lipu Pona la: kasi nanpa 67 pi lipu Nasin Pona
天下皆谓我道大 | The reason everybody calls my Way great | |
似不肖 | Is because there is nothing quite like it. | |
夫唯大 | It is exactly because it is great | |
故似不肖 | That there is nothing quite like it. | |
若肖久矣 | If there were something that were consistently like it | |
其细也夫 | How could it be small? | |
我有三宝 |
mi jo, kin mi olin e ijo ni la: | I have three treasures that I hold and cherish. |
一曰慈 | wan la, olin. | The first is compassion, |
二曰俭 | tu la, … | The second is frugality, |
三曰不敢为天下先 | mute la, … | The third is not daring to put myself ahead of everybody. |
慈故能勇 | mi jo e olin la, mi ken … | Having compassion, I can be brave. |
俭故能广 | Having frugality, I can be generous. | |
不敢为天下先 | Not daring to put myself ahead of everybody | |
故能成器长 | I can take the time to perfect my abilities. | |
今舍慈且勇 | Now if I am brave without compassion | |
舍俭且广 | Generous without frugality, or | |
舍后且先 | Go to the fore without putting my own concerns last, | |
死矣 | I might as well be dead. | |
夫慈以战则胜 | If you wage war with compassion you will win. | |
以守则固 | If you protect yourself with compassion you will be impervious. | |
天将救之 | Heaven will take care of you, | |
以慈卫之 | Protecting you with compassion. |