20
The way of living of the superior man is soft as comforting
furs,[1]
as stable as an inverted cup.[2]
When the empire has the True
Way, the feudal lords are in awe of him; when the empire is
without the True Way, the common people are comfortable in his
presence.
[3]
Not today only, but since antiquity it has been thus.
Of old when Fan Li went on his wanderings, he lived in a shambles
in Ch`i.
[4]
. . . (?) . . . Suddenly there is a supernatural transformation,
[5]
jên and
i are agitated,
[6]
vast and comprehensive, Heaven
and Earth share his grief. (?) Hence, how can the place where
the superior man dwells be static?
The Ode says,[7]
My heart is grieved;
Who knows [the cause of] it?"