Page:Zhuang Zi - translation Giles 1889.djvu/245

CAP. XVII.] "What do you mean," enquired the Spirit of the River, "by the natural and the artificial?"

"Horses and oxen," answered the Spirit of the Ocean, "have four feet. That is the natural. Put a halter on a horse's head, a string through a bullock's nose,—that is the artificial.

"Therefore it has been said, do not let the artificial obliterate the natural; do not let will obliterate destiny; do not let virtue be sacrificed to fame. Diligently observe these precepts without fail, and thus you will revert to the divine."


 * If man does not set himself in opposition to God, the result will be.

The walrus envies the centipede;


 * Its many legs and nimble gait.

the centipede envies the snake;


 * Which moves without legs.

the snake envies the wind;


 * Which moves far more quickly even without body.

the wind envies the eye;


 * Which travels even without moving.

the eye envies the mind;


 * Which can comprehend the whole universe, past and present alike.

The walrus said to the centipede, "I hop about on one leg, but not very successfully. How do you manage all these legs you have?"


 * "Walrus" is of course an analogue. But for the one