Prithwiraj Dhang, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
道德經 - 第十五章
古之善為士者，微妙玄通，深不可識。
夫唯不可識，故強為之容。
豫兮若冬涉川；猶兮若畏四鄰；
儼兮其若容；渙兮若冰之將釋；
敦兮其若樸；曠兮其若谷；
混兮其若濁；孰能濁以靜之徐清？
孰能安以久動之徐生？
保此道者，不欲盈。
夫唯不盈，故能蔽不新成。
Daodejing - Chapter Fifteen
The ancient masters were profound and subtle; their wisdom was unfathomable.
There is no way to describe it; all we can describe is their appearance.
They were careful as someone crossing an iced-over stream,
alert as a warrior in enemy territory,
courteous as a guest,
fluid as melting ice,
shapeable as a block of wood,
receptive as a valley,
clear as a glass of water.
Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles, and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?
The master doesn't seek fulfillment.
Not seeking, not expecting, she is present and can welcome all things.
References
- The above translation is based on the translation by poet, translator, scholar and anthologist, Stephen Mitchell. His reading of the work can be found on the following YouTube video: Tao Te Ching, The Book Of The Way by Lao Tzu: https://youtu.be/t109UFLSQhk?t=1473
- This chapter on the above video starts at 24:30 and ends at 25.50.
- You can find the complete 81 chapters of Daodejing in Chinese and English (James Legge version) in the ctext.org website: https://ctext.org/dao-de-jing
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