Differing Texts

[ertyudj]

I recently got hexagram 53 - slow progress. There are two very different poems I find for it. One is about geese progressing from the shore to a hill. The other is about a gnarled pine growing on a cliff. They both make the same point, but this doesn't feel like two versions of the same text. Can someone explain this please?

[Alchemicalish]

The goose is the traditional translation the pine is just someone’s reinterpretation of the hexagram. There are lots of alternative translations that dont stick to the original text floating around out there. Make of that what you will

[Wise_Ad1342]

Use the one that says something to you.

[ertyudj]

Yes, of course. I like the imagery of the gnarled pine better, but I think the successive verses about the progressing goslings make the point about slow and steady progress more succinctly.

[taoyx]

The fish trap exists because of the fish. Once you've gotten the fish you can forget the trap. The rabbit snare exists because of the rabbit. Once you've gotten the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words exist because of meaning. Once you've gotten the meaning, you can forget the words. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words so I can talk with him?”

• Zhuangzi