If he do act lightly, he has lost his root (of gravity);Each person should have some foundational principles that represent the core of what we believe. These are beliefs that are so strong that -- regardless of the situation -- it is a bridge we will not cross. If we lack core beliefs, then we can become easily manipulated by others and/or we will lead lives that take advantage of others and situations.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~
To be light is to lose one's root.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~
To be light is to lose one's root
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~
If you act lightly, you lose your bearings.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
But it is not enough to mumble words of conviction; the proof that we truly believe what we say is when the rubber hits the road. When we say one thing, but do the opposite, that is when others rightly accuse us of not walking our talk.
If a person is not rooted, then the winds of life will blow us this way and that.
To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.
As a poet, I've long been an advocate for night, darkness, silence, etc. I like to think that light only exists, or is necessary between things, but where there is connection, no light is necessary. It's like staring into your lover's eyes, you don't need to talk, you just know, the communication is on another level.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, this was just my reaction to the line. Your analysis makes sense too. Just felt like expounding a bit.
Just found this super cool site, didn't know if you knew about it, but for the benefit of other readers want to post it here. It's a comparison of Tao Te Ching translations, line by line, a bit like you're doing but without commentary. Cool for us non-Chinese talkers. :)
ReplyDeletehttp://wayist.org/ttc%20compared/index.htm
From a slightly different, cultivation-oriented perspective, the root is thought of as the "life force." If you abandon it, the source of "qi", by losing the stillness, you lose mastery. Like a tree you don't water, it dries up, the leaves fall off, it dies.
ReplyDeleteYes, baroness. Cut off the roots and the tree dies. Plants need light, but also greatly need the soil-darkness.
ReplyDelete