Verse One

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal Tao.
The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.
The named is the mother of ten thousand things.
Ever desireless, one can see the mystery.
Ever desiring, one sees the manifestations.
These two spring from the same sources but differ in name;
      this appears ad darkness.
Darkness within darkness.
The gate to all mystery.