51. Nurture

51

The Way bears all things;
Harmony nurtures them;
Nature shapes them;
Use completes them.
Each follows the Way and honours harmony,
Not by law,
But by being.
The Way bears, nurtures, shapes, completes,
Shelters, comforts, and makes a home for them.
Bearing without possessing,
Nurturing without taming,
Shaping without forcing,
This is harmony.

Tee annab. Vägi lisab.
Aine kujundab. Olu valmistab.
Kõigil on tee aus
ja vägi hinnas.
Keegi ei sunni.
Loomus on selline.
Tee annab ja vägi lisab
ja juhib ja suunab
ja toidab
ja kaitseb.
Annab ega võta.
Teeb ega toetu.
Juhib ega valitse.
Sügav vägi.

52. Clarity

52

The origin of the world is its mother;
Understand the mother, and you understand the child;
Embrace the child, and you embrace the mother,
Who will not perish when you die.
Reserve your judgments and words
And you maintain your influence;
Speak your mind and take positions
And nothing can save you.
As observing detail is clarity,
So maintaining flexibility is strength;
Use the light but shed no light,
So that you do yourself no harm,
But embrace clarity.

Maailma algus on maailma ema.
Kes tunneb ema, tunneb ka last.
Kes tunneb last, hoiab ema.
Ihu lahkub valutult.
Paned suu kinni,
paned väravad kinni
— ei mingit muret.
Teed suu lahti,
õiendad igal pool
— muredest puudu ei tule.
Kes väikest näeb, saab selgeks.
Kes õrna hoiab, saab tugevaks.
Selles valguses kulged jälle selgusse.
Muresid pole. Püsivus viib sihile.

53. Difficult Paths

53

With but a small understanding
One may follow the Way like a main road,
Fearing only to leave it;
Following a main road is easy,
Yet people delight in difficult paths.
When palaces are kept up
Fields are left to weeds
And granaries empty;
Wearing fine clothes,
Bearing sharp swords,
Glutting with food and drink,
Hoarding wealth and possessions —
These are the ways of theft,
And far from the Way.

Vähesest tarkusest piisab,
et suurel teel püsida,
kartmata kõrvale kaldumist.
Kui see tundub liiga kerge,
minnakse kitsastele radadele.
Loss hiilgav,
põld söötis,
ait tühi.
Uhked riided,
mõõgad vööl,
söögid-joogid,
varad kuhjatud.
Ärbeldakse ja röövitakse.
See ei ole tee.

54. Cultivate Harmony

54

Cultivate harmony within yourself, and harmony becomes real;
Cultivate harmony within your family, and harmony becomes fertile;
Cultivate harmony within your community, and harmony becomes abundant;
Cultivate harmony within your culture, and harmony becomes enduring;
Cultivate harmony within the world, and harmony becomes ubiquitous.
Live with a person to understand that person;
Live with a family to understand that family;
Live with a community to understand that community;
Live with a culture to understand that culture;
Live with the world to understand the world.
How can I live with the world?
By accepting.

Hästi istutatut ei saa välja kiskuda,
hästi hoitut ei saa ära võtta.
Austus püsib põlvest põlve.
Endas kasvab mõjus vägi,
peres kasvab rikas vägi,
külas kasvab püsiv väg,
riigis kasvab helde vägi,
maailmas kasvab kõikjale ulatuv vägi.
Nii näed endas ennast,
peres peret, külas küla,
riigis riiki, maailmas maailma.
Kuidas ma näen maailma niimoodi?
Niimoodi näengi.

55. Soft Bones

55

Who is filled with harmony is like a newborn.
Wasps and snakes will not bite him;
Hawks and tigers will not claw him.
His bones are soft yet his grasp is sure,
For his flesh is supple;
His mind is innocent yet his body is virile,
For his vigour is plentiful;
His song is long-lasting yet his voice is sweet,
For his grace is perfect.
But knowing harmony creates abstraction,
And following abstraction creates ritual.
Exceeding nature creates calamity,
And controlling nature creates violence.

