Alo and De Measure #66
(PD) Alo and De Lake on Land.
Copyright ©2018 November 13, 2018
Yan: When I had glanced-over portions of some outsiders' translations, and then did a quick read of your first early draft translation, I thought that I had a good enough idea of what the ancients' words pointed to... my only missing little details... but now, doing my own translations, without reliance of anyone else's, I am now seeing how difficult a good translation can be... but, the effort is rewarding also...
Alo: Yes... to give effort, to strive for accuracy, there can be felt satisfaction of a job well-done... similar satisfaction and appreciation, strive for self-accuracy...
Yan: Agreed... and now I am also more aware of the boundaries of words... the strong coincidences, are no longer coincidences... same words, because, similar minds... and also, because, sometimes, similar truths... 'Heaven earth, it way certainly number-one, word as-well-as finish also. It be thing not number-two, follow it birth thing not measure'. To me, the concept appears to be saying that the sequence of the universe's being and becoming, begins with 'word'... all other systems of belief known to me, are similar... saying that Creation began with Source speaking a word... the number-one action, therefore, is, say word, and then Creation is finished. The number two portion of the sequence, are the things that follow creation... what exists after Creation is created, follows what cannot be measured... therefore, the act of creation itself, cannot be measured... only after created things are created, can they then be measured...
Alo: Good... close enough... it is a common belief, by most all outsiders, that they can measure how Creation was created... the outsiders sincerely believe that they can measure things before the things became measurable... it is not possible... Nature's way is very explicit that it is not possible... the ancients' words, in that sentence, appear to agree. The math, taught in government schools... it is flat... only sequences of points... point A to point B... no durations in-between... no harmonics, no reciprocations, no intensities, no quantities, no hues, no shades, no tones, no chords, no curves... the outsiders' math, is, sad... for a person to believe that a thing is flat... sad...
Yan: I agree... troubling to me, to think of people believing that they can know the Source itself... the people believing that their words and math must be the identical same as the Source's... as you have also said, 'the created thing cannot know that which created it'... an axe handle cannot know the man who created the axe handle... clothing cannot know the person who wove the clothing... life, is complex... histories, emotions, thoughts, purposes... none of which can be discerned by the created thing... cannot know the Source...
Alo: Agreed... but the outsiders, they cannot discern that... the outsiders, seem to be with a belief, that they can know everything about everything, merely by inventing words that claim it to be so...
Yan: But here... am I wrong, when I see a similar thing in the ancients' words? Or are we using wrong words ourselves? The musical tone... what people today say was supposed to be the perfect note... I have begun translating another chapter, and I am seeing the note reference more often... kings with the note... nations with the note... individuals with the note... I researched, and found people claiming that it was a goal of the ancients, for their rulers and nations to attain the note. I saw within the ancient words, many parallels of things that I interpret as being true, but I was concerned, that I might merely be unintentionally inserting my own views so as to force the words to appear reasonable... might not have been what the ancients intended...
Alo: Yes, we pause and use caution... modern beliefs say that the ancients' best kings' inner tones were perfect... of the perfect note... that junzi's way and root, also perfect note... that somehow one man's perfect inner note, could somehow create a perfect nation... create perfect nation's perfect citizens... somehow by the presence of one good man, that all men should somehow become same...
Yan: It might be true, that a person's behavior influences all people's behavior, but it cannot be true that one good man can, by simply being good, force another man to be good... many good men throughout history... none made their people good...
Alo: Agreed... proper behavior can swing a tendency for people to behave with a degree of properness also, but, cannot change the people themselves... people would choose better behavior because of desire, desire for social acceptance... outer acceptance, is not inner good... only the individual himself can change himself... choice...
Yan: Yes, agreed... here, exists several outsider ideas, each being claimed to be harmonious of logic... but none agree... all contradict. The outsiders claim that the perfect note is as the note of Source itself... note of Creation itself... note of creativity itself... the outsiders give lengthy words and numbers, of how, and why, the note ought to be perfect... but here, everything the outsiders said, contradicted all other things said...
Alo: Yes, very true... cannot know that which created, so, cannot know Source... also, notes are created, a portion of the created thing... cannot be a portion of the Creator. Also, the words of outsiders', are, words of outsiders'... how many times have you seen the outsiders to speak correct words?
Yan: Easy... none.
Alo: And so, we know beforehand, that just because an outsider claims to know the hearts, minds, and beliefs of ancients', the words do not make the claim be true...
Yan: Precisely... of all words of knowledge spoken by outsiders, just because the people claim that the ancients believed in perfect notes, it does not mean that the claims must be true...
Alo: And it is here, that we are once again brought back to the beginning... the measure of translating ancient words, by using modern words, and also using modern beliefs, will always result in mistakes... the only rational, logical, way, is to live the thing one's self... to understand the thing firsthand... then, later, if chosen, look at other people's words, and determine for one's self, if, the people's words relate to one's self... cannot measure nor have understanding of ancient way, if a man does not so much as understand his own way...