THE I CHING

KHIEN: Originating from the term,
piercing advantageous, right and firm. 

The dragon lurks: it is no time to act.
The dragon’s in the field: now make thy pact.
Be active, watchful, using care and tact.
The dragon leaps; a bursting cataract.
The dragon ploughs the sky with pace exact.
Exceed not, dragon, lest thy force react.

(If all this heavenly host of dragons lacked
Their heads, good fortune would become a fact.)

KHWAN: Great, originating, right and fair,
Piercing and helpful, firm as in the mare.
If the true man should move, his feet will stray;
For him to follow is his proper way.

Hoar-frost! The strong one cometh by and by.
Straight, square and great, advantage springs to eye.
Maintain, but boast not virtue’s majesty.
Here is a sack made safe by skillful tie.
Behold the yellow skirt; ill fortune fly.
Dragons at war: Gold, blood and porphyry.

(Correct and firm the conduct, thou shalt spy
good fortune from the sky.)

CHUN: Firm, correct; great progress this evinces
and vantage from appointing feudal princes.

Hard mere advance, maintain thy place correct.
Distress, retreat; fear not, a friend is nigh.
Lost in the wood, seek not a deer to espy.
Retreating, seek thy mate; with him, aim high.
Dispense rich favors as thy friends expect.
Thine house bolt; bleed tears of agony!

MANG: Inexperience; let them see the sage.
One gains his smile; twice will excite his rage.

Correct him once to free; twice? Let him go!
Treat fools and women kindly, they've their uses.
Wed not loose women, only that they know.
Chains bind the ignorant, and sorrows flow.
Yet — the great fool! Simplicity’s good glow!
Protect the ignorant from all abuses!

HSU: Patience; be sincere; success will gleam
Firmness brings fortune, thou mayest cross the stream.

Wait, constant, in the border of the land.
Wait, slandered, by the mountain torrents sand.
Ah! Shun its mud, or mischief is at hand.
Still wait, midst blood. Forth from cavern hie!
Still wait, at festival — Oh firmly stand.
Three guests come helping; greet them courteously.

SUNG: Strife: be cautious; seek not the extreme.
Seek help from friends, and do not cross the stream.

Perpetuate not strife, though slandered thou.
O’ermatched, retire, concealment be thy friend!
Maintain thy place, but claim no glory now.
O’ermatched, the study of heaven’s law perpend.
Now with great fortune on thy side contend!
Victorious, the fruit’s bitter in the end.

SZE: Armies; all depends upon the sage,
His ripe experience, and his wisdom’s age.

Mark well the rules of martial strategy.
Chief of the host, thy king confers the post.
Divided counsel — inefficiency!
Retreat is not an error if need be.
Seek and destroy bad faith and mutiny!
But find good men for posts of dignity.

PI: Union. First examine, art thou right?
Then the restless join thee; woe the laggard’s plight.

Sincerity of union is the key;
From inward mind comes forth true unity.
Unite not with unworth’s iniquity!
There’s one beyond thyself that yearns for thee.
Base well thy tower upon the people’s power.
Thy first step missed? Disaster shalt thou see.

HSIAO CHU: Shows small restraint. Hence quick success.
But clouds indeed, we ask rain’s happiness.

Strayed — Come thou back and follow thy own plan!
By true attraction mete thy starry span!
Anger in wedlock or a car en panne!
Bloodshed and woe sincerity bids go.
Sincerity: Here’s help from all the clan.
Who wins too much may lose! Repose, O man!

LI: Is the treading of the path that’s right!
Step on the tiger’s tail; he will not bite.

Follow the path of thine accustomed right;
Level and easy walks the anchorite.
Learn vanity, the brave’s bluff, to flee!
Tread on the tiger’s tail; he will not bite.
Firm, resolute — yet perilous thy plight;
Examine well, the augury of the flight.

THAI: The due order of things; we see, in sum,
good fortune, small things gone, and great things come.