Kellel väge väga palju,
on kui äsja sündind laps.
Mesilane ei nõela,
kull ei noki,
kiskja ei ründa.
Kont on pehme, liha õrn,
kinni hoiab kõvasti.
Sugu ei tee, aga riist on püsti,
elujõudu täis.
Kisendab häält kaotamata, kooskõlas.
Kooskõla viib püsivusele.
Püsivus viib selgusele.
Kes elu aitab, on õnnelik.
Kes hinge juhib, on võimas.
Mis tee see on, kui oled vanadusest nõder?
Kui poleks tee, siis oleks ammu lõpp.

56. Impartiality

56

Who understands does not preach;
Who preaches does not understand.
Reserve your judgments and words;
Smooth differences and forgive disagreements;
Dull your wit and simplify your purpose;
Accept the world.
Then,
Friendship and enmity,
Profit and loss,
Honour and disgrace,
Will not affect you;
The world will accept you.

Kes teab, ei räägi.
Kes räägib, ei tea.
Paned suu kinni,
paned väravad kinni.
Tera läheb nüriks.
Sõlm tuleb lahti.
Sära tuhmub.
Tolm jääb alles.
Põhjatu samasus.
Ei lähedust ega võõrastust.
Ei kasu ega kahju.
Ei väärtust ega väärtusetust.
See ongi väärtuslik siin maailmas.

57. Conquer with Inaction

57

Do not control the people with laws,
Nor violence nor espionage,
But conquer them with inaction.
For:
The more morals and taboos there are,
The more cruelty afflicts people;
The more guns and knives there are,
The more factions divide people;
The more arts and skills there are,
The more change obsoletes people;
The more laws and taxes there are,
The more theft corrupts people.
Yet take no action, and the people nurture eachother;
Make no laws, and the people deal fairly with eachother;
Own no interest, and the people cooperate with eachother;
Express no desire, and the people harmonize with eachother.

Riiki juhib õiglus.
Sõda juhib kavalus.
Maailma juhib muretus.
Kuidas nii?
Vaesus tuleb keelamisest.
Segadus tuleb sõjariistadest.
Imelikud asjad tulevad oskustest.
Vargad ja röövlid tulevad seadustest.
Tark ei tee midagi
ja rahvas kulgeb ise.
Tark on rahus
ja rahvas saab õigeks.
Tark ei muretse
ja rahvas saab rikkaks.
Tark ei taha midagi
ja rahvas saab loomulikuks.

58. No End

58

When government is lazy and informal
The people are kind and honest;
When government is efficient and severe
The people are discontented and deceitful.
Good fortune follows upon disaster;
Disaster lurks within good fortune;
Who can say how things will end?
Perhaps there is no end.
Honesty is ever deceived;
Kindness is ever seduced;
Men have been like this for a long time.
So the sage is firm but not cutting,
Pointed but not piercing,
Straight but not rigid,
Bright but not blinding.

Kui kuningas on muretu,
siis rahvas on rõõmus.
Kui kuningas on murelik,
siis rahvas kannatab.
Õnn on õnnetuse peal,
õnnetus on õnne sees.
Kus on piir?
Õigust pole — kõver rada.
Headus hakkab veiderdama.
Segadus läheb suuremaks.
Tark on õige, kuid ei lõika.
Tark on terav, kuid ei torka.
Tark on otsekohene, kuid vaikne.
Tark küll särab, aga ei pimesta.

59. Restraint

59

Manage a great nation as you would cook a delicate fish.
To govern men in accord with nature
It is best to be restrained;
Restraint makes agreement easy to attain,
And easy agreement builds harmonious relationships;
With sufficient harmony no resistance will arise;
When no resistance arises, then you possess the heart of the nation,
And when you possess the nation’s heart, your influence will long endure:
Deeply rooted and firmly established.
This is the method of far sight and long life.

Parim valitseja on vähenõudlik.
Vähenõudlik on paindlik.
Paindlikul on väge.
Väelisel on mõju.
Mõjukal ei ole piire.
Piirituna valitsed.
Emalikult püsid kaua.
Sest juur on sügav, tüvi tugev.
Pikk elu nägemise tee.

60. Demons

60

When you use the Way to conquer the world,
Your demons will lose their power to harm.
It is not that they lose their power as such,
But that they will not harm others;
Because they will not harm others,
You will not harm others:
When neither you nor your demons can do harm,
You will be at peace with them.

