Line by Line - Verse 22, Line 4

the worn out, new.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Wear out and be new;
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Be worn out and become renewed
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

(No corresponding line)
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

This is yet another line that brings to mind the imagery of nature.

As I have discussed before, we have ripped out much of the grass in our front yard and replaced it with a variety of native plants. While a few of these are evergreens and grow year round, many are deciduous which means they go a bit dormant during the winter months.

All summer long our salmonberry bushes and red flowering currant were thick with bright green leaves and berries. However, as we entered autumn, the berries began to fall to the ground (the wildlife had a feast!) and the leaves began to lose their color. In time, the leaves turned brown and fell.

Come this spring, the cycle will continue unabated. What looks desolate and worn out today will be renewed.

To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.