The Tao Te Ching (verses 59 – 63), as translated by Daniel June
[
59.
In ruling humanity and serving heaven
Nothing beats moderation.
Truly! Moderation gives quick self-correction
Quick self-correction grants a heavy harvest of power.
A heavy harvest of power overcomes all.
Overcoming all means knowing no limits.
Knowing no limits, one can thereby rule humanity.
Ruling over the state, its Mother can long abide.
Deep roots, sturdy stem, immortality
A lasting insight into the Way.
60.
Govern a big state as you would fry small fish.
Govern the world with the Way
And the tricky imps will forfeit power.
Not only will they lose their power
But the power they do have can’t harm the people.
Not only will their power not harm the people
The sage is also spared.
Truly neither is hurt.
Thus, their virtue united intensifies both.
61.
The great state flows down like a river
Towards the union of heaven and earth.
The female through stillness
Constantly overcomes the male.
By holding still, lowers the big state.
The great state bows to the small.
That great state than overcomes the small.
The small under the great wins the great.
Thus the lower can win.
Others who are low also win.
The big state wants nothing more than to care for the small.
The small state want nothing more than to serve something great.
In this way both get what they want.
The greater rightly yields.
62.
The Tao stores all things like a granary.
They are the treasures of the virtuos,
Safe from the bad.
Eloquence can hence do her business.
Good deeds can hence make a man.
If the others are bad, why discard what we’ve got?
The king has three ministers
To give him jade and royal horses.
Preferable would it be to give them the Tao.
The Ancients indeed honor the Tao.
Don’t they say those who seek it are freed from sin?
They thus become the world’s prize.
63.
Act in relaxation,
Work without working,
Taste with indulging.
Magnify the small,
Increase the few.
Requite injury with kindness.
Prepare for difficulty when it is still easy
Take care of great matters when they are yet small
The world’s troubles being small enough.
The greatest enterprise starts tiny.
Thus the sage doesn’t attempt greatness
And thereby accomplishes it.
To promise rashly lacks conviction
Taking problems too lightly leads to problems.
The sage accepts the difficult for what it is.
Thus he escapes difficulty.
http://perfectidius.com/bookstore.html |
No comments:
Post a Comment