the gatekeepers tale

18
The Gate Keeper's Tale A Transliteration of: The Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and English I once heard a story of a wise old man long long ago, in ancient China. Lao Tzu is usually dated to around the 6th century BC and reckoned a contemporary of Confucius, but some historians contend that he actually lived during the Warring States period of the 5th or 4th century BC. He was a marvelous man of great wisdom who was called Lao Tzu. He was the Keeper of the Archives for the royal court of Zhou (also known as the Chou Dynasty). He gave out advise on every subject and answered many people's deepest questions. They listened to him, went home, and did what they wanted to do anyway, regardless of his advise. After many years of effort, he decided that people were not able, or at least did not seem to want to follow his advise, but went about their lives much the same as before they came to him for help. In frustration, he determined that he was going to go through the Great Wall of China and loose himself in the wilds of Mongolia. He and his servant packed his belongings on a donkey and started out on their journey. However when they came to the Great Wall of China, the Gate Keeper there had some questions for him before he would allow him to pass through. Because he was dressed as a noble person of obvious high rank, with a servant, he wanted first to know his name. The old man told him his name was Lao Tzu. (Lao Tzu was an honorary name mean something like “Wise Old Man” - His given name was Li Er.) Then the Gate Keeper wanted to know what his position was, and what he was doing so far away from the Capital and the center of Chinese culture, politics, and business of that time. It seemed to him that this man was certainly a man of means, and had no business traveling on the open road with a single servant. He needed to be assured of who he was and what he was doing. Lao Tzu answered him truthfully, and said that he was indeed the Keeper of the Archives for the royal court of Zhou. The Gate Keeper was very surprised and wanted to know why he was there at the very border of the kingdom. He still wanted to know what Lao Tzu was doing. Lao Tzu explained to him that as an advisor for those who needed to ask him deep questions. He said that he had become frustrated and had determined to loose himself in the wilds of Mongolia. He wanted to pass through the Gate and be done with his job as an advisor, because no body ever followed his advise anyway. Well, the Gate Keeper was just a low official, but he was concerned about the fact that this was indeed an important person in the Royal Court of the Zhou Family, and he was not sure if it was proper to allow this man to pass and be lost to that family at all. He insisted that Lao Tzu should not be allowed to pass through the Gate and that at the very least, he would have to be required to put all his wisdom down into writing before he be allowed

Upload: keola-ga-downing

Post on 20-Nov-2015

4 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

DESCRIPTION

First draft of a work a started many years ago. It is a transliteration of the Tao Te Ching into Marshallese and back into English line by line. I only have a start on doing this project that was never finished when I started to do it many years ago. Wish me luck on future progress.Mahalo, Keola

TRANSCRIPT

  • The Gate Keeper's TaleA Transliteration of:

    The Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and English

    I once heard a story of a wise old man long long ago, in ancient China. Lao Tzu is usually dated to around the 6th century BC and reckoned a contemporary of Confucius, but some historians contend that he actually lived during the Warring States period of the 5th or 4th century BC. He was a marvelous man of great wisdom who was called Lao Tzu. He was the Keeper of the Archives for the royal court of Zhou (also known as the Chou Dynasty). He gave out advise on every subject and answered many people's deepest questions. They listened to him, went home, and didwhat they wanted to do anyway, regardless of his advise.

    After many years of effort, he decided that people were not able, or at least did not seem to want to follow his advise, but went about their lives much the same as before they came to him for help. In frustration, he determined that he was going to go through the Great Wall of China and loose himself in the wilds of Mongolia.

    He and his servant packed his belongings on a donkey and started out on their journey. However when they came to the Great Wall of China, the Gate Keeper there had some questions for him before he would allow him to pass through.

    Because he was dressed as a noble person of obvious high rank, with a servant, he wanted first toknow his name. The old man told him his name was Lao Tzu. (Lao Tzu was an honorary name mean something like Wise Old Man - His given name was Li Er.)

    Then the Gate Keeper wanted to know what his position was, and what he was doing so far awayfrom the Capital and the center of Chinese culture, politics, and business of that time. It seemed to him that this man was certainly a man of means, and had no business traveling on the open road with a single servant. He needed to be assured of who he was and what he was doing.

