Yang & Wood
The rabbit always has three entrances to its den.
The rabbit nets are hammered in
Spread across the pathways.
Brave and firm are our soldiers
Heart and belly of our lord.
Wood is yin, thus giving a yin/yang combination.
Therefore this poem and proverb are about recognizing difference and taking care.
At one level the poem seems to say
the strong, young soldiers are invincible compared to the rabbits.
But the proverb balances this.
To escape or avoid trouble,
you do not have to go at it headlong.
The Tao Te Ching, the great classic book of Taoism,
says be like water confronted with a rock.
Go round it, under it and pass on,
leaving the solid young rock far behind.
©Loes Raaphorst 10/2005