The five colours make our eyes blind
the five tones make our ears deaf
the five flavours make our mouths numb
riding and hunting make our minds wild
hard-to-get goods make us break laws
thus the rule of the sage puts the stomach ahead of the eyes
thus he picks this over that
I went with Red Pine's translation this time. Mitchell's seemed too...prettified to me. What I get out of this verse is to be cautious with distractions. Bright colors are pretty, but stare at them long enough and they tire the eyes. Strong flavors may taste good, but they can wear out the taste buds. Putting "the stomach ahead of the eyes," then, would refer to putting what you actually need over the things that appeal to your senses. Cleary's translation has this as the last two lines: "Therefore sages work for the middle and not the eyes, leaving the latter and taking the former." Choosing what you need over what you think you want.
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