| 1 |
|
The people do not fear death; to what purpose is it to (try to)
frighten them with death? If the people were always
in awe of death,
and I could always seize those who do wrong, and put
them to death,
who would dare to do wrong? |
If the people do not fear death, how can they be frightened by death? If we
make people fear death, and supposing some would
[still] venture to rebel, if we seize them for capital
punishment, who will dare? |
If the people do not fear death, how can one frighten them with death? If we
teach people to fear death, then when one rebels he
can be seized and executed; after that who will dare
to rebel? |
| 2 |
|
There is always One who presides over the infliction death. 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. Seldom is it that he who
undertakes the hewing, instead of the great carpenter,
does not cut his own hands! |
There is always an executioner who kills. Now to take the place of the executioner
who kills is taking the place of the great carpenter
who hews. If a man takes the place of the great carpenter
who hews, he will rarely, indeed, fail to injure his
hand.
|
There is always an officer to execute a murderer, but if one takes the place
of the executioner, it is like taking the place of
a skilled carpenter at his hewing. If one takes the
place of the skilled carpenter he is liable to cut
himself. (Therefore do not interfere with Dao.) |
