| | 馬蹄: |
夫馬，陸居則食草飲水，喜則交頸相靡，怒則分背相踶。馬知已此矣。夫加之以衡扼，齊之以月題，而馬知介倪、闉扼、鷙曼、詭銜、竊轡。故馬之知而態至盜者，伯樂之罪也。夫赫胥氏之時，民居不知所為，行不知所之，含哺而熙，鼓腹而遊，民能以此矣。及至聖人，屈折禮樂以匡天下之形，縣跂仁義以慰天下之心，而民乃始踶跂好知，爭歸於利，不可止也。此亦聖人之過也。 |
| Horses's Hoofs: |
Horses, when living in the open country, eat the grass, and drink water; when pleased, they intertwine their necks and rub one another; when enraged, they turn back to back and kick one another - this is all that they know to do. But if we put the yoke on their necks, with the moonlike frontlet displayed on all their foreheads, then they know to look slily askance, to curve their necks, to rush viciously, trying to get the bit out of their mouths, and to filch the reins (from their driver); this knowledge of the horse and its ability thus to act the part of a thief is the crime of Bo-le. In the time of (the Di) He-xu, the people occupied their dwellings without knowing what they were doing, and walked out without knowing where they were going. They filled their mouths with food and were glad; they slapped their stomachs to express their satisfaction. This was all the ability which they possessed. But when the sagely men appeared, with their bendings and stoppings in ceremonies and music to adjust the persons of all, and hanging up their benevolence and righteousness to excite the endeavours of all to reach them, in order to comfort their minds, then the people began to stump and limp about in their love of knowledge, and strove with one another in their pursuit of gain, so that there was no stopping them: this was the error of those sagely men. |
| | 庚桑楚: |
南榮趎請入就舍，召其所好，去其所惡，十日自愁，復見老子。老子曰：「汝自洒濯，熟哉鬱鬱乎！然而其中津津乎猶有惡也。夫外韄者不可繁而捉，將內揵；內韄者不可繆而捉，將外揵。外、內韄者，道德不能持，而況放道而行者乎！」 |
| Geng-sang Chu: |
Nan-rong Chu asked to be allowed to enter (the establishment), and have an apartment assigned to him. (There) he sought to realise the qualities which he loved, and put away those which he hated. For ten days he afflicted himself, and then waited again on Laozi, who said to him, 'You must purify yourself thoroughly! But from your symptoms of distress, and signs of impurity about you, I see there still seem to cling to you things that you dislike. When the fettering influences from without become numerous, and you try to seize them (you will find it a difficult task); the better plan is to bar your inner man against their entrance. And when the similar influences within get intertwined, it is a difficult task to grasp (and hold them in check); the better plan is to bar the outer door against their exit. Even a master of the Dao and its characteristics will not be able to control these two influences together, and how much less can one who is only a student of the Dao do so!' |
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南榮趎曰：「里人有病，里人問之，病者能言其病，然其病病者猶未病也。若趎之聞大道，譬猶飲藥以加病也，趎願聞衛生之經而已矣。」老子曰：「衛生之經，能抱一乎？能勿失乎？能無卜筮而知吉凶乎？能止乎？能已乎？能舍諸人而求諸己乎？能翛然乎？能侗然乎？能兒子乎？兒子終日嗥而嗌不嗄，和之至也；終日握而手不掜，共其德也；終日視而目不瞚，偏不在外也。行不知所之，居不知所為，與物委蛇，而同其波。是衛生之經已。」 |
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Nan-rong Chu said, 'A certain villager got an illness, and when his neighbours asked about it, he was able to describe the malady, though it was one from which he had not suffered before. When I ask you about the Grand Dao, it seems to me like drinking medicine which (only serves to) increase my illness. I should like to hear from you about the regular method of guarding the life - that will be sufficient for me.' Laozi replied, '(You ask me about) the regular method of guarding the life - can you hold the One thing fast in your embrace? Can you keep from losing it? Can you know the lucky and the unlucky without having recourse to the tortoise-shell or the divining stalks? Can you rest (where you ought to rest)? Can you stop (when you have got enough)? Can you give over thinking of other men, and seek what you want in yourself (alone)? Can you flee (from the allurements of desire)? Can you maintain an entire simplicity? Can you become a little child? The child will cry all the day, without its throat becoming hoarse - so perfect is the harmony (of its physical constitution). It will keep its fingers closed all the day without relaxing their grasp - such is the concentration of its powers. It will keep its eyes fixed all day, without their moving - so is it unaffected by what is external to it. It walks it knows not whither; it rests where it is placed, it knows not why; it is calmly indifferent to things, and follows their current. This is the regular method of guarding the life.' |
| | 庚桑楚: |
南榮趎曰：「然則是至人之德已乎？」曰：「非也。是乃所謂冰解凍釋者能乎？夫至人者，相與交食乎地而交樂乎天，不以人物利害相攖，不相與為怪，不相與為謀，不相與為事，翛然而往，侗然而來。是謂衛生之經已。」曰：「然則是至乎？」曰：「未也。吾固告汝曰：『能兒子乎？』兒子動不知所為，行不知所之，身若槁木之枝而心若死灰。若是者，禍亦不至，福亦不來。禍福無有，惡有人災也？」 |
| Geng-sang Chu: |
Nan-rong Chu said, 'And are these all the characteristics of the Perfect man?' Laozi replied, 'No. These are what we call the breaking up of the ice, and the dissolving of the cold. The Perfect man, along with other men, gets his food from the earth, and derives his joy from his Heaven (-conferred nature). But he does not like them allow himself to be troubled by the consideration of advantage or injury coming from men and things; he does not like them do strange things, or form plans, or enter on undertakings; he flees from the allurements of desire, and pursues his way with an entire simplicity. Such is the way by which he guards his life.' 'And is this what constitutes his perfection ?' 'Not quite. I asked you whether you could become a little child. The little child moves unconscious of what it is doing, and walks unconscious of whither it is going. Its body is like the branch of a rotten tree, and its mind is like slaked lime. Being such, misery does not come to it, nor happiness. It has neither misery nor happiness - how can it suffer from the calamities incident to men?' |
