Line by Line - Verse 55, Line 3

fierce beasts will not seize him;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Wild beasts will not pounce upon him;
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Wild beasts do not claw them
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

wild beasts can't attack him.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Derek Lin explains that "wild beasts represent fear and anger." Newborns know neither. They don't view the world as separate; it is seen as a mere extension of themselves!

As we grow beyond infancy, we learn the art of expectation. When we expect something to go this way or that and it doesn't, this is the point where fear, to a lesser extent, and anger, to a greater extent, kicks in. In most cases, when we temper our expectations, there is no place for anger.

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