Sacred Books of the East Vol. 40: Taoism Vol. 2

St. 9. Through his transforming power, the tripods were made sure; And families became polite and courteous. {fn. 1. The nine wells, or bubbling springs, near the village where Lao was born, are mentioned by various writers; but I fail to see how the growth of the trees about them indicated the ruin of his temple.} {fn. 2. I have introduced the 'all souls' in this line, because of the {img 31800} in the second character. Williams defines the first character, yao as 'the effulgence of the sun,' and of 'heavenly bodies generally;' the second ({img 31801}) is well known as meaning 'the animal soul,' and 'the dark disk of the moon.' The Thesaurus, however, explains the two characters together as a name for the pole star ({img 31802}; see Analects I, i); and perhaps I had better have followed this meaning.} {fn. 3. The 'desert sands' were, no doubt, what we call 'the desert of Gobi.' The trees referred to were 'in the extreme East.' The combination phan-mû is not described more particularly.} {fn. 4. This and the three preceding lines are not a little dark.} {p. 319} Ever kept he in mind (the sage) beneath the Pillar{fr. 1}, Still emulous of the sovereigns most ancient{fr. 2}. So has he built this pure temple, And planned its stately structure; Pleasant, with hills and meadows around, And lofty pavilion with its distant prospect. St. 10. Its beams are of plum-tree, its ridge-pole of cassia;