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Fifty-five

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A person whom life fulfills,
Though she remains a child,
Wasps and serpents will not harm,
Wild beasts will not capture,
Birds of prey will not attack.

They need no more sinew and bone than a baby's for sure hold.
Without thought of the sexual, they are gender,
Which grows firm and does not fail.

Though their voice should call out at full pitch all day,
It would not grow hoarse, but stay tender
Through the perfect balancing
Of the person at endless ease with everything
Because of the life they have led.

This is harmony:
Knowing harmony is constancy,
Knowing constancy is enlightenment.

It is foolish to rush about
To control breath is to cause strain.
If too much energy is expended, exhaustion follows.

Let life ripen and fall.
Contesting with your will achieves nothing;
That which goes contrary to the way of life
Comes to an early end.


next up previous contents index
Next: Fifty-six Up: Tao Te Ching Previous: Fifty-four   Contents   Index
Henry Meyerding 2007-01-27