| |
Original |
Legge's
Translation |
Susuki's
Translation |
Goddard's
Translation |
| 1 |
其政悶悶，其民淳淳﹔其政察察，其民缺缺。 |
The government that seems the most unwise,
Oft goodness to the people best supplies;
That which is meddling, touching everything,
Will work but ill, and disappointment bring.
|
Whose government is unostentatious, quite unostentatious, his people will be
prosperous, quite prosperous. Whose government is prying,
quite prying, his people will be needy, quite needy. |
When an administration is unostentatious the people are simple. When an administration
is inquisitive, the people are needy.
|
| 2 |
禍兮，福之所倚，福兮，禍
之所伏。孰知其極？ |
Misery!--happiness is to be found by its side! Happiness!--misery
lurks beneath it! Who knows what either will come to in the end?
|
Misery, alas! rests upon happiness. Happiness, alas! underlies misery. But who
foresees the catastrophe? It will not be prevented!
|
Misery, alas, supports happiness. Happiness, alas, conceals misery. Who knows
its limits? It never ceases.
|
| 3 |
其無正也。正復為奇，善復為妖。人之迷，其日固久
。 |
Shall we then dispense with correction? The (method of) correction
shall by a turn become distortion, and the good in it shall by a turn
become evil. The delusion of the people (on this point) has indeed
subsisted for a long time.
|
What is ordinary becomes again extraordinary. What is good becomes again unpropitious.
This bewilders people, and it happens constantly
since times immemorial.
|
The normal becomes the abnormal. The good in turn becomes unlucky. The people's
confusion is felt daily for a long time.
|
| 4 |
是以聖人方而不割，廉而不劌，直而不肆，光而不耀。 |
Therefore the sage is (like) a square which cuts no one (with its
angles); (like) a corner which injures no one (with its sharpness).
He is straightforward, but allows himself no license; he is bright,
but does not dazzle. |
Therefore the holy man is square but not sharp, strict but not obnoxious, upright
but not restraining, bright but not dazzling. |
Therefore the wise man is square, yet does not injure, he is angular but does
not annoy. He is upright but is not cross. He is bright
but not glaring. |
