The Dokkōdō

獨行道

Dokkōdō

The Lonely Way[[Or perhaps ‘The Path One Walks Alone’ (though 行 does mean ‘go’).]]

一　世〻の道𛄜そむく事𛂂𛁅

Hitotsu: yoyo no michi wo somuku koto nashi

Defy not the ways of the world.[[Although hitotsu does mean ‘one’, in this case it is used merely to list each item, so I have omitted it from the English.]] [[The word そむく literally means “turn one’s back”, but in Japanese to turn one’s back is not to ignore or abandon but to rebel.]]

一　身𛂋𛁠の𛁅𛃉𛄜たくま𛁑

Hitotsu: mi ni tanoshimi wo takumazu

Seek not after pleasures.

一　よろ𛁑𛂌依怙の心𛂂𛁅

Hitotsu: yorozu ni eko no kokoro nashi

Favour not one thing over another.

一　身𛄜あさく思世𛄚ふ𛀚く思ふ

Hitotsu: mi wo asaku omoi yo wo fukaku omou

Take little heed of thyself, and take great heed of the world.

一　一生の間よく𛁅ん思は𛁑

Hitotsu, isshō no aida yokushin omowazu

Desire nothing as long as thou livest.

一　我事𛂋おゐて後悔𛄜せ寸

Hitotsu, waga koto ni oite kōkai wo sezu[[Some people insert a comma between 我 and 事 and read it as ‘ware, koto …’: ‘I rue things not.’ I don’t think that this is the correct reading but I don’t have any proof. However, a precept that begins with ‘I’ does not sit nicely with the others.]] [[The character ゐ is pronounced wi, so にゐいて could be transliterated as ni owite, but the difference in pronunciation is so little as to make no difference.]]

Rue not what thou hast done.

一　善惡𛂌他を𛂗𛁠𛃑心𛂂𛁅

Hitotsu: zen’aku ni ta wo netamu kokoro nashi

Begrudge not others for good or ill.

一　いつ𛄀の道𛂌もわ𛀚れ𛄜𛀚𛂂𛁅ま寸

Hitotsu: idzure no michi ni mo wakare wo kanashimazu

Do not grieve at any parting.

一　自他共𛂋うら𛃉か𛀸つ心𛂂𛁅

Hitotsu: jita tomo ni urami–kakotsu koto nashi[[Some insert an を between うらみ and かこつ, but that is a mistake.]]

Blame neither thyself nor another.

一　𛄀ん𛃀の道思ひよる𛀸ゝろ𛂂𛁅

Hitotsu: renbo no michi omoi-yoru kokoro nashi

Do not yearn for romantic love.[[I would write Yearn not for the love of a woman, because ‘romantic love’ was not part of the contemporary English lexicon, but it leaves too much unsaid to be an accurate translation.]]

一　物毎𛂌𛁏𛀪𛀸の𛃑事𛂂𛁅

Hitotsu: mono goto ni suki-konomu koto nashi

Have no predilections.

一　私宅𛂌おゐてのそむ心𛂂𛁅

Hitotsu: shitaku ni oite nozomu kokoro nashi

Desire nothing of thy house.

一　身ひとつ𛂌美食𛄜このま𛁑

Hitotsu: mi hitotsu ni bishoku wo konomazu

Choose not fine food when eating alone.

一　末〻代物𛂂る古き道具所待せ寸

Hitotsu: suezue shiromono naru furuki dōgu shoji zezu

Keep not old tools for later gain.[[I believe that this is an admonishment against the buying of antique goods in the hope that they will become valuable.]]

一　𛄌𛀚身𛂌い𛁠り物い𛃉𛁏る事𛂂𛁅

Hitotsu: waga mi ni itari mono-imi suru koto nashi

Deprive not thy body.[[I.e., do not abstain from food or certain acts for ascetic reasons.]]

一　兵具𛂞各別よの道具𛁠𛁅𛂂ま𛁑

Hitotsu: heigu wa kakubetsu yo no dōgu tashinamazu

Rejoice in no tools but weapons.[[I believe that yo means 余, even though the kana よ used here is derived from the kanji 与.]]

一　道𛂌おゐて𛂞死𛄜いとは寸思う

Hitotsu: michi ni oite shi wo itowazu omou

Think it not ill to meet death on thy way.

一　老身𛂌財寳所領もちゆる心𛂂𛁅

Hitotsu: rōshin ni zaihō shoryō mochiyuru kokoro nashi

Wish not for lands and treasures for thine old age.

一　佛神𛂞貴𛁅佛神𛄚𛁠のま𛁑

Hitotsu: busshin wa tōtoshi busshin wo tanomazu.

Worship the Gods and Buddhas but ask of them nothing.

一　身𛄚捨ても名利𛂦すて𛁑

Hitotsu: mi wo sutemo myōri wa sutezu

Cast away thy life before thou casteth away thine honour.

一　常𛂋兵法の道𛄜𛂦𛂂𛃿寸

Hitotsu: tsune ni heihō no michi wo hanarezu

Never stray from the way of the fighting arts.