Light and Shade

Our life's a play of light and shade
Returning at last to the void.
--T'ao Ch'ien
(from, Returning to Live in the Country)

T'ao Ch'ien (365-427 C.E.), also known as Tao Yuan-Ming, was a poet, father, farmer, and a recluse.  He adopted the name "Ch'ien" (meaning "in hiding") as a means of protest against Liu Yu (who declared himself emperor of his own Liu-Sung Dynasty in 420 C.E.).  Hence his name means, "T'ao the recluse."

Perhaps T'ao Ch'ien was also referring to "Tao Ch'ien".......the reclusive Tao!  The words in the poem above certainly imply the inter-play of yin and yang and the eventual return to the void of Tao.