Verse 32
Tao is eternal, one without a second
Simple indeed
yet so subtle that no one can master it
If princes and kings could just hold it
All things would flock to their kingdom
Heaven and Earth would rejoice
with the dripping of sweet dew
Everyone would live in harmony,
not by official decree,
but by their own inner goodness
This world is nothing but the glory of Tao
expressed through different names and forms
One who sees the things of this world
as being real and self-existent
has lost sight of the truth
To him, every word becomes a trap
every thing becomes a prison
One who knows the truth
that underlies all things
lives in this world without danger
To him, every word reflects the universe
every moment brings enlightenment
Rivers and streams are born of the ocean
All creation is born of Tao
Just as all water flows back to become the ocean
All creation flows back to become Tao
Simple indeed
yet so subtle that no one can master it
If princes and kings could just hold it
All things would flock to their kingdom
Heaven and Earth would rejoice
with the dripping of sweet dew
Everyone would live in harmony,
not by official decree,
but by their own inner goodness
This world is nothing but the glory of Tao
expressed through different names and forms
One who sees the things of this world
as being real and self-existent
has lost sight of the truth
To him, every word becomes a trap
every thing becomes a prison
One who knows the truth
that underlies all things
lives in this world without danger
To him, every word reflects the universe
every moment brings enlightenment
Rivers and streams are born of the ocean
All creation is born of Tao
Just as all water flows back to become the ocean
All creation flows back to become Tao
