And good-taste in their clothing,
Find contentment in their homes
And be happy with their lives.
Though the next state can be seen
And its barking and cock crows heard,
The people of one state will age and die
Without having to deal with the other.
81
True words are rarely elaborate.
Elaborate words are rarely truthful.
Good words are rarely eloquent.
Eloquent words are rarely good.
He who knows is rarely learned.
He who is learned rarely knows.
The wise do not hoard wisdom.
Giving to others what they have
They have still more.
Sharing what they have with others
They are richer still.
Heaven抯 Way helps and never harms.
The Way of the wise is generous
And free from all contention.
English_Kromal_TTK
Das Tao Te King von Lao Tse
Chinese (Wang Bi) - English by
Karl Kromal, 2002
Vorwort/Foreword
The Chinese text used for this translation is from Tao Teh Ching by John C. H. Wu, copyright 1961 by St. John's University Press, which itself was taken from Wang Pi's edition of the original text of Lao Tse (Lao Chieh Lao edition, compiled by Ts'ai T'ing Kan, printed privately in 1922).
In verse 73, the interpolated lines from verse 63 have been ignored.
Three Chinese-English dictionaries were consulted ...
1) the New Lin Yutang Chinese-English Dictionary, edited by Lai Ming and Lin Tai-Yi, copyright 1987 by the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Panorama Press Ltd.
2) the Mathews' Chinese-English Dictionary, Harvard UP, 1943
3) the Great Chinese Literary Dictionary, Taibei Chinese Culture University, 1984
...the latter two by the Transparent Language service (www.transparent.com).
The English is as true to the original text as possible, given my rudimentary Chinese and the cultural and temporal gap of 25 intervening centuries. Interpretation is minimal, in favor of literal translation (Nameless Simplicity, No Desire), although specialized phrases (doubled characters, idioms, administrative ranks) may well be incorrect. The meaning is clear enough, and the structure of the original lines is preserved.
Comments and corrections are encouraged, and I apologize in advance to those more qualified for the task.
1
The perceived Way is not the eternal Way.
The common name is not the eternal Name.
The Beginning of Heaven and Earth has no name.
The Mother of all things has a name.
Free of desire, behold its mystery.
Bound by desire, observe only its form.
These two are the same, but their forms bear different names.
Together, they are a mystery, subtle and profound,
the gateway to understanding.
2
Everyone under Heaven knows Beautiful;
this defines Beautiful as well as Ugly.
Everyone knows Good;
this defines Good as well as Bad.
Thus, Being and non-Being co-exist with each other,
Difficult and Easy complement each other,
Long and Short oppose each other,
High and Low merge with each other,
Sound and Noise blend with each other,
Front and Back relate to each other.
This is how the wise man can do without doing,
and teach without speaking.
All things are done without words.
Create and do not possess.
Govern and do not exploit.
Achieve the results and depart.
Depart to be remembered.
3
Do not esteem Wisdom, and people will not argue.
Do not covet unobtainable goods, and people will not steal.
Do not harbor desires, and peoples' hearts will not be confused.
Thus does the wise man govern.
Empty the mind and fill the stomach.
Weaken the ambition and strengthen the body.
Often, if people are ignorant, they have no motivation,
and when informed will not venture to act.
Govern without acting.
Rule without administration.
4
Tao is empty; and when used, never fills up.
It is Deep, like the ancestor of all things.
Round the edges,
end the separation,
merge with the light,
join with the dust.
It is clear, yet still seems to exist.
I do not know whose child it is.
It is older than the appearance of Ti.
5
Heaven and Earth are not benevolent,
treating all things as straw dogs.
The wise man is not compassionate,
governing all people as straw dogs.
Is Heaven and Earth not like a bellows;
Empty and straight, then active and fruitful ?
Words are often inadequate, unlike keeping the center.
6
The Valley Spirit does not die, and must be the Mystic Female.
The house of the Mystic Female must be the origin of Heaven and Earth.