Juhi riiki, nagu küpsetaks väikseid kalu.
Kui teel valitsed maailma,
siis kurjus kaob ja kurjadel ei ole võimu.
Ei tee nad kahju kellelegi.
Ei tee ka tark kahju kellelegi.
Ei tee nad kahju teineteiselegi.
Väed saavad kokku tagasi.

61. Submission

61

A nation is like a hierarchy, a marketplace, and a maiden.
A maiden wins her husband by submitting to his advances;
Submission is a means of union.
So when a large country submits to a small country
It will adopt the small country;
When a small country submits to a large country
It will be adopted by the large country;
The one submits and adopts;
The other submits and is adopted.
It is in the interest of a large country to unite and gain service,
And in the interest of a small country to unite and gain patronage;
If both would serve their interests,
Both must submit.

Suur riik laskub alla
nagu ühtimisvalmis emane siin maailmas.
Rahulolev emane võtab
alla jäädes isase.
Kui suur riik laskub alla väikese ees,
saab ta väikese endale.
Kui väike riik laskub alla suure ees,
saab ta suure endale.
Üks võidab alla laskudes.
Teine võidab all olles.
Suur riik hoolitseb rahva eest.
Väike riik teenib rahvast.
Suur olgu madalal.

62. Sin

62

The Way is the fate of men,
The treasure of the saint,
And the refuge of the sinner.
Fine words are often borrowed,
And great deeds are often appropriated;
Therefore, when a man falls, do not abandon him,
And when a man gains power, do not honour him;
Only remain impartial and show him the Way.
Why should someone appreciate the Way?
The ancients said, “By it, those who seek may easily find,
And those who regret may easily absolve”
So it is the most precious gift.

Tee on kõigile põhjaks.
Headele väärtus,
halbadele kaitse.
Ilusate sõnadega saab meelitada.
Austusega saab heameelt teha.
Aga kui keegi on halb, miks teda hüljata?
Kroonimisel, ülendamisel
tehakse kalleid kingitusi.
Hoia oma kohta ja püsi teel.
Kunagi peeti teed kalliks ja öeldi:
otsija leiab,
süüalune saab vabaks.
Seepärast peetigi teed kalliks.

63. Difficulty

63

Practice no-action;
Attend to do-nothing;
Taste the flavorless,
Magnify the small,
Multiply the few,
Return love for hate.
Deal with the difficult while it is yet easy;
Deal with the great while it is yet small;
The difficult develops naturally from the easy,
And the great from the small;
So the sage, by dealing with the small,
Achieves the great.
Who finds it easy to promise finds it hard to be trusted;
Who takes things lightly finds things difficult;
The sage recognizes difficulty, and so has none.

Teha nii, et ei tee.
Toimida nii, et ei toimeta.
Maitsta nii, et ei maitse.
Väikeses on suur, väheses on palju.
Kurjuse vastu on vägi.
Raske laheneb kergelt.
Suur laheneb väikselt.
Raske oli ju algul kerge.
Suur oli ju kunagi väike.
Tark ei tee suurt midagi,
nii ta suurt teebki.
Kerget lubadust ei usu keegi.
Kerge praegu — raske hiljem.
Tark peab kõike raskeks,
Seepärast polegi tal raske.

64

64

64a. Care at the Beginning

What lies still is easy to grasp;
What lies far off is easy to anticipate;
What is brittle is easy to shatter;
What is small is easy to disperse.
Yet a tree broader than a man can embrace is born of a tiny shoot;
A dam greater than a river can overflow starts with a clod of earth;
A journey of a thousand miles begins at the spot under one’s feet.
Therefore deal with things before they happen;
Create order before there is confusion.

64b. Care at the End

He who acts, spoils;
He who grasps, loses.
People often fail on the verge of success;
Take care at the end as at the beginning,
So that you may avoid failure.
The sage desires no-desire,
Values no-value,
Learns no-learning,
And returns to the places that people have forgotten;
He would help all people to become natural,
But then he would not be natural.

