Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Line by Line - Verse 70, Line 8

It is thus that the sage wears (a poor garb of) hair cloth, while he carries his (signet of) jade in his bosom.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Therefore the sage wears rough clothing and holds the jewel in his heart.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Therefore the sage wears plain clothes but holds jade
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

That's why the Masters live simply,
hiding their wisdom deep within themselves.

~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
John Lash notes something odd about the society we live in and it intersects with this final line of Verse 70.
In our society, those who violate nature and abuse man's humanity in the name of progress are rewarded. Those who live in humility without ambition are scorned.
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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