I tend to prefer Waley's translation: Stretch a bow to the very full, And you will wish you had stopped in time; Temper a sword-edge to its very sharp

I tend to prefer Waley's translation: Stretch a bow to the very full, And you will wish you had stopped in time; Temper a sword-edge to its very sharpest, And you will find it soon grows dull. When bronze and jade fill your hall. It can no longer be guarded. Wealth and place breed insolence. That brings ruin in its train. When your work is done, then withdraw! Such is Heaven's Way. Why? Because there is no "security" or "prisoner" in the original. And "serenity" is a far-fetched interpretation for "Heaven's Way", which is just the name of the daoist "Doctrine". http://wengu.tartarie.com/wg/wengu.php?no=9&l=Daodejing http://wengu.tartarie.com/wg/wengu.php?no=9&l=Daodejing