Daodejing Part Eighteen

LYRICS: When the Great Way falls into shadow, Then come virtue, justice, and names. In the age when the Way was living, No one spoke of righteous claims. Fathers kind and sons devoted — None were praised, for all was so. When the light is whole and burning, Stars are lost and never known. When the Way is gone, then virtue rises. When truth is lost, then words appear. When the heart forgets its nature, Masks of goodness gather near. When sharp knowledge starts to glitter, Great deception walks behind. Words grow rich, but roots grow thinner, Form replaces what is kind. Clever rulers praise the surface, People learn to play the game. When the simple ground is broken, Falsehood grows in wisdom’s name. When the Way is gone, then virtue rises. When truth is lost, then words appear. When the heart forgets its nature, Masks of goodness gather near. When the blood no longer binds us, Then are filial acts declared. When the house is torn by conflict, Then compassion must be shared. When the state dissolves in chaos, Loyal voices start to call. In a world that’s lost its center, Virtue stands to mask the fall. When the Way is gone, then virtue rises. When truth is lost, then words appear. When the heart forgets its nature, Masks of goodness gather near. The Way is gone… and names remain. The truth is lost… we speak in vain. From broken roots, the branches grow — We praise the light we do not know. Return before the masks appear… Return before the Way is gone.