I said at the beginning of this series, I decided to limit myself to using the Stephen Mitchell translation of the Tao Te Ching. Comparing different translations is really interesting, but a much bigger problem!
In my personal reading, I am using ‘The Illustrated Tao Te Ching’, by Man-Ho Kwok, Martin Palmer, and Jay Ramsay. I really like it. Translating classical Chinese is a tricky endeavour, and it seems there is considerable room for artistic licence! In my opinion, I think this suits the message and attitude of the philosophy very well.
As an example, you can compare these two translations of chapter 20. Notice how some lines make more sense in one translation or the other, and some lines are translated to have opposite meanings! I hope you find this quick comparison entertaining, before we continue down the road we started…
| Stop thinking, and end your problems. | Listen, give up trying to be so learned And things will be a lot easier. |
| What difference between yes and no? | Is there really much of a difference between a yes And a no said insincerely? |
| What difference between success and failure? | Is there really much of a difference Between being angry and pretending not to be? |
| Must you value what others value, avoid what others avoid? How ridiculous! |
What the people are afraid of I also need to fear. |
| Other people are excited, as though they were at a parade. |
And what do most people do? They go looking for a good time. They go looking for fool’s gold and auspicious signs. |
| I alone don’t care, I alone am expressionless, like an infant before it can smile. |
Only, you see, I am lazy And I don’t give a damn about fame or money. I am like a child who cannot bring himself to smile. |
| Other people have what they need; I alone possess nothing. I alone drift about, like someone without a home. I am like an idiot, my mind is so empty. |
What do the people want? Money and things. And yet I find I have nothing, and I don’t care. I am as ambitious as any fool. |
| Other people are bright; I alone am dark. Other people are sharper; I alone am dull. |
Most people seem to be bright and sharp And how do I feel? Like a blunted sword. |
| Other people have a purpose; I alone don’t know. I drift like a wave on the ocean, I blow as aimless as the wind. |
The people, the people are like waves of sea And I am drifting between them wherever they are blown. And the people, the people are so busy! But I have nothing to bother about. I am a bumpkin, a lout. |
| I am different from ordinary people. I drink from the Great Mother’s breasts. |
I am different, I am strange. I live for the Mother. |
-
Translation of any language is an art form! It’s not just about matching word for word; the point is to capture the essence of meaning. This is why when I did my series on the TTC I used numerous translations. I didn’t want readers to become fixated on one perspective.
The above, however, is NOT a criticism of the method that you’ve chosen. There are many different ways to skin a fish. You’ve chosen this method and I chose a different one. In the end, though, the fish is skinned either way.
1 comment
Comments feed for this article
Trackback link: http://cmbryan.com/blog/wp-trackback.php?p=538