lipu Nasin la: kasi nanpa 32 pi lipu Nasin Pona

道常无名   The Way is always nameless.
「朴虽小」   (And even though a sapling might be small) [^1]
天下莫能臣也   No one can make it be his subject.
侯王若能守之   If rulers could embody this principle
万物将自宾   The myriad things would follow on their own.
天地相合   Heaven and Earth would be in perfect accord
以降甘露   And rain sweet dew.
民莫之令而自均   Without being ordered, the people naturally govern themselves.
始制有名   And so you have the beginning of division into names.
名亦既有   Once there is a name sort something,
夫亦将知止   Then you should stop.
知止所以不殆   Knowing where to stop, you can avoid trouble.
譬道之在天下   The Way’s existence in the world
犹川谷之与江海   Is like valley streams running into the rivers and seas.

[^1] This triplet of characters may have been added by a later commenter?

Sitelen Sitelen Renderer by Olaf Janssen.

Acknowledgements / Notes