Pull up one stalk; and others follow it.
Seek patience, self reliance, love and wit.
Though all things change, rejoice; for that is writ.
Call friends to help thee, they may bring thee through.
Remember what Ti Yi thought right and true.
The city’s fallen; there's little thou canst do.

PHI: All’s disorder in the organum.
We see the great gone, and the little come.

Again one stalk pulled brings the others too.
Patience, obedience, fitness, build anew.
Shame hide thy purpose from thy own right view!
Act rightly; comrades come to love thee and wonder.
Restoring all things, murmur, We may blunder.
The darkness passes; light breaks forth from under.

THUNG ZAN: Men’s union! Everywhere the clan!
Cross then the stream, thou firm, superior man!

Here first the master rises from his gate.
Well should he flee the cares of family!
Concealed, but watchful, the right born await!
Be ready to attack, but tempt not fate.
Through tears to laughter, victory crowns thy state.
Even in the suburbs men proclaim thee great.

TA YU: Great havings; wealth’s a sorceress,
within whose cauldron bubbles up success.

Steer clear of wrong, envision clear thy road.
Lo! The great wagon with its golden load!
Great prince to heaven’s son his duty hath showed.
But guard resources as his jewel a toad.
Sincerity is matched by majesty.
In all ways heaven’s blessing hath overflowed!

CHIEN: Humility; this yeast’s to baking.
A man may win in every undertaking.

Increase humilities; so clears the way!
Once recognized, who is there to gainsay?
Acknowledged merit will success inherit.
Grow thou more truly humble every day.
Thus all thy neighbors in thy cause array.
Use force — but only on the proper prey!

YU: Satisfaction spreads through all thy coasts.
Appoint thy princes, and send forth thy hosts!

Boast not of pleasure! There lurks overthrow.
Be firm, with foresight all thy soul aglow.
Presume not; understand — what came may go!
Shed happiness, call friends to share success!
Make not a habit; joy's as dull as woe.
Oh! Think more deeply; change is wisdom’s throw!

SUI: Follow after; but in following checked
by being firm, unwavering and correct.

Changing pursuit, seek friends beyond thy gate.
Should one leave old, and follow a young boy?
Wiselier leave youth, and age’s wit employ.
Adherents hurt; make sure thy way is straight.
Follow all excellence with eager gait.
The sincere king may sacrifice with joy.

KU: Service. Thou mayst cross the stream no doubt,
if thou have fully thought thy purpose out.

Good son, repair thy sire’s infirmity;
Be gentle with thy mother’s frailty, Son.
Yea, clear thy father’s troubles, every one.
Restrain thy course; view them indulgently.
Thus gain the praise of thine utility.
Do what thou wilt, thyself, a slave to none!

LIN: Great; here’s progress and success to firm
correctness; but — more trouble at the term!

Now with thy comrade firmly force the pace!
Advance with him — alliance wins the race.
Be cautious, or advance may lead thee astray.
Go forward only in the noblest way.
Great rulers need great wisdom every day.
Honest, magnanimous, woo fortune’s ray.

KWAN: Manifesting; contemplating; see
thou be sincere, pure, just, with dignity.

Thoughtless and boyish: little shalt thou see!
Peep from thy door — a woman’s modesty.
Consider thine whole course insistently.
State’s weal resolved, seek aid of majesty.
Consider thy life’s course, lest action err,
And criticise thy soul’s true character.

SHIH HO: Unite by gnawing; here success
comes by the proper use of legal stress.

Nip crime in the bud; lop toes, put feet in stocks;
Else — flesh and nose must next be bitten through.
Quick, or dried flesh gives double work to do!
Gnaw, gnaw, fake pledges ere the gate unlocks.
Gnaw: gold rewards precaution firm and true.
Or, last, the Gangue — the ears cut off, fate mocks.

PI: Ornament, should have free course indeed.
But — in its place: it shall not take the lead.

