Daodejing Part Two

LYRICS: All the world knows beauty’s face, And so is born the thought of scars. All who praise the hand of grace, Create the shadow where none are. Long and short, and high and low, Chase each other where they go. The song is sweet because it dies, The truth is born when silence lies. No hands, yet all is done, No words, yet light becomes the sun. The work unseen, the power breathes, The power that does not cease. Being and void entwine and spin, One begins where one has been. Easy paths from struggle flow, Behind and before, they come and go. The sage moves not, yet all takes form, He speaks no word, yet hearts grow warm. The roots reach deep, the leaves release, The power that does not cease. No hands, yet all is done, No words, yet light becomes the sun. The work unseen, the power breathes, The power that does not cease. Things arise, none claim their birth, They fade to dust, return to earth. No reward, no crown, no pride, Only the flow, the endless tide. The deed complete, none stays to see, The way abides eternally. Stillness moves, and motion sleeps, The power that forever keeps. No hands, yet all is done, No words, yet light becomes the sun. The work unseen, the power breathes, The power that does not cease. The power that does not cease. DAODEJING PART TWO: All in the world know the beauty of the beautiful, and in doing this they have what ugliness is; they all know the skill of the skilful, and in doing this they have what the want of skill is. So it is that existence and non-existence give birth the one to the other; that difficulty and ease produce the one the other; that length and shortness fashion out the one the figure of the other; that height and lowness arise from the contrast of the one with the other; that the musical notes and tones become harmonious through the relation of one with another; and that being before and behind give the idea of one following another. Therefore the sage manages affairs without doing anything, and conveys his instructions without the use of speech. All things spring up, and there is not one which declines to show itself; they grow, and there is no claim made for their ownership; they go through their processes, and there is no expectation. The work is accomplished, and there is no resting in it. The work is done, but how no one can see; 'Tis this that makes the power not cease to be.