Line by Line - Verse 74, Lines 7-8

He who would inflict death in the room of him who so presides over it may be described as hewing wood instead of a great carpenter.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

If you try to take his place,
It is like trying to be a master carpenter and cutting wood.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

If we substitute for the master executioner to kill
It is like substituting for the great carpenter to cut
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

That'd be like walking up
to an industrial buzzsaw
and trying to use it
without any training.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

I take these lines as another way of stating that we err when we try to play God! It is when humanity takes on the roles of judge, jury and executioner that we stray from the path of Tao.

The great Way is impartial. All life one day will end in death which will nourish new life. When we intercede in this natural process by condemning some to early and needless death, we interrupt the flow of the cosmos to the detriment of all.

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