Rahunenut on kerge hoida.
Ennustamatut on kerge ette võtta.
Nõrka on kerge murendada.
Pudenenut on kerge hajutada.
Tegele sellega, mida veel pole,
juhi seda, mis pole veel sassis.
Jäme puu algas peenest võrsest.
Kõrge torn algas maapinnalt.
Pikk teekond algas ühest sammust.
Tark ei tee ja nii ei lõhu.
Tark ei võta — ja ei kaota.
Teistel luhtub kõik sageli enne lõppu.
Märka lõppu enne algust,
ja miski ei luhtu.
Tark soovib soovimata,
midagi tahtmata, õpib õppimata.
Pöördudes kõigi poole, olles loomulik,
midagi tegemata.

65. Subtlety

65

The ancients did not seek to rule people with knowledge,
But to help them become natural.
It is difficult for knowledgeable people to become natural;
So to use law to control a nation weakens the nation,
But to use nature to control a nation strengthens the nation.
Understanding these two paths is understanding subtlety;
Subtlety runs deep, ranges wide,
Resolves confusion and preserves peace.

Kunagised teel olijad
ei valgustanud rahvast
ning jätsid ta hämarusse.
Liiga palju tarkust
teeb valitsemise raskeks.
Tarkusega riiki röövid.
Tarkuseta — õnnistad.
Mõlemaga mõistad sügavust.
Sügavuses mõistad väge.
Vägevalt tuled jälle.
Puhas rõõm.

66. Lead by Following

66

The river carves out the valley by flowing beneath it.
Thereby the river is the master of the valley.
In order to master people
One must speak as their servant;
In order to lead people
One must follow them.
So when the sage rises above the people,
They do not feel oppressed;
And when the sage stands before the people,
They do not feel hindered.
So the popularity of the sage does not fail,
He does not contend, and no one contends against him.

Suured jõed ja mered
valitsevad ojakesi.
Sinna nad ju voolavad: allapoole.
Valitsedes alandu.
Juhtides hoia tahapoole.
Kui tark on ülal,
on rahval kerge.
Kui tark on ees,
on rahval hea.
Kõik rõõmustavad
ega põlga.
Ta ei võistle.
Temaga ei võistelda.

67. Unimportance

67

All the world says,
“I am important;
I am separate from all the world.
I am important because I am separate,
Were I the same, I could never be important.”
Yet here are three treasures
That I cherish and commend to you:
The first is compassion,
By which one finds courage.
The second is restraint,
By which one finds strength.
And the third is unimportance,
By which one finds influence.
Those who are fearless, but without compassion,
Powerful, but without restraint,
Or influential, yet important,
Cannot endure.

Kõik peavad oma teed suureks,
ometi ei kõlba.
Suur ei kõlba,
kõlblik oleks väike.
Kolme asja pean kalliks.
Üks on armastus.
Teine on hoolivus.
Kolmas on tagasihoidlikkus.
Armastus teeb vapraks.
Hoolivus teeb heldeks.
Tagasihoidlikkus tõstab.
Kes vapralt vihkab või heldelt raiskab
või tõuseb häbitult, see hukkub.
Kui võitlejas on armastus,
siis võit on käes.
Sest kaitseb taevas ja armastus, alati.

68. Compassion

68

Compassion is the finest weapon and best defence.
If you would establish harmony,
Compassion must surround you like a fortress.
Therefore,
A good soldier does not inspire fear;
A good fighter does not display aggression;
A good conqueror does not engage in battle;
A good leader does not exercise authority.
This is the value of unimportance;
This is how to win the cooperation of others;
This to how to build the same harmony that is in nature.

Hea väejuht ei sõdi.
Hea sõdur ei vihastu.
Hea võitja ei võitle.
Hea juht on madalal.
See on vägi, mis ei võistle.
See on jõud, mis juhib.
See on õige. Alati.

69. Ambush

69

There is a saying among soldiers:
It is easier to lose a yard than take an inch.
In this manner one may deploy troops without marshalling them,
Bring weapons to bear without exposing them,
Engage the foe without invading them,
And exhaust their strength without fighting them.
There is no worse disaster than misunderstanding your enemy;
To do so endangers all of my treasures;
So when two well matched forces oppose eachother,
The general who maintains compassion will win.

Üks väejuht olla ütelnud:
Meelsamini olen külaline.
Parema meelega taganeksin.
See ongi edasiminek liikumata,
valmistumine paljastamata,
võitmine kohtumata,
relvastumine relvadeta.
Kui tahad õnnetust,
siis põlga vaenlast.
Kui vaenlast põlgad, kaotad kõik.
Võidab see, kel teisest kahju.