Adorn thy feet, and have no need of horses.
Adorn thy beard, for dignity is due.
Adorn, seek firm correctness in thy courses!
Horsed, winged, desire the honest and true!
Though poor, suburban, there’s good work to do.
Clad in pure white, simplicity thy force is.

PO: Falling; overturning; when things quake
to agitate them more is a mistake.

Injure the couch’s legs, soon all will go;
Injure its frame, soon total overthrow.
Destroy, when need is — will not wisdom show?
The couch destroyed, its occupant hath woe.
Be loyal, help thy followers; all’s aglow.
That’ll bear thee brave; the small man digs his grave.

FU: Coming back; thou’rt free to come and go.
Friends help; now move with confidence aglow

Correct small blunders — look for lucky wonders!
Hast erred? Return and take the proper way.
Return, return; and go no more astray!
Return though all thy comrades say thee nay.
Nobly return — the master of thy day!
But error piled on error — deuce to pay!

WU WANG: Sincerity and prudence; splendid
if in these matters thou hast not offended.

Free from all insincerity, press on!
Good going, if thou reap with never a plough!
Yet — innocence oft bears guilt’s branded brow.
Firmness, correctness; these bid woe begone.
The good man sick? He needs no doctor-don.
Time’s come when silence’s book is best to con.

TA KHU: The great accumulation; quit
thy private virtue when state needeth it.

Peril; move not, but look within thine heart.
Then, with due care, be ready for the start.
Now, with good horse, well trained, play hard thy part!
Block even the young bull’s horns! He’s safer so.
Castrate the boar — its teeth will gently show.
Then rule the stars — good fortune aid thine art!

I: Nourishment; the matter and the mode,
demand that thought should indicate the road.

Suffice thyself; else — how thy jaw shall quiver!
Look neither down nor up, the sages say.
Ill nourished, action merely means affray.
But lo! Below thee bleats the tiger’s prey.
Improper method? Firm and cautious stay!
But thou, who nurturest all, mayst cross the river.

TA KWO: A weakened beam is under stress.
To move in any manner spells success.

Place mats for things set down; then faults are few.
Dead willow shoots; old man young wife well wooing.
The beam is weak; fate’s busy with the brewing!
The beam curves up — loyalty did the glueing.
Dead willow flowers; old wife young men pursuing!
Bold wader, thine head’s wet — but thou wast true!

KHAN: Defile, cavern, pit: In times of danger
make not sincerity of act a stranger.

Gorge within gorge, then cavern — do not go!
Involve not deeplier thy dangerous case!
Peril all round — Be still’s the luckiest show!
Instructing king’s, most humble caution show!
Be patient, time brings order with grave pace.
Bound and beset, bewildered too? What woe!

LI: Sun; attachment. Be thy way docile
as well as firm — then see good fortune smile.

Confused at start? Let reverence befriend.
Here’s fortune — rightly placed and clothed in yellow.
Accept thy ills with cheer or worse attend.
Abruptness — fie! Thus fire and death descend.
Luck comes to aid thee, melancholy fellow!
In victory be just — a noble end.

HSIEN: Mutual influence; good fortune bless
Man’s firm correctness with the tide, success.

Would’st walk? To move thy toes alone is a flaw;
But calves? ’Twere surely better to withdraw.
Thigh’s too? Cling close to leaders? Thou wilt rue it.
Insited plans? Only thy friends pursue it.
But shrug thy shoulders! God shall gladly view it.
The wag not thy tongue, nor drop thy jaw!

HANG: By persistance are great empires built.
There is no law beyond do what thou wilt,

Lust of result mars will in every way;
But steadfast purpose spans the vast abysm.
Maintain thy virtue — heed not criticism!
Seek not reward; thy work be its own chris,
Passion love wins, where active loses, fray;
And violent efforts end in swift decay.

THUN: A retirement. Though thy force be spent.
Adroit withdrawal masters the event!

