Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Line by Line - Verse 39, Lines 1-5

The things which from of old have got the One (the Tao) are--
Heaven which by it is bright and pure;
Earth rendered thereby firm and sure;
Spirits with powers by it supplied;
Valleys kept full throughout their void

~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

These things from ancient times arise from one:
The sky is whole and clear.
The earth is whole and firm.
The spirit is whole and strong.
The valley is whole and full.

~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Those that attained oneness since ancient times:
The sky attained oneness and thus clarity
The earth attained oneness and thus tranquility
The gods attained oneness and thus divinity
The valley attained oneness and thus abundance

~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Since time began,
This is what it's meant
to be in touch with Tao:
Tao made the heavens clear.
Tao made the earth solid.
Tao made our spirits strong.
Tao made the valleys fertile.

~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
Here's how Derek Lin introduces the first part of Verse 39.
"Oneness" is a synonym for the Tao, because the Tao is the unifying principle at the core of everything. This oneness manifests itself not only in the external world but also in our inner selves. In fact, aspects of the external world reflect our internal world in highly specific ways. This is the key that will allow you to decode the following lines.
To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.

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