Archie J. Bahm (1958)
Nature contains nothing but natures; and these natures are nothing over and above Nature. In Nature, all natures originate, all conflicts are settled, all differences are united, all disturbances are quieted. Yet no matter how many natures come into being, they can never exhaust Nature. To look for an external source of Nature is foolish, for Nature is the source of all else.
Frank J. MacHovec (1962)
Tao is a vast immeasurable void. It can be used to infinity; it is truly inexhaustible. Like nature, it appears to be the origin of everything. In it, conflicts (sharp edges) are satisfied (rounded); differences (tangles) are resolved (united); observations (light) are clarified (tempered); disturbances (turmoil) are quieted (submerged). It is like a deep, dark pool. I do not know its source. It is like a prelude to nature, a preface to God.
D. C. Lau (1963)
The way is empty, yet use will not drain it. Deep, it is like the ancestor of the myriad creatures. Blunt the sharpness; Untangle the knots; Soften the glare; Let your wheels move only along old ruts. Darkly visible, it only seems as if it were there. I know not whose son it is. It images the forefather of God.
Gia-fu Feng and Jane English (1972)
The Tao is an empty vessel; it is used, but never filled. Oh, unfathomable source of ten thousand things! Blunt the sharpness, Untangle the knot, Soften the glare, Merge with the dust. Oh, hidden deep but ever present! I do not know from whence it comes. It is the forefather of the emperors.
Hua-Ching Ni (1979)
The subtle Way of the universe appears to lack strength, yet its power is inexhaustible. Fathomless, it could be the origin of all things. It has no sharpness, yet it rounds off all sharp edges. It has no form, yet it unties all tangles. It has no glare, yet it merges all lights. It harmonizes all things and unites them as one integral whole. It seems so obscure, yet it is the Ultimate Clarity. Whose offspring it is can never be known. It is that which existed before any divinity.
Stan Rosenthal (1984)
THE UNFATHOMABLE TAO. It is the nature of the Tao, that even though used continuously, it is replenished naturally, never being emptied, and never being over-filled, as is a goblet which spills its contents upon the ground. The Tao therefore cannot be said to waste its charge, but constantly remains a source of nourishment for those who are not so full of self as to be unable to partake of it. When tempered beyond its natural state, the finest blade will lose its edge. Even the hardest tempered sword, against water, is of no avail, and will shatter if struck against a rock. When untangled by a cutting edge, the cord in little pieces lies, and is of little use. Just as the finest swordsmith tempers the finest blade with his experience, so the sage, with wisdom, tempers intellect. With patience, tangled cord may be undone, and problems which seem insoluble, resolved. With wise administrators, all can exist in unity, each with the other, because no man need feel that he exists, only as the shadow of his brilliant brother. Through conduct not contrived for gain, awareness of the Tao may be maintained. This is how its mysteries may be found.
Jacob Trapp (1985)
TAO, THE WAY. Tao, itself formless, Is the source of all forms. It is the unfilled fathomless vessel From which are poured forth The myriad things of this world. Smoothing the rough, Untangling the snarled, Allaying life's dusty turmoil, It remains itself like a crystal clear Fountain of living waters. Itself absolute, it is also The Tao manifest in Nature, The Way discoverable within.
Stephen Mitchell (1988)
The Tao is like a well: /used but never used up. /It is like the eternal void: /filled with infinite possibilities. //It is hidden but always present. /I don't know who gave birth to it. /It is older than God.
Victor H. Mair (1990)
The Way is empty, yet never refills with use; Bottomless it is, like the forefather of the myriad creatures. It files away sharp points, unravels tangles, diffuses light, mingles with the dust. Submerged it lies, seeming barely to subsist. I know not whose child it is, only that it resembles the predecessor of God.
Michael LaFargue (1992)
Tao being Empty, it seems one who uses it will lack solidity. An abyss, it seems something like the ancestor of the thousands of things. It dampens the passion it unties the tangles it makes the flashing things harmonious it makes the dust merge together. Deep, it is perhaps like an enduring something. I don't know of anything whose offspring it might be - it appears to precede God.
Stephen Addiss and Stanley Lombardo (1993)
Tao is empty- its use never exhausted. Bottomless - the origin of all things. It blunts sharp edges, Unties knots, Softens glare, Becomes one with the dusty world. Deeply subsistent - I don't know whose child it is. It is older than the Ancestor.
Ursula K. Le Guin (1997)
SOURCELESS. The way is empty, used, but not used up. Deep, yes! ancestral to the ten thousand things. Blunting edge, loosing bond, dimming light, the way is the dust of the way. Quiet, yes, and likely to endure. Whose child? born before the gods.
Wang Keping (1998)
The Dao is empty (like a bowl), Its usefulness can never be exhausted. The Dao is bottomless (like a valley), Perhaps the ancestor of all things. Invisible or formless, it appears non-existing But actually it exists. I don't know whose child it is at all. It seems to have even preceded the Lord.
Ron Hogan (2002)
How much Tao is there? More than you'll ever need. Use as much as you want, there's plenty more where that came from. You can't see Tao, but it's there. Damned if I know where it came from. It's just always been around.
Roger T. Ames and David L. Hall (2003)
Way-making being empty, You make use of it But do not fill it up. So abysmally deep — It seems the predecessor of everything that is happening (wanwu). It blunts the sharp edges And untangles the knots; It softens (he) the glare And brings things together on the same track. So cavernously deep — It only seems to persist. I do not know whose progeny it is; It prefigures the ancestral gods.
Red Pine (2009)
The Tao is so empty /those who use it /never become full again /and so deep /as if it were the ancestor of us all /it dulls our edges /unties our tangles /softens our light /and merges our dust /it's so clear /as if it were present /I wonder whose child it is /it seems it was here before Ti
William Scott Wilson (2010)
The Way is as empty as an empty bowl, Yet when used, it never fills. Deep and ill-defined, it resembles the distant ancestor of all things. It blunts sharp edges, unravels their tangles, softens their blazing light, and blends one with their dust. Gentle and overflowing, it always seems to be there. I don't know who gives it birth; It appears to precede the creator of us all.
David Hinton (2015)
Way is empty. Use it: it never needs filling. An abyss so deep it seems ancestor to the ten thousand things, it blunts edges, loosens tangles, softens glare, mingles dust. A clarity so clear it only seems real, whose child could it be? Apparently it precedes gods and creators.
Bruce R. Linnell (2015)
Dao is like a cup or bowl, yet use it and there exists no need to fill it. Profound and deep!, it appears to be the ancestor of the ten thousand creatures. It blunts their sharpness, Loosens their tangles, Softens their brightness, Makes them the same as the dust of the world. Deep and profound!, it seems to barely exist. I do not know whose child it is – Its image came before that of god.
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