I’ll be posting my drafts on 法句譬喻經 (T211), “The Scripture of Dharma Verses and Parables”, a collection of DHP verses & stories with parallels across the whole range of Pāli suttas.
For a general introduction to the collection and the parallels, feel free to check out this thread:
Like my previous Therīgāthā Translation Questions thread, I hope it’ll be informative for students now and later, and prove to be an interesting documentation on pains and pleasures of translations! 
Paging @cdpatton!
DS 1.1
昔者天帝釋五德離身，自知命盡當下生世 間，在陶作家受驢胞胎。
Once, Śakra the Lord of Gods had five signs that he would part with his body.
He knew that his life was coming to an end, that he was about to descend and be born in the world, in the womb of a donkey at a potter’s household.
何謂五德？一者身 上光滅，二者頭上華萎，三者不樂本坐，四 者腋下汗臭，五者塵土著身。
What were these five signs?
First, the radiance of his body went out. Second, the garland upon his head withered. Third, he no longer delighted in his usual seat. Fourth, the sweat under his armpits were stinking. Fifth, dust and dirt clung to his body.
以此五事自知 福盡，甚大愁憂。
Knowing that his merit was exhausted by these five signs, he was greatly grieving and worried.
自念三界之中，濟人苦厄唯 有佛耳，於是奔馳往到佛所。
He thought to himself that there was only the Buddha and no other within the threefold world who could rescue people from suffering and misfortune. As a result, he hurriedly went and left for Buddha’s place.
時佛在耆闍崛 山石室中，坐禪入普濟三昧。
At that time, the Buddha was staying in a cave on Vulture Peak. Seated in meditation, he had entered the samādhi of Universal Salvation.
天帝見佛，稽首 作禮伏地，至心三自歸命佛法聖眾，未起之 間其命忽出，便至陶家驢母腹中作子。
Śakra approached the Buddha, bowed his head to the ground, paid homage, and lay prostrate.
With all his heart, he took the threefold refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and the Saṅgha.
Before he could rise up, his life suddenly went out.
He immediately entered the womb of the potter’s female donkey and became her child.
時 驢自解走瓦坏間破壞坏器，其主打之，尋時 傷胎，其神即還入故身中，五德還備復為天 帝。
Then the donkey broke free and began to run among the unbaked earthenware, destroying the pots.
Her owner beat her, immediately injuring the fetus, whose spirit immediately returned to his former body. The five signs were restored in full, becoming the Lord of Gods once again.
佛三昧覺，讚言：「善哉天帝！能於殞命之際 歸命三尊，罪對已畢，不更勤苦。」
The Buddha emerged from samādhi and praised him: “Excellent, Śakra! At the very moment of death, you were able to take refuge in the Three Jewels. The retribution of your offense has now run its course — you won’t suffer any more hardship.”
「所行非常， 謂興衰法，
夫生輒死， 此滅為樂。
譬如陶家， 埏埴作器，
一切要壞， 人命亦然。」
“Conditioned things are impermanent,
So it’s their nature to rise and pass away.
Whatever is born must die;
Cessation of this is peace.”
“Just as a potter
Kneads clay and makes vessels —
All of them are bound to break;
Human life is just like this.”
帝釋聞偈，知無常之要，達罪福之變，解興衰 之本，遵寂滅之行，歡喜奉受得須陀洹道。
Hearing these verses, Śakra relized the meaning of impermanence, penetrated the variation of demerit and merit, understood the basis of arising and passing away; and followed the practice of peaceful cessation.
He gladly received it with reverence and attained the path of the stream entry.
達罪福之變: No matter how I cut it, I don’t quite make sense of “Change / Alteration / Variation of merit and demerit” I originally thought “Consequences of ~”…
But, T212 has this instead: 知無常之要，達罪福之源，解興衰之變，遵滅度之行, which I think makes more sense.
Note, for the verses here, I first rendered it in syllabic, rhyming poetry, something like this:
「所行非常， 謂興衰法，
夫生輒死， 此滅為樂。譬如陶家， 埏埴作器，
一切要壞， 人命亦然。」"Impermanent are conditioned stuff;
It is their nature to rise and fall.
Whoever lives will die sure enough —
Bliss is the cessation of this all.It’s just like the case of a potter —
To make a bowl, kneads clay and water;
Alas, they are all prone to break down,
It’s thus for human life all around."
I felt it was, okayish… but the more I read the other verses, the more I realised just how gnomic and terse the Chinese verses are in this collection. So, swallowing my pride and sensibilities, opting for the easier course of action, I’ve decided to try convey that sharp edge of the Chinese, rather than dressing it up.
Continuing on this subject.
五衰相 is also expressed in the terse form of 五衰, with the 相 omitted and implied. It’s more reasonable to treat the phrase as 五德【相】離身, thus rendering the phrase 5 graceful signs disappearing. Though, I can’t find any entry of 五德相 in the dictionaries.