Peril! Withdraw! Keep still — though tail yet show.
Hold fast thy purpose subtly, even so.
Gracious to them that bind thee; hate their ire;
maugre their will, the great have wit to retire.
Retreat in order — even the gods admire.
Retreat with dignity — rekindle fire.

TA KWANG: Great strength. Be firm and self-reliant;
But — tyrannous to use it like a giant!

Plant firm thy feet, but dare not yet to move!
Thy firm correctness exercise and prove.
Fences entangle rams who blindly shove.
Strength fails to force some gates that yield to love.
Thine purpose gained, relax — nor tax thine heart so;
Once tangled, the best chance is — to know thou art so!

ZIN: To advance — when thou hast won folk ease,
thy lord shall give thee gifts and dignities.

Firm, patient and great hearted, wait thy day!
Move with regret — the royal mother’s way!
Confidence thus begotten — why delay?
Advance by stealth; the marmot guide thee yet;
Woo not success; the games’s the game to play.
Use power with caution or beware regret!

MING: Intelligence sore hurt; reflect
on the position rigidly correct.

Hurt? Droop thy wings and fast, while critics leaguer.
A horse may save one wounded in the thigh.
Thy great foe taken, be thou not over eager!
Escape from night by mind’s propriety.
Think how the court of Ki met destiny.
At last earth swallows him that trod the sky.

KIA ZAN: The household: This right rule’s its base!
The wife be firm, correct, in her own place.

First, proper law’s the necessary thing.
House keeper, keep the house with modesty!
Be stern for idleness and chattering.
Thus fortune helps enrich the family.
All share the luck of the high handed king.
Sincere, majestic, the end’s glittering.

KHWEI: All’s disunion, mother of distress;
But in small matters there may be success.

Lost steeds return; bad men may yet take thy way;
Thy lord may chance to meet thee — in the byway.
Baffled and punished? Bide time’s amnesty.
Alone and disunion? Friends on highway
Joined with thy minister thy course is free.
Pigs? Ghosts? Foes? Nay! Go forward on the skyway.

KIEN: Incompetence and lameness; time
for the great man to aid thee in the climb.

Advance adds trouble; stillness aids thee now.
Keep struggling with no self to mar thy vow.
Advance not; seek again thine ancient clan!
Advance not; be with those united thou.
Struggle! Friends come to prosecute thy plan.
Advance not! Wait for aid from the great man!

KIEH: Loosing; if all’s won, return and rest.
If partial gain, quick action will be best.

Begin to loosen — Straight and clear the way.
Rid fields of foxes; fill the golden quiver.
Beggars on horseback tempt the brigand’s play.
Stand not to oppose the friends come to deliver.
Remove all wrong; then all men own thy sway.
The prince the falcon on the wall shall slay.

SUN: Diminution; be sincere; the price
is not the measure of the sacrifice.

Leave business to help friends, but yet be wary!
Guard against action; of the cash be chary!
Three walk, one’s gone; one walks, and meets a two.
By friendship one finds woes becoming few.
Here’s tortoise shells from the chosen few.
Prudent though kind well served by friends o’dignitary.

YI: Increase; now’s no time to sit and shiver;
but to move on, even to cross the river.

Success excuses boldness; face thy fate!
Good omens and true virtue joined, essay!
Ill leads to well, for him who leads the way;
Even the capital remove he may.
Let all men share in thine approved estate!
By soul's disorders realms disintegrate.

KWAI: Cutting off; displeasure; front thy foe;
but show reluctance due in acting so.

Lay well thy plans before the march begins.
Seek loyal friends and have no fear of gins.
Fight on alone; persistant courage wins!
Defeated, acquiesce — smiles conquer grins.
Uproot small men like purslane — tan their skins;
Cut off is he — and evil his end be!

KAU: Suddenly encountering — behold
a woman — do not wed her? who is bold.

Restrain weak folly — or woo melancholy!
Here’s fish — but ask not fishy folk to dine!
Defeated, yes; but not at meat with swine!
No fish — because thou hast mixed with thieves, in fine
conceal thy virtues — cellars ripen wine!
But hermits lose things human for divine.