    Lao Tzu answered him truthfully, and said that he was indeed the Keeper of the Archives for the royal court of Zhou. The Gate Keeper was very surprised and wanted to know why he was there at the very border of the kingdom. He still wanted to know what Lao Tzu was doing.

    Lao Tzu explained to him that as an advisor for those who needed to ask him deep questions. He said that he had become frustrated and had determined to loose himself in the wilds of Mongolia.He wanted to pass through the Gate and be done with his job as an advisor, because no body everfollowed his advise anyway.

    Well, the Gate Keeper was just a low official, but he was concerned about the fact that this was indeed an important person in the Royal Court of the Zhou Family, and he was not sure if it was proper to allow this man to pass and be lost to that family at all.

    He insisted that Lao Tzu should not be allowed to pass through the Gate and that at the very least, he would have to be required to put all his wisdom down into writing before he be allowed

  • to pass through! He assured Lao Tzu that he would give him accommodations and food, but that he could not simply allow him to walk through the Gate and pass on to the Wilds of Mongolia, because the wisdom that he held in his head was the property of the Royal Court of the Zhou. Hewould give him shelter and time to write his wisdom down. Come up and dine with me first, and we will make our decisions afterward.

    To make a long story short, this is what happened. After a sumptuous dinner and fine wine, the Gate Keeper was told by Lao Tzu that he didn't understand at all.

    You see, Lao Tzu had a particular way of looking at wisdom. He told the Gate Keeper that wordshad special power, and when things were written down, they became worthless. It was analogousto a good fire. The blaze was akin to the spoken words themselves, but the words written down were only like the ashes of the fire and had no strength or benefit at all.

    He told the Gate Keeper that he was not opposed to telling him his wisdom if he wanted him to do so, but that if the Gate Keeper wanted to have his wisdom written down, he would have to do that himself, because he did not believe in the written word.

    It was in this clever way that Lao Tzu tricked the Gate Keeper into writing down the words himself. You see, he knew that for his words to have any benefit, they would have to be the words of the common man. The Gate Keeper was a good man, and what he was doing was a good thing. As a common man, he would have to write down Lao Tzu's wisdom (81 beautiful sayings) in the tongue of the common man so that everyone would be able to understand what he was telling the Gate Keeper.

    Thus was born The Tao Te Ching, know today in English, as the The Way Of Life. The earliestcopy of the Tao Te Ching ever found was written on slips of bamboo dating from the late 4th Century BCE. The Gate Keeper was so moved by the sayings, that he became a disciple of Lao Tzu and did follow his advise. He was never seen in China again after completing the Tao Te Ching with Lao Tzu.

    Now I read perhaps a dozen translations of the Tao Te Ching in the early 1970's after I began my time in the Peace Corps in 1969. When I returned to the United States in 1971 between my first and second term in the Peace Corps in the Marshall Islands, I purchased a copy (the Witter Byner translation) in Waipahu Hawai`i for $.50.

    When I completed my two tours of Peace Corps, I went to Graduate School in Vermont at Goddard College, and I did not want to loose my skills as a Marshallese Interpreter and Translator, so I began to make my transliterations into Marshallese incorporating what I had learned of ancient Marshallese custom into the 81 sayings. At that time, I actually typed them outon typing paper with a standard type-writer.

    I never actually entered them into a computer to make a digital copy. Now that I have retired from my work as a Medical and Courtroom Interpreter, I have begun to digitize the last of my remaining copies of the first 40 transliterations into Marshallese and then back into English line by line.

  • The result, not unlike the work of the original Gate Keeper, represents the common tongue of theMarshallese people that I worked with in the Peace Corps almost 50 years ago. At the time I first started, I had always planned to finish my work on the Tao Te Ching, but never got around to it until now. The texts were chosen at random so many will have to be done over, but today I only have a few of the dozen translations of the Tao Te Ching I had at the time I first started the work to transliterate them into Marshallese. I have also, over the years, improved greatly as a translatorwith over 46 years of experience under by belt.

