DAO DE JING

Chapter 26

Translation by K Ellis

The heavy is the root of the light;
the still is the ruler of the restless.

And so the sage journeys from dawn to dusk,
never straying from her essential weight.
She passes through places of marvel,
yet stays detached, in tranquil heart.

How could a king of ten thousand chariots
carry himself lightly before the world?
For lightness is a root pulled free,
and restlessness is a king deposed.

Translation © 2026 K Ellis. All rights reserved.