Lao Tzu: English Translations II
LAO TZU ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS I
Be Like Water
by Lao Tzu, translation by Michael R. Burch
The highest virtue resembles water
because water unselfishly benefits all life,
then settles, without contention or needless strife,
in lowly cisterns.
Weep for the Dead
by Lao Tzu, translation by Michael R. Burch
When seeing mounds of the dead
the virtuous weep for the loss of life.
When one is “victorious”
observe the mourning rites.
Avoid Boasting
by Lao Tzu, translation by Michael R. Burch
Rather than overfilling,
it’s better to stop in time
and avoid overspilling.
Though you hone it to a point,
the edge will soon be blunt.
Though the salesman’s exploits are crowed,
in the end, what real good was his gold?
Reticence, when the day’s work is done,
Is the Way of Heaven.
The Wise
by Lao Tzu, translation by Michael R. Burch
The multitudes satisfy their eyes, tummies and ears, again and again,
while the wise consider them children.
Naming the Nameless
by Lao Tzu, translation by Michael R. Burch
Tao can be discussed, but never the Eternal Tao.
Names can be named, but never the Eternal Name.
There are known paths yet the Way remains uncharted.
The origin of the universe must be forever nameless
unless we call her the Mother of All.
Always the Secret awaits insight.
Thus when seeking the Ever-Hidden, we must consider its inner essence;
when seeking the Always-Manifest, we must consider its outer aspects.
Both flow freely from the same source, despite their different appellations
and both are rightly called mysteries.
The Mystery of mysteries is the Gateway to all Secrets,
the Door to all beginnings.
The Fountainhead
by Lao Tzu, translation by Michael R. Burch
Tao is all-pervasive,
an empty vessel yet fathomless,
the bottomless fountainhead from which everything springs!
It blunts the keen,
untangles the tied,
softens the glare,
harmonizes the light,
redistributes the dust motes more evenly,
resolves all complications.
A profoundly deep pool that is never exhausted,
the unknowable child who fathered the gods.
The Divine Feminine
by Lao Tzu, translation by Michael R. Burch
The Spirit is limitless.
We call it the Divine Feminine,
from whom Heaven and Earth arose
and in whom they remain deeply rooted.
Delicate as gossamer, only dimly seen,
yet infinitely flexible, her strength inexhaustible.
Keywords/Tags: English Translation, Chinese, Tao, wise, wisdom, Heaven, mystery, way, Mother, life, name, nameless, dead, death, time, water, virtue
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