    So then, what you find in my work today, are new transliterations, which represent the first 40 that I had accomplished, and I will have to go out and purchase all the various translations I used back in the day to do the rest of the work. Who knows when I will finish this project. I look forward to the duty I feel to incorporate some of the wisdom of the ancient Marshallese people by transliterating Lao Tzu's Wisdom as written down by the Gate Keeper so long ago in China. The end result is very interesting.

    So I guess that in my own way, I also am a modern day Gate Keeper myself, to the wisdom of both the Ancient custom of the Marshallese people and the even more ancient wisdom of Lao Tzu and the Tao Te Ching. (The Way Of Life)

    Mahalo,

    Keola Malalo `O Ka Anuenue 2014

    I will keep you informed of my progress at digitizing the original work I did in 1973 as well as the 41 sayings that I will do now that I am retired. Confucius always said that a man should not write down anything until he was in his 70's, because not until that time would his true adult nature have come to full maturity. I am pushing 66 years old now, and perhaps it is not too soon for me to begin. Let's call this my Draft Copy of a final work to be done by the time I am seventy years old.

  • # 2 The Gate Keeper's Tale - A Transliteration of:The Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and English

    Ilo an Armij lale an jun men aibojwoj,Rej lmnak bar jun men enana.

    Ilo aer lale an jun Emman mmourur,Rej likit bar jun nainmij.

    Mour im Mij, rej ainwt ruo Ra ilo jun Wjki;Jun Ra ej jet lok, Ra en jun ej jet tok.

    Ej ainwtjun iben Men ko rej ben,Im Men ko rej bidodo ar katbrak;

    Rej kwalok arMkitkit ilo wnmanlok.

    Aitok im kadu,Rej kwalok jun jok in ar ukukdk jen dron.

    Utej im Et,Rej kwalok Kark ko ar iben dron.

    Ainikin ko rej kwalokAl ilo loin Emman,

    Im aolep Walok in, ej Ta eo enajEkar walok, Ilo Iliju en!

    Eo en ej Jele elap tata, ejab ebk jun Jibadik,Ejab kajutok jun Kakien.

    Ej bk wt mour inIlo an walok tok.

    Enain aiwtjun aolep Mour in; Ke jej ejake, ak jej jab maro jibwe.

    Jej drorlok, Ak ejab bwe en ar;Jej bk wt ilo Et Bru.

    Elae kwj jab im lo am Utiej,Inem ko ban ja elae ej jako.

    As people see one think beautiful,They think another ugly.

    As they see one man full of life,They will assume another sick.

    Life and death are like two branches of a tree.One branch grows away from us, the other toward us.

    It is the same with those things which are hard,And those things which are easy for us to gain;

    They show our Movement along our way.

    Long and short,They show the measure of difference between us.

    High and low,They show our positions together.

    The sounds that appearMake songs in the mouths of man,

    And all of this happening, will be theWhat has happened of tomorrow.

    He who knows best, he does not take any goal,He does not set up any rule.

    He takes only this lifeAs it shows up.

    It is almost the same for all of this life,Which we feel, but which we cannot touch.

    We save it, but it is not so that it would be ours;We take it only with humility.

    If you do not see your greatness,You will not cry when it is gone.

  • # 3 The Gate Keeper's Tale - A Transliteration of:The Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and English

    Ej emmn lok bwe jen jab kautiej lok,Ro rej elap aer Tbrak;

    Ak armij ro, renaj katblbl,In bukot wt aer Tbrak.

    Jab kmman Ejouj in Mweiuk mmnemmn,Ak Armij, renaj kwat jen euk.

    Jab kamum lok Armij ilo am kmjeje,Ak Men ko rej loe, renaj kanan.

    Eo en ej ber iman Armij,Ej jibadik wt bwe en:

    Kabelok Bruen Armij,Kabwelok Koban Lojen Armij,

    Kainemmn kanan ko aer,Im kabinlok Dien Armij ro,

    Kamelele lok Lmnk ko aer bwe,Ilo aer erreo, ejelok Ktrai en ej maro tbar lok.

    Ilo ejelok Akwel lap,Im ejelok Etan, ak Kien Eddo;

    Kien Anemkwj, ilo an Emmn,Enaj walok mke.

