Tao Te Ching...

verse for today (*):

He who has in himself abundantly the attributes
(of the Tao) is like an infant.
Poisonous insects will not sting him;
fierce beasts will not seize him;
birds of prey will not strike him.

(The infant's) bones are weak and its sinews soft,
but yet its grasp is firm.
It knows not yet the union of male and female,
and yet its virile member may be excited;
--showing the perfection of its physical essence.
All day long it will cry
without its throat becoming hoarse;
--showing the harmony (in its constitution).

To him by whom this harmony is known,
(The secret of) the unchanging (Tao) is shown,
And in the knowledge wisdom finds its throne.
All life-increasing arts to evil turn;
Where the mind makes the vital breath to burn,
(False) is the strength,
(and o'er it we should mourn.)

When things have become strong,
they (then) become old,
which may be said to be contrary to the Tao.
Whatever is contrary to the Tao soon ends.

(translation by James Legge, 1891)
-+-+-+-

He who is in harmony with the Tao
is like a newborn child.
Its bones are soft, its muscles are weak,
but its grip is powerful.
It doesn't know about the union
of male and female,
yet its member can stand erect,
so intense is its vital power.
It can scream its head off all day,
yet it never becomes hoarse,
so complete is its harmony.

The Master's power is like this.
He lets all things come and go
effortlessly, without desire.
He never expects results;
thus he is never disappointed.
He is never disappointed;
thus his spirit never grows old.

(translation by Stephen Mitchell, 1995)
-+-+-+-

Those who hold an abundance of virtue
Are similar to newborn infants
Poisonous insects do not sting them
Wild beasts do not claw them
Birds of prey do not attack them
Their bones are weak, tendons are soft
But their grasp is firm
They do not know of sexual union
but can manifest arousal
Due to the optimum of essence
They can cry the whole day and yet not be hoarse
Due to the optimum of harmony
Knowing harmony is said to be constancy
Knowing constancy is said to be clarity

Excessive vitality is said to be inauspicious
Mind overusing energy is said to be aggressive
Things become strong and then grow old
This is called contrary to the Tao
That which is contrary to the Tao will soon perish

(translation by Derek Lin, 2006)
-+-+-+-

A fairy tale: Zero disappears.
Believing this, one believes in youth's vigor,
One lusts for conquest and wealth,
Wine, women, and song.
Be Old, Poor, Hungry!

(translation by Jeremy M. Miller, 2013)
-+-+-+-

*) The

Tao Te Ching

is a Chinese classic.
It was written around the 6^th century BC by the sage Lao Tzu.
The short text consists of 81 brief chapters, or verses.
Every day we issue a "verse of the day" for contemplation, at first in two leading English translations (Mitchell and Lin), that nevertheless differ substantially.
Since December 8^th 2013, we had a radically different third translation:

"Nothingness and Zero"
A Post New-Age Approach to Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching, published by courtesy of the translator and interpreter.
© Copyright 2013 Jeremy M. Miller. All rights reserved.
Acknowledgments: The hundreds of prior translations, especially that by Arthur Waley.
To Pythagoras, who understood Zero and taught It; and to Chuang Tzu, the ideal poetic student.

On May 31^st 2024, we added the classic James Legge translation from 1891, and put it on top of the other three, in chronological order.

The I Ching is based on the number 2, with its 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 (2⁶) = 64 hexagrams.
The Tao Te Ching is based on the number 3, with its 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 = 81 chapters.
We now offer it in four translations.
Comparing these four translations can be fascinating.
Perhaps, when reflecting on the four interpretations, the true meaning will emerge.
These 81 verses simply rotate; every day the next number, and after 81, number 1 will appear again.
This is done deliberately; if you want to read the complete text, you should purchase the resp. translations by James Legge, Stephen Mitchell, Derek Lin or Jeremy M. Miller below.
(All four available in Kindle edition as well.)

If you want to have a peek at tomorrow's verse, you can read it at I Ching Online.NET, which is always one day ahead of ICHING.ONLINE.

Tao Te Ching

James Legge