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THE TEXTS OF TÂOISM.
BK, XIV.
From this interview with Lão Tan, Confucius returned home, and for three days did not speak. His disciples (then) asked him, saying, 'Master, you have seen Lâo Tan; in what way might you admonish and correct him?' Confucius said, 'In him (I may say) that I have now seen the dragon. The dragon coils itself up, and there is its body; it unfolds itself and becomes the dragon complete. It rides on the cloudy air, and is nourished by the Yin and Yang. I kept my mouth open, and was unable to shut it ;—how could I admonish and correct Lâo Tan?'
7. Zze-kung 1 said, 'So then, can (this) man indeed sit still as a representative of the dead, and then appear as the dragon ? Can his voice resound as thunder, when he is profoundly still ? Can he exhibit himself in his movements like heaven and earth? May I, Zhze, also get to see him?' Accordingly with a message from Confucius he went to see Lao Tan.
Lâo Tan was then about to answer (his salutation) haughtily in the hall, but he said in a low voice,
My years have rolled on and are passing away, what do you, Sir, wish to admonish me about ?' Zzekung replied, “The Three Kings and Five Tîs a ruled
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3ze-kung would seem to have undertaken this expedition to maintain the reputation of the Master and his school ;-only to be defeated by Lâo-zze more signally than Confucius had been.
2 These are different probably, though the text is not quite certain, from the three Hwangs and five Tîs of par. 3. The Hwangs (or August Sovereigns) preceded the Tîs; the Kings (Wangs) came after them. The Three Kings are the three lines of kings commencing with the dynasty of Hsiâ, and following Shun. From the names mentioned by 3ze-kung, we ought certainly so to understand the designation here.
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