    It is better that we do not highly regard,Those who greatly succeed;

    For people, they would connive,In search only of success.

    Dont make big piles of loot,Or people will steal from you.

    Dont tease people with your showing off,Or what they see, they will want.

    He who is in the lead of people,Seeks only that he might:

    Open the hearts of people,Satisfy the hollow of their belly,

    Bring peace to their desires,And strengthen the bones of the people;

    Untangle their thoughts so that,In their cleanness, no doubt can reach them.

    With out argument and with out burden,Or heavy rule;

    Freedom in its glory,Will come about of itself.

  • # 4 The Gate Keeper's Tale - A Transliteration of:The Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and English

    Mour eo ej walok ion Ll in,Ejab nejin jabrewt;

    Ak aolep Mour in,Im Men otemjej, rej nejen.

    Ej kmtl Bwd.Ej kamelele Bwok,

    Ej kameraik lok Rit kajojo en,Im ej drod ll lok Bal en ilo Kto.

    Eban jab ber Mejin,Ke jej kallimjek ll lok, n ilo Bet en.

    Ak ekijkan ar tbar lok Mour in?Ekijkan ar maro lo Mej in?

    Mejen Walok in,Eo en, ejelok Jinin?

    The existence of life on this earth,It is not the child of anything; But all of this life,And all of these things, they are its child.

    It smooths out mistakes.It unties knots.

    It lightens the blazing suns glare,And it settles the dust in the air.

    Its face will not fail to appear,As we stare down into the well.

    But how have we arrived at this existence?How can we be able to see this face?

    The face of this existence,Which is, without a mother?

  • # 5 The Gate Keeper's Tale - A Transliteration of:The Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and English

    Ilo L im ion Ll in,Ejelok tokjen Ekjab ko.

    n ro rej jele,Ejelok tokjen armij ro.

    Ilo Walok in,Ewor Armij rej mour, im ro rej mij.

    Ej ainwt ren Emman,Ke ej menono;

    Ilo aolep Iien ej wope lok,Ak ilo aolep Iien ej obrak.

    Ilo an elap lok an wope r en an jun Armij,Elaplok wt Kto en ej maro bar menono lok.

    Elukun l Nan ko jej jekdkd iktan dron,Ak emmn lok elae jen kar;

    Rja lok,Melele ko ilo Bru!

    In Heaven and on this earth,There is no importance in idols.

    For those who know,There is no importance in the people.

    In this existence,There are people who live and those who die.

    It is like the lungs of a man,As he breathes.

    At all times it becomes empty,But at all time it is full.

    As a persons lungs become more empty,Only more air can we breathe in.

    There are many words we scatter between us,But it would be far better if we were to;

    Encourage more,The meanings of the heart.

  • # 6 The Gate Keeper's Tale - A Transliteration of:The Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and English

    Kto eo an Ll in,Ej jeikik ion Ll,

    Im ej jineik lok aolep Men otemjej,Ilo Wawin Bwl.

    Ej kwalok im kaltk lok,Ine in Mour ilo aolep Jikin.

    Ilo ar kallimjeke,Ej jun Ll in, eban jmlok!

    Koto ko, jej maro menono lok,an jmlok in ar kannan;

    Im ilo an elap lok ar kajerbali,Ej elap lok wt en ej ber.

    The wind of the earth,Is busy all over the world;

    And it mothers all things without exception,In the Way of Mystery.

    It brings forth and gives birth toThe seed of life at every place.

    As we examine it,It is a world, which will not end.

    The winds, we can breathe in,To the end of our desire;

    And the more that we use,There is only more that remains.

  • # 7 The Gate Keeper's Tale - A Transliteration of:The Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and English

    Ll ko otemjelok ilo Ll in im ilo L,Rej ber ilo ejelok Jmlok.

    Rej ber ilo ejelok Jmlok,Knke rejab ber mke.

    Im ke rej ber ilo jab mke, ak iben dron,Rej ber n Indreeo.

    Jun eo ejele lok jen,Ilo an jab bukt Kilin an utiej lok,

    Ej ber ilo jun Wwin eo,Ej utiej lok wt.

    Ilo an jab lmnak wt kin E mke,Ej maro ber iben Men otemjelok.

