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__  __ Hexagram Forty-Seven:  
       K'un / Exhaustion

A Dead Sea,
its Waters spent eons ago,
more deadly than
the desert surrounding it:
The Superior Person will stake
his life and fortune
on what he deeply believes.

Triumph belongs
to those who endure.
Trial and tribulation can
hone exceptional character
to a razor edge
that slices deftly
through every challenge.
Action prevails
where words will fail.




Hexagram Forty-Seven/Line One:
He rests beneath a dead tree,
trying to make sense
of this dark, desolate valley
he has strayed into.
These lost wanderings
will last three years.


Hexagram Forty-Seven/Line Two:
Chained to the banquet table,
a prisoner
of his own rich tastes.
He offers prayer and sacrifice
for delivery from desire.
When even the desire
to be delivered
has been cleansed, 
his prayers
will have been answered.


Hexagram Forty-Seven/Line Three:
Hemmed in by stone,
with nothing to climb
but thorns:
a trap of his own making.
Struggling home,
he cannot find his wife.
Misfortune.


Hexagram Forty-Seven/Line Four:
Captive and on display
in a golden carriage,
he is ashamed 
of the spectacle
he has become.
Such regrets
will lead to
good fortune.


Hexagram Forty-Seven/Line Five:
Though his nose and feet
will surely be cut off,
still he must
confront the warlord.
He calmly accepts his fate,
and offers prayer and sacrifice.


Hexagram Forty-Seven/Line Six:
He feels tightly bound
by no more than
a few vines of ivy.
If he firmly resolves
to break free, 
he will find
he was held back
by only his own
guilt and fear.

Copyright 1995-1996 Roger Norton Consulting. All rights reserved.