Line by Line - Verse 76, Line 4

at their death, dry and withered.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

At their death they are withered and dry.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

When dead, become dry and brittle
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Dead leaves are brittle and dry.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

As we grow older, we lose our flexibility. Physical activities that use to be no-brainers, now take careful planning, if we can do them at all. Our once-soft skin becomes wrinkled and, for many of us, our bones start to ache.

Once the life within us has been extinguished, rigor mortis quickly sets in. It takes great effort for someone else to move ANY of our limbs. It is like the blood that filled our veins has turned to cement.

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