ZHUI: Collection; to the shrine repair
and sacrifice the greatest victories there!

Alone, art helpless; call thy right ally;
With him, even small prayers earn heaven’s swift reply.
Baffled, yet struggling, thou shalt cease to sigh.
Success excuses boldness; recollect
then to be firm in virtue and correct!
Weep for thy loneliness — but still aim high!

SHANG: The ascent; go seek the lofty one!
And in the south give worship to the sun!

Make thyself welcome with the great; aim high!
Small gifts are sweetened by sincere good will.
But empty cities ’ art thou bold to fill?
The king rewards thy true sincerity;
Ascend the stairs with proper dignity.
Firm right maintain, though blind the silent sky!

KHWAN: Straitened and distressed; the great man acts.
But rhetoric is far removed from facts.

Bare buttocks — tree stump — valley — hopes decay.
Embarrassed king, be quiet and sincere!
Rocks, thorns — come home, and find thy wife astray.
Even with friends the course is hard to steer.
Rebellion? Honesty has nought to fear.
Bound? On the brink? Repent and take thy way!

ZING: Well; the common fountain of increase.
If kept with care, its virtues never cease.

Muddy or dried, what use? Beware decay.
Leaky: for shame! The worker is disgraced.
Clear, but unused; how senseless is the waste!
Well laid and lined, how noble the display.
Come drink the water — cold, pellucid — chaste.
Here to the brim it bubbles — go thy way!

KO: Change; men doubt until their dullness sees
the change wisdom can foretell with ease.

At first; though art bound with strips of yellow hide.
Wait then a little, time’s a friend to thee.
Haste may wreck all; discuss thy plans untried.
First gain men’s confidence; then saddle and ride!
Swift as a tiger — with the Yi for a guide!
Confirm thy change with firm sincerity.

TING: Cauldron; firm its auspice we may guess,
realization, progress, and success.

Upset the foul pots! thy whore earns mother fee.
Before thou eat set guards about thy table!
Frowns failure if thou be not equitable.
Then shame on thee; thy case is pitiable.
Gold ornaments men’s firm sincerity.
And rings of jade attest him honourable!

CHEN: Fire! Beware, but smile with mein divine!
Let nothing scare thee into spilling wine!

Here’s trouble; watch thy ways, but drink thy wine!
Take lofty ground; the tide will ebb and flow.
Distraught? May danger teach thee low to go!
Fight fire with fire, or sink in mud supine!
Troubles mean profits for the men who know.
Caution! Foresee the action of the foe!

KAN: Earth; keep silence like thy spine! See none
about thee! Thus the silk of wisdom’s spun.

Plant firm thy feet; repose be now thy law.
Thy legs — ’twere ill to advance them or withdraw.
If loins move, the heart’s liable to riot.
Keep still thy body’s fidgets, Johnny raw,
and, for the love of heaven hold thy jaw!
Fortune attends who persevere in quiet.

KIEN: Gradual progress: be thy right firm carriage
suggestive of a lady’s decent marriage.

Wild geese approach the shore — with care they fly!
They reach the rocks — and pasture joyfully.
Dry plains they cross — it needs a vigorous wing!
They reach the trees, and rest; but not too high.
At last they gain the goal of traveling;
See on broad heights their feathers glittering.

KWEI MEI: To give first younger daughters — ill course.
Don’t start with the carriage in front of the horse.

Go to it, ye cripples! I’ll hold your crutches.
Blind of one eye? Be as chaste as a dutchess!
Now, younger sisters there’s scrubbing to do!
Better postpone matrimonial clutches!
Think of Ti-Yi and his sisters anew!
No meat on the chops, and no beans in the stew.

FANG: Large, abundant; now care’s night is done.
Shed forth thy glory as the noonday sun.

