a newborn is soft and tender,

a crone, hard and stiff.

plants and animals, in life, are supple and succulent;

in death, withered and dry.

so softness and tenderness are attributes of life,

and hardness and stiffness, attributes of death.

just as a sapless tree will split and decay

so an inflexible force will meet defeat;

the hard and mighty lie beneath the ground

while the tender and weak dance on the breeze above.