子将遁世矣？尹令强为著书，上下五千余言。释鸿蒙肇判之始，立太虚无物之根。穷宇宙万物之本也。耳少商容授业，荐周都守藏吏。天都洛邑，典籍如海。贤士如云，乃天下之圣地也。非入其内而难成大器矣。若夫，聃入太学，穷经翰史。

周室觥筹颓隳，礼乐废驰，数典忘祖。战伐出于诸侯，同室操戈阋之墙，遗踪窖尘。子若神龙，其变不穷隐骊山，悟天地之真谛：有物混成，先天地生，寂兮廖兮，为天下母。于是，问道楼观。无幽不通，唯尊道而贵德；澄明异质，阐无为之妙旨。乃圣人之道也！平淡推演极绚，披纷化为至简。独立而不改，有无相生，知白守黑，周行不殆。

大道舒卷，虚空杳冥。言之有物，察之有行，抱雌守雄；静知其恩，动知其所，故清而明。生于混沌元气，正而远，浩而壮，是为道也！但觉，子懿为龙，條然无踪，杳然无影，茫然沧溟，睥睨八荒。又若赤子，抱朴复归其根。嗟乎！君王守道，天下自安。天地孕生，惟水至贵。大道至简，知不足而后进；斯人善往，醒迷茫于识途。德不孤行，其道大光，兰心蕙质而弥远；水柔至德，不避污秽，以蓄势而成汪洋。山岚雾起，道哲腾升：隐儒渊明，清幽高远，心境物流浑融；八大神韵，虚淡空白，天人合一，寥数笔若天成。道无垠，天地与我共生；本子根，万物与我为一。夫虚静寂寞，处无为之事，行不言之教，万物生发而不据为已有，天之道也！

癸卯年甲子月丁未日于西山

Ode of Old Master

by YUAN Xiao-Lou

O, Old Master, it was probably when you were about to retire that Chief Yin requested you to write a book, which exceeded five thousand words. You began by explaining the origins of cosmic chaos, laying the foundation of the great void as well as nothingness and exploring the essence of all things in the universe. When you were a teenager, your teacher Shang Rong educated you and later recommended you serve in the library of the capital of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Its capital, Luoyi, was a place where texts were as vast as the boundless main and wise scholars gathered there, a sacred place essential for accomplishing great deeds. So, you entered the Imperial Academy there and delved deeply into the study of scriptures and historical texts.

Later, the Zhou Dynasty fell into decline, neglecting rituals and music and forgetting their ancestors. The feudal lords waged wars with each other, and internal strife and conflicts erupted among the nobility, burning books to ashes. O, Old Master, you hid in the Mountain Li, just like the mystical loong able to transform into infinity, where you realized the essence of the universe: that is, there existed a primordial substance from which the heavens and earth were born out of nothingness—serene and profound. This nothingness is the mother of all things. Thus, sages from far and wide came here to seek your teachings on the law of nature. In your mind, there are no impenetrable mysteries, but only the respect for the heavenly way and cherishing virtue; transparent and clear, revealing the profound essence of non-action. This is the way of the sages! From the ordinary emerges the utmost complexity, transforming intricate affairs into the purest simplicity. Independent and unchanging, existence and non-existence give rise to each other, black and white complement each other, cycling endlessly, without ceasing.

The law of nature manifests itself and then withdraws, the void profound. Words describe her existence; observation perceives her operation. Embracing the balance of dark and light with a calm mind, one comprehends her benevolence, understanding her presence amidst movement, thus becoming clear and enlightened. Born from the primordial chaos, she is righteous and distant, vast and magnificent—this is the essence of the nature law! So, I feel that you are like the magnificent loong, not stereotyped in one shape and leaving no trace, mysterious and formless, like the vast ocean covering the horizon, or like the dome of sky crowning all directions, or like an infant holding simplicity and bearing the rustic charm. Ah! When the ruler upholds the heavenly law of nature, the world naturally finds peace. Heaven and earth nurture all things, where water is the most supreme. The law of nature goes extremely simple, and only through recognizing one’s inadequacy can one approach her; such people seek goodness and advancement, awakening from confusion to find their path. Virtue does not walk alone, the law of nature incomparably brilliant, pure and lofty like the heart of orchid. Water, though soft but supremely virtuous, does not disdain filth, accumulating strength to form the vast ocean. In the mountains, mist swirls like the law of nature and the philosophy rising upward: the reclusive scholar, serene and lofty, merges their heart with nature; the eight great harmonies, ethereal and empty, achieve unity with heaven, simple words appear as though crafted by the heavens. The law of nature has no boundaries, coexisting with heaven and earth; the fundamental origin merges with all things. Therefore, the void is tranquil, residing in a state of non-action, actions are self-evident, and all things thrive without selfishness—this is the heavenly law of nature!

​December 15, 2023, on West Mountain