Line by Line - Verse 34, Lines 4-5

It clothes all things as with a garment, and makes no assumption of being their lord;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

It nourishes the ten thousand things,
And yet is not their lord.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

It clothes and feeds myriad things, but does not rule over them
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Everything comes from Tao,
but Tao doesn't call attention to itself.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

This thing that undergirds existence is ever present and yet we have no idea what it is. We can't see, hear, taste, touch or envision it. We can't communicate with it. We certainly can't comprehend it.

For all that we don't understand about it, it persists. It makes our lives and all that goes with it possible. We are beholden to this mysterious force that pervades all things.

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