great works ii – 2850 jta 12:25-2:05: love letters from the world

In the poem, One, a reoccurring theme that’s noticeable is the Tao will always be something that cannot be defined through words, but rather actions. From the beginning of the Poem, the reader is told “The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.” No matter how the Tao is described, the names that will be used are just words that can easily be mistaken and that can lead to confusion, and can have no eternal meaning. In order for “the gate to all mystery,” to be understood, one must not try to name or describe such mystery, but rather act upon it to try and get a better understanding of it. As one continues to interpret the poem, one can come to the conclusion that the Tao is something that simply cannot be understood. Exemplified by the quote “Darkness within darkness,” the reader is told that the Tao has an infinite way of being interpreted, much like darkness within darkness. By attempting to describe the Tao through words, the words become finite, and that which is finite cannot encompass that which is infinite. These ideas all enforce the reoccurring theme of the Tao being something that can’t be defined through words.