Line by Line - Verse 73, Lines 10-11

The meshes of the net of Heaven are large; far apart, but letting nothing escape.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Heaven's net casts wide.
Though its meshes are course, nothing slips through.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

The heavenly net is vast
Loose, and yet does not let anything slip through
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

"Heaven casts a wide net,
with big holes,"
Lao Tzu used to say,
"but nothing ever gets by it."
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Okay, you've had to put up with my incessant babbling all throughout this verse! We'll bring it to a close with the thoughts of Derek Lin.

The Tao is like a net that stretches across the cosmos. This matrix of existence is loose and relaxed, and yet it takes everything into account and does not leave anything out. Those who possess courage act in harmony within this net, and therefore appear to be favored by Heaven.

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