Love and Nature

Fifty-five

One who embraces the fullness of Virtue
Can be compared with a newborn child.
Wasps and scorpions, snakes and vipers
Will not sting him;
Birds of prey and fierce beasts
Do not seize him;
His bones are soft, his muscles weak and pliant,
Yet his grip is firm.
He has not experienced the union of
Man and woman, yet his organ is aroused.
This is because his essence is at his height.
He can scream all day,
Yet without becoming hoarse.
This is because his harmony is at its height. 

To know harmony is called "the constant."
To know the constant is called "being wise." 
To add on to life is called "a bad omen."
For the mind to control the breath -
That is called "forcing things."

When things has reached their prime they get old.
This is called "not the way of Tao."
What is not the Way
Will come to an early end.

Corrected with the Mawangtui text

Impartiality

Fifty-six

Those who know do not talk about it.
Those who talk do not know about it.
He blocks up his holes,
Closes his doors,
Softens the glare,
Settles the dust,
Files down the sharp edges,
And unties the tangles.
This is called the profound union. 

Therefore, there is no way
To get intimate with him.
There is no way to benefit him,
But there is also no way to harm him.
There is no way to ennoble him.
But there is also no way to debase him
For this reason he is the noblest thing in the world.

Corrected with the Mawangtui text
 

Government

Be forgiving

Fifty-seven 

Use the upright and correct to order the state;
Use surprise tactics when you use troops.
Use unconcern with affairs
To take control of the world.

How do I know that this is so?
Well, the more taboos and prohibitions
There are in the world,
The poorer the people will be;
The more sharp weapons the people possess,
The more muddled the states will be.
The more knowledge and skill people have,
The more novel things will appear.
The more legal matters are made prominent,
The more robbers and thieves there will be. 

Therefore the words of the Sage say:
I do nothing,
And the people of themselves are transformed.
I love tranquility,
And people of themselves are upright.
I am unconcerned with affairs,
And the people of themselves become rich.
I desire not to desire,
and the people of themselves
Are genuine and simple,
like unvarved wood.

Fifty-eight 

When the government is muddled  and confused,
The people are genuine and sincere.
When the government is discriminate and clear,
The state is crafty and cunning. 

Disaster is that on which good fortune depends.
Good fortune is that in which disaster is concealed.
Who knows where it will end?
For there is no [fixed] "correct".
The correct turns into the "deviant".
And good turns into evil.
People's state of confusion
Has certainly existed for a long time.
Therefore be square but do not cut,
Be sharp but do not stab,
Be straightforward but not unrestrained,
Be bright but do not dazzle.

Corrected with the Mawangtui text