Tao Te Ching (Lao Tsu) Sixty three

 Sixty three -

Practise non-action.

Work without doing.

Taste the tasteless.

Magnify the small, increase the few.

Reward bitterness with care.

See simplicity in the complicated.

Achieve greatness in little things.

In the universe the difficult things are done as if they are easy.

In the universe great acts are made up of small deeds.

The sage does not attempt anything very big,

And thus achieves greatness.

Easy promises make for little trust.

Taking things lightly results in great difficulty.

Because the sage always confronts difficulties,

He never experiences them.

Tao Te Ching (Lao Tsu) Fifty nine

 Fifty nine -

In caring for others and serving heaven,

There is nothing like using restraint.

Restraint begins with giving up one's own ideas.

This depends on Virtue gathered in the past.

If there is a good store of Virtue, then nothing is impossible.

If nothing is impossible, then there are no limits.

If a man knows no limits, then he is fit to be a ruler.

The mother principle of ruling holds good for a long time.

This is called having deep roots and a firm foundation,

The Tao of long life and eternal vision.

Tao Te Ching (Lao Tsu) Fifty eight

 Fifty eight -

When the country is ruled with a light hand

The people are simple.

When the country is ruled with severity,

The people are cunning.

Happiness is rooted in misery.

Misery lurks beneath happiness.

Who knows what the future holds ?

There is no honesty.

Honesty becomes dishonest.

Goodness becomes witchcraft.

Man's bewitchment lasts for a long time.

Therefore the sage is sharp but not cutting,

Pointed but not piercing,

Straightforward but not unrestrained,

Brilliant but not blinding.

Tao Te Ching (Lao Tsu) Fifty six

 

Fifty six -

Those who know do not talk.

Those who talk do not know.

Keep your mouth closed.

Guard your senses.

Temper your sharpness.

Simplify your problems.

Mask your brightness.

Be at one with the dust of the earth.

This is primal union.

He who has achieved this state

Is unconcerned with friends and ennemies,

With good and harm, with honor and disgrace.

This therefore is the highest state of man.

Tao Te Ching (Lao Tsu) - Forty five

 Forty five -

Great accomplishment seems imperfect,

Yet it does not outlive its usefulness.

Great fullness seems empty,

Yet it cannot be exhausted.

Great straightness seems twisted.

Great intelligence seems stupid.

Great eloquence seems awkward.

Movement overcomes cold.

Stillness overcomes heat.

Stillness and tranquility set things in order in the universe.

Tao Te Ching (Lao Tsu) - Forty four

Forty four -

Fame or self : Which matters more ?

Self or wealth : Which is more precious ?

Gain or loss : which is more painful ?

He who is attached to things will suffer much.

He who saves will suffer loss.

A contented man is never disappointed.

He who knows when to stop does not find himself in trouble.

He will stay forever safe.

Tao Te Ching (Lao Tsu) - Forty two

Forty two -

The Tao begot one.

One begot two.

Two begot three.

And three begot the ten thousand things.

The ten thousand things carry yin and embrace the yang.

They achieve harmony by combining these forces.

Men hate to be "Orphaned", "Widowed", or "Worthless",

But this is how kings and lords describe themselves.

For one gains by losing

And loses by gaining.

What others teach, I also teach ; that is :

"A violent man will die a violent death !"

This will be the essence of my teaching.

Tao Te Ching (Lao Tsu) - Thirty eight

Thirty eight -

A truly good man is not aware of his goodness,

And therefore is good.

A foolish man tries to be good,

And is therefore not good.

A truly good man does nothing,

Yet leaves nothing undone.

A foolish man is always doing,

Yet much remains to be done.

When a truly kind man does something, he leaves nothing undone.

When a just man does something, he leaves a great deal to be done.

When a disciplinarian does something and no one responds,

He rolls up his sleeves in an attempt to enforce order.

Therefore when Tao is lost, there is goodness.

When goodness is lost, there is kindness.

When kindness is lost, there is justice.

When justice is lost, there is ritual.

Now ritual is the husk of faith and loyalty, the beginning of confusion.

Knowledge of the future is only a flowery trapping of Tao.

It is the beginning of folly.

Therefore the truly great man dwells on what is real and not on what is on the surface,

On the fruit and not the flower.

Therefore accepts the one and reject the other.

Tao Te Ching (Lao Tsu) - Thirty six

Thirty six -

That which shrinks

Must first expand.

That which fails

Must first be strong.

That which is cast down

Must first be raised.

Before receiving

There must be giving.

This is called perception of the nature of things.

Soft and weak overcome hard and strong.

Fish cannot leave deep waters,

And a country's weapons should not be displayed.

Tao Te Ching (Lao Tsu) - Thirty three

Thirty three -

Knowing others is wisdom ;

Knowing the self is enlightment.