    Ilo Wwin in ej maro elap lok,Jen E mke.

    Ilo an jab kajmlok an ber iben mke,Ej maro, on Indreeo, ber ilo ejelok Jmlok.

    All lands without exception, on earth & in Heaven,They exist without end.

    They exist without end,Because they are not alone.

    And as they are not alone, but rather together,They exist For Ever and Ever.

    One who knows more,By not looking for ways to be higher,

    Is in a way in which,One will become higher only.

    As he does not think of himself only,He can be with all things without exception.

    In this way he can become greater,Than he could ever become by himself alone.

    As he does not end his being with himself alone,He can for forever, be without end.

  • # 9 The Gate Keeper's Tale - A Transliteration of:The Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and English

    Elae kwj kanak lok wt Lipen eo,Kwnaj buromij am Etan.

    Jimjim lok wt Jitben eo am,Im eban jab aidik lok im kkp.

    Kalaplok Men ko rej lukun aork iturm,Im jokro kwj babu, koban jele Aenmman.

    Elae Brum ej ber ilo Utiej Bru wt,Koban jab jmlok ilo Bukim.

    En bwe am mkitkit, ak jab katblbl.Kwn ber ilo Mour, jab ber ilo Mij.

    If you pull ever more on the bow,You will regret your effort.

    Sharpen your saw on and on,And it will not fail to go thin and dull.

    Gather things of great value around you, And even if you lie down, you wont know peace.

    If your heart is always high and haughty,You will not fail to end up on your knees.

    Make your moves enough, but dont get tricky,Be with life, dont be with death.

  • # 10 The Gate Keeper's Tale - A Transliteration of:The Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and English

    Komaro ke kabellok Imeo Imm,Bwe en ber lok o, im eto lok jen Iju kan?

    Komaro ke ilo Et Bru en an jun Nini,Ke ej jino bk Mejatoto in an Ll in;

    Ilo lukun Mol,Barainwt walok ainwt jun Emman?

    Komaro ke wnmanlok ilo am jeraik lok ArmijOtemjelok, ilo ejelok Kien nai?

    Komaro ke koba lok iben L,Im jele nje?

    Komaro ke kajerbal Brum, eo enEj obarak kin Klmanlokjen im Jelelokjen,

    Im kauweki lok kin Jel ko,Rej ber ilo Tu Mull in Brum?

    Elae ewor am Maro in kawalok,Im najidik lok an dritto lok;

    Elae ewor am Maro in jenit lok, im jab bk,Jele en bwe en am, ak kwalok Akwel;

    Elae ewor am Maro in ber iman Armij,Kin ejelok aer Jele,

    Inem kwj ber,Ilo Unin Mour!

    Can you open your house up,So that it is opened up oh, and beyond the stars?

    Can you, with the humble heart of a child,As it takes in the air of this earth;

    In true honesty,Also emerge a man?

    Can you go forward and make friends with Peoplewithout exception, with no rules against them?

    Can you join with Heaven,And know how to care?

    Can you use your head, that which,Which is crowded with thinking and knowing,

    And make it rise with the ways of knowing,That lie at the very depth of your heart?

    If you have the ability to bring something forth,And care for its growth;

    If you can become a guide without taking,This knowledge as yours, or causing argument;

    If you have the ability to be at the lead of people,Without their knowledge;

    Then you areAt the Root of Life!

  • # 12 The Gate Keeper's Tale - A Transliteration of:The Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and English

    Eln Wuno ko jej maro loe,Aolep rej maro kabilu kij!

    Ainikien ko jej maro ronjake,Aolep rej boktok Jaroro.

    El Nem in Moe ko,Aolep rej kaijol kij;

    Aolep Wwin kein,Rej maro boktok Bwok!

    Iaekwj ko im Kariwutut ko iktan Armij,Rej kwalok aer joren!

    Im barainwt, Anjo en,Ejab im boktok Aenmmn.

    Kin ar jele Wwin kein,Jun eo ej jele, elap lok an kanan;

    Meram en Lowa,Jen Meram wt in Ran.

    Ewor an Ia,Ewor an Eaab.

    Many colors we can see,All can blind us!

