Line by Line - Verse 78, Line 10

To him who bears men's direful woes
They all the name of King accord.'
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

He who takes upon himself the country's disasters deserves to be king of the universe.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

The one who accepts the misfortune of the state
Becomes king of the world
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

Deal with the world's problems,
and you'll be a Master."
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Again, let's listen to how Derek Lin ties this line back into the imagery of water.

What happens when we encounter misfortune? If we can be like water, then we, too, will have the depth of character to contain difficulties and disappointments.

To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.