Line by Line - Verse 33, Line 8

he who dies and yet does not perish, has longevity.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

To die but not to perish is to be eternally present.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Those who die but do not perish have longevity
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

If you live your entire life,
you've really lived.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

I am going to share what Derek Lin has to say about this last line of Verse 33 -- with the understanding that Baroness Radon most likely will disagree. (Check the comments section to see if I'm right.) ;-)

To die and not perish means the memory of the deceased lives on. This, rather than the alchemical pursuit of immortality, is what we really mean by longevity. A noble goal for Tao cultivators is to live a life rich with meaning and full of the joy of helping others. Such a life continues on forever in the hearts of people -- remembered, cherished, and missed.

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