am stubborn; I am mean. Alone I am and different, Because I prize and seek My sustenance from the Mother! | B. Banish learning, and there will be no more grieving,
Between we and o What after all is the difference? Can it be compared to the difference between good and bad? The saying "what others avoid I too most avoid" How false and superficial it is! All men, indeed, are wreathed in smiles, As though feasting after the Great Sacrifice, As though going up to the Spring Carnival. I alone am inert, like a child that has not vet given sign; Like an infant that has not yet smiled. I droop and drift, as though I belonged nowhere. All men have enough and to spare; I alone seem to have lost everything. Mine is indeed the mind of a very idiot, So dull am I. The world is full of people that shine; I a1one am dark. |
| C. Give up learning, and put an end to your troubles.
Is there a difference between yes and no? Is there a difference between good and evil? Must I fear what others fear? What nonsense! Other people are contented, enjoying the sacrificial feast of the ox. In spring some go to the park, and climb the terrace, But I alone am drifting, not knowing where I am. Like a newborn babe before it learns to smile,
I am alone, without a place to go. Others have more than they need, but I alone have nothing. I am a fool. Oh, yes! I am confused. Other men are clear and bright, But I alone am dim and weak. Other men are sharp and clever, But I alone am dull and stupid. Oh, I drift like the waves of the sea,
Without direction, like the restless wind. Everyone else is busy, But I alone am aimless and depressed. I am different.
I am nourished by the great mother. | D. Leave off fine learning! End the nuisance
Of saying yes to this and perhaps to that. Distinctions with how little difference! Categorical this, categorical that, What slightest use are they! If one man leads, another must follow, How silly that is and how false! Yet conventional men lead an easy life With all their days feastdays, A constant spring visit to the Tall Tower, While I am a simpleton, a donothing, Not big enough yet to raise a hand, Not grown enough to smile, A homeless, worthless waif. Men of the world have a surplus of goods, While I am left out, owning nothing. What a booby I must be Not to know my way round, What a fool! The average man is so crisp and so confident That I ought to be miserable Going on and on like the sea, Drifting nowhere. All these people are making their mark in the world, While I, pigheaded , awkward, Different from the rest, Am only a glorious infant still nursing at the breast. |
| A. The omnipresent Virtue will take shape
According only to the Way. The Way itself is like some thing Seen in a dream, elusive, evading one. In it are images, elusive, evading one. In it are things like shadow in twilight. In it are essences, subtle but real, Embedded in truth. From of old until now, Under names without end, The First, the Beginning is seen. How do I know the beginning of all, What its nature may be?
By these! C. The greatest Virtue is to follow Tao and Tao alone. The Tao is elusive and intangible. Oh, it is intangible and elusive, and yet within is image. Oh, it is elusive and intangible, and yet within is form. Oh, it is dim and dark, and yet within is essence. This essence is very real, and therein lies faith. From the very betinning until now its name has never been forgotten. Thus I perceive the creation. How do I know the ways of creation? Because of this. | B. Such the scope of the Allpervading Power
That it alone can act through the Way. For the Way is a thing impalpable, incommensurable. Incommensurable, impalpable. Yet latent in it are forms; Impalpable, incommensurable Yet within it are entities. Shadowy it is and dim; Yet within it there is a force, A force that though rarefied Is none the less efficacious. From the time of old till now Its charm has not departed But cheers onward the many warriors. How do I know that the many warriors are so?
Through this. D. The surest test if a man be sane Is if he accepts life whole, as it is, Without needing by measure or touch to understand The measureless untouchable source Of its images, The measureless untouchable source Of its substances, The source which, while it appears dark emptiness, Brims with a quick force Farthest away And yet nearest at hand From oldest time unto this day, Charging its images with origin: What more need I know of the origin Than this? |