Diffuse and ethereal, it works without effort.
7
Heaven is everlasting, Earth is enduring.
Heaven and Earth have existed since the dawn of time.
They do this not for themselves, and therefore endure.
Thus does the wise man retire, and therefore lead;
renounce himself to save himself.
Unselfishness is self-fulfillment.
8
The greatest Good is like water.
The Goodness of Water benefits all things without struggle;
like Tao, choosing places men avoid.
A good dwelling has land.
A good mind is profound.
Good relations are benevolent.
Good speech is true.
Good leaders take charge.
Good actions are skillful.
Good movement is well timed.
Heaven alone is beyond dispute, and therefore blameless.
9
Keeping your gains
is not as good as knowing when to stop.
Concealed weapons will not long protect you.
A house full of gold and jade cannot be guarded.
Wealth, riches and pride indeed bring misfortune.
Retire when the work is done.
This is the Way of Heaven.
10
Nourish your Spirit; can you accept all things without distinction ?
Focus your energy; can you be pliant as a new-born babe ?
Dispel the darkness; can you observe without criticizing ?
Love the people; can you govern without Knowledge ?
Reach Heaven's gate; can you do it without gentleness ?
Understand the goal; can you succeed without action ?
Produce and save.
Create and do not possess.
Govern, and do not exploit.
Lead, and do not kill.
This is Mystic Virtue.
11
Thirty spokes join at the hub,
but the space between them makes the cart useful.
Capacity defines a vessel,
but emptiness makes it useful.
Doors and windows define a house,
but emptiness makes the house livable.
Being defines a resource,
while non-Being governs its use.
12
The five colors make one's eyes blind.
The five tones make one's ears deaf.
The five flavors make one's palate dull.
The mad dash of the hunt makes one's heart wild.
Hard to obtain goods promote theft.
Thus is the wise man led by the mind, not the eye,
to choose the former over the latter.
13
Favor and Disgrace are both alarming.
Possessions are a great concern to one's Self.
Why say that 'Favor and Disgrace are both alarming' ?
Favor does not appear alarming, but loss of Favor is alarming.
This means that both Favor and Disgrace are alarming.
Why say that 'Possessions are a great concern to one's Self' ?
Whatever I own causes great worry, and affects my Self.
Compared to non-Self, what a great concern is Self.
Therefore, Self is governed by Possessions, rather than Heaven,
and can not be delivered to Heaven.
Self is governed by (self-) Love, rather than Heaven,
and can not be entrusted to Heaven.
14
Look; not seeing, call it invisible.
Listen; not hearing, call it silent.
Touch; not feeling, call it intangible.
These three fail to provide answers,
and are therefore combined into one.
It is above, but not recognized.
It is below, but not hiding.
A guideline without name, it returns to Nothing.
Its appearance has no shape, Nothing is its form.
It seems an illusion.
Approaching, it has no head.
Withdrawing, it has no back.
It continues its ancient ways,
controls the present,
knows the Primal Beginning.
This is the Way of Time.
15
In the beginning, those who worked the land
were modest and charming, with profound understanding.
Their depth was not easy to recognize.
And if not easy to recognize,
perhaps it is better just to describe their appearance.
They were crossing a river in Winter, so it seemed.
Respectful of their four neighbors. Solemn in appearance.
They always seemed thankful, as if pardoned just yesterday.
Their simple honesty was sincere, and broad as a valley.
Without a purpose, they appeared dull.
He who can be dull, has a quiet serenity.
He who is at peace, can withstand a lifetime of hard work.
He who keeps this Way can not ask for more;
and not asking for more, need not hide his achievements.
16
Let emptiness prevail.
Maintain deep silence.
All things arise.
I can observe their return.
They flourish, then each returns to its center,
returns to its unchanging center.
This implies a return to life.
A return to life is the Norm.
To know the Norm leads to understanding.
To ignore the Norm is absurd, and leads to disaster.
To know the Norm is Tolerance.
Tolerance is Justice.
