Chapter 50
"Exiting life, we enter death.
The followers of life are three out of ten, the followers of death are three out of ten; in the lives of the people, the dying grounds on which they are agitated are also three out of ten.
What is the reason?
Because of the seriousness with which they take life as life.
It has been said that those who maintain life well do not meet rhinos or tigers on land and do not arm themselves in war.
There is no way for rhinos to gore them; there is no way for tigers to claw them; there is no way for weapons to get at them.
Why?
Because they have no dying ground."
- Translated by Thomas Cleary, Chapter 50
"Men go out of life and enter into death.
The parts (proportions) of life are three in ten, the parts of death are also three in ten.
Men that from birth move towards the region of death are also three in ten.
Why is it so?
Because of their redundant effort in seeking to live.
But only those who do nothing for the purpose of living are better than those who prize their lives. For I have heard that he who knows well how to conserve life, when travelling on land, does not meet the rhinoceros or the tiger; when going to a battle, he is not attacked by arms and weapons.
The rhinoceros can find nowhere to drive his horn; the tiger can find nowhere to put his claws; the weapons can find nowhere to thrust their blades.
Why is it so?
Because he is far beyond the region of death."
- Translated by Ch'u Ta-Kao, 1904, Chapter 50
"Men go forth from Life and enter into Death.
The Gates of Life are thirteen in number; and the same are the Gates of Death.
By as many ways does life pass quickly into Death. And wherefore?
Because men strive only after the Sensuous Life.
It has been said that one who knows how to safeguard Life can go through the country without protection against the rhinoceros and tiger.
He may enter into battle without fear of the sword.
The rhinoceros finds no place wherein to drive his horn.
The tiger finds no place wherein to fix his claws.
The sword finds no place wherein to thrust itself.
Why is this?
It is because he has overcome Death."
- Translated by Walter Gorn Old, 1904, Chapter 50
"Death might appear to be the issue of life,
Since for every three out of ten being born
Three out of ten are dying.
Then why
Should another three out of ten continue breeding death?
By use of sheer madness to multiply.
But there is one out of ten, they say, so sure of life
That tiger and wild bull keep clear of his inland path.
Weapons turn from him on the battle-field,
No bull-horn could tell where to gore him,
No tiger-claw where to tear him,
No weapon where to enter him.
And why?
Because he has no death to die."
- Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 50
出生入死.
生之徒十有三.
死之徒十有三.
人之生動之死地亦十有三.
夫何故?
以其生生之厚.
蓋聞善攝生者.
陸行不遇兕.
虎入軍不被甲兵.
兕無所投其角.
虎無所措其爪.
兵無所容其刃.
夫何故?
以其無死地.
- Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 50
ch'u shêng ju ssu.
shêng chih t'u shih yu san.
ssu chih t'u shih yu san.
jên chih shêng tung chih ssu ti yi shih yu san.
fu ho ku?
yi ch'i shêng shêng chih hou.
kai wên shan shê shêng chê.
lu hsing pu yü hu.
ssu ju chün pu pei chia ping.
ssu wu so t'ou ch'i chiao.
hu wu so ts'u ch'i chao.
ping wu so jung ch'i jên.
fu ho ku?
yi ch'i wu ssu ti.
- Wade-Giles Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 50
"From coming out to life to going back to death:
Those companions (t'u) of life,
They are one-third (shih-yu-san);
Those companions of death,
They are one-third;
Those living but moving toward the place of death,
They are also one-third.
Why?
Because of the intense (hou) life-producing activity.
I have heard that one who knows how to nourish life,
On land meets no tigers or wild buffaloes,
In battle needs to wear no armors or weapons,
A wild buffalo has nowhere to butt its horns,
A tiger has nowhere to sink its claws,
A weapon has nowhere to enter its blade.
Why?
Because such a one has no place of death."
- Translated by Ellen M. Chen, Chapter 50
"Vivir es llegar y morir es volver.
Tres hombres de cada diez caminan hacia la vida.
Tres hombres de cada diez caminan hacia la muerte.
Tres hombres de cada diez mueren en el ansia de vivir.
Esto es porque viven sus vidas frenéticamente.
¿Cómo puede entonces sobrevivir el décimo hombre?
El hombre que sabe vivir
viaja sin temor a los búfalos y a los tigres,
y va desarmado al combate.
El búfalo no encuentra donde hincarle el cuerno,
El tigre no encuentra donde clavarle su garra,
El arma del enemigo no encuentra donde hundir su filo.
¿Por qué?
Porque este hombre desechó sus puntos débiles,
burlando así su destino de morir."
- Translation from Wikisource, 2013, Capitulo 50
"Men, in being born, emerge; in dying, they enter.
There are thirteen organs of life, the four limbs and nine openings.
There are thirteen causes of death: the departure of the three souls, the seven spirits, the vital force, the Yin and the Yang.
There are thirteen seats of death in the active life of men, the eight extremities of the compass and the five elements.
And why is it thus?
It is that the succession of births is a substantial property of Tao.
Now I have heard it said that a man who understands how to protect his life will never meet with rhinoceros or tiger while travelling by land.
I he enters the army, he will not shrink from the weapons of the enemy.
Thus the rhinoceros has nothing for his horn to attack, the tiger has nothing on which to stretch his claws, the soldier has no use for his blade.
How is this to be accounted for?
It is that the man keeps out of the reach of death.
He never meets wild animals because he avoids their track; he is not slain in battle because he is brave, and does not fear the enemy."
- Frederick Henry Balfour, 1884, Chapter 50
Chapter and Thematic Index (Concordance) to the Tao Te Ching
Taoism: A Selected Reading List
No comments:
Post a Comment