70. Individuality

70

My words are easy to understand
And my actions are easy to perform
Yet no other can understand or perform them.
My words have meaning; my actions have reason;
Yet these cannot be known and I cannot be known.
We are each unique, and therefore valuable;
Though the sage wears coarse clothes, his heart is jade.

Mind on väga lihtne mõista
ja kerge teostada.
Keegi ei mõista.
Keegi ei teosta.
Sõnad tulevad allikast.
Tegudel on põhjused.
Kes ei mõista allikat,
see ei mõista ka sõnu.
Mõni mõistab. Mõni hindab.
Targal seljas lihtne riie, südames kuld.

71. Limitation

71

Who recognizes his limitations is healthy;
Who ignores his limitations is sick.
The sage recognizes this sickness as a limitation.
And so becomes immune.

Kes teab, et ei tea, on terve.
Kes teab, et teab, on haige.
Kes teab oma haigust,
on terve.
Tark on terve.
Ta teab oma haigust.
On terve.

72. Revolution

72

When people have nothing more to lose,
Then revolution will result.
Do not take away their lands,
And do not destroy their livelihoods;
If your burden is not heavy then they will not shirk it.
The sage maintains himself but exacts no tribute,
Values himself but requires no honours;
He ignores abstraction and accepts substance.

Kui võim ei hirmuta,
siis on ta suur.
Ära lõhu kodusid.
Ära halvusta eluviise.
Kes ei halvusta,
seda ei halvustata.
Tark
tunneb ennast, kuid ei näita.
Armastab ennast, kuid ei tõsta.
Ühe võtab, teise jätab.

73. Fate

73

Who is brave and bold will perish;
Who is brave and subtle will benefit.
The subtle profit where the bold perish
For fate does not honour daring.
And even the sage dares not tempt fate.
Fate does not attack, yet all things are conquered by it;
It does not ask, yet all things answer to it;
It does not call, yet all things meet it;
It does not plan, yet all things are determined by it.
Fate’s net is vast and its mesh is coarse,
Yet none escape it.

Julged vihaselt — ja sured.
Julged rahulikult — jääd ellu.
Ise tead.
Mõni asi pole õige.
Miks?
Tark ka ei tea.
Õigel teel
ei ole võistlust, ometi võidetakse;
ei ole juttu, ometi vastatakse;
ei ole kutset, ometi tullakse;
ei ole muret. ometi korraldub.
Võrk on suur ja lai ja hõre.
ometi hoiab.

74. Execution

74

If people were not afraid of death,
Then what would be the use of an executioner?
If people were only afraid of death,
And you executed everyone who did not obey,
No one would dare to disobey you.
Then what would be the use of an executioner?
People fear death because death is an instrument of fate.
When people are killed by execution rather than by fate,
This is like carving wood in the place of a carpenter.
Those who carve wood in place of a carpenter
Often injure their hands.

Kui keegi surma ei karda,
milleks siis hukkamised?
Kui surma kardetakse
ja eksitakse, siis tuleb hukata.
Kes söandaks?
Hukkajaks on ülim timukas.
Kes teda asendada tahab, on kui see,
kes suure puutöömeistri eest
puid hakkas raiuma.
Lõi kirvega kätte.

75. Rebellion

75

When rulers take grain so that they may feast,
Their people become hungry;
When rulers take action to serve their own interests,
Their people become rebellious;
When rulers take lives so that their own lives are maintained,
Their people no longer fear death.
When people act without regard for their own lives
They overcome those who value only their own lives.

Rahvas kannatab.
Maksud suured.
Sellepärast rahvas kannatab.
Raske valitseda.
Palju toimetamist.
Sellepärast raske valitseda.
Surmast ei hoolita.
Palju elu.
Sellepärast surmast ei hoolita.
Elu ei ole ainus väärtus.

76. Flexibility

76

A newborn is soft and tender,
A crone, hard and stiff.
Plants and animals, in life, are supple and succulent;
In death, withered and dry.
So softness and tenderness are attributes of life,
And hardness and stiffness, attributes of death.
Just as a sapless tree will split and decay
So an inflexible force will meet defeat;
The hard and mighty lie beneath the ground
While the tender and weak dance on the breeze above.

