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Carletonienses officii me cogere coeptant insolitis mentem ludificare modis. iam comprensa exercitia hæc mi verba minantur sicut rex terrens ense Syracosio. |
| 5 | uno scribendum est mihi longo tale opus anno ut non doctiores menda logou videant. hic labor ipse refertur mentes pertenuasse, furatum somnos esse et amantem animam. nunc persolvam hanc arduitatem vina bibendo |
| 10 | qua de re in schedam erit schema refusa 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 Nasoni, non Chaos omne fuisse adfirmo, sed enim velut alveus, ostia, ripae, in terra possunt, etiam amne absente, videri, antevenit Via res. Via simplex est, etiamsi |
| 5 | omnes res caecae rerum natura Via fit. Consilium nullum Via construit, attamen orbis terrarum caelumque Viae cursum sequitur. Si rex usufructu cohibere Viam experiatur, regnum prorsus perdat; agricultor tamen imus |
| 10 | panem cottidianum et cetera dona Viae non furatur, nec praedatur ferro, igne Viam, sed consitione cibos comedit sapiente Viales. At de omnes condente vel omniparente loquebar. Illis auditis, divam esse Viam reputator |
| 15 | credere posset, si Via non a illo bene nota esset. Di superi, clare in mundo manifesti, a populi sensu leviora Vialia celant indicia, aeque vermiculi factoris arenae non vestigia enim, transgresso ingente gigante, |
| 20 | nunc in litore tam permutato inveniuntur. Quomodo, quaesitur idcirco, Via tantula nosci? Parva Via est, sed ubique Vialia facta videntur. Hic atomum quemque, illic immensa admovit astra. Sic duo sunt, doctrina unus, negligentiaque alter, |
| 25 | Facta modis quibus est Via sensibilis vel aperta. Sed doctrina qui speciem scrutatur in omni, ut specie glupta naturam detegat ipsam, est homini similis qui caepis cortice abrepto plene ex corticibus credit consistere caepe, |
| 30 | nec, quotquot lacrimis fusis, nucleum videt ullum. Quem negligentia divisas ignoscere partes mundi poscit, sed mundum totum sinit una mente haurire aequa, sic praecipiti simulare ille potest, morsu mordax fortasse voranti |
| 35 | amplo caepe, scita hauddum parte interiore. Cur, igitur, gentes non doctrina adlicit omnes? Quam negligentia tutior est, toto neque tacto atque periclo non adito; num caepe edit ecquis? Sed ducente Via nos caepia novimus esse |
| 40 | esse Vialia, non alia atque Vidalia, 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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His in Aquis Sulis antiquis orastis egentes; Donane quae legimus de 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 brevitatis inest mihi. Scribere pergere nolo. |
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Praise of brevity is in me. I do not want to go on writing. |