Mastering others requires force ;

Mastering the self needs strength.

He who knows he has enough is rich.

Perseverance is a sign of will power.

He who stays where he is endures.

To die but not to perish is to be eternally present.

Tao Te Ching (Lao Tsu) - Thirty

 Thirty -

Whenever you advise a ruler in the way of Tao,

Counsel him not to use force to conquer the universe.

For this will only cause resistance.

Thorn bushes spring up wherever the army has passed.

Lean years follow in the wake of the great war.

Just do what needs to be done.

Never take advantage of power.

Achieve results,

But never glory in them.

Achieve results,

But never boast.

Achieve results,

But never be proud.

Achieve results,

Because this is the natural way.

Achieve results,

But not through violence.

Force is followed by loss of strength.

This is not the way of Tao.

That which goes against the Tao comes to an early end.

Tao Te Ching (Lao Tsu) - Ten

Ten - 

Carrying body and soul and embracing the one,

Can you avoid separation ?

Attending fully and becoming supple,

Can you be as a newborn babe ?

Washing and cleansing the primal vision,

Can you be without stain ?

Loving all men and ruling the country,

Can you be without cleverness ?

Opening and closing the gates of heaven,

Can you play the role of a woman ?

Understanding and being open to all things,

Are you able to do nothing ?

Giving birth and nourishing,

Bearing yet not possessing,

Working yet not taking credit,

Leading yet not dominating,

This is the Primal Virtue.

Tao Te Ching (Lao Tsu) - Nine

Nine - 

Better stop short than fill to the brim.

Oversharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt.

Amass a store of gold and jade, and no one can protect it.

Claim wealth and titles, and disaster will follow.

Retire when the work is done.

This is the way to heaven.

Tao Te Ching (Lao Tsu) - Eight

 

Eight - 

The highest good is like water.

Water gives life to ten thousand things and does not strive.

It flows in places men reject and so is like Tao.

In dwelling, be close to land.

In meditation, go deep in the heart.

In dealing with others, be gentle and kind.

In speech, be true.

In ruling, be just.

In business, be competent.

In action, watch timing.

No fight : No blame.

Roman (Rimbaud)

 I - 

On n'est pas sérieux, quand on a dix-sept ans.

- Un beau soir, foin des bocks et de la limonade,

Des cafés tapageurs aux lustres éclatants !

- On va sous les tilleuls verts de la promenade.

Les tilleuls sentent bon dans les bons soirs de juin !

L'air est parfois si doux, qu'on ferme la paupière ;

Le vent chargé de bruits, - la ville n'est pas loin, -

A des parfums de vigne et des parfums de bière...

II

- Voila qu'on aperçoit un tout petit chiffon

D'azur sombre, encadré d'une petite branche,

Piqué d'une mauvaise étoile, qui se fond

Avec de doux frissons, petite et toute blanche...

Nuit de juin ! Dix-sept ans ! - On se laisse griser.

La sève est du champagne et vous monte à la tête...

On divague ; on se sent aux lèvres un baiser

Qui palpite là, comme une petite bête...

III

Le cœur fou Robinsonne à travers les romans,

- Lorsque, dans la clarté d'un pâle réverbère,

Passe une demoiselle aux petits airs charmants,

Sous l'ombre du faux col effrayant de son père...

Et, comme elle vous trouve immensément naïf,

Tout en faisant trotter ses petites bottines,

Elle se tourne, alerte et d'un mouvement vif...

- Sur vos lèvres alors meurent les cavatines...

IV

Vous êtes amoureux. Loué jusqu'au mois d'août.

Vous êtes amoureux. - Vos sonnets la font rire.

Tous vos amis s'en vont, vous êtes mauvais goût.

- Puis l'adorée, un soir, a daigné vous écrire... !

- Ce soir-là, ... - vous entrez aux cafés éclatants,

Vous demandez des bocks ou de la limonade...

- On n'est pas sérieux, quand on a dix-sept ans

Et qu'on a des tilleuls verts sur la promenade.

29 septembre 1870

Sensation (Rimbaud)

Par les soirs bleus d'été, j'irai par les sentiers,

Picoté par les blés, fouler l'herbe menue :

Rêveur, j'en sentirai la fraîcheur à mes pieds. 

Je laisserai le vent baigner ma tête nue. 

Je ne parlerai pas, je ne penserai rien :

Mais l'amour infini me montera dans l'âme, 

Et j'irai loin, bien loin, comme un bohémien, 

Par la nature, - heureux comme avec une femme.

Mars 1870.

Jouer les basses sans les aigus

Dans la chanson "À la faveur de l'automne" de Tété, un des couplets se joue avec les basses de la guitare, avec des silences à la place des aigus attendus, et je ressens une sensation de manque, voulue par le compositeur, et qui va bien avec le texte nostalgique de la chanson.