Line by Line - Verse 30, Line 5

In the sequence of great armies there are sure to be bad years.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Lean years follow in the wake of a great war.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Following the great army
There must be an inauspicious year
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

and a military victory always lies in ruins.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

If you doubt the veracity of this line, all you need to do is to look at Iraq. What was once a proud and rich nation -- before we started attacking it -- has been torn down. Residents of the city of Baghdad are lucky if they receive 4 hours of electricity per day and unemployment and poverty prevail. Iraqis, particularly children, now die from easily preventable disease.

Oh yes, lean years follow in the wake of a great war.

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