Verse 35
Hold fast to the Great Form within
and let the world pass as it may
Then the changes of life will not bring pain
but contentment, joy, and well-being
Music and sweets are passing pleasures
yet they cause people to stop
How bland and insipid are the things of this world
when one compares them with Tao!
One tastes, but the sweetness turns bitter
One sees, but the colours grow faint
One hears, but the sound fades into silence
One may look for fulfilment in this world
but his longings will never be exhausted
The only thing he ever finds
is that he himself is exhausted
and let the world pass as it may
Then the changes of life will not bring pain
but contentment, joy, and well-being
Music and sweets are passing pleasures
yet they cause people to stop
How bland and insipid are the things of this world
when one compares them with Tao!
One tastes, but the sweetness turns bitter
One sees, but the colours grow faint
One hears, but the sound fades into silence
One may look for fulfilment in this world
but his longings will never be exhausted
The only thing he ever finds
is that he himself is exhausted