To be Just is to rule.
Sovereignty comes from Heaven.
Heaven is the Way.
The Way is eternal.
The disappearance of the body is not to be feared.
17
The best rulers are barely known to their subjects.
The next best are loved and praised.
The next are feared.
And the worst are insulted.
The dishonest are not trusted.
Good advice is soon forgotten.
Once the results are achieved,
everyone takes credit.
18
When great Tao is neglected,
there will be artificial charity.
When wisdom and cleverness appear,
there will be great pretentions.
When the six family relations are not in harmony,
there will be filial compassion.
When politicians are confused,
there will be loyal ministers.
19
Renounce experts, forsake wisdom,
and people gain a hundred fold.
Renounce charity, forsake justice,
and people return to filial compassion.
Renounce cleverness, forsake profit,
and thieves and robbers disappear.
These three can not be stressed enough.
Instead, there are regulations !
Dress plainly, live simply,
with few possessions and few needs.
20
Be done with Knowledge and free of worry.
Is not 'Yes' the same as agreement ?
Do not Good and Evil occur together ?
People cannot control their fears,
and the foolishness is not yet over.
Most men are prosperous and happy.
They enjoy great strength, and climb the terraces in Spring.
I alone am silent, giving no sign,
as a new-born babe before its first breath;
exhausted beyond recovery.
Most men have energy to spare.
I alone seem lost, my foolish heart muddled.
Worldly men are clear and manifest;
I alone seem dim and confused.
Worldly men inquire and examine;
I alone am sad and depressed, indifferent as the ocean.
A constant wind has no equal.
Most men have ambition, while I alone am stubborn and provincial.
I alone am unusual among men, seeking the Mother's breast.
21
Tolerance is a Virtue.
Only Tao professes this.
Only Tao governs things thus.
Very elusive, very evasive; evasive and elusive.
Its Center takes material form, but is elusive and evasive.
Its Center contains images.
Elusive and evasive, its Center contains things.
Deep and Profound, its Center contains its Essence.
Its Essence is very real. Its Center is true.
From the Beginning to the Present, its name has been preserved.
It takes many names.
How do I know the many names it takes ?
By this.
22
Yield to be Whole. Bend to be Straight.
Keep low to be Full. Wear out to Renew.
Having little allows gain. Having much causes confusion.
Thus does the wise man embrace the One, and is a model under Heaven.
Not self-centered, and therefore discerning.
Not self-absorbed, and therefore distinguished.
Not boastful, and therefore effective.
Not proud, and therefore fit for leadership.
Because he avoids disputes, he avoids worldly conflict.
Hence the old saying 'Yield to be whole'.
How else can Emptiness speak ?
Indeed, keep whole and complete.
23
Strive to express oneself correctly.
Just as a windstorm does not last all morning,
a sudden rain does not last all day.
What controls this is Heaven and Earth.
Even Heaven and Earth cannot make it last, so how can men ?
Therefore conduct affairs according to the Way.
The Taoist identifies with Tao.
The virtuous man identifies with Virtue.
The failure identifies with Loss.
Whoever identifies with Tao, must also love Tao.
Whoever identifies with Virtue, must also love Virtue.
Whoever identifies with Loss, must also love Loss.
The dishonest are not trusted.
24
He who stands on tiptoe, does not stand firmly.
He who crosses over, does not proceed.
The self-centered are not discerning.
The self-absorbed are not distinguished.
The boaster is not effective.
The proud are not Leaders.
On the road, excess food means extra work.
Such things are undesirable, and the traveller avoids them.
25
Before the creation of Heaven and Earth,
there was something complete and without purpose.
Silent and desolate. Standing alone and unchanging. Cyclic and untiring.
Able to be the Mother beneath Heaven.
I do not know its Name. Its character is 'Tao'.
Powerful and Great; its Greatness spreads,
spreads into the distance, and from the distance, returns.
Hence Tao is great. Heaven is great. Earth is great. The King also is
