There is a man that I love in the same way I love Adam Gopnik, I am completely and hopelessly smitten simply by virtue of the way he writes. His name is Stephen Mitchell, and interestingly enough, almost everything I've read of his is translation. His Tao te Ching means so much to me that I really can't write about it. It's deeper than words. When I am feeling lost, confused, in despair, this is where I turn. Here is Chapter 23:
Express yourself completely,
then keep quiet.
Be like the forces of nature:
when it blows, there is only wind;
when it rains, there is only rain;
when the clouds pass, the sun shines through.If you open yourself to the Tao,
you are at one with the Tao
and you can embody it completely.
If you open yourself to loss,
you are ot one with loss
and you can accept it comletely.Open yourself to the Tao,
then trust your natural responses;
and everything will fall into place.
Going out of town this weekend to see my uncle who has been going downhill from viral pneumonia for several months now. Good words to read. Thanks.
Posted by: Cowtown Pattie | 2005.06.16 at 21:03
Lovely words, indeed.
Posted by: Kimberly | 2005.06.17 at 00:20
Hi, Nina,
I found you thru Music and Cats. I'll have to look into the Tao Te Ching translated by Mitchell. The copy I have is translated by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English. And, it's amazing how differently chapter 23 reads:
To talk little is natural.
High winds do not last all morning.
Heavy rain does not last all day.
Why is this? Heaven and earth!
If heaven and earth cannot make things eternal,
How is it possible for man? ...
Posted by: jeannette | 2005.06.22 at 17:59