道德經 第一章

道可道，非常道。
名可名，非常名。

無名天地之始；
有名萬物之母。

故常無欲，以觀其妙；
常有欲，以觀其徼。

此兩者，同出而異名，
同謂之玄。

玄之又玄，
眾妙之門。

Chapter 1

the dao that purrs is not the forever purr
the name you give it is not its tail
in stillness, mice appear
in motion, fur shines
peek, sniff, curl up
don’t chase. Just be

道德經 第二章

天下皆知美之為美，斯惡已。
皆知善之為善，斯不善已。

故有無相生，
難易相成，
長短相較，
高下相傾，
音聲相和，
前後相隨。

是以聖人處無為之事，行不言之教；
萬物作而弗始，
生而弗有，
為而弗恃，
功成而不居。

夫唯弗居，是以不去。

Chapter 2

when kittens call one toy pretty
another looks dull
when one nap feels good
another feels not-good

so:
scratching and stillness chase each other
hard jumps and easy jumps balance
long tails and short tails compare
tall fences and low fences tilt
purr and meow mix
hunt and nap follow

thus the Wise Cat :
does nothing yet everything plays
shows without teaching

lets mice scurry—does not claim them
loves warmth—does not own it
leaps—does not boast
catches—yet does not keep

because she does not cling
her pawprints never fade