Inner Chapters One: Enjoyment in Untroubled Ease
paulpengThe Original Text of the Tao Te Ching Chinese
北冥有鱼，其名为鲲。鲲之大，不知其几千里也。化而为鸟，其名为鹏。鹏之背，不知其几千里也。怒而飞，其翼若垂天之云。是鸟也，海运则将徙于南冥。南冥者，天池也。《齐谐》者，志怪者也。《谐》之言曰：“鹏之徙于南冥也，水击三千里，抟扶摇而上者九万里，去以六月息者也。”野马也，尘埃也，生物之以息相吹也。天之苍苍，其正色邪?其远而无所至极邪?其视下也，亦若是则已矣。且夫水之积也不厚，则其负大舟也无力。覆杯水于坳堂之上，则芥为之舟，置杯焉则胶，水浅而舟大也。风之积也不厚，则其负大翼也无力。故九万里则风斯在下矣，而后乃今培风；背负青天而莫之夭阏者，而后乃今将图南。蜩与学鸠笑之曰：“我决起而飞，枪榆、枋，时则不至而控于地而已矣，奚以之九万里而南为?”适莽苍者，三食而反，腹犹果然；适百里者，宿春粮；适千里者，三月聚粮。之二虫又何知!小知不及大知，小年不及大年。奚以知其然也?朝菌不知晦朔，螅蛄不知春秋，此小年也。楚之南有冥灵者，以五百岁为春，五百岁为秋；上古有大椿者，以八千岁为春，八千岁为秋，此大年也。而彭祖乃今以久特闻，众人匹之，不亦悲乎!
Enjoyment in Untroubled Ease
In the Northern Ocean there is a fish,the name of which is Kun,—I donot know how many li in size.It changes into a bird with the name of Peng,theback of which is (also)—I do not know how many li in extent.When this bird rouses itself and flies,its wings are like clouds all round the sky.When the seais moved (so as to bear it along),it prepares to remove to the Southern Ocean.The Southern Ocean is the Pool of Heaven.
There is the (book called)Qi Xie,a record of marvels.We have in it these words:"When the peng is removing to the Southern Ocean it flaps (its wings)on the water for 3000 li.Then it ascends on a whirlwind 90,000 li,and it restsonly at the end of six months."(But similar to this is the movement of the breezes which we call)the horses of the fields,of the dust(which quivers in the sunbeams),and of living things as they are blown against one another by theair.Is its azure the proper colour of the sky?Or is it occasioned by its distance and illimitable extent?If one were looking down(from above),the very same appearance would just meet his view.
And moreover,(to speak of)the accumulation of water;—if it be not great,it will not have strength to support a large boat.Upset a cup of water ina cavity,and a straw will float on it as if it were a boat.Place a cup in it,and itwill stick fast;—the water is shallow and the boat is large.(So it is with)the accumulation of wind;if it be not great,it will not have strength to support great wings.Therefore(the peng ascended to)the height of 90,000 li,and there was such a mass of wind beneath it;thenceforth the accumulation of wind was sufficient.As it seemed to bear the blue sky on its back,and there was nothing to obstruct or arrest its course,it could pursue its way to the South.
A cicada and a little dove laughed at it,saying,"We make an effort and fly towards an elm or sapan wood tree;and sometimes before we reach it,we cando no more but drop to the ground.Of what use is it for this (creature)to rise90,000 li,and make for the South?"He who goes to the grassy suburbs,returning to the third meal (of the dav),will have his belly as full as when he set out;hewho goes to a distance of 100 li will have to pound his grain where he stops forthe night;he who goes a thousand li,will have to carry with him provisions forthree months.What should these two small creatures know about the matter?The knowledge of that which is small does not reach to that which is great;(the experience of)a few years does not reach to that of many.How do we know that it is so?The mushroom of a morning does not know(what takes place between)the beginning and end of a month;the short-lived cicada does not know(whattakes place between)the spring and autumn.These are instances of a short termof life.In the south of Chu there is the (tree)called Ming-ling,whose spring is500 years,and its autumn the same;in high antiquity there was that called Da-chun,whose spring was 8000 years,and its autumn the same.And Peng Zu is theone man renowned to the present day for his length of life:—if all men were(towish)to match him,would they not be miserable?