Mis sünnib, on õrn ja nõrk.
Mis sureb, on kuiv ja kange.
Puud ja rohud on algul
õrnad ja paindlikud.
Surres kõvad ja kuivad.
Kõvad ja kanged surevad.
Õrnad ja nõrgad elavad.
Kange relvaga ei võida.
Kõva puu läheb katki.
Õrn ja nõrk
on kõvast ja kangest üle.

77. Need

77

Is the action of nature not unlike drawing a bow?
What is higher is pulled down, and what is lower is raised up;
What is taller is shortened, and what is thinner is broadened;
Nature’s motion decreases those who have more than they need
And increases those who need more than they have.
It is not so with Man.
Man decreases those who need more than they have
And increases those who have more than they need.
To give away what you do not need is to follow the Way.
So the sage gives without expectation,
Accomplishes without claiming credit,
And has no desire for ostentation.

Õige tee on nagu vibu pingutamine.
Ülemine laskub alla.
Alumine tõuseb üles.
Liigne väheneb.
Puuduv lisaneb.
Õige tee võtab liigse,
annab puuduva.
Inimese tee lisab liigsele,
võtab napist.
Kes jagab ohtrusest,
on teel.
Tark teeb ega toetu millelegi,
saab valmis ega peatu.
Ei näita võimeid.

78. Yielding

78

Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water,
Yet nothing can better overcome the hard and strong,
For they can neither control nor do away with it.
The soft overcomes the hard,
The yielding overcomes the strong;
Every person knows this,
But no one can practice it.
Who attends to the people would control the land and grain;
Who attends to the state would control the whole world;
Truth is easily hidden by rhetoric.

Kõige õrnem ja nõrgem on vesi.
Kõvast ja kangest üle,
alati.
Nõrk on tugevast üle.
Õrn on kangest üle.
Kõik teavad.
Keegi ei tee.
Tark
võtab riigi sopa
ja tõuseb troonile.
Võtab riigi hädad
ja valitseb maailma.
Õige sõna tundub vale.

79. Reconciliation

79

When conflict is reconciled, some hard feelings remain;
This is dangerous.
The sage accepts less than is due
And does not blame or punish;
For harmony seeks agreement
Where justice seeks payment.
The ancients said: “nature is impartial;
Therefore it serves those who serve all.”

Vaen vaibub, viha jääb.
Mis selles head?
Tark täidab lubadused
midagi nõudmata.
Kelles vägi, täidab lubadusi.
Kelles väge pole, nõuab teistelt täitmist.
Õigel teel lähedasi pole.
Ainult õiged.

80. Utopia

80

Let your community be small, with only a few people;
Keep tools in abundance, but do not depend upon them;Appreciate your life and be content with your home;
Sail boats and ride horses, but don’t go too far;
Keep weapons and armour, but do not employ them;
Let everyone read and write,
Eat well and make beautiful things.
Live peacefully and delight in your own society;
Dwell within cock-crow of your neighbours,
But maintain your independence from them.

Väike riik ja vähe rahvast.
Palju asju, vähe kasutuses.
Surm on tähtis. Kaugele ei rännata.
Vankrid, paadid seisavad.
Sõjariistad varjus.
Nööre punutakse.
Hästi süüakse. Kaunid rõivad.
Kindel kodu. Puhas rõõm.
Naaberriik on näha.
Kuked-koerad kuulda.
Tegemist pole vaja teha.
Vananeda ja surra rahus.

81. The Sage

81

Honest people use no rhetoric;
Rhetoric is not honesty.
Enlightened people are not cultured;
Culture is not enlightenment.
Content people are not rich;
Riches are not contentment.
So the sage does not serve himself;
The more he does for others, the more he is satisfied;
The more he gives, the more he receives.
Nature flourishes at the expense of no one;
So the sage benefits all men and contends with none.

Aus pole ilus.
Ilus pole aus.
Headus ei vaidle.
Vaidlus pole hea.
Kes mõistab, ei tea.
Kes teab, ei mõista.
Tark ei kogu midagi.
Mida rohkem annab, seda enam saab.
Mida enam teeb, seda rohkem jääb.
Õige tee toob kasu ilma kahjuta.
Targa teel ei ole võistlemist.