    The sounds that we can hear,They all clutter our hearing.

    There are many smells from foods,They all make us hungry;

    All of these ways of things,They can bring forth confusion!

    The races and contests between people,They show up their defeat!

    And also the spoils of such sport,They do not bring peace.

    Because of our knowledge of these ways of things,One who knows, prefers more;

    The light from within,Than the light only of the day.

    There is his Yes,There is his No.

  • # 17 The Gate Keeper's Tale - A Transliteration of:The Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and English

    Ekijien eo en ej Utiej tata,Armij ro rej jele wt kin an ber.

    Ekijien ro rej jab join Utiej,Rej nbar E im kebak lok.

    Ekijien ro rej Et,Rej dike, im reban kebak lok.

    Elae kwnaj koan lok ro jet,Reban jab koan Euk!

    Ej ilo am jab tmak Armij ro,Ke kwj ukt lok Wwin, im renaj kmman Riab.

    Ak ekijien eo en ej Utiej ilo an kmman Emmn,Ilo an kajiniet lok im kabiliklik lok jerbal ko ar,

    Jenaj aolep lo wt,Ar jerbal mke.

    Concerning the one who is the highest,People know only of his existence.

    Concerning those who are not so high,They will praise and draw near.

    Concerning those who are humble,They hate them and will not go near them.

    If you neglect to recognize others,They will not fail to neglect to recognize you!

    It is in your not believing people,That you change things, and they will make lies.

    But, concerning he who is high in goodness,In his showing us the way and guiding our work,

    We will see only,Our doing it all by ourselves.

  • # 18 The Gate Keeper's Tale - A Transliteration of:The Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and English

    Ilo Iien eo Armij ro rar belok,Jen Iiel eo an Mour;

    Ekar walok Yokwe,Im Emmol.

    Katak ko rar walok,Im barainwt Kandikdik kin Yokwe.

    Jejjej eo an Armij,Ekar kwalok Kabojoj!

    Ilo Iien eo Bidbid in Jowi ko ekar rup,Ekar walok ro Jemen ro rar jele Joij.

    Im Armij ro nejen, rar kwalok,Ro rar jele jineik lok Armij.

    Ilo Iien eo Ailo ko rar jibliklik jen dron,Im utlok on ilo Kien Eddo;

    Ekar walok Dri Kabiliklik ro,Rar nebar lok kin aer jele Nukwi.

    At the time when people drifted away,From the way of life;

    There came to be love.And honesty.

    The teachings came to be, And also sharing everything with love.

    The false pretense of people,Caused phony leaders to boss everyone about.

    At the time when the bedrock of the clans broke;Came the fathers of those who knew kindness.

    And all their children, they brought forth,Those who knew how to mother people.

    At the time when the people were scattered,And fell into Heavy Rule;

    There came to be the advisors,Whom they praised for their knowledge of caring.

  • # 19 The Gate Keeper's Tale - A Transliteration of:The Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and English

    Elae ekar ejelok Jikul im Ekatak ko,Armij ro, renaj kar mnn lok kin jibuki Alen.

    Elae ekar ejelok Lmnak im Kunana,Im ejelok men in kautiej Bruan Armij ro,

    Renaj kar, Lukun jele nukwi.

    Elae ekar ejelok Katblbl ilo Wia,Armij reban kar aikwj bprai dri Kwot ro.

    Ak Wwin kein jilu,Rejab im tbar ilo Alikar.

    Inem, Ein ke ij loe;Ainwt ke ilo Imull in Bruaer rej kanan,

    Ktlok Armij ro bwe ren Animkwj jen,Aikwj ko aer, im Kanan Wan ko barainwt.

    If there were no schools or teachings,The people, would be one hundred times happier.

    If there were no thought of doing your share andNothing to cause people to feel high and mighty,

    They wouldTruly know how to look after their relatives.

    If there were no fancy footwork in business, people would not need to fear thieves.

    But these three ways of things,They do not reach a full understanding.

    Therefore, this is the way it seems to me;As Deep in their Hearts they desire,

    Release people to be free from,Their basic needs and their simple greed as well.