【译文】北海有一条鱼，它的名字叫作鲲。鲲很大，真不知道大到几千里。变化成为鸟，它的名字就叫鹏。鹏的脊背，真不知道长到几千里。当它奋起而飞的时候，那展开的双翅就像天边的云。这只鹏鸟呀，在海水激荡的时候将迁徙到南海。南海是个天然的大池。《齐谐》是一部专门记载怪异事情的书。这本书上说：“鹏鸟迁徙到南海时，翅膀拍击水面三千里，然后乘着海面上急骤的狂风盘旋而上直冲九万里高空，鹏鸟离开北海凭借的是六月的大风。”春日林泽原野上蒸腾浮动犹如奔马的雾气，低空里沸沸扬扬的尘埃，都是大自然里各种生物用气息相互吹拂所致。天空是那么湛蓝，难道这就是它真正的颜色吗?抑或是高旷辽远没法看到它的尽头呢?鹏鸟从高空往下看，也就像这个样子罢了。再说水汇积不深，它浮载大船就没有力量。倒一杯水在庭堂的低洼处，那么小小的芥草就可以当它的船；而搁置杯子就粘住不动了，因为水太浅而船太大了。风聚积得不雄厚，它托负巨大翅膀的力量便不够。所以，鹏鸟高飞九万里，那么狂风就要在它的身下，这样它才能凭借风力飞行，背负青天而没有什么能够阻遏它了，然后才像现在这样向南方飞去。蝉与小灰雀讥笑它说：“我们从地面疾速起飞，碰着榆树和檀树的树枝，有时飞不到这个高度就落在地上了，为什么要到九万里的高空而向南飞呢?”到景色苍茫的郊野去，带上三餐就可以往返，肚子还是饱实的；到百里之外去，出发前头天晚上就要舂米准备干粮；到千里之外去，三个月以前就要准备粮食。蝉和灰雀这两个小东西懂得什么!小聪明赶不上大智慧，寿命短比不上寿命长。怎么知道是这样的呢?朝菌不会懂得什么是昼夜交替，寒蝉也不会懂得什么是春秋，这就是短寿。楚国南边有叫冥灵的大龟，它把五百年当作春，把五百年当作秋；上古有叫大椿的古树，它把八千年当作春，把八千年当作秋，这就是长寿。并且彭祖到如今还是以年寿长久而独闻于世，人们与他相比，岂不可悲可叹吗!
【Translation】
In the Northern Ocean dwells a fish named Kun, so vast its span stretches beyond a thousand miles. When it transforms into a bird called Peng, its wings blot out the skies like storm clouds. With each mighty flap, it churns the seas for three thousand miles before riding the tempestuous winds to ascend ninety thousand miles into the empyrean—a migration to the Southern Ocean, nature’s primordial basin.
The Qi Xie, a tome of marvels, recounts this journey: only the great gales of midsummer can lift such colossal wings. Mists that dance like stampeding steeds at dawn, dust spiraling through the low air—all are but breaths exchanged between living things. "Is the sky truly blue?" the Roc muses aloft, "Or does its endless expanse deceive the eye?"
Yet shallow waters cannot bear great ships: a cup spilt in a courtyard shall float a mustard seed, but capsize a goblet. So too must the Roc’s wings find purchase in gales piled deep beneath them—only thus may it pierce the heavens, unobstructed.
The cicada and sparrow scoff: "We dart between elm branches, content when earth is near. Why labor to fly so high?" Fools! They know not that a day’s jaunt needs but three meals, while a thousand-mile voyage demands months of provisions. The mushroom dies ere dusk comprehends dawn; the mayfly perish before witnessing seasons. The ancient turtle Ming Ling counts five centuries as spring; the sacred Great Chun tree reckons eight millennia as autumn. Even the long-lived Peng Zu is but a sigh against eternity’s march.
