Spirit
The Great Potter never hands out favors. These ten thousand things thrive each of themselves alone. If humans rank with heaven and earth, isn’t it because of me? And though we’re different sorts of things entirely, we’ve been inseparable since birth, together through better and worse, and I’ve always told you what I thought. The Three Emperors were the wisest of men, but where are they now? And loving his eight-hundred-year life, old P’eng-tsu wanted to stay on here, but he too set out. Young and old die the same death. When it comes, the difference between sage and fool vanishes. Drinking every day may help you forget, but won’t it bring an early grave? And though good works may bring lasting joy, who will sing your praise? Listen – it’s never-ending analysis that wounds us. Why not circle away in the seasons, adrift on the Great Transformation, riding its vast swells without fear or delight? Once your time comes to an end, you end: not another moment lost to all those lonely worries.