  • # 20-A The Gate Keeper's Tale - A Transliteration of:The Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and English

    Melolok Katak ko,Im bukt wt Jele.

    Ilo Wwin in kwnaj le jen Joren en ej walok,Ilo ar akwel iktan Ie im Ene.

    Ewor ke Tokjen ar,Klmanlokjen ekijien Men kein?

    Jej maro ke kallimjekEmmn im Enana?

    Ke Armij ro rej lo jun Armij en ej Buromij,Renaj bar ank lok Buromij en.

    Wwin in ej ber ilo Riab, kenke kwj jab maroKabjrak am ejake Brum;

    Ak kwj jab maroKwaloke barainwt.

    Aolep Armij ro, rej mnn kin aer Aenmman,Ainwt ke kwj jijet ilo jun Wjke im remetolok.

    Lojet en ej ainwt jun Nini ejain etdikdik, Im enain ainwtjun a.

    Jkron ejelok a Jerbal, im ejelok a Tbrak koIj maro kwalok, ej dibakbak wt a Aenmman.

    Ij belok iktan Iiel ko a ilo Mour in,Ainwt ke ekar ejelok Jiken a ber.

    Forget LearningAnd seek only wisdom.

    In this way you will miss the confusion that comesAs we argue between Yes and Certainly.

    Is there any purpose in our,Pondering over such things?

    Can we look atGood and Bad?

    As people see a person who is sad,They will also imitate that sadness.

    This way is false, because you cannotStop what you feel in your heart;

    But you cannotMake it appear either.

    All people, are happy with their peace of mind,Like when you sit in a tree and gaze out to sea.

    The ocean is like a child who has not yet smiled,And I am much the same.

    Even if I have no work, and no accomplishmentsI can show, wide indeed is my peace of mind.

    I drift between my pathways in this life,As if there was no place for me to be.

  • # 20-B The Gate Keeper's Tale - A Transliteration of:The Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and English

    Aolep Armij ro rej kaaorak Mweiuk ko aerIm a wt en ij kajkrone.

    Jon an jkor Wwin ko a,Renaj ba ke Lmnak ko a rej an Dri Tano!

    Ll in ej ubrak kin Armij ro,Rej rablbl kin Meram.

    a wt, ij ber,Ilo Mutok en an Kijiek eo.

    Aolep Armij rej mmourur ilo aer mkitkit,Na wt ijab mkitkit im ainwt Lometo ilo Lur.

    Ak ilo Emmol en, ej mull tata,Lometo en ej wor wt an mkitkit n Indreo.

    Ewor Tokjen aolep Armij ro,Im ej wor aer Jerbal.

    a wt,Ijab kanan jibark lok Jabrewt!

    Ejelok Men en ij kanan,Elap lok jen Joij en an Jinen Ll in.

    All people they value their possessions,And I alone disregard them.

    So out of step are my ways,They will say my thoughts are those of a lunatic!

    The world is full of people,Who shine with light.

    I alone, I am,In the darkness surrounding the fire.

    All people are healthy in their movement,I alone am still like the ocean during the doldrums.

    But in, the deepest truth,The ocean always has its movement forever.

    There is a value for all the people,And there is their work.

    I alone,I dont want to strive for anything!

    There is no thing which I desire,More than the kindness of mother nature.

  • # 40 The Gate Keeper's Tale - A Transliteration of:The Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and English

    Mour ion Iiel eo an,Ej rol lok n ilo an Bnrnr in No.

    Mkjkj eo an,Ej, an Aenmmon ilo bar jun Iien.

    Ber eo an Lol in,Im an Armij otemjelok;

    Ej kakel lok ilo aolep Iien,Aer jab aikwoj Ber Mek.

    Life on it's way,Returns toward inside the spray of the wave.

    It's quickness,Is it's quietness at some other time.

    Life of this Earth,And of all the people without exception;

    It renews at every moment,Our not needing to be alone.

    The Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and EnglishThe Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and EnglishThe Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and EnglishThe Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and EnglishThe Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and EnglishThe Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and EnglishThe Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and EnglishThe Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and EnglishThe Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and EnglishThe Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and EnglishThe Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and EnglishThe Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and EnglishThe Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and EnglishThe Tao Te Ching in Marshallese and English