First meet thy mate, then multiply thy force.
Be humbly loyal in obscurity;
Let not its accidents disturb thy course.
Mated in darkness — men! ’Tis fortune’s source.
Then, call the clansmen of ability!
But pride and insolence slay majesty.

LU: Stranger, Firm right conduct may unravel
most of the tangles incident to travel.

Mean men by menial toil increase their woe;
Well lodged, served, monied men more easy go.
His house on fire, his servants fled, ’ware danger.
Though rich, armed, rested, still set caution ranger!
Good manners, self effacement with the throw;
while arrogance and violence hurt the stranger.

SUN: Wood, wind; mark their subtly suave persistance!
Elastic ease, the line of least resistance.

Infirm of purpose, learn the soldier's way.
Ask humbly of the gods to guide thy course!
Violent excess of struggle breeds remorse.
Wide forethoughts and shrewd tactics pledge thee prey.
With steady, easy strokes apply thy force.
Fear, indecision, sap the last resource.

TUI: Still waters may run deep and free;
Mistake not slackness for philosophy!

Appease thyself, harmonious in thy sphere!
Single thy will, most utterly sincere!
Turn not aside when siren pleasures woo!
Search thyself well to make thy purpose clear.
Too trustful customers may buy too dear.
’Tis pleasant to be captain of thy crew!

HWAN: Dissipation; in the world of fools.
The kingly man stands firm, divides and rules.

One needs a horse in this world’s mob-mellay;
One needs a refuge, a secure shrewd plan.
We must have knocks, nor mind them, in the fray.
Scatter the mob, then pick the choice array.
Command the mob, and fill their bellies, man!
Good end forgets how badly it began.

KIEH: Regulations: measured steps, but fear
impermanent results if too severe!

There is a time when wisdom urges rest.
Another when the bird should leave his nest.
Observe no rules? Lament; the blame’s to thee.
Attend them quietly — success flows free.
Enact right laws — be tactful with decree,
for men are vexed when harshly pressed.

KIEH: Regulations. Who can do without them?
But not too many, lest men come to flout them!

Quit not thine house to meddle with the state;
But set good order still within thy gate.
Thou mayest lament if thou should’st disobey.
But keep the law and go thy peaceful way.
Enact thy laws ’ suave, tactful, moderate;
But vex not men with harshness overweigh!

KUNG FU: Supreme sincerity; thy wish fulfilled.
For this moves even pigs and fish.

Trust thou thyself, repose in thine own sphere.
But welcome and reciprocate good cheer.
A mate involves vicissitudes that vary;
He travels fast who travels solitary!
Men are most loyal to men most sincere;
But failure’s for sky-soaring chanticleer!

HSIAO KWO: Exceeding in small things I’ve heard
to soar too high is risky for the bird.

The issue’s evil when birds soar too high;
The wisest course is humble loyalty.
Without precautions, enemies assail;
But adaptation and sound care prevail.
Birds in a cave — sure marks for archer’s eye!
Ambition, in bad times, is lunacy.

HSIAO KWO: Excessive trifles; but beware
in great things not to trust thyself to air.

Winged though thou be, soar not too rashly high!
Let not self seeking out run loyalty!
Men be incaution ask their foes to assail;
Tact and adroitness helps one to prevail.
At easiest mark, let thine arrows fly!
Uncurbed ambition courts calamity.

KI ZI: Perfected work. Perfection borders
close to the frontiers of new disorders.

Maintain success; be history’s lessons heeded!
Alarmed, be not distracted or unsteady;
Put to each enterprise the full force needed!
To stop the first leak, vigilant and ready.
Small works wrought wisely are most surely speeded!
Rash violence drowns in dark disaster’s eddy.

WEI ZI: Work ruined! Ah so nearly crossed
the stream! Step slackly once, and all is lost!

Is thy force equal to thy task? else try not!
Retire in the face of overwhelming odds.
To the world's mote thine own eye's beam apply not!
War patient through persistent periods!
So win to fortune, fame and flame that die not;
masterful, modest, feast thou with the gods.