Poetry Sunday 8 November 2015

My friend tells me that good art explores ambiguity.

Twenty-seven

A good walker leaves no tracks;
A good speaker makes no sips;
A good reckoner needs no tally.
A good door needs no lock,
Yet no one can open it.
Good binding requires no knots,
Yet no one can loosen it.

Therefor the sage takes care of all men
And abandons no one.
He takes care of all things
And abandons nothing.

This is called “following the light”

What is a good man?
A teacher of a bad man.
What is a bad man?
A good man’s charge.
If the teacher is not respected,
And the student not cared for,
Confusion will arise, however clever one is.
This is the crux of mystery.

From Lao Tsu “Tao Te Ching” translated by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English.  Vintage books 1972