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Carletoniensēs officiī mē cōgere coeptant insolitīs mentem lūdificāre modīs. iam comprensa exercitia hæc mī verba minantur sīcut rex terrens ense Syrācosiō. |
| 5 | ūnō scrībendum est mihi longō tāle opus annō ut nōn doctiorēs menda logou videant. hic labor ipse refertur mentēs pertenuasse, fūrātum somnōs esse et amantem animam. nunc persolvam hanc arduitātem vīna bibendō |
| 10 | quā dē rē in schedam erit schēma refūsa mea. |
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The duties of Carleton begin to compel me to trick my mind with unfamiliar rhythms. Now these words, my comps, threaten me like the fearsome king with his Syracusean sword. |
| 5 | In one long year I must write such a work that the more learned see no flaws du logique. This work is known to have stretched minds, to have stolen sleep and the loving soul. Now will I loosen this harshness with the drinking of wine |
| 10 | About which thing I will pour out my thoughts onto the page. |
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Dissimilis Nāsōnī, nōn Chaos omne fuisse adfirmō, sed enim velut alveus, ōstia, ripae, in terrā possunt, etiam amne absente, vidērī, antevenit Via rēs. Via simplex est, etiamsī |
| 5 | omnēs rēs caecae rērum nātūra Viā fit. Cōnsilium nullum Via cōnstruit, attamen orbis terrārum caelumque Viae cursum sequitur. Sī rex ūsūfructū cohibēre Viam experiātur, regnum prorsus perdat; agrīcultor tamen īmus |
| 10 | pānem cottidiānum et cētera dōna Viae nōn fūrātur, nec praedātur ferrō, igne Viam, sed cōnsitiōne cibōs comedit sapiente Viālēs. At dē omnēs condente vel omniparente loquēbar. Illīs audītīs, dīvam esse Viam reputātor |
| 15 | crēdere posset, sī Via nōn ā illō bene nōta esset. Dī superī, clārē in mundō manifestī, ā populī sensū leviōra Viālia cēlant indicia, aequē vermiculī factōris arēnae nōn vestīgia enim, trānsgressō ingente gigante, |
| 20 | nunc in lītore tam permūtātō inveniuntur. Quōmodo, quaesitur idcircō, Via tantula nōscī? Parva Via est, sed ubīque Viālia facta videntur. Hīc atomum quemque, illīc immensa admovit astra. Sīc duo sunt, doctrīna ūnus, negligentiaque alter, |
| 25 | Facta modīs quibus est Via sensibilis vel aperta. Sed doctrīnā quī speciem scrūtātur in omnī, ut speciē gluptā nātūram dētegat ipsam, est hominī similis quī caepis cortice abreptō plēnē ex corticibus crēdit consistere caepe, |
| 30 | nec, quotquot lacrimīs fūsīs, nucleum videt ullum. Quem negligentia dīvīsās ignoscere partēs mundī poscit, sed mundum tōtum sinit ūnā mente haurīre aequā, sīc praecipitī simulāre ille potest, morsū mordax fortasse vorāntī |
| 35 | amplō caepe, scītā hauddum parte interiōre. Cūr, igitur, gentēs nōn doctrīna adlicit omnēs? Quam negligentia tūtior est, tōtō neque tactō atque perīclō nōn aditō; num caepe edit ecquis? Sed dūcente Viā nōs caepia nōvimus esse |
| 40 | esse Viālia, nōn alia atque Vidālia, dulce. |
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Unlike Ovid, I do not state that everything was Chaos, but instead, just as the bed, mouth, and banks, even when the stream is absent, may be seen in the land, the Way comes before the thing. the Way is simple, even if |
| 5 | all the aimless thing are made into the Universe with the Way. The Way draws up no plan, yet the earth and the sky follow the Way's course. If a king were to try to compel the Way for his own advantage, his kingdom would soon fall. Yet the lowest farmer |
| 10 | does not steal his daily bread and the other gifts of the Way, nor does he loot the Way with iron and fire, but by wise sowing he eats the Way's food. But I was speaking of the parent and founder of all. Having heard these things, a thinking person could believe |
| 15 | that the Way is divine, if the Way was not well known to that one. The gods above, clearly visible in the world, hide the lighter signs of the Way, from the people's perception, just as no traces of the worm who made the dirt, once a huge giant has walked through, |
| 20 | will be found on the shore that has been so altered. How, it is therefore asked, to know such a small Way? The Way is small, but the deeds of the Way may be seen everywhere. Here, it moves every atom, there, the measureless stars. Thus, there are two methods, science and ignorance, |
| 25 | by which the Way is made perceptible and open. But the one that with science examines the appearance in everything, in order to see its very nature when the appearance has been peeled off, is like the person who, when an onion is peeled, believes that the onion consists entirely of peels, |
| 30 | nor, however many tears are shed, does that one find any center. The one whom ignorance allows to disregard the separate parts of the world, but allows to take in the entire world at one time with a level mind, thus is able to imitate the headstrong one, devouring with great bites a possibly |
| 35 | biting onion, when the inside is still unknown. Why, therefore, does science not attract all people? It is safer than ignorance, neither touching the whole or facing the danger; does anyone just eat an onion? But we know that with the Way in the lead, |
| 40 | to eat the Way's onions, not unlike Vidalia's, is sweet. |
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Hīs in Aquīs Sulis antīquīs ōrāstis egentēs; Dōnane quae legimus dē Sule surpta iacent? |
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In these, Sul's ancient waters, you needy ones prayed; Do the gifts we read lie there stolen from Sul? |
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Laus brevitātis inest mihi. Scrībere pergere nōlō. |
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Praise of brevity is in me. I do not want to go on writing. |