Dao De Jing

The useless tree

Hui tzu he said to Chuang:

"I have a big tree, 

of that they call stinking trees.

The trunk is tán twisted, 

so full of knots, 

that nobody might obtain a right table

of its wood. The branches are so twisted

that cannot be cut in any form

that makes sense.

There it is along with the way.

Not even only one carpenter would deign even

to look at it.

Equal are your educations,

big and useless."

Chuang Tzu answered:

"Have you ever observed the wild cat?

Nabbed, watching its detainee,

it jumps in this one and that direction,

above and below, and finally 

it lands in the pitfall.

But: have you seen the yak?

Enormous like a thunderstorm cloud,

road surface in its power.

What is big? Certainly.

Do not be able to hunt mice!

Equal it happens with your big tree. Useless?

Then plant it on the arid grounds.

Alone.

It walks mildly for below,

he rests under its shade;

no neither axe nor decree prepare its end.

Nobody will ever cut it.

Useless? It